Pro's and Cons of a ball return table

3RAILKICK

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Of course theyre cheaper theres less parts. It doesnt affect the way the table plays. A gold crown plays like a gold crown whether its drop pocket or ball return. Pool halls have to buy in bulk so they tend to err on the cheap side but the average home owner doesnt have to worry about it table being a little more expensive. Same applies to cloth,balls and sticks.


Is there any difference in the cut of the pocket shelf for either style table?

If so-why?

thanks

ps: for me, a home table would mostly be for practicing alone. I think I would prefer a 'return table' for the home. Most pool halls I visit have drop pockets.
 

macguy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Is there any difference in the cut of the pocket shelf for either style table?

If so-why?

thanks

ps: for me, a home table would mostly be for practicing alone. I think I would prefer a 'return table' for the home. Most pool halls I visit have drop pockets.

One difference can be the pockets liners themselves. Some on return tables are hard plastic and balls can often pop straight back on the table not to mention the loud bang when the ball hits the pocket. Many drop pockets are leather and net like, the ball stays in no matter how hard you hit it and are very quiet. If a pocket is allowed to fill up though, a ball can jump out at times on some type of pockets. You can also get crappy plastic drop pockets as well, but I would not judge all drop pocket tables by those with these cheap plastic pockets.

Even in higher end tables the hard pockets are a problem. I have an old Gold Crown set up now in the house. It has a ball return and noisy pockets. I tried tucking foam rubber behind the pockets to quiet them down but between the noise of the pockets, the clatter of the ball return the sound is awful in a house. I guess it is not so noticeable in a big pool room but in house all that noise can be annoying.
 
Last edited:

2andOUT

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
why not both

just convert the 2 bottom pockets to drop pocket. leave the rest ball return. That way you can still play one-pocket without the arguments and not have to walk all around the table afterwards.

:p:p
 

whitewolf

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I recently purchased a Diamond Pro-am. It won't be delivered for 6-8 weeks. This will be my first experience with a ball return. My question to the forum is....Which do you prefer-drop pockets or....a ball return system?

When I was young I preferred ball return tables. As I got older I hated bending down all the time to retrieve the balls. One other thing - ball returns are klugy and do not always work perfectly. Don't know about Diamond though.
 

blbarnett03

Registered
Drop pockets!!!

I love drop pockets! for me nothing is better than hearing that clank sound as the ball drops in the pocket. The running down the table and hearing it all the way is not my thing and makes to much noise for me! Thank you and god bless!
 

HKCY

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
First table as a kid was a ball-return. Sometimes balls got stuck in the rail system. But that was 20 years ago. Tournaments always use pockets, at home i have a pocket table, but ball returns are so convenient. Ultimately it's a matter of personal choice as both technologies are reliable.
 

bob c

In the Eye of the Storm
Silver Member
Diamond's Newer Drop Pockets

Since the OP is talking about a Diamond table, I think it is relevant to point out that the drop pockets in Diamonds coming off the line in the past year or two are made of black ballistic cloth. I can get all 15 balls in my corner pockets although you wouldn't want to be shooting at them with more than 10 balls in them. IMO these pockets are a vast improvement over older ones.

bob c
 

smoooothstroke

JerLaw
Silver Member
just convert the 2 bottom pockets to drop pocket. leave the rest ball return. That way you can still play one-pocket without the arguments and not have to walk all around the table afterwards.

:p:p


Good idea!

Maybe I can just make my pocket a drop pocket :)
 

cjr3559

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I think ball return tables are perfect for 1P, 14.1 and Rotation, especially on Gold Crowns that have the ball storage compartments. There should be no confusion if each player grabs their prizes and stores them after each turn.

As far as other rotation games and 8-Ball, the drop pockets are better.

I also think ball return is nice when practicing shots into a single pocket, so I would vote for the ball return on a home table.

The only drawback with ball return is the noise factor, as others have mentioned.
 
Last edited:

TX Poolnut

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Almost all of my experience has been with drop pockets so I may be partial. My home table has drop pockets.

I think my practice time may change a bit if I had a ball return. I think I would rack an empty table more often since the balls are always there. As it is, I tend to throw them out as I find them. I hardly ever use my rack.

Probably affects the randomness, but whatever.
 

steve8ball

Table Restorer
My Meadlist is ball return, and when my kids were small, I put drop pockets in...Everytime my son heard the ball drop, he would stop what he was doing and run to the ball box and grab the ball. Pool balls were like candy to him...Since I didn't want my Centenials getting dinged, I would have to chase him and grab the ball from him right away. It got to the point after every pocketed ball, I would unconsciously remove it from the ball box and put it in a box on the shelf....Now that the kids are older, I switched it back to the return.
 

Vulture

Vulture
Hybrid!

I was given an older table (National Suffleboard and Billiards) and the corner pocket ball returns were all busted. However, the Side Pocket returns worked great. I installed drop pockets in the corners and kept the ball returns for the sides. Here is what I like about the set up:

1. Racker gets balls out of the corner pockets on his side
2. Breaker gets balls out of corner pockets on his side.
3. Anyone who has played on drop pockets knows that the "forgotten" balls for a complete rack, are the ones in the side pockets (Lazy players don't want to take the extra steps to go to the side pockets).
With my setup, those balls end up in the gully for the racker.
4. For those with a bad back(myself included), this limits the bending over further only to retrieve the side pocket balls.

HYBRID! Please let me know what you think, and if anyone has seen this setup, or considering?
 

hlymnstr14

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I do not remember a single stuck ball occurring in the last year and a half that we have had the Pro Am tables.

i have a pro am and a ball got stuck on me one time. but that was because i was folding laundry on it while watching tv and a sock went down the side pocket hole. i'm sure you know this but if you take the diamond rack out you can see the guts of the table. i shined the flashlight and there it was, on a sock.

and i like the ball return, especially practicing by myself. i've had both and i hated going around the table fetching balls.
 

Luxury

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Don't know if this has been mentioned but I don't like bending down to retrieve the balls. I actually drop to one knee to save my back.
 
Top