Aramith balls

thommy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
OK, I'm about to pull the trigger on a new set of balls. I'm 64 so I'll probably be playing with these for the rest of my life.:o
I'm confused about the order of ascending quality of the different sets.
Is the tournament pro set a better ball than the super pro set?
They both have the Duramith technology, they are the same size, what is the difference?
Should I pay more or get the Super pros for $179?(ebay, buy it now, free shipping)

thanx for the help
thom
 
I believe the only differences are: 1. 4 & 12 balls are pink(ish), 2. 7 & 15 balls are light brown, & 3. Comes with the measles cue ball as opposed to the Red Circle cue ball. Quality is same I do believe.
 
I haven't used the duramith set yet but I have tried all the other regular aramith sets and I think the Aramith Premium Pool Ball Set is the best imo. (best for the money)

At around $119.00 it is a decent alternative to the Duramith set and will last you for several years, providing that you are not an abusive type player (banger).

I have heard that people like the Duramith sets but they all still cause burn marks to some degree. I wouldn't go any less than the premium set, the lower end sets don't seem to have that high gloss finish that the better ones have.
 
Last edited:
I have a 2 YO set of Spuer Pros and a 3 month old set of Tournements.

The Tournament balls seem to wear at a slower rate (especially the CB) but the actual play characteristics is either unchanged or changed so little my B- game can't see any difference. You will still need to clean and polish the balls, but about 1/2 as often with the Ts.

When I run the SPs through a ball polisher and run the Ts through the ball polisher they play identically for several hours to a week, and then the Ts play with less throw and have a nicer sheen on the surface. Conversely, if I don't polish either set, they will accumulate dirt and chalk dust and end up playing identical, again. This throw change is typical for dirty and for balls with scuffed surfaces when compared to pristinely polished balls.

I, personally, like the makrings around the numbers on the Ts better than the SPs.
 
I have a friend with a set of the Tournament balls, they play very well, although not as easy to move around as the set with the measles ball. The balls don't react as lively off each other, it takes some skill to get good draw on the cue ball. It's actually funny watching so-called "good" players use that set, they act like it's too hard to play with where the issue is that their "skill" is really based on light balls on fast tables with large pockets.

The Pro Cup do play as well, and the quality is pretty much exactly the same, you won't have any issues with using those, and the measles ball reacts very well after contact. If you play on faster cloth, I would suggest the Tournament set to offset the speed of the cloth with a slower moving ball set.
 
There is no difference in the color of the balls between the Tournaments and the Super Pros. The pink 4/12 and brown 7/15 are the TV set. but the standard sets are the traditional colors in both the T's and the SP's.

The Tournaments is Aramith's new top of the line ball. It is made with a new generation resin (Duramith) that is said to be more durable and easier on the cloth (less prone to producing burn marks).

The Super Pros are still a premium set and haven't gone down in quality just because of the new T's. These balls are still used at many professional tournaments. In fact, they are probably used more than the T's unless Aramith is providing the balls and wants to provide the T's for marketing purposes. But the Super Pros are a very high quality ball, the same ball as the Brunswick Centennials except for the graphics.

The Super Pros are available in the traditional set and in the TV set (some balls are colored different to make them easier to differentiate on TV). The standard set comes with the red logo cue ball and the TV set comes with the measles cue ball. Aramith says these cue balls are essentially the same specs and if you prefer one or the other they are available separately as well.

Both the T's and the SP's are matched sets, meaning they are matched by size, weight, color. Also the cue balls are matched to the set (uses the same resin). So the CB with the T's is a different cue ball also made of the Duramith resin.

Both are great ball sets. If money is not an issue I'd go with the Tournaments just because they are said to be more durable and kinder to the bed cloth. But if money is an issue, get the SP's and don't look back. They are a great ball too.

Before springing for the T's though, some have reported they play a little different than the SP's. That sounds plausible since they are made from a different resin. So you may want to do a little research here first to help you decide.
 
There is no difference in the color of the balls between the Tournaments and the Super Pros. The pink 4/12 and brown 7/15 are the TV set. but the standard sets are the traditional colors in both the T's and the SP's.

The Tournaments is Aramith's new top of the line ball. It is made with a new generation resin (Duramith) that is said to be more durable and easier on the cloth (less prone to producing burn marks).

The Super Pros are still a premium set and haven't gone down in quality just because of the new T's. These balls are still used at many professional tournaments. In fact, they are probably used more than the T's unless Aramith is providing the balls and wants to provide the T's for marketing purposes. But the Super Pros are a very high quality ball, the same ball as the Brunswick Centennials except for the graphics.

The Super Pros are available in the traditional set and in the TV set (some balls are colored different to make them easier to differentiate on TV). The standard set comes with the red logo cue ball and the TV set comes with the measles cue ball. Aramith says these cue balls are essentially the same specs and if you prefer one or the other they are available separately as well.

Both the T's and the SP's are matched sets, meaning they are matched by size, weight, color. Also the cue balls are matched to the set (uses the same resin). So the CB with the T's is a different cue ball also made of the Duramith resin.

Both are great ball sets. If money is not an issue I'd go with the Tournaments just because they are said to be more durable and kinder to the bed cloth. But if money is an issue, get the SP's and don't look back. They are a great ball too.

Before springing for the T's though, some have reported they play a little different than the SP's. That sounds plausible since they are made from a different resin. So you may want to do a little research here first to help you decide.

This is a very good analysis. If I were you, I would get at least the Super Pro and possibly the Tournament. I would never buy less than the Super Pro.

I have both and prefer the Tournament Balls. As another poster mentioned, they seem to stay clean longer. In our long straight pool sessions, the racks seem to open up better for a longer period of time with the tournament compared to the Super Pro. This is not just my opinion either. Some of the better players in our leagues have told me they prefer the Tournament balls. This includes Ron Shepard who wrote "Amateur physics for the amateur pool player".

ftp://ftp.tcg.anl.gov/pub/shepard/pool/old_versions/physics.PDF

He is a little like E.F. Hutton, in that when he speaks, we listen! :D
 
I have a set of tournament balls and I'm very happy with them. I graduated from a cheap set of Vigmas and noticed the difference immediately. These balls do not wear out quickly, and keep their finish for a very long time. I've played with the Super Pros and they are very similar. The Tournament balls seem to roll just a tad bit further. That could just be because they're new though. I personally don't like the cue ball that came with the tournament balls. It doesn't seem to be very lively and easy to move around as other cue balls. I bought a brand new measles ball with the set and I'm content with how that cueball plays with the set. The red aramith logo cue ball plays the liveliest out of all the cue balls I have. So the measles ball is a middle ground between the default cueball that comes with the set and the red aramith logo ball. Something to consider when buying your set. Also, the measles and tournament cue ball don't leave as pronounced of burn spots after breaking than the red aramith logo ball. If you buy any set you won't be disappointed.
 
Question

I have had centennial balls and super pro's. I also have a set of new centennials I have never used. Recently getting back into pool, I wanted to buy a set of Aramith tournament balls and everyone told me centennials were better. Since I have a set, I never bought. Is it ok to weigh in on this with out being disruptive to this thread as the base question seems to be best balls.
thanks
 
Centennials are made under contract by Saluc for Brunswick. Its my understanding that both Aramith Super Pros and Centennials used the same phenolic resin formula.

I have had centennial balls and super pro's. I also have a set of new centennials I have never used. Recently getting back into pool, I wanted to buy a set of Aramith tournament balls and everyone told me centennials were better. Since I have a set, I never bought. Is it ok to weigh in on this with out being disruptive to this thread as the base question seems to be best balls.
thanks
 
There are 2 distinct level of balls.

Duramith is the premium ball. Different design, compound and standards. Has a harder surface. Designed to minimized cloth burn, keep their shine longer. It is the only set to use the Duramith compound.

Super pros are one level down. Still a good ball but is made from a different compound. They are the best set that aren't made from Duramith.

TV set refers to the 4, 7, 12 and 15 being a different color for TV purposes only. The quality is not affected.

Look up the balls on Aramiths website.

Being 64 I would go for the Duramith based you saying that it will be the last set you buy. Why settle for less if you can afford the best?

If you can't spring the extra few dollars then go with the Super Pros.

I picked up the Value Pack of Super Pros from Neilsens. He is a member on the forum and was running a great special on the package. Got a set of Duramith from Crazy Larry a while back for $199. Shop around the deals are there.
 
Last edited:
Thanx guys,
I got a set of slightly used super pros from Rich337 for a really good deal, (Thanx!!)
I'm sure they will be wonderful compared to the cr@p balls that came with the table . . .
 
Back
Top