
The Little Tipper Porcupine Scuffer
Just what the billiards industry needs… yet another Tip Pik style tool. Don’t get me wrong, its a solid tip tool. Its just disappointing in that its nothing new. It comes in four colors and has a keychain and clip, but otherwise its pretty much the same as the Tip Pik. Price is about the same, it works the same, so if you want a tip pik with a keychain, this is definitely your bag.
I don’t care who you are, whether you’re just starting out or if you’ve been playing for years, every pool player simply must have a Tip Pik in their bag. There are a ton of tip scuffers out there, but the Tip Pik is in my opinion the single most important tool for any pool player. The whole idea behind it is that you puncture little holes in your tip which leads to better chalk retention. Some people will give it a little twist, but I’ve never found it necessary to do so.
The Tip Pik comes in a few flavors, including the Tip Pik Shadow where the needles are inverted and the Tip Pik Shadow Chalker which doubles as a pocket chalker. You can usually find any of these tools for around 15 bucks. The only downside to them is if you jab yourself with the needles, it doesn’t feel too good. The needles can also wreak havoc on your pants pockets if you leave it open.
So I finally got myself a new tip tool last week and all I can say is that my Atrox tool has been supplanted. I dug the Atrox because it was pretty versatile, but the problem was the thing was so damn bulky. The Atrox was fine for a while, but ultimately I had to trade her in for something with a little less junk in the trunk.
Honestly, the Atrox is so damn bulky that more often than not, I left the thing at home and just used my Tip Pik and a Cue Cube. But now thanks to my new My new favorite tool, Cuetec Bowtie 3-in-1 tool, I can leave all that crap at home.
The tool is really everything you need. It’s got a shaper on one side, a scuffer on the other and when you open it up, you’ll find a nice little “aerator” (fancy talk for poking holes in your tip). The best part about it though… no more puncture wounds in my leg. Ever since I lost the cap for my Tip Pik, I’ve just been gouging the hell out of my thigh. In all seriousness, if you play regularly, you should really crack open your wallet and drop a Jackson to get one of these.