Looking for a good ball rack, what are you all using?

I Got Lucky

I Got Lucky

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Nothing worse than breaking and 10 of the balls barely move because it was a loose rack. What do you recommend for 8 ball? All of the bars we play in are 9 ft tables and many of the players are D players at best( especially with the amount of alcohol involved) so I'm not sure how well a Magic Rack would be liked since it will sitting on the table a while until it can be removed and guys will surely complain it affected their shot.
 
Delta 13 (or Delta Elite).
These aluminum racks are noisy, but very dimensionally stable.
Spend a little extra on the leather inserts, and it will sound just like a wood rack.
 
Shaft said:
Delta 13 (or Delta Elite).
These aluminum racks are noisy, but very dimensionally stable.
Spend a little extra on the leather inserts, and it will sound just like a wood rack.
Click to expand...

^^^^^^^^^ what he said...:thumbup:.
i am very happy with my delta elite
i do recommend getting the leather inserts
it really helps the noise
 
Third the motion on delta 13 or elite. No inserts for me, I like the way the rack sings when you rack em' :)
 
Shaft said:
Delta 13 (or Delta Elite).

These aluminum racks are noisy, but very dimensionally stable.

Spend a little extra on the leather inserts, and it will sound just like a wood rack.
Click to expand...


^^^^ this, great racks
 
Who sells the inserts? Noise really is not an issue since I play in bars. The big problem can be focusing on the rack of balls and not the racks on the dancing girls :)



Maybe that's why my game isn't improving as fast as Id like.
 
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I LOVE the diamond wood rack. I don't even have a Diamond table, but after using one, I found a very nice used one.... they are heavy and keep the rack tight.
 
All the racks mentioned here are good products. As are the templates like the Accu-Rack or the Magic Rack.

But, I'm going to suggest you look at it a little differently.

First, learn about what's going on and what affects how the balls rack.

You have to realize that balls wear and they weary unevenly so they are not all the same size. I don't care what rack you use, a perfect rack cannot be had if multiple balls are not the same size.

Also, the table will get a dimple or indentation in the cloth where the front ball is when the rack is broken. This happens because of the pressure of the cue ball, which is usually elevated off the table, pushes down on the front ball driving it into the cloth and making a dent in the cloth. Now, consider that you simply can't rack in the same spot every time and you realize how the spot gets messed up.

So, with all this going on, how do you get a good rack? Even while at a bar?

Start by squeezing the balls up into the rack and sliding it up towards the spot. If some balls roll when you slide it, they are too loose. Move them around until the fewest balls roll.
Next, when you slide the rack up to the spot keep them pressed up into the rack until it's in position, and the slowly slide the rack forward slightly and watch the front balls.

If they move, namely the front ball, it's rolling into a hole that's already there. That location should become the new rack location. Face it, you can't make a ball stay on the side of a hole. It will always roll down hill, so let it go and rack around it.

Gently push all the other balls up to the new position around the front ball and tighten them up without moving it. I actually like to push the front ball very very slightly forward so it's actually leaning back against the rack to help hold it tight.

Carefully remove the rack and you're good to go.


I've used this process for many years. Long before all the special racks or rack your own tournaments. It works. It's not perfect, but it gets the best you can get for a given situation. I'm often amused when I see someone attempt to rack the balls, decide it's too loose, and pull the whole rack of balls back again. Every time they move that front ball out of it's hole, they have to start over. They usually give up and just leave a bad rack. I see it every time I go out and play.

Royce
 
DELTA 13 ELITE on my home table

DELTA SELECT in my community clubhouse. ($59.00)

Noise does not bother me. Simply rack gently.
 
I wonder how long a Delta rack, or any quality rack for that matter, would last in a bar before it grew legs.

There's a reason those cheap plastic racks are there. It's certainly not for the good of the game.

That said I agree that the Delta rack is the best, love mine.
 
The Delta 13 elite is twice the price as the Delta 13. Is that just because of aesthetic reasons or does it work better?

Thanks
 
I like the Delta 13, I have the regular model and it's fine. Diamond wood racks
are pretty good. Magic racks are also very good for consistancy and reduced table wear.
 
RBC said:
All the racks mentioned here are good products. As are the templates like the Accu-Rack or the Magic Rack.

But, I'm going to suggest you look at it a little differently.

First, learn about what's going on and what affects how the balls rack.

You have to realize that balls wear and they weary unevenly so they are not all the same size. I don't care what rack you use, a perfect rack cannot be had if multiple balls are not the same size.

Also, the table will get a dimple or indentation in the cloth where the front ball is when the rack is broken. This happens because of the pressure of the cue ball, which is usually elevated off the table, pushes down on the front ball driving it into the cloth and making a dent in the cloth. Now, consider that you simply can't rack in the same spot every time and you realize how the spot gets messed up.

So, with all this going on, how do you get a good rack? Even while at a bar?

Start by squeezing the balls up into the rack and sliding it up towards the spot. If some balls roll when you slide it, they are too loose. Move them around until the fewest balls roll.
Next, when you slide the rack up to the spot keep them pressed up into the rack until it's in position, and the slowly slide the rack forward slightly and watch the front balls.

If they move, namely the front ball, it's rolling into a hole that's already there. That location should become the new rack location. Face it, you can't make a ball stay on the side of a hole. It will always roll down hill, so let it go and rack around it.

Gently push all the other balls up to the new position around the front ball and tighten them up without moving it. I actually like to push the front ball very very slightly forward so it's actually leaning back against the rack to help hold it tight.

Carefully remove the rack and you're good to go.


I've used this process for many years. Long before all the special racks or rack your own tournaments. It works. It's not perfect, but it gets the best you can get for a given situation. I'm often amused when I see someone attempt to rack the balls, decide it's too loose, and pull the whole rack of balls back again. Every time they move that front ball out of it's hole, they have to start over. They usually give up and just leave a bad rack. I see it every time I go out and play.

Royce
Click to expand...

I'd venture to say most of us do this... just some racks make it more difficult. The plastic ones have too much give and stick to the top ball, the cheap wood ones warp, and don't give a good rack, etc.

So, when is OB gonna come out with an OB rack...it'd look real purty if you copied the OB shafts or even the stacked ferrules. The first low deflection rack ;)
 
Delta for me too. Love the inserts and really they should come with the rack to use if you want to, but they don't. Frankly, they ask a lot for three strips of leather and it was a little irritating to me that they found a way to improve the product but chose to up charge for it rather than actually incorporate it to make the product better. But oh well, it's still a great rack.

I appreciate some like the loud noise but I much prefer the muted tone of the rack with the inserts.
 
robo-rack

playing one pocket i was very unhappy with racks not being exact. i made this monster, its heavy, its ugly, it is a pain in the azz to use and it was expensive to build.

but if you want exact racks every time.

there are turnbuckles on each side to adjust to fit any table, the mark in the back lines up with the diamond inlay on the table. back and forth or side to side its exact.
 

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ChicagoRJ said:
I'd venture to say most of us do this... just some racks make it more difficult. The plastic ones have too much give and stick to the top ball, the cheap wood ones warp, and don't give a good rack, etc.

So, when is OB gonna come out with an OB rack...it'd look real purty if you copied the OB shafts or even the stacked ferrules. The first low deflection rack ;)
Click to expand...



Unfortunately I would estimate that more than 70% of the people that I watch rack don't do this. And yes, that includes the better players too, even many pros.

I understand that it's tougher with the cheaper flexible bar racks, but the same principles still apply. The fact is that no rack will make balls that are not all the same size all touch each other, and no rack will make a ball not fall into a hole on the table.

I've used them all, and certainly some are better than most. But without knowing how to rack on a tough table, they all fail.

If I were to recommend my choice for a conventional rack, it would be either the delta 13 or the Duffy rack. But even with those, loose racks are abundant in the real world.


Royce
 
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