Cyclop Balls

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Did anyone weigh them? The stream commentary said they're heavier. And the seemed to feel
the balls were the reason people kept coming up short on position, though initially
they were saying the table was unusually slow.

Supposedly these Cyclop guys bought the formula for old Brunswick balls,
and so they should play almost exactly the same as those?


Diamond said they weighted about 20 sets and every ball came in at 169 grams +/- 1/2 gram. That would be pretty good QC.

I believe the general WPA specs for balls is that they come in at 5.5 to 6.0 ounces, or 156 to 170 grams, with most better sets coming in at the high end of that range, so they wouldn't be heavier. You are correct about the old Centennials.

Lou Figueroa
 

CanonShooter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thumbs up again to Sir Mark Griffin! He's the Warren Buffet of pool without the millionaires. The BCA-Rio is a success and will only get better. Great venue very organized. I wouldn't doubt if the Cyclops Balls is a company Mark put together ;)

Thank you Sir Mark for all that you do in pool!
 

scratchs

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I think its funny that some folks are still adding a "s" on the end of cyclop...I don't think cyclop will change their ball set name..but you never know..(wink).
 

TrumanHW

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I didn't see any players flipping up their hands like
"that ball totally reacted funny" after a shot. But I never hit one.
From the way they moved on the stream they didn't seem especially heavy or light or weird.

I like the colors and they seem a little easier to tell apart. I thought the light blue one
blended a little too closely with simonis tournament blue.


Agreed. The ONLY thing I'd love love love?? Is if the 8-ball were actually like... a textured color. Black is brutal to see when it's on the rail because most places have shadows where the light doesn't cover the whole table when the ball is near the rail - so when the CB is a long ways a way, on a thing cut shot I can hardly find the edge. Anyone else?
 

TrumanHW

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Absolutely ANYTHING but black. I LOVE that all the colors are brighter. I can re-learn colors... I can't change my acuity in shadows of black objects. I'd love to make a special pleading to the mfg.
 

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
Yep and yep .. Thanks Lou

Bob (<---hopes someday the pocket issue will be addressed.)

Most likely Diamond has bought the pockets in bulk (1000's) and have many still in stock and that is the reason this marking still continues. Johnnyt
 

CreeDo

Fargo Rating 597
Silver Member
Agreed. The ONLY thing I'd love love love?? Is if the 8-ball were actually like... a textured color. Black is brutal to see when it's on the rail because most places have shadows where the light doesn't cover the whole table when the ball is near the rail - so when the CB is a long ways a way, on a thing cut shot I can hardly find the edge. Anyone else?

On a table with a big diamond-type light, the blank stands out vs. the light cloth
and I can see the edge great. The shadows are all shades of light and medium blue.
On murky green cloth in a pool hall with shitty lighting, I also get frustrated with the blurred
line between where the ball ends and the shadow begins. I would hesitate to spin in an 8 ball railfirst.

Thinking about it, the 7 ball color might really be a mistake, not just cuz of the similarity to the cloth
but also because I hear commentators mixing up the 6 and 7 all the time.

To me, they're pretty clearly different, one is "key lime green" and the other is cyan.
Color theory says cyan is equal parts green and blue but to me that's flat out light blue, not greenish at all.
But at least one booth guy was saying stuff like "it's between the green ball and that other lighter green ball",
they then debated whether it was greenish or bluish.

Does anyone else consider the new 7 ball greenish?
If so, I bet those with mild color blindness would have a hard time with it.
 

JoeyA

Efren's Mini-Tourn BACKER
Silver Member
Brown PMS 479C ( 7 ball and 15 ball)

On a table with a big diamond-type light, the blank stands out vs. the light cloth
and I can see the edge great. The shadows are all shades of light and medium blue.
On murky green cloth in a pool hall with shitty lighting, I also get frustrated with the blurred
line between where the ball ends and the shadow begins. I would hesitate to spin in an 8 ball railfirst.

Thinking about it, the 7 ball color might really be a mistake, not just cuz of the similarity to the cloth
but also because I hear commentators mixing up the 6 and 7 all the time.

To me, they're pretty clearly different, one is "key lime green" and the other is cyan.
Color theory says cyan is equal parts green and blue but to me that's flat out light blue, not greenish at all.
But at least one booth guy was saying stuff like "it's between the green ball and that other lighter green ball",
they then debated whether it was greenish or bluish.

Does anyone else consider the new 7 ball greenish?
If so, I bet those with mild color blindness would have a hard time with it.

You persuaded me to go back and look closely at the colors of the balls in the picture at the beginning of this thread. While I do not know what the PMS colors (or process colors) are for each of the balls, I think that Diamond Billiards might consider changing out the 7 and 15 colors to a PMS 479C. The PMS 480C is a little too light of a brown/tan and might have the same problem as the lightly colored 7 ball being mixed up with the 6 ball. PMS 479C is a very light brown, maybe considered a dark, tan.

Previously, I have never paid much attention to the colors of the balls. Two balls share the same color (like the 3 & the 11, and 2 & 10 etc.), except for the 8 ball and the cue ball.

I was looking at my PMS color charts (and process color charts) and like the brown PMS 479 for distinguishing purposes, but I can't be positive that it would be a better selection. PMS 479C could be a good color candidate for the 7 and the 15 ball If Diamond Billiards decides a change is needed.

As a commentator, it can be frustrating to not be able to distinguish the different numbered balls on a monitor. BigTruck had excellent monitors at the Ultimate 10 Ball Championship and I had no problem distinguishing the Aramith Tournament Set balls.

I am fortunate that I still have excellent vision when it comes to colors and spatial order which are two of the things that help a commentator to make accurate calls.

JoeyA
 

kollegedave

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Call Diamond Billiards if you are interested in purchasing a set from the tournament.

JoeyA

I just called. I believe it is 1:15 p.m. their time. No one answered. I left a message saying that I was interested in buying a set.

kollegedave
 

CreeDo

Fargo Rating 597
Silver Member
You persuaded me to go back and look closely at the colors of the balls in the picture at the beginning of this thread. While I do not know what the PMS colors (or process colors) are for each of the balls, I think that Diamond Billiards might consider changing out the 7 and 15 colors to a PMS 479C.

Looks like a light earthy brown. Like mud that's dried in the sun.

For fun I photoshopped 479C (top left).
Then I tried a bluer, less greenish shade, 2995C (top right).
Next a greener green for the 6, 376C (bottom left).
Bottom right has both changed, which definitely helps distinguish them,
though I think brown is nice for keeping with the original colors we're all used to.

OazF0YR.jpg
 

JoeyA

Efren's Mini-Tourn BACKER
Silver Member
Looks like a light earthy brown. Like mud that's dried in the sun.

For fun I photoshopped 479C (top left).
Then I tried a bluer, less greenish shade, 2995C (top right).
Next a greener green for the 6, 376C (bottom left).
Bottom right has both changed, which definitely helps distinguish them,
though I think brown is nice for keeping with the original colors we're all used to.

OazF0YR.jpg

WOW! Excellent job. Those new blues in the lower right hand corner look GREAT too.

You should send those Photoshop jpegs to Paul Smith. :yeah:

Diamond Billiards might put you on the payroll.
JoeyA

P.S. I really did think a little about Turquoise as a color but didn't say anything, just figured getting away from the blue might be better but now I am no so sure.

Oh yeah, and I like the slightly darker green as well.
 

JoeyA

Efren's Mini-Tourn BACKER
Silver Member
Creedo,

Looking at the brown 7 and purple 4, commentators might have trouble distinguishing between those two...... what are your thoughts about that?

You've got eye color talent.
JoeyA
 

JoeyA

Efren's Mini-Tourn BACKER
Silver Member
Creedo,

Diamond Billiards, if they decide to change colors should surely talk to you. You could not only give them visuals to compare, but you could give them the actual PMS colors used to create them.

:thumbup:

Hope Paul Smith or Greg Sullivan tune into this thread.

JoeyA
 

CreeDo

Fargo Rating 597
Silver Member
Thanks Joey ^ I do graphic stuff for a living so this is right up my alley.
I always have the pantone book a few feet away.

I see what you mean about the brown + purple being kind of similar.
They're about the same brightness and intensity.
A darker purple like original aramiths might fix that but then it might mix with the red.
The hot pink TV ball wouldn't though.

So far I like the bottom right mix, but then the blue is pretty close to the cloth color.
We could always make one of the balls gray :p
 

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
Don't the colors show up a bit different on stream and TV?

PS: being color blind no matter what you do probably won't help us much. I can't tell you how many games I've lost going from the 5 to the 7. On green cloth with not good light (bars mostly) and 6 on the rail or in or close to a pocket I have gone from 5 to 7 many times. I have trouble in different light seeing the 6,7,8, and sometimes the 2. Some shade of blue, green, and black look the same to me. But the Army took me no problem...couldn't hear well then either. My wife picks out my cloths at the store and when we're going out together for the last 45 years. :D Johnnyt.
 

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I just called. I believe it is 1:15 p.m. their time. No one answered. I left a message saying that I was interested in buying a set.

kollegedave


David, someone is giving you bad info.

The Cyclop balls will *eventually* be sold by Diamond. The balls that are "in country" now are the 380 sets, er, 379 sets, that *CSI* has and is using for the events out at the Rio. You might want to try them instead.

Lou Figueroa
 
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