I was given the opportunity to review a tip that had caught my interest simply because of the buzz I was hearing about it. I had (over the years) heard of Ultraskin Laminated Tips, and I had even tried a few (Very Soft, and Soft), and to be honest, I wasn’t too impressed (at that time). Fast forward to only a few months ago.
Garret Troop reached out to me to do a “Tip Review” for him. I told him I’d been hearing a lot of good things (recently) about the Ultraskin “Pro” Tip. So naturally it made sense to give the Ultraskin brand another try. I received the Ultraskin “Pro” tip, and had it installed on my Predator “REVO” Shaft.
The “Pro” Tip by Ultraskin is their softest they offer. The Hardness Rating is 61.8. This tip is a 9 layer, all pig skin laminated tip. From my visual inspection of this tip with my jeweler’s loop, the layers seemed to be even and smooth. They resembled a Kamui Black Tip (through the loop).
Here is the equipment I used in the Ultraskin “Pro” Tip testing.
Cue: Predator 20th LE-2
Shat: Predator “REVO” Shaft
Chalk: Master, Magic Chalk, Blue Diamond, and Kamui .98
Cue Ball: Aramith Super “Pro Cup” Tournament DURAMITH (Measle Ball).
The tip, when installed, posed no problems. The tip shaped up nicely, with plenty of layers left. The one thing I noticed right away from the very first hit of the cue ball, is how well the tip grabbed the cue ball. It was a very “familiar” hit to me, as it felt a lot like a Kamui Black “Soft” to me. I was very surprised and pleased with the hit and feel. It held premium and non-premium chalk incredibly well.
After hitting over 2000 balls with this tip, I was thrilled to observe that it kept the “Dime” radius shape that I love so much! There was absolutely NO mushrooming. This shocked me, as over the years I have fought almost every premium tip mushrooming. The consistency has remained intact, and I’ve only felt the need to scuff the surface of the tip only a few times when trying different chalk (as that is just a habit that I have).
This is a very, very good tip, that in my opinion, rivals Kamui Blacks. And at a fraction of the cost, (roughly, $5.00-$6.00 per tip), offers a great viable option for Kamui Tip lovers. My overall rating of this tip is a solid “A”. Because of my pleasant experience with the Ultraskin “Pro” Tip, I will be reintroducing myself to the entire Uktraskin Tip lineup. So far, the Ultraskin “Pro” Tip is my second favorite playing tip.
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Sponsored by POV Pool and McDermott Cues
Jaared Arosemena is a virtuoso on the alto, soprano, and tenor saxophones, as well as the unique EWI breath controller, Jaared is an internationally acclaimed recording artist. He is also an accomplished singer, who often brings the house down with his vocals. He entered the Washington, D.C., music scene at a very young age, rapidly gaining prominence for his work on the alto sax. As he continued as a full-time entertainer, he received more and more recognition for his music, and was soon known to audiences all over the world. In 2002, Jaared was nominated as ‘Best New Artist of the Year’ by the National Smooth Jazz Association. He as performed in Dubai, South Africa, West Africa, Poland, Germany, Austria, and other places in Europe; and all over the U.S. Loved in the United States; with a huge and dedicated fan base in Europe, where he also regularly performs, Jaared also gains international fans daily. Jaared is a regular guest interviewee on many radio shows in the United States and Europe. Photo Credits: Jaared “The Jazz Man” Arosemena, and Cue Vaneer. Editor: Shaylyn Troop