The most common shape for a pool cue tip is either a nickel radius or dime radius. The common belief is that the more curvature you put on your tip, the more English you can apply. Because of this, most break cues will have less curvature than shooting cues, as you want to avoid accidental spin for a straight shot like a break shot. As you might expect, most shooting cues feature rounder tips, as they pass on English more easily. The reason for this is that the point of contact between the tip and the cue ball requires less distance from the center hit to create the same amount of spin.

If you're in need of a tip shaping tool, there are a number to choose from. The Willard Scuffer is available in either a nickel or dime radius and is extremely affordable. Likewise, the Cue Cube is extremely popular for those looking for a nickel shaper/scuffer combo tool. Among our most popular tip tools, however, is the new Bowtie tip tool. This multi-purpose tool features a high-quality shaper, scuffer, and a traditional tip picker.