Does the magic rack seem like it's fallen out of favor lately?

CreeDo

CreeDo

Fargo Rating 597
Silver Member
I love them, but I keep losing them. I got tired of buying a new set every month.
So I just don't bother bringing one anymore. I notice my friends aren't either.

I'm not seeing it as much at tournaments.
In TAR matches they have almost vanished.
Corey and Shane elected to play 9b with a Delta-13 and it worked great.

There's a local pool tour who has CSI as a sponsor and I think they get
magic racks provided for free as part of the sponsorship.
They were sold on-site too.

For the first half of the year, they were in constant use.
But the racks kept disappearing. They haven't ordered any more,
and the last half of the tour was played without them.

Is it just my imagination? I know some of you hate them.
I think it's a good product and the best solution for pool halls with worn balls
and divots in the table, where even a delta-13 can't make the balls cooperate.
But it seems like it's kind of disappearing.
 
I personaly hated carrying them around everywhere and eventually just just mine. i know what your saying though.




CreeDo said:
I love them, but I keep losing them. I got tired of buying a new set every month.
So I just don't bother bringing one anymore. I notice my friends aren't either.

I'm not seeing it as much at tournaments.
In TAR matches they have almost vanished.
Corey and Shane elected to play 9b with a Delta-13 and it worked great.

There's a local pool tour who has CSI as a sponsor and I think they get
magic racks provided for free as part of the sponsorship.
They were sold on-site too.

For the first half of the year, they were in constant use.
But the racks kept disappearing. They haven't ordered any more,
and the last half of the tour was played without them.

Is it just my imagination? I know some of you hate them.
I think it's a good product and the best solution for pool halls with worn balls
and divots in the table, where even a delta-13 can't make the balls cooperate.
But it seems like it's kind of disappearing.
Click to expand...
 
Where I am, I never see anyone carry them around. I use one exclusively for 9/10 ball at home. I also only play those games for cash against people if the MR is used unless they are a trusted player who I don't have to worry about slugs or gaps with.

Rack templates are a great equalizer and compromise for all, really.
 
I can't find mine. I think it may have gotten accidentally tossed while the people fixing my spare tire were putting stuff back in my trunk.

I definitely plan on getting another one. They are the ONLY way to play, if you ask me.
 
A must have!

I carry a set of balls in a lap top bag so its easy for me to keep a couple of Magic Racks with me. There are a lot of guys that I gamble with and I dont want to deal with the rack issue.
 
Minus the professionals who enjoy using them, I think quite a few people thought it would give them some sort of an advantage. In my opinion, the only thing the magic rack accomplishes (which isn't bad) is it saves time on racking. In fact, I really like throwing the balls on it and walking away, never worrying about whether or not I froze-up the balls. But, it doesn't help me win. I might break-and-run a little more often with them but, if I'm favored to win the match anyway, coming-up dry on the break isn't the worst thing in the world.

I think, I could be wrong, many people realized you still have to play pool. Once that's realized, the desire to buy it and carry it with you diminishes.
 
I have one, and when I have a ball set that doesn't have quite as much wear it works really well. However, the poolroom I play at most often has balls that are, let's say, less than new. The magic rack just won't work with them because they are out of the size tolerances. I just never feel like carrying my own balls and the MR into the pool room.
 
We use the MBR in our 9 Ball league, which is BCAPL. There aren't that many run-outs so I wouldn't say it gives players that big an advantage since it doesn't do you much good unless you get out from the snap.

The biggest benefit, in addition to the hassle-free and more efficient racking, is it saves time on the play of the game. The wing ball is wired so the player can focus on getting a look at the one, which results in saving the time involved in thinking before and after a push-out. Plus, virtually every game starts with one or more balls gone from on the table.

Over the course of a race to 17 it gets everyone home that much earlier. Even one minute a game is over a half hour on the night. Much appreciated when you play on a school night.
 
After my first set went "missing" Now my second set stays at home. I also have a delta13 select.

magic rack works great, but it's just not cost effective to buy a new one every month.
 
Only in pool would a product that makes the game more equitable be frowned upon.

Only in pool would a product that simplifies an aspect of the game be seen as a hindrance to the game.

Only in pool would a product that fits in the pocket of your equipment bag be seen as cumbersome & a burden.
 
mosconiac said:
Only in pool would a product that makes the game more equitable be frowned upon.

Only in pool would a product that simplifies an aspect of the game be seen as a hindrance to the game.

Only in pool would a product that fits in the pocket of your equipment bag be seen as cumbersome & a burden.
Click to expand...

I didn't mind carrying it. I didn't like having it get "lost" at $12 a crack... To easy to steal. Great product, and it continues to be in my basement.
 
mosconiac said:
Only in pool would a product that makes the game more equitable be frowned upon.

Only in pool would a product that simplifies an aspect of the game be seen as a hindrance to the game.

Only in pool would a product that fits in the pocket of your equipment bag be seen as cumbersome & a burden.
Click to expand...

I have a set, and tried to introduce it to my APA team, and their reaction was pretty much as you described. "It takes too much time." Well quit alternating the ball types and worrying about the order, and you'll save time :banghead:

Just bought a set of accu-racks, gonna try to introduce them at my tournaments. People around here are stubborn A.F. though.
 
CreeDo said:
I love them, but I keep losing them. I got tired of buying a new set every month.
So I just don't bother bringing one anymore. I notice my friends aren't either.

I'm not seeing it as much at tournaments.
In TAR matches they have almost vanished.
Corey and Shane elected to play 9b with a Delta-13 and it worked great.

There's a local pool tour who has CSI as a sponsor and I think they get
magic racks provided for free as part of the sponsorship.
They were sold on-site too.

For the first half of the year, they were in constant use.
But the racks kept disappearing. They haven't ordered any more,
and the last half of the tour was played without them.

Is it just my imagination? I know some of you hate them.
I think it's a good product and the best solution for pool halls with worn balls
and divots in the table, where even a delta-13 can't make the balls cooperate.
But it seems like it's kind of disappearing.
Click to expand...



When I go out to play somebody, if I bring the Magic Rack I also bring some decent balls. It works poorly on a worn set of balls.

I like it a lot - but obviously only with good balls.
 
mosconiac said:
Only in pool would a product that makes the game more equitable be frowned upon.

Only in pool would a product that simplifies an aspect of the game be seen as a hindrance to the game.

Only in pool would a product that fits in the pocket of your equipment bag be seen as cumbersome & a burden.
Click to expand...

Although I find nothing wrong with the magic rack, I think it's important to note that pool isn't always about finding the best possible solutions we can engineer. It's about playing the game with the provided equipment. How do you feel about laser-sighted cues?

I mean, I doubt you're going to like lasers just like I don't like lasers but I don't think you can fault someone for wishing to keep things traditional. Magic Rack is a bit of a leap for some people.
 
I carry mine in my pool bag. I roll it up in a piece of transparency paper and then put a rubber band around it. Never lose and always have it when needed. It does have a small bend to it. Does not affect play. But I will roll it up the other way the next time. Never have a problem with it.
 
At home

I rarely see a MR being used in my neck of the woods. I use them at home because it makes practicing running racks faster. I have 2 sets and have never taken one with me when I go out.
 
Magic Rack?

I never cared for them mainly because of the disruption of the game after the break if a ball happens to be on it or so close that you can't pick it up.

James
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
...In my opinion, the only thing the magic rack accomplishes (which isn't bad) is it saves time on racking...
Click to expand...


This is the main reason I carry mine everywhere. So many people screw up the tables by tapping them and whatnot that it becomes almost impossible to get a good rack without tinkering with it until your back becomes sore from leaning over the balls. I can make a perfect rack in 5 seconds with that thing and be done with it. There's nothing worse than screwing around with the rack for 5 minutes and still end up with a slug. It makes my practice so much more enjoyable.


I just wrap mine around the butt of a cue like this. Super easy to carry in my case and rolls out perfectly flat.

photo.jpg
 
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