Joe Porper’s Powder Pro

I put this product in the “cool gadget” category, and I must say, this is one of my favorite gadgets. How many times have you been at the pool hall or bar and hear someone ask if anyone has any powder? I hear it all the time. One of the things I pride myself on is being prepared for anything – for myself and for my teammates. Being prepared can give you and your teammates that little edge between winning & losing (it can also make you a good sport if you help out your opponent). So while I don’t personally use powder anymore, in preference of a glove, I went on a search to have something at the ready just in case. I found several different portable powder products, including talc bags and a few others. This by far is the most convenient, portable, most well made and my favorite.

The powder is stored inside the aluminum tube and there is a spring loaded large ball bearing at the bottom. To get the powder to dispense, you simply tap the ball bearing on a hard surface (you can try to tap directly on your hand where you want the powder, but I find that doesn’t dispense too well). A few taps will do it. The tool is small, but it does hold a surprising amount of powder. The powder does make a bit of a mess, but hey, it’s powder.

There is a tip shaper in the cap of the tool, but I must admit that I am not a fan of that and have never used it. I prefer other products for that. But in a pinch, it will do the job.

Now, how about loading the powder…. This is where things get a bit painful. The cap unscrews and the powder goes inside the tube. Be careful when unscrewing the cap as there is a spring inside. While it’s not going to pop out at you, you don’t want everything falling apart on you. Dumping the powder in this little tube is a challenge. I do this by creating a funnel out of a paper plate and pour the powder into the funnel, and into the tube. I am sure you can get a small funnel somewhere that would do this job better than that, but hey, it works.

Now let’s talk about what kind of powder to use. My recommendation is not to use baby powder. Even though I do love the scene in the Hustler when Fats gets all “pink & powdered up…just like a baby” (me and my dad still crack up together when we talk about that scene), I don’t recommend that you use baby powder. What I recommend you use is billiard talc powder. Silver Cup makes it and this bottle of it will last you forever. Click on image to purchase it, it’s a nice $8 investment

Overall the Porper Powder Pro is a great product and I highly recommend it for those who like to have powder on hand.

Steve Sherman

I am the founder of Billiard Product Reviews. I have been playing pool for over 30 years. I have a genuine love for this game and all things billiards. I consider myself a student of the game and try to learn as much as I can from instructional books, instructional DVDs, DVDs of professional matches, professional coaching, practice and from the other players that I play with. While I play competitively in league and occasionally tournaments, I consider myself a casual player, relatively speaking. I am a skill level 7 in the APA, skill level 5 in TAP and play as a C+ in amateur open tournaments. I created this site to give back to the billiards community and to assist my fellow players in selecting the right products to help improve their game or just get more enjoyment out of the sport we love.