Horo Tips ~by Andrew Rothering

I had the pleasure of interviewing Nelson Batista, the founder of Horo Tips, and the main thing I learned is that he has an absolute wealth of knowledge in all things cue sports. Nelson has done it all, from being the only national snooker coach in Portugal to hand-making his own tips. Nelson started Horo Tips around five years ago and has been dedicated to reinventing the wheel when it comes to cue tips and producing the highest quality tips on the market.  Every Horo tip is 100% handmade in Portugal. 

If you have ever researched how tips are made, then you most certainly don't know how Horo Tips are made. The differences in the manufacturing processes are very different, all to achieve the highest quality tip possible. For example, the jump and break tips are slightly different, but are both chemical tips that turn into hard plastic.

The real difference lies in the playing tips, however. The playing tips are all made of high-grade Italian leather, which is just the start. Each tip is seven layers of the same leather, but the leather used for the super soft tips is a completely different leather than what is used for the hard tips.

 The process unique to Horo Tips is that all of the tips are handmade and never compressed. Other brands compress the tips and keep them that way by impregnating the leather with resins and chemicals. Instead of smashing the leather down, the idea behind Horo Tips is to let the tip act as a spring to improve almost every aspect of the tip. When playing with the tip, it feels similar to most other tips but performs much differently. Horo Tips claims the spring-like tip allows for more spin and fewer miscues, and performs the same with any shot speed.

Horo Tips currently offers tips for a wide range of cues. There are tips available for American pool cues, English pool cues, and snooker cues. There is only one snooker tip available; however, there is a much more diverse set of options for both American pool cues and English pool cues.

There are four playing tips with the classic super soft, soft, medium, and hard options available. For break cues, there are two different options. One is designed for a designated break cue, and the other is designed for a jump/break cue, as two-cue tournaments are becoming more common. For American pool, there is a tip designed specifically for the jump cue. All of the tips have a different color designated to each specific tip. For example, the designated break tip is black, and the jump/break tip is gold.

With every tip being handmade, it’s all worth it to obtain the quality Horo Tips has achieved. Horo Tips has achieved some impressive feats, including high-level professionals using the same playing tip for an entire season and making an indestructible break tip. Even with the break tip being so strong, it can withstand an anvil, that’s not why the quality is impressive.

Because the tips are handmade, each needs to pass a rigorous inspection. The main advantage of making the tips handmade is that mistakes and defects are caught during the manufacturing process, well before the final screening. Horo Tips estimates around 50% of the original material is used for the tips, and roughly 70% of the tips make it to market.

The reason for the intense attention to detail comes from pure passion for the game.  Nelson’s first love for cue sports came from Snooker when he was young. Once he was old enough to get into the snooker hall, Nelson was hooked. He did what all the pro players did and practiced religiously until he became a century player. Unfortunately, Nelson had some previous injuries he couldn’t get past. His love for the game kept him close as he became the only national snooker coach in Portugal and started Horo Tips.

At the end of the day, Horo Tips are different from any other tip on the market from start to finish. Horo Tips are sold all over the world and used by some of the top-level professionals. If you haven’t found a tip you like or are interested in trying something new, Horo Tips are completely unique. You can visit the Horo Tips website or Facebook page.