Medium most likely.
The soft tip is the best only if you know that you want very good cue ball control, using english, draw, and even masse. It is for the very experienced player and will not last very long, having to get replaced fairly often. If you use your cue for break shots, you should not have soft tip because full power transfer. A soft tip is usually given a dime tip.
The medium tip will last and can give very good cue ball control. If using a medium tip, you now need to decide whether you want a dime or nickel shape. The dime shape keeps the tip in contact longer with the cue ball, allowing better cue ball control. The nickel shape allows the tip to simply last longer and is more forgiving. The cue with a medium tip can be used for breaking.
The hard tip is for powerful shots, including a break shot, and will last a long time. The hard tip is most often used with a nickel tip and is common on house cues. The hard tip is forgiving but difficult for cue ball control for the average player.
Yes, and most people do so. However, if your cue has a medium or soft tip, as many cues do, this cushions the contact with the cue ball, and lowering the force of the break. In addition, it will lower the lifespan of the cue tip drastically. The advantage of using a dedicated break cue is to be able to use a very hard tip to get as much energy into the break as possible.
The type of wood you use in the construction of your cue will determine whether the cue will be softer hitting or harder hitting. For instance, Ebony and Cocobolo produce a similar hitting cue - hard rather than soft. Rosewood makes for a softer hitting cue. A cue made from Bocote will fall somewhere between.
The best tip depends upon the player skill and type of play. If the tip is 14mm there is no reason to go softer than a medium tip. Using a soft tip for additional cue ball control should be limited to a tip of 13mm or smaller. A hard tip must be used for a break cue, but will take away from control for normal play. A hard tip is often used on house cues simply so it lasts longer. The brand of cue tip becomes a preference based on play that is a result of many thousands of hours of playing pool. The brand is unimportant to the average player - the hardness, curvature, and condition are important.
The answer is subjective as there are many good starter cues. Some of the best brands for entry level pool cues are Action, Players and Scorpion. All have cues for under $100. A good starter cue is a 14 mm medium tip.
Any tip made of leather will have a propensity to mushroom. Even a soft Talisman. How hard or how softly you typically hit will determine how much, or how little, that particular tip will mushroom.
Do you mean how do you screw the cue ball back? You cue at the bottom of the cue ball, with a downward motion and you hit it hard, relative to how much you want to screw it back.
Here is a site and an excerpt to get you started:The first thing you should do to your tip is shape it. If you don't have a shaper yet, you can use a cue file, but a shaper cube works best. This basically takes the hard edge away and gives your cue more precise tuning possibilities. With the hard edges, if your stick hits the cue ball at an angle, you lose your shot. With a rounded edge, you have a little leeway with your angle and get more shooting surface for the cue ball stroke.* http://www.zukunftjetzt.org/poolcuecare.htmlAnother site:* http://www.pooldawg.com/article/pooldawg-library/shaping-your-pool-cue-tip
A cue case is for carrying cues for billiard games. The case should be hard wearing and should serve the purpose of transporting any jointed pool or snooker cue.
The main differences are that squash is a racket sport and played on a court. Billiards is a cue sport and played on a table. There is only one soft ball in squash and three hard balls in billiards.
The same way you pick your shoes, pants, and underwear (no joke). You pick a cue that suits you in weight, length, tip size and composition. Some will tout different brands, sizes and weights but in the end it is personal choice to what you like and feel good shooting with.
The answer to this is subjective. All the US custom cue makers are good in their own right, the term "best" depends on what you refer to. The most intricate designs are only made by very few cue makers, and those made by hand are fewer still. By many people's measure, the level of intricate artwork measures the cue makers skill. However, some cue makers concentrate on craftsmanship of the cue, not artwork. Artwork on some of the "best" cues is performed by a craftsman other than the cuemaker. An example is Sandra Brady who is an expert ivory scrimshaw artist that has worked for cue manufacturers but does not make cues. "Best" can refer to satisfying hte customers neds in the design - Michael Wagner of Raven Custom Cues has spent many months working with a customer for acceptance of the design of a cue before even cutting a piece of wood. Each custom cue maker has their own strengths and weaknesses, and "best" will be determined by who meets your needs the best. Meet with your custom cue manufacturer and look at their work and how they will work with you before ordering a custom cue. However, the best custom cue manufacturers will charge a lot for even the simplest lookingof cues, so be prepared to "get what you pay for".
The break cue is used for the break in billiards, but under most rules, is not any different than any other cue. A player wants to use a very hard tip and a light cue for a break stick, and may also want a different balance point than for the play cue. The break cue is often also used for jump shots.