Cyclop, Super Aramith, or Centennial Balls?

[Cardigan Kid]

In the run up to the DCC I played exclusively with a Cyclop set for several weeks. This week I switched to my Aramith set.

Straight out of the polisher, I was amazed at how dirty the Aramiths got after just an hour of use. After two hours they were smudged up and pretty filthy. The Cyclops balls stay much cleaner for much longer. YMMV.

Lou Figueroa

What is the age/hours played on the Aramiths compared to the Cyclop set?
My Aramith set acts similar but it's a tournament used set from 2012. I'm under the assumption the Cyclop set will act accordingly when the same age.

Only time and use will tell.

 

[Kamikazecuetips]

What balls you buy should depend on your future intentions.... as in If you plan on going to Bca nationals you should buy the cyclops because that Is what you play with during that tournament...if you are planning on playing Apa or napa then get aramith...
Seems to help if you practice with what you will play with as aramith and Cyclops do react differently..... if you are a lower speed player you wont notice it as much as a higher speed player who moves the cueball more and higher degrees of English.

Excellent Point here....
Well.....decided to go with the Cyclops and have been playing with them for about 2 weeks. They do stay cleaner and play fast. On the negative side, some of the straight in shots that you have to blast seem to make the object ball squirt, jarring the pocket and missing the shot. That happened to me and the guy I was shooting against a few times. Don't think it was bad fundamentals....Those are shots we should have normally made. Will experiment a little longer, then test out Centennial's.

 

[Kamikazecuetips]

I've been playing Centennials for years. I just ordered a set of Cyclops that should be here this week...so I'm following this thread pretty closely. I'm not sure if I'd be qualified enough to know the differences about which people are posting, but I'll see if I can chime in when I get them and get a chance to play with them for a few days. :embarrassed2:

I noticed your post...How are your Cyclop's playing?

 

[ElLeon]

That is an impressive collection!

If you wouldn't mind, send me the rules for this game of yours.

Just for grins, with folks talking about which balls for this or which balls for that, here is a collection photo of mine for a game I created for all the Eight Ball friends of mine that insist it's the best game - and no, I'm not arguing that fact - it involves 21 different 8 balls from 21 different sets with a special set of game rules of course - super brief overview, involves pocketing any 10 eight balls on your SIDE of the table (3 pockets) then the game winning Aramith Gold 8 ball on the same side of the table. Name: KRazy Eight Ball of course.


Here is the pic with the correct balls identified to give everyone an idea of style and design differences between a few popular sets


Balls each row from top left:
1. Aramith Premium; Aramith Great White; NFL Referee; Aramith Reverse; Brunswick Centennial
2. Eagle Eye Striped; Aramith Continental; Elephant Stars & Stripes; Aramith Special USA; Vigma Diamond
3. Super Aramith PRO; McDermott Galaxy; Aramith Stone; Crown Games Poker; Cyclop TV
4. Vigma Hearts; Aramith Crown Standard; Modern Red Circle; Aramith Camouflage; Aramith Tournament
5. Cyclop Standard cue ball; Aramith Gold Eight Ball


View attachment 411212

 

[DogsPlayingPool]

View attachment 411212

Where did you get the rack (and that tray) for Krazy 8's? :grin-square:

 

[Poolhall60561]

I like Arimath, but I'm sure Cyclops are OK since the pro's don't seem to be complaining.
Just get a traditional color set. I hate the new Cyclops colors and the TV colored balls.
And it's driving Danny D crazy.

 

[K2Kraze]

Where did you get the rack (and that tray) for Krazy 8's? :grin-square:

That particular ball tray is the 22-ball snooker tray. Do a quick search on eBay for those and order up a few


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[K2Kraze]

That is an impressive collection!



If you wouldn't mind, send me the rules for this game of yours.

Will do. PM sent for email.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Straightpool_99]

After seeing the Cyclops cue ball roll off like crazy in important pro matches, there is NO WAY IN HELL I'll ever buy one of those ball sets! That kind of thing is just UNHEARD OF with new Aramith sets. Also I'm pretty sure they would have had controls in place to insure that this kind of thing would never happen in the early promotion stages of a new product. If that happens with special sets for the pros, imagine what the consumer sets are like...Sure when they get old and beaten up, Aramith balls may roll off, but even that is rare with normal wear and tear. The one exception is the measle ball, but it is nowhere near as bad as what I've seen the Cyclops ball do. Not to speak of the colors and look of the balls... The Centennials rule supreme in the looks department, and they play great too. Too bad they're so expensive. I'd better just play with my Super Aramith pros.

If you like skids, cueballs that roll off and colors that look like they were picked out by a mad parrot, then knock yourself out.

 

[DogsPlayingPool]

That particular ball tray is the 22-ball snooker tray. Do a quick search on eBay for those and order up a few

I figured but just didn't know the larger balls would fit.

So did you build a custom rack or simply manually roll up and freeze a back row of six?

 

[K2Kraze]

I figured but just didn't know the larger balls would fit.

So did you build a custom rack or simply manually roll up and freeze a back row of six?

Oh ------- I think you are referring to how I am actually racking the 21 balls that you see in that 22 ball tray....is that right?

I have a larger 21-ball wood rack that was produced for the game of Baseball Billiards. That original ball set made by Aramith looks like this:



If I were at home I would post a pic of the 21 balls in the 21 ball rack

You can always rack the first 15 and roll he last row up to the bottom like you mentioned if you must.

 

[K2Kraze]

After seeing the Cyclops cue ball roll off like crazy in important pro matches, there is NO WAY IN HELL I'll ever buy one of those ball sets! That kind of thing is just UNHEARD OF with new Aramith sets. Also I'm pretty sure they would have had controls in place to insure that this kind of thing would never happen in the early promotion stages of a new product. If that happens with special sets for the pros, imagine what the consumer sets are like...Sure when they get old and beaten up, Aramith balls may roll off, but even that is rare with normal wear and tear. The one exception is the measle ball, but it is nowhere near as bad as what I've seen the Cyclops ball do. Not to speak of the colors and look of the balls... The Centennials rule supreme in the looks department, and they play great too. Too bad they're so expensive. I'd better just play with my Super Aramith pros.

If you like skids, cueballs that roll off and colors that look like they were picked out by a mad parrot, then knock yourself out.

For me, it's hard to even believe or accept with any credibility when I read a "review" like this about Cyclop balls......because I have literally played hundreds upon hundreds of hours with numerous personally owned and friends' Cyclop ball sets without one single roll off or wiggle at any speed with any spin on any table from 7's to a 10-footer. Ever. I have both ball sets. I have 7 different Cyclop cue balls. The ball weights and diameter tolerances are nothing short of spectacular. Yes, I measure and weigh every ball I own with high end calibrated equipment. Curiosity and passion you could say. I have even reviewed various cue balls in slow motion video and never have seen a roll-off, no matter which logo Cyclop ball is being watched (the diamond or the eye) - at any angle or axis it is rolling about when it was filmed.

IF any ball - and I mean any ball - ever rolls off, it can be attributed to one of many things (yes, including an occasional and extremely rare or poor quality ball that has some unseen internal flaw or density or roundness issue) including minuscule debris on the cloth - or the cloth has an imperceptible thread tighter in one weave than the other - or chalk - or chocolate that fell off my friend Tony's face once during a match. Anything. Even the coveted Centennial cue balls roll off when slow-going over a super-small pice of chalk dust. It's not the ball.

Same with colorful ball sets picked out by some parrot. Or pirate perhaps? Does everyone realize there are indeed NUMEROUS ball sets produced by Cyclop - and the two most widely seen are the "standard" colors and the "television" colors we use here in the USA in 2.25"? The "standards" have colors everyone on this pool playing planet can instantly recognize. Nothing funny about the standards. I challenge anyone to take a look at the Cyclop standard color balls next to Aramith Premiums or even Super Aramith Pro balls and tell me what you see. Not from a set at one pal's house to another pal's set at his house across town on different days --- right next to each other. Same time. Same place. Same everything. Then get out your handy stimpmeter and roll those babies next to each other on the baize and have another look-see. Take notes. Try it again if you can't believe the beauty in motion you just witnessed. On a perfectly clean and perfectly set up table.

And that's just my parrot's $.02

 

[SARDiver]

Does anyone know if the Brunswick Centennials were changed to the new formulation as the Aramith Tournaments? My understanding is that the material had been the same as the Super Aramith Pro.

Aramith says the new resin is easier on cloth.

 

[fd_colorado]

I think it is ironic, that in the interest of TV clarity, that even the match commentators can't keep up with the color pallete du jour.

How are mere mortals supposed to keep all the colors straight?

Call me old fashioned, but I'll stick with my Cents.

 

[9andout]

I like the super aramith pro.

Yes. Never Cyclop. Let's stop the insanity!

 

[lfigueroa]

For me, it's hard to even believe or accept with any credibility when I read a "review" like this about Cyclop balls......because I have literally played hundreds upon hundreds of hours with numerous personally owned and friends' Cyclop ball sets without one single roll off or wiggle at any speed with any spin on any table from 7's to a 10-footer. Ever. I have both ball sets. I have 7 different Cyclop cue balls. The ball weights and diameter tolerances are nothing short of spectacular. Yes, I measure and weigh every ball I own with high end calibrated equipment. Curiosity and passion you could say. I have even reviewed various cue balls in slow motion video and never have seen a roll-off, no matter which logo Cyclop ball is being watched (the diamond or the eye) - at any angle or axis it is rolling about when it was filmed.

IF any ball - and I mean any ball - ever rolls off, it can be attributed to one of many things (yes, including an occasional and extremely rare or poor quality ball that has some unseen internal flaw or density or roundness issue) including minuscule debris on the cloth - or the cloth has an imperceptible thread tighter in one weave than the other - or chalk - or chocolate that fell off my friend Tony's face once during a match. Anything. Even the coveted Centennial cue balls roll off when slow-going over a super-small pice of chalk dust. It's not the ball.

Same with colorful ball sets picked out by some parrot. Or pirate perhaps? Does everyone realize there are indeed NUMEROUS ball sets produced by Cyclop - and the two most widely seen are the "standard" colors and the "television" colors we use here in the USA in 2.25"? The "standards" have colors everyone on this pool playing planet can instantly recognize. Nothing funny about the standards. I challenge anyone to take a look at the Cyclop standard color balls next to Aramith Premiums or even Super Aramith Pro balls and tell me what you see. Not from a set at one pal's house to another pal's set at his house across town on different days --- right next to each other. Same time. Same place. Same everything. Then get out your handy stimpmeter and roll those babies next to each other on the baize and have another look-see. Take notes. Try it again if you can't believe the beauty in motion you just witnessed. On a perfectly clean and perfectly set up table.

And that's just my parrot's $.02

At this stage of the game it's clear some people just want to kvetch.

10's of thousand of hours tournament and money games played and all is well, except for the prissy folks that have to have everything just so. And oh, by the way: balls don't skid -- excess friction from chalk on balls produces skid via that abrasive phenolic break cue tip folks are using that is abrading the CB AND the lipstick chalk that is so popular that is sticking more to the CB (though it will stick less to a Cyclop CB because it is harder because it is made with more phenolic resin Of course even regular chalk will sometimes stick to a CB. When the OB hits that little patch of chalk on the CB, skid happens.

Lou Figueroa

 

[K2Kraze]

And oh, by the way: balls don't skid -- excess friction from chalk on balls produces skid via that abrasive phenolic break cue tip folks are using that is abrading the CB AND the lipstick chalk that is so popular that is sticking more to the CB.

Lou Figueroa

Agreed, Lou. 100%

And the NEW Red Dot Cyclop cue ball is no exception - it plays and looks and stays clean while taking any spin a good stroke can impart upon it WITHOUT leaving much if any chalk - thus minimizing ANY chalk-induced ball errors,,

Oh - The Solution - to any chalk-induced skid type errors, even with Cyclop balls ----- is to gently wipe the cue ball whenever you have the chance between racks or pocket scratches or cue ball in hand fouls. You will most likely never see an issue.

 

[K2Kraze]

The original issue Cyclop "diamond" cue ball; Cyclop "eye"; new Cyclop "red dot" - only one dot identical in size to the Aramith 6 red dot ball; the Aramith 6 red dot cue ball.

 

[SARDiver]

Welp, I was surprised by my wife with a set of Tournaments late last week, not long after I'd sold my Super Aramith Pros.

Gotta say this set is stunning. I thought the Centennials looked better, but I'm not so sure now. They play great, and the cue ball seems to be the same weight and feel as the object balls. My kids and I have, so far, preferred playing with it to the measles ball I already had.

Can't recommend this set highly enough.

 

[TATE]

Welp, I was surprised by my wife with a set of Tournaments late last week, not long after I'd sold my Super Aramith Pros. Gotta say this set is stunning.

Congratulations. You have a first class set of balls and a first class wife!