Best template rack?

[phreaticus]

I've been using it about 3-4 months now and love it. Several weeks ago I replace two of the "donuts" because they started to lift. I use the Avery clear and I have a roll of 200, a couple of bucks at Office Depot. I didn't use the white ones that came with the rack because they felt "thicker" than the clear, and because the clear is less distracting. After a couple of racks you're not even aware of them until it's time to rack again.

I also bought the Perma Rack about a year ago when I was in a brief 14.1 practice phase, but I never set it up. Its simplicity, performance and time savings is enticing but the thought of all those donuts on my cloth all the time was unappealing, so I never bothered. But I didn’t know the thinner clear Avery stickers. I’ll give it a try now. Thanks for sharing that detail!

 

[larryvietvet]

Post of the decade

FATBOY, Love your 5 ball is orange. Watched pool on u-tube during covid. The announcers were obsessed boasting about how good they used to be and forgot to inform the viewers which blurry ball was the next object ball. Please explain your concern with the template rack in more detail. Most amateurs wouldn’t know which gaps would be good or bad depending on who is breaking. If you prefer gamesmanship in the racking process the wood rack is for you. Not saying the templates can’t be manipulated. In you part of the country who racks, the looser or do you rack your own?

 

[Fatboy]

FATBOY, Love your 5 ball is orange. Watched pool on u-tube during covid. The announcers were obsessed boasting about how good they used to be and forgot to inform the viewers which blurry ball was the next object ball. Please explain your concern with the template rack in more detail. Most amateurs wouldn’t know which gaps would be good or bad depending on who is breaking. If you prefer gamesmanship in the racking process the wood rack is for you. Not saying the templates can’t be manipulated. In you part of the country who racks, the looser or do you rack your own?

Howdy

I’m old school, all of the points about a perfectly tight rack are true of template racks.

I don’t have the skill to manipulate the rack except for a slug rack with a wood triangle-which is easy to learn how to do.

Having a predictable rack in pool has created endless break problems. We lost 9B switched to 10B as the solution. Now the rack has been solved for both 9 & 10. Do we go to 11 next? I’m not sure.

Juggin the rack when we used to play loser racks was also a problem. Rack your own-of course guys will learn how to rack so they have a ball locked up-thanks Cory. Template or triangle.

I don’t have the answer. I’m just old school and prefer the triangle rack.

What ever people like and they use is cool with me. I just am in the triangle camp. And that goes for tips too. I like Tiangle’s…

Best
Fatboy

 

[boogieman]

Howdy

I’m old school, all of the points about a perfectly tight rack are true of template racks.

I don’t have the skill to manipulate the rack except for a slug rack with a wood triangle-which is easy to learn how to do.

Having a predictable rack in pool has created endless break problems. We lost 9B switched to 10B as the solution. Now the rack has been solved for both 9 & 10. Do we go to 11 next? I’m not sure.

Juggin the rack when we used to play loser racks was also a problem. Rack your own-of course guys will learn how to rack so they have a ball locked up-thanks Cory. Template or triangle.

I don’t have the answer. I’m just old school and prefer the triangle rack.

What ever people like and they use is cool with me. I just am in the triangle camp. And that goes for tips too. I like Tiangle’s…

Best
Fatboy

I love a good triangle. Delta 13's are awesome. The $12 thick wood racks are also awesome after you glue $3 worth of felt to the front two sides. I forget the name of that folding rack with only two sides but they use felt on it so I figured it was worth a try. It did a great job. The $12 rack was sturdy but not perfect like the Delta 13, but the felt did wonders.

I wish all leagues were either rack your own or template. The league I play in is ridiculous. People try but it's all the shitty $5-10 flimsy plastic racks so only about half of the slug racks are intentional.

If I play for even a cheap $5 set I always stipulate either template or RYO. I don't want to deal with slug racks when money is on the line. 8B is a little different but around here cheap action is almost always 9B.

 

[Fatboy]

I love a good triangle. Delta 13's are awesome. The $12 thick wood racks are also awesome after you glue $3 worth of felt to the front two sides. I forget the name of that folding rack with only two sides but they use felt on it so I figured it was worth a try. It did a great job. The $12 rack was sturdy but not perfect like the Delta 13, but the felt did wonders.

I wish all leagues were either rack your own or template. The league I play in is ridiculous. People try but it's all the shitty $5-10 flimsy plastic racks so only about half of the slug racks are intentional.

If I play for even a cheap $5 set I always stipulate either template or RYO. I don't want to deal with slug racks when money is on the line. 8B is a little different but around here cheap action is almost always 9B.

Template racks for league are cool, that’s not a bad solution.

The issue with template racks are at the pro level or big action-imo. I know most people don’t share that opinion and that’s cool. It’s an old school thing.

I have a few Delta 13’s and they are good, loud but good. Some wood racks are great, most aren’t precise enough-that’s a problem.

It’s really a chicken or egg circular argument

Best
Fatboy

 

[Zerksies]

I've seen to many ball movements in template racks

 

[Fatboy]

I've seen to many ball movements in template racks

There are lots of tricks. I’ve been shown a few, I didn’t memorize them or work on them as my break sucks anyways. But the rack can be worked.

 

[phreaticus]

I've been using it about 3-4 months now and love it. Several weeks ago I replace two of the "donuts" because they started to lift. I use the Avery clear and I have a roll of 200, a couple of bucks at Office Depot. I didn't use the white ones that came with the rack because they felt "thicker" than the clear, and because the clear is less distracting. After a couple of racks you're not even aware of them until it's time to rack again.

Sorry to bug you, but is the Perma rack still the best one of these? I think there was another thread on them that mentioned they are a little touchy & time consuming to get the donuts placed properly and they need a good bit of manual adjusting to really work well. I think someone posted another hole template version that was better/easier and also supposedly there was an Accurack version that they used for some 14.1 event, but after a quick search, I can’t find that thread or those product right now. Thanks

 

[RickLafayette]

Sorry to bug you, but is the Perma rack still the best one of these? I think there was another thread on them that mentioned they are a little touchy & time consuming to get the donuts placed properly and they need a good bit of manual adjusting to really work well. I think someone posted another hole template version that was better/easier and also supposedly there was an Accurack version that they used for some 14.1 event, but after a quick search, I can’t find that thread or those product right now. Thanks

The "donuts" are actually very easy to install. I use a pointed tweezers to lay them into the hole, centering by eye, and they come out perfect every time. I know Outsville has since come out with their own version but I have no experience with that one.

 

[phreaticus]

The "donuts" are actually very easy to install. I use a pointed tweezers to lay them into the hole, centering by eye, and they come out perfect every time. I know Outsville has since come out with their own version but I have no experience with that one.
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Thx. I already have the Perma rack thing and just ordered the clear donuts off Amazon, and will give it a try.

I heard mention of a new adhesive template one but all I can find is this right now:

Accu-Rack Ghost/HOME

The Ghost rack uses our proprietary geometry and a little adhesive to give you a template that stays on the table that can rack all the games you play including 14.1. Each set comes with one placement/marking guide. One Ghost rack and 10 replacement nodes in case you get a little too close with...

outsville.com

Anyone use that thing yet?

 

[muskyed]

Diamond wood rack for me. Nothing says pool like the sound of balls being racked with wood racks.

 

[sjm]

Outsville makes great rack templates.

 

[Zerksies]

There are lots of tricks. I’ve been shown a few, I didn’t memorize them or work on them as my break sucks anyways. But the rack can be worked.

I’m not talking breaking. I’m a talking about the rack effecting balls after the break. I’ve seen funny rolls because of that rack

 

[Fatboy]

I’m not talking breaking. I’m a talking about the rack effecting balls after the break. I’ve seen funny rolls because of that rack

Lots of that too with the thicker ones

 

[Mick]

I already have the Perma rack thing and just ordered the clear donuts off Amazon, and will give it a try.

Don't even bother. I have a pack of colored sharpies and I was able to perfectly color the white donuts to match my cloth. They are all but invisible.

Someone else asked about roll-off, and it's a non-issue. I play 95% straight pool with a lot of slow rolling through the rack area, and can probably count on one hand the number of times the donuts have affected a shot in 2 years of using the system. Probably 500+ games of straight pool.