What is the Most Ill-Conceived Pool Product You Have Ever Come Across?

[shinyballs]

I don't know what it's called, but a girl in my pool league bought a break cue (at the mall I think) that has sand or something in the butt that slides back and forth. The thing is at least 23 oz also. She let me try it and it really sucks.

Also, Hustlin shirts, hats, etc..

 

[junkbond]

shinyballs,

It sounds like someone took a good idea, didn't understand it, and created a useless product. A "dead-blow" hammer has a hollow core in the head which is partially filled with lead shot. When the hammer is swung, the shot moves to the trailing end of the head. When the hammer face strikes the target, the shot continues moving to the front of the core near the face. This serves only one purpose: it keeps the hammer head from bouncing (and it really works). It does not increase the force of the blow (as you would want it to do on a break cue), but significantly decreases the force of the blow. It sounds like your friend's cue was designed by someone who owns a hammer but had no other qualifications.

 

[shinyballs]

shinyballs,

It sounds like someone took a good idea, didn't understand it, and created a useless product. A "dead-blow" hammer has a hollow core in the head which is partially filled with lead shot. When the hammer is swung, the shot moves to the trailing end of the head. When the hammer face strikes the target, the shot continues moving to the front of the core near the face. This serves only one purpose: it keeps the hammer head from bouncing (and it really works). It does not increase the force of the blow (as you would want it to do on a break cue), but significantly decreases the force of the blow. It sounds like your friend's cue was designed by someone who owns a hammer but had no other qualifications.

Thanks for the info junkbond. It certainly felt like the force was decreased to me. I didn't really tell her much though, didn't want to make her feel bad.

 

[CreeDo]

I think I might be in the minority here, but the best product that nobody (except the Brunswick GC's) provides are rack/total counters integrated into the foot rail. These are indispensable for tracking a straight pool match and I don't know why Diamond, Olhausen, etal. do not provide these. I also don't know why it seems numerous people do not care for these.

We have these on our local Gandy's. One huge problem is that over the years the little ridges you use to grip the wheel and rotate it will get worn down, to the point where turning the thing is impossible. Obviously it's also bad if the thing rotates too easily and someone accidentally gains 10 points.

I think people like the "oldschoolness" of the wire. The whole room can see your score and there's no way to pull any funny business.

 

[DogsPlayingPool]

We have these on our local Gandy's. One huge problem is that over the years the little ridges you use to grip the wheel and rotate it will get worn down, to the point where turning the thing is impossible. Obviously it's also bad if the thing rotates too easily and someone accidentally gains 10 points.

I think people like the "oldschoolness" of the wire. The whole room can see your score and there's no way to pull any funny business.

My home hall has Olhausens and we use the wire. The problem with that is keeping track of the rack separately from the total. You've got this little space between the total and the rack and then another little space between the rack score and the unused buttons. Every time we go to change the score the buttons start slipping on the wire into each other and it gets screwed up. And I've put a nick in my shaft from this too and now use a house cue exclusively fore scoring.

Geez, how old school does it have to be? I've been playing pool since about 1960 on Brunswicks and AMF's and they all had rail scorers, including the Brunswick Anniversary.

And with how little straight pool is played these days I would think rail integrated scorers would now last forever. :grin-square: