Hard, Medium, or Soft?

Well this is really a preference of the player. Some people like the feel of a soft tip when first starting out. They all have their pros and cons, and vary from the feel of the hit and how they keep shape. A soft tip will give more feel so to speak and make draw, and some other english easier. A medium tip offers kind of the same advantage but still will loose shape and mushroom. A hard tip offers less feel, but holds shape longer. Then you have super hard tips that are often used for breaking. These tips hold shape well, but can leave room to be desired for the category of feel. It is basically a personal preference from one player to the next. I myself prefer a hard to medium tip for my regular playing cue. My advice is try different tips and select the one that feels best to you. It is like picking out a cue, one person will tell you what he thinks is best, however you may find it does not suit your style of play or needs.