14.1 Cue Ball

Each year we use what we are given.

the first year i believe we had the aramith pro tv set. the following year we had the tournament edition sets with the black dot, but i had switched it out for the measel ball which i had in my case for the event for one of the tables. i thought it would look better on the video camera.

this year we started the event with one set of balls. the aramith tournament set with the Black dot cue ball. for the first day i had used my set of aramith tourney's with the measel ball because we had not yet recieved a second set of balls for the second table.

once recieved the other set of Tourney balls i had put my set of balls away, until we opened the 3rd and 4th table when we needed 2 more sets of balls which is when i pulled them back out and i believe it was either Sean or Ron F that provided us with their set of balls to help out.

i believe that is right, and i apologize if my info is incorrect, my memory is starting to fade as i am getting older

-Steve

I have assumed for some years now that if I buy from the well known supply houses, those that advertise here, that I would get the genuine item with no fear of getting knock offs. Right?

Dave Nelson

Dave Nelson said:

I have assumed for some years now that if I buy from the well known supply houses, those that advertise here, that I would get the genuine item with no fear of getting knock offs. Right?

Dave Nelson

Click to expand...

Concerning the bolded part, not necessarily, Dave. Like Lou mentions, you have to be wary. Make sure when you purchase the item, it's in its original from-the-manufacturer packaging (like most reputable vendors will do when displaying the item on their site -- e.g. they usually show the Aramith Pro Cup measles ball in its original blister pack).

Some vendors, unfortunately, will take the item out of its from-the-manufacturer packaging, and throw the item into a SKU'ed "collection bin" that the "picker" (order fulfillment staff) pull from to fulfill your order. You've seen this before -- a warehouse stacked to the gills with metal racks partitioned with many shelves, supporting plastic containers that are open at the top, that the "picker" walks up to (because of its SKU number label), reaches in, and pulls the product from while fulfilling the order.

If you order the item, and get a "loose" cue ball thrown into a box or wrapped in bubble wrap, I'd be suspicious -- especially with a measles ball that is almost always shown in its original vendor blister pack.

As mentioned in this thread previously, there was one vendor who removed a suspected counterfeit ball from their inventory. Accolades to that vendor are obviously in order.

-Sean

Dave Nelson said:

I have assumed for some years now that if I buy from the well known supply houses, those that advertise here, that I would get the genuine item with no fear of getting knock offs. Right?

Dave Nelson

Click to expand...

Personally, I am more comfortable buying, say a red circle cue ball, from a dealer who advertises the product as an "Aramith Red Circle" versus a supplier who just advertises a "Red Circle" cue ball.

Lou Figueroa
mine came
with a sticker
too

So I just finished reading this thread from 2012 (whew!). I wonder if someone in the know can comment on balls made out of the Duramith material, which I assume are only available on the Aramith Pro Tournament balls. Here's a description:

The Aramith Tournament Pool Ball set is the new generation of billiard balls featuring the Duramith technology. The Duramith resin formulation with it's hi-tech engineered molecular structure, further enhances drastically the longevity of the Aramith ball sets while minimizing significantly table cloth wear. With a lifetime that exceeds up to 8 times of the average polyester and phenol-like resins, reaching easily up to 40 years in residential use.

Actually for the sake of continuing this informative thread, are there any other developments in the blue circle, red circle, measles etc. saga to note as of 2014?

stevekur1 said:

I prefer to use the measles cue ball by aramith. But watch put for the imposter measel ball.

Click to expand...

Yep, some poolroom owners and tournament directors buy the $30 box-of-16 phony measel balls, not knowing any better. A genuine Amarith measel ball runs about $35 and is the same size/weight as a Brunswick Centennial cue ball.

I carry my own set of Pristine Centennials with a Blue Circle CB
when I practice at Hard Times Sac or The Jointed Cue.

..............

Where can one purchase a genuine Blue Circle ball?

rikdee said:

Where can one purchase a genuine Blue Circle ball?

Click to expand...

http://wsbilliardsupply.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=109

I have no connection, and no experience, with this dealer.

sfleinen said:

I agree with Steve Kurtz that the Aramith Pro Cup (measles) ball is probably the favorite cue ball to use in 14.1.

Click to expand...

Absolutely agree, the Aramith Pro Cup ball has the same size/weight as Centenials balls.

I carry one around with me all the time.

Avoid knock offs like the plague...get the REAL measles ball.

poolmouse said:

Absolutely agree, the Aramith Pro Cup ball has the same size/weight as Centenials balls.

I carry one around with me all the time.

Avoid knock offs like the plague...get the REAL measles ball.

Click to expand...

The Pro Cup ball (Super Pro Cup TV set), the Red Logo Ball (Super Pro set) and the Blue Circle ball (Centennial set) are all the same ball except the graphics. They are all made with the same Aramith Super Pro resin.

As for size and weight, all premium Aramith balls are official size and weight. That means the weight can vary between 5.5 and 6 ounces. So any time you are adding an aftermarket ball to a set it may play differently - even if it is the same ball - because it may weigh different than the ball that it's replacing.

Now, a blue circle ball that comes with the set should play properly because the Centennials are a matched set, meaning all balls in the set should be very close in size, weight, and color. But once you are replacing the cue ball all bets are off. The same is true of the Super Pro and Super Pro Cup TV sets.

One other complicating factor to consider is that even when the CB is original to the matched set, with use it will tend to lose weight faster than the object balls since it is taking on friction inducing chalk with every shot and undergoing the most collisions. So over time the original CB might not match the set. Chances are the variances on all the balls will be greater than when the set was new, but the problem is magnified with the cue ball.

scaled my set of Centennials

I have an older set that has been in play for more than 10 years. All balls, including the original blue dot CB, weighed between 163 and 166 grams. The CB weighed in at 163; three of the object balls also scaled at 163. Is this an acceptable variance among the set?

rikdee said:

I have an older set that has been in play for more than 10 years. All balls, including the original blue dot CB, weighed between 163 and 166 grams. The CB weighed in at 163; three of the object balls also scaled at 163. Is this an acceptable variance among the set?

Click to expand...

I'd say so. Don't know what Saluc's tolerances are for a matched set but yours seems awful close, particularly for ten years old.

rodcar said:

Would like to know what the regulation cue ball is 14.1 these days. When I played back in the 60's it was a blue dot. Have had a renewed interest in the game lately and trying to get a few friends to learn it. Using a red circle cue ball I have noticed it is more difficult to break racks and clusters than it was using the blue dot. Seems the blue dot was slightly heavier ball. Back in the 60's we only used a red dot for nine ball.

Click to expand...

Rather than buying a cue ball to play with, I would recommend buying a new set of balls that are matched in size and weight. I love my Brunswick Centennials.

DogsPlayingPool said:

I'd say so. Don't know what Saluc's tolerances are for a matched set but yours seems awful close, particularly for ten years old.

Click to expand...

Hey, thanks much for your prompt reply. Would you replace the CB or call it good?

rikdee said:

Hey, thanks much for your prompt reply. Would you replace the CB or call it good?

Click to expand...

I wouldn't. Assuming you have the Aramith Premier set (comes with the blue dot CB), while what you have wasn't sold as a matched set, it is now, LOL. Since they are all so close in weight, they are probably all close in size as well. So long as the CB isn't chipped or scratched it should play true.

As I mentioned earlier, the problem with replacing the CB is that an aftermarket ball, even if it is the exact same model, can weight anywhere from 5.5 to 6.0 ounces (154 to 168 grams). So your brand new replacement may have more variance in weight from the rest of the set than the original ball.

Of course, you could replace it with a premium ball like the Aramith Pro Cup, but now you have a CB with a different composition than the rest of the balls in the set and this, in addition to any weight difference, may alter how it plays in comparison to your current ball. Personally if I was going to go the route of upgrading the CB, I'd just upgrade the whole set since they are ten years old. I'd polish them up and either keep them for the kids to play with or give them to my local Boys Club.

DogsPlayingPool said:

I wouldn't. Assuming you have the Aramith Premier set (comes with the blue dot CB), while what you have wasn't sold as a matched set, it is now, LOL. Since they are all so close in weight, they are probably all close in size as well. So long as the CB isn't chipped or scratched it should play true.

As I mentioned earlier, the problem with replacing the CB is that an aftermarket ball, even if it is the exact same model, can weight anywhere from 5.5 to 6.0 ounces (154 to 168 grams). So your brand new replacement may have more variance in weight from the rest of the set than the original ball.

Of course, you could replace it with a premium ball like the Aramith Pro Cup, but now you have a CB with a different composition than the rest of the balls in the set and this, in addition to any weight difference, may alter how it plays in comparison to your current ball. Personally if I was going to go the route of upgrading the CB, I'd just upgrade the whole set since they are ten years old. I'd polish them up and either keep them for the kids to play with or give them to my local Boys Club.

Click to expand...

Good advice, and thanks again for your input. I'll nix the CB replacement and likely keep the set at least for the foreseeable future. The balls are close enough in weight to satisfy my game and are still in beautiful condition.

~Rick