A new low in "TV colors": a pink 4 and purple 5 ball

The 9 ball, along with all the other stripes in this set, looks awful. The 4 and the 5 change is no big deal, but a little weird. I can understand that they want the 9 to be more distinct from the 1 on TV (and the other stripes if it’s 10 ball, or maybe 8 ball) but this doesn’t seem to be the way to go about it.

I’d rather they had just left it as it is but added a 17th ball to the set - a TV 9 ball that looks completely different from every other ball. British pool did something along these lines with their striped black ball.

Did you ever walk through a park and stop to watch a chess game?
...if they aren’t using Staunton pieces, I walk away...



The game gets confusing when you don’t recognize the pieces easily.

Pool layouts are the same way to me....at a glance, I should be able to identify the
trouble spots.
If I have to think about what balls are which, it interferes with my appraisal.

So only traditional colors for me...unless a change is an improvement.
...no Cyclop colors or any other kind of color change when I buy...
...and watching these different balls on a stream is just not as enjoyable.

Can you imagine these guys getting control of electrical wiring and traffic light colors?
...mayhem and death would result

I'm a pool ball collector and usually pretty open to new colors and designs but these are hideous. No thanks, Aramith.

When these don't sell, they will then realize they made a mistake......

I don't mind different shades (darker/lighter), but for crying out loud why make the 4 pink and the 5 purple? To make the game better? No. It's fashion. It's to be different. And it's silly.

We've seen this before. When Cyclop balls were introduced in 2013, reps from Diamond and Cyclop (who worked together on the balls) did an interview. What great reason was given for the pastel colors and making the 7 ball powder blue?

"We wanted to have different colors so the people would be able to distinguish from other ball manufacturers."
https://youtu.be/2bxBqVyQnSw?t=50


Then during Wednesday's Team USA vs Team CSI match, Emily, whom in general I'm a fan of, asks Karl Boyes what he thinks of the new balls. In classic hostage video style here's the exchange:

Emily: "So Karl, how did you find the Aramith Black set?"
Karl: "Well in the one rack I've played, I found them alllll-right. They look very clear on the screen. So I don't see any maaaa-jor problems. I don't know; they seem a little bit more modern to me."
Emily: "That's the exact kind of vibe we were going for. Why not? This game is evolving, younger players are coming through, lets modernize things up a little bit. So that was the thought process, behind obviously Matchroom and Aramith"
Karl: "Yeah, I'm sure now and again people watching might think it's a bit difficult to see where the 9 is, like in this instance, but you can clearly see the yellow stripe... so it's not gonna be a maaaa-jor issue."

https://youtu.be/gd3axsi4m4s?t=3723

Elsewhere during the match she basically said if the players want to be involved with Matchroom they better get on board with the new balls.

I'm all for new innovations, but there's no reason to change the fundamental colors.

It would be interesting to know the sales figures for Cyclop. In the last six years, I've seen them in my Dallas pool hall twice. Meanwhile many players bring in Aramith or Centennial balls, that use the traditional colors.

I've used the Cyclop balls multiple times when playing at Griffs, but I don't see any reason to buy a set, work to "get used to them" and then constantly hear complaints during league from other players who haven't gotten used to them.

CocoboloCowboy said:

Sounds kind of weird, like gay weird, those new colored balls,

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BeiberLvr said:

...what about them makes them look "gay"?

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That would be Coco's "brain". He's from NPR, so...

pj
chgo

I think all the balls should change colors as they are hit. And then flash dayglow green and whatever other color looks stupid whenever someone misses. Then being colorblind would actually be an advantage for once. And before anyone asks, I don't know what color shirt you're wearing and I don't really care. Wish I had a nickel for every time I was asked that.

I like the traditional colors. I enjoy watching pro pool and it’s more difficult for me to follow rotation pool with these new colors.

I watched some of the matches and had a bit trouble with the colors, seemed to me the tables were under lit. Too me the 9 ball looked a bit wacky. Personally I prefer light color balls, probably just an age thing. I do have a set of the Aramith tv balls and like them.

Very appropriate at Easter time

BeiberLvr said:

I say we all go on Matchroom and Emily Frazier's Facebook page, and post random pictures of things with the color orange.

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:thumbup:

Thanks for the morning laugh. I’m still chuckling.
Syracuse University Orangemen jerseys would rustle some feathers.

Set is nasty.

9 ball is awesome though.

Ugh... I’ll pass. lol

As strictly a 9-ball set, I don't mind them. I love the 9-ball; reminds me of the Raschig set with no numbers. Still probably wouldn't spend the money on a set.

Giving a solution to a "problem" nobody knew existed...answering a question nobody asked. Creating confusion and division. Perhaps these balls were designed by a USA congressional committee?

pwd72s said:

Giving a solution to a "problem" nobody knew existed...answering a question nobody asked. Creating confusion and division. Perhaps these balls were designed by a USA congressional committee?

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:groucho::yes:

Time for a dissenting vote.

While which colors are best is certainly debatable, I am OK with the change made. As a player, the two balls that I struggle most to tell apart are the four and the five, so changing one of them seemed to be in order from my vantage point.

Yes, we'll miss the orange five, but making it more distinguishable from the four is, in my view, a step forward for those who both watch and play pool.

jay helfert said:

There was never anything wrong with the original colors for the pool balls :

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ill take a 75 dollar set of aramith crown over free for any of these hideous new sets