Recommendations for 16-ball Ball Cleaner
- Thread starter JohnDurr
- Start date
Bet low, don't miss.
Only does 8, but the best I've ever used is the Ballstar.
Faster, quieter, and WAY easier and cheaper to maintain. Brand new pad for the Ballstar is about $6 and takes one minute to replace.
Diamond (8) is $70 for the kit, and way more involved.
The 2-stage cleaning cycle and separate polish applicator assures that you don't oversaturate your cleaning pad.
Another nice feature is how well it tumbles the balls around, making sure the entire circumference is buffed. No other machine I've seen does this as well.
Faster, quieter, and WAY easier and cheaper to maintain. Brand new pad for the Ballstar is about $6 and takes one minute to replace.
Diamond (8) is $70 for the kit, and way more involved.
The 2-stage cleaning cycle and separate polish applicator assures that you don't oversaturate your cleaning pad.
Another nice feature is how well it tumbles the balls around, making sure the entire circumference is buffed. No other machine I've seen does this as well.
Xdecemberguy
Active member
The reason there's so many on Amazon is because you can just order a few dozen of these slave labor Chinese machines from Ali Baba for $70, have them shipped directly to Amazon and re-sell them for whatever price you'd like. Amazon couldn't care less about the quality or if they work or not, they get their comission regardless.
No one ever regrets buying the Diamond cleaner.
There are no returns.
There are none available used.
It's one of those purchases you smile about every time you use it, with no buyer's remorse ever.
There are no returns.
There are none available used.
It's one of those purchases you smile about every time you use it, with no buyer's remorse ever.
I had my mind set on a Diamond, but not many used for sale and finding one on the shelf is slim, plus the price, which it is worth every penny. I ended up settling for the CleanGleem ball cleaner that is sold by one of AZB's member and couldn't be happier. Very simple machine and does a fantastic job in cleaning/polishing. Price is right also.
This was posted a few years ago, not much has changed except for the prices. Here you go again...
A good machine will do a better job faster and with a whole lot less effort than hand cleaning. I used to hand clean with Aramith - rub on a small dab with a slightly moistened cloth, let it dry and then buff, buff and buff with a micro fiber cloth. In about an hour and with some pretty tired hands I'd get a nicely polished though somewhat slippery set of balls. With my machine (Clean Gleem) I'd get a better result in five or so minutes with hardly any effort - my ball get cleaned much more frequently, less slippery, like new clean and they play consistently every time I'm at my table.
Here's what I know of the available machines (prices may vary)...
Clean Gleem - 8 and 16 ball capacitiy, $299 & $449, unique roller design, solid built to last construction, attractive natural wood finish, made in the USA.
Diamond - 8 and 16 ball capacity, $650 & $850, spinning 'offset' platter design, very heavy solid construction, black wood finish, made in the USA.
Ball Star - 8 ball capacity, $650, spinning platter design, plastic 'crock pot', white, made in Korea(?).
Bludworth - 16 ball capacity, $950, spinning platter design, plastic 'crock pot', black, made in the USA(?).
Generic Chinese - 16 ball capacity, about $150 and up (can you say 'slave labor'?), spinning platter design, mostly white, plastic 'crock pot', made in China. Lots of these machines under various 'brands' have recently appeared on the market (AliBaba, Amazon, Tenu and those sort of places). Caution - your balls may feel like you don't love them.
DIY Bucket Cleaners - many examples on YouTube, revolving platter design (Harbor Fright car buffers and a Home Depot bucket are commonly used), some say they work well plus you did it yourself!
Keep in mind the shipping costs when shopping, some of these big, heavy machines can get quite pricey.
Aramith is the leading cleaner, made and recommended by the company that makes most of the quality ball sets. Said to contain minimal wax. Other cleaners, such as automotive polishes, generally contain mainly wax and silicon - you get a short lived, slippery high polish, not the best for consistent, normally playing balls or for the cloth on your table. Clean Gleem was the first to recommend a 1 tablespoon mixture Aramith shaken up with 1 cup alcohol in a spray bottle. Mist the mixture over your balls in a running machine for a very easy, economical cleaning leaving a like new gleam and consistent, normally playing balls.
A good machine will do a better job faster and with a whole lot less effort than hand cleaning. I used to hand clean with Aramith - rub on a small dab with a slightly moistened cloth, let it dry and then buff, buff and buff with a micro fiber cloth. In about an hour and with some pretty tired hands I'd get a nicely polished though somewhat slippery set of balls. With my machine (Clean Gleem) I'd get a better result in five or so minutes with hardly any effort - my ball get cleaned much more frequently, less slippery, like new clean and they play consistently every time I'm at my table.
Here's what I know of the available machines (prices may vary)...
Clean Gleem - 8 and 16 ball capacitiy, $299 & $449, unique roller design, solid built to last construction, attractive natural wood finish, made in the USA.
Diamond - 8 and 16 ball capacity, $650 & $850, spinning 'offset' platter design, very heavy solid construction, black wood finish, made in the USA.
Ball Star - 8 ball capacity, $650, spinning platter design, plastic 'crock pot', white, made in Korea(?).
Bludworth - 16 ball capacity, $950, spinning platter design, plastic 'crock pot', black, made in the USA(?).
Generic Chinese - 16 ball capacity, about $150 and up (can you say 'slave labor'?), spinning platter design, mostly white, plastic 'crock pot', made in China. Lots of these machines under various 'brands' have recently appeared on the market (AliBaba, Amazon, Tenu and those sort of places). Caution - your balls may feel like you don't love them.
DIY Bucket Cleaners - many examples on YouTube, revolving platter design (Harbor Fright car buffers and a Home Depot bucket are commonly used), some say they work well plus you did it yourself!
Keep in mind the shipping costs when shopping, some of these big, heavy machines can get quite pricey.
Aramith is the leading cleaner, made and recommended by the company that makes most of the quality ball sets. Said to contain minimal wax. Other cleaners, such as automotive polishes, generally contain mainly wax and silicon - you get a short lived, slippery high polish, not the best for consistent, normally playing balls or for the cloth on your table. Clean Gleem was the first to recommend a 1 tablespoon mixture Aramith shaken up with 1 cup alcohol in a spray bottle. Mist the mixture over your balls in a running machine for a very easy, economical cleaning leaving a like new gleam and consistent, normally playing balls.
Well, if it’s just about wanting to clean your balls, it’s hard to beat the Amazon stuff from China. I spent big bucks for my table, for Centennial balls, for my cues, and even for my chalk. I cleaned the balls by hand and was happy. I thought about spending $600 for a Diamond ball cleaner and decided my other purchases pleased me, but the Diamond cleaner was a waste of money if the cheap cleaner on Amazon did the same thing for $119. I tried it using Aramith ball cleaner diluted with alcohol, and the balls came out clean and undamaged. I could have spent the extra $500 to get the same result, but I’m glad I didn’t. I was prepared to throw it out if it didn’t work, but it works fine. You do you, but I’m still happy to have saved the extra $500.
I bought my Diamond polisher close to 15 years ago. I don't mind spending more on a quality product as long as it works well, the Diamond checks those boxes. I don't miss the $500 that i spent on it. If you consider my investment in balls (2 Aramith Tournament sets, a Centennial set, and a Cyclops skittle set) the $500 I spent on the Diamond just isn't that much. I am still on my original bottle of Aramith ball cleaner and original pads in the polisher, I suspect everything will last another 15 years at least and at that point I will probably be able to sell it for more than i paid for it. There is also no crappy plastic in the Diamond polisher to break that I know of.