Pool ball questions...

Flip_dat_Quarta said:

I am getting really sick of cleaning my pool balls. They seem to get dirty after one or two practice sessions at my house and I get too lazy to clean them so I don't end up practicing at all.

So I started thinking of how I could make my life easier and the following thoughts rolled through my head:

1. Should I buy an actual ball cleaner? I know they are expensive but the homemade one I made with a five gallon bucket and buffer is a piece of crap. I used it for a few days and went back to cleaning them by hand.

2. Is there a better method of cleaning by hand that make them stay cleaner longer? I always wash them down with soap and water, wipe them dry, and then polish them with a drop of Aramith ball cleaner on each ball. I then always make sure I vacuum the felt before playing again. One day I would like to lift off the slate and clean out the ball return tracks too. I'm sure that would help.

3. Would buying a better set of balls improve their cleanliness? I currently have a set of Aramith Standard Pool Balls with an after market red dot cue ball. They were pretty cheap (+/-$80/set without the cue ball). Do the better quality balls stay cleaner longer? Do the better quality balls play better in humid conditions? Mine seem to get dirty fast and become very clammy when it's humid out.

4. Do you think it's beneficial to switch back and forth between clean and dirty balls to keep your game well rounded and learn how to adjust for the extra cling or are you better off always playing with clean balls?

5. What are the biggest advantages of the high priced pool balls (over $200/set)?

Hopefully someone can educate me. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Its part of the game, and depends on your level of tolerance for dirty balls (excuse the pun). I like a fast table. I'm more of a touch shot player and I feel I have an advantage off most players because they tend to hit to hard. Clean balls/table help keep the table fast. Now If you dont like cleaning often, you'll just have to deal with it not playing as well. Depending on how often you use your equipment, you'll have lots of maintenace to do to keep it the way you like to play. In my experience, you dont have to wash the balls. You can just wipe them down. You dont have to polish the balls often either. The one thing you should always do is vacuum your table after every go, (or before in case you dont cover it and the dust builds up). And the dryer your room, the better for faster play. You may also want to play around with what chalk you use. Some are more grittier, some have binding glue that holds more. Though not much of a difference, they are still not all alike. The ball set is really not all that important in my opinion. Its not like you're running tournaments from your home right? Most good sets will last quite a while with proper care. You'll know when its time to change them when they change color or start getting pitted, or even if they tend to wobble. the 1ball and cue ball are most notable to me. Hope my experience helps. I'm no expert, but I think I have valid observances.

My comments to your queries in blue:

Flip_dat_Quarta said:

1. Should I buy an actual ball cleaner? I know they are expensive but the homemade one I made with a five gallon bucket and buffer is a piece of crap. I used it for a few days and went back to cleaning them by hand.
I made a bucket cleaner and it was satisfactory, but also noisy and the balls still had to hand-buffed after cleaning. Eventually I ponied up and bought a Diamond cleaner and it is an excellent product, albeit pricey. The Diamond is quiet, performs a great job in just minutes and is built like a tank. You can get a discount on them at the Expo, US Open or Vegas if you are able it carry it away with you.

2. Is there a better method of cleaning by hand that make them stay cleaner longer? I always wash them down with soap and water, wipe them dry, and then polish them with a drop of Aramith ball cleaner on each ball. I then always make sure I vacuum the felt before playing again. One day I would like to lift off the slate and clean out the ball return tracks too. I'm sure that would help.
I personally don't like to clean the balls with soap. The Aramith Cleaner is all that is needed to clean/condition the balls. If they are in bad shape you can use the Restorer first.

Keeping your table in ship-shape is always a good idea.

3. Would buying a better set of balls improve their cleanliness? I currently have a set of Aramith Standard Pool Balls with an after market red dot cue ball. They were pretty cheap (+/-$80/set without the cue ball). Do the better quality balls stay cleaner longer? Do the better quality balls play better in humid conditions? Mine seem to get dirty fast and become very clammy when it's humid out.
Some balls keep a little cleaner, but not terribly much more. Humidity is a factor no matter what balls you use and should be controlled through other means (i.e. A/C or dehumidifiers). Recommended balls are Aramith Pro-Cups, Aramith Tournaments, Brunswick Centennials, and even Cyclop balls play decently. Buy whatever balls are at your local room and you can keep your play consistent between home and there.

4. Do you think it's beneficial to switch back and forth between clean and dirty balls to keep your game well rounded and learn how to adjust for the extra cling or are you better off always playing with clean balls?
No, I keep clean balls at home and deal with dirty balls at my local room. That is enough variance for me. Don't obsess over it just play.

5. What are the biggest advantages of the high priced pool balls (over $200/set)?
Better balls are held to a higher standard. They are closer in tolerance re:weight and size. They have a better finish on them and are longer-lasting. The Tournaments keep a little cleaner than other sets in my experience.

Balls for home are a one-time purchase and should last a lifetime; quality balls are more satisfying to play with (this post is full of double-entendres). As above, if your regular room has Cents buy Cents, if they have Aramiths buy them,etc. However, you can't go wrong with any of the balls listed.

Click to expand...

Hope this was helpful for you. In the past I didn't want to spend for good balls either, but once I settled down and did so I never looked back.

I have a few short answers for you - hope they offer some insight....simple, straightforward and to the point:

1) stop washing balls with "soap and water". Period.

2) buy a new set of the latest Cyclop STANDARD color balls with the single RED DOT cue ball. They will stay cleaner, longer than anything else avail. By far. Or the Aramith Tournaments if you love their design - just not the Centennials because they require 5x the TLC as either of the two I just mentioned.

3) buy a Diamond single platter ball polisher and use it on your set after every few hours of practice/play as a preventive (slash) tender loving care program and you will be smiling every time. They do not need polish every time you place them in the ball machine. Every other time perhaps. And for only a FEW minutes. Not 10. 2 minutes does a beautiful job with Cyclop.

4) clean your Diamond ball polisher pads with a warm damp old washcloth for 1 minute wiping the sides and the sprocket every week or two or three. Just doesn't forget to do it.

And lastly - trying to be short and sweet...

5) only use genuine Aramith Ball Polish and then only sparingly - and I mean sparingly. No other product is necessary. Period. Unless you're a fanatic and then the sky is the limit

Money spent once on those three great products will leave you with zero regrets.

Oh ----

6) yes - clean your table and pockets and whatever you can reach as good as you can with a slightly damp and clean washcloth - no soap. No chemicals. And then do it again. Repeat monthly.

You'll be a man smiling with beautiful balls and a new and improved game to match. I guarantee it.

Hope that helps.

K.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Take them into the shower with you. I do and it works great. :smile:

Tramp Steamer said:

Take them into the shower with you. I do and it works great. :smile:

Click to expand...

LOL.. this is funny man.. hahaha...

Tramp Steamer said:

Take them into the shower with you. I do and it works great. :smile:

Click to expand...

Thorough washing will also reduce skids (both on and off the table!)

Flip_dat_Quarta said:

Thanks for all of the advice! I'm going to take your advice on simply wiping the balls down rather than cleaning them. I'm not sure why I didn't try this earlier lol.

Click to expand...

Our cue chalk is fine powder molded and kept together with a weak binding substance. This causes the chalk to stick on the table, cue stick, hands ,and the balls. Only the table needs vacuuming, wipe down everything else. Thr balls lose that shine after a while. Bring it back with the recommended ppolishing compound.

just get a simple bowling ball wiper towel (the kind with the handles) and throw a few balls in it at a time for 5 or 10 seconds. that should be enough for general between practice session playing. maybe once a month do a more thorough cleaning.

i have a cheapo 5 gallon polisher and honestly it works great. i use aramith polish compound and put in 8 balls at a time. just put a small dab on each ball.

also be sure to use a cover on top of the balls in the bucket polisher. i have a disc of wood i cut out covered with a buffer cloth that fits in the bucket. it helps keep the balls from just spinning around like crazy and not really getting clean.

K2Kraze said:

I have a few short answers for you - hope they offer some insight....simple, straightforward and to the point:

1) stop washing balls with "soap and water". Period.

2) buy a new set of the latest Cyclop STANDARD color balls with the single RED DOT cue ball. They will stay cleaner, longer than anything else avail. By far. Or the Aramith Tournaments if you love their design - just not the Centennials because they require 5x the TLC as either of the two I just mentioned.

3) buy a Diamond single platter ball polisher and use it on your set after every few hours of practice/play as a preventive (slash) tender loving care program and you will be smiling every time. They do not need polish every time you place them in the ball machine. Every other time perhaps. And for only a FEW minutes. Not 10. 2 minutes does a beautiful job with Cyclop.

4) clean your Diamond ball polisher pads with a warm damp old washcloth for 1 minute wiping the sides and the sprocket every week or two or three. Just doesn't forget to do it.

And lastly - trying to be short and sweet...

5) only use genuine Aramith Ball Polish and then only sparingly - and I mean sparingly. No other product is necessary. Period. Unless you're a fanatic and then the sky is the limit

Money spent once on those three great products will leave you with zero regrets.

Oh ----

6) yes - clean your table and pockets and whatever you can reach as good as you can with a slightly damp and clean washcloth - no soap. No chemicals. And then do it again. Repeat monthly.

You'll be a man smiling with beautiful balls and a new and improved game to match. I guarantee it.

Hope that helps.

K.

Click to expand...

I gotta agree with all of the above. I have a set of Centennials, Aramith Tournaments (Duramith set), and Cyclops skittles and a Diamond single platter polisher. Your best move by far would be the Diamond polisher, its a little pricey but I do not regret 1 penny spent on it, it is a great investment if you think you will be playing for at least a few years. I put 1 drop of Aramith cleaner on every other ball and run machine for 5-10 minutes, my pool balls always look like new. I only have to polish them about once every 10-14 hours of playing time, if even that much. One thing I will say is that the Aramith Tournament set stays clean way longer than any other set.

I'm as lazy as the op
I have 5 sets of balls
And even though there only 3 per set
I'm thinking of buying another machine to clean them to go with my polisher

I clean them all once a week

But even after polishing I have to wipe of the excess,ahhhhh

beneath_the_sur said:

I'm as lazy as the op
I have 5 sets of balls
And even though there only 3 per set
I'm thinking of buying another machine to clean them to go with my polisher

I clean them all once a week

But even after polishing I have to wipe of the excess,ahhhhh

Click to expand...

You have excess schmegma on the balls after running them in the polisher? Are you using too much cleaner? What kind of polisher do you have? Mine come out of my Diamond polisher like new and ready to use.

Flip_dat_Quarta said:

I am getting really sick of cleaning my pool balls. They seem to get dirty after one or two practice sessions at my house and I get too lazy to clean them so I don't end up practicing at all.



So I started thinking of how I could make my life easier and the following thoughts rolled through my head:



1. Should I buy an actual ball cleaner? I know they are expensive but the homemade one I made with a five gallon bucket and buffer is a piece of crap. I used it for a few days and went back to cleaning them by hand.



2. Is there a better method of cleaning by hand that make them stay cleaner longer? I always wash them down with soap and water, wipe them dry, and then polish them with a drop of Aramith ball cleaner on each ball. I then always make sure I vacuum the felt before playing again. One day I would like to lift off the slate and clean out the ball return tracks too. I'm sure that would help.



3. Would buying a better set of balls improve their cleanliness? I currently have a set of Aramith Standard Pool Balls with an after market red dot cue ball. They were pretty cheap (+/-$80/set without the cue ball). Do the better quality balls stay cleaner longer? Do the better quality balls play better in humid conditions? Mine seem to get dirty fast and become very clammy when it's humid out.



4. Do you think it's beneficial to switch back and forth between clean and dirty balls to keep your game well rounded and learn how to adjust for the extra cling or are you better off always playing with clean balls?



5. What are the biggest advantages of the high priced pool balls (over $200/set)?



Hopefully someone can educate me. Thanks!

Click to expand...

I had the same problem. I used to play with Aramith Tournaments and I had 7 cue balls that I would switch out often as I played because a dirty cue ball will get the balls dirty much quicker. 2-3 months ago I bought a new Diamomd Pro Am and it came with the Cyclops balls. I have only wiped the balls off twice (no cleaner) and keep the cue ball a clean as possible. I plan on buying more Cyclops cue balls to swap out as I play. I am not sure if the Cyclops balls are staying clean because they are new but so far so good.

fastone371 said:

You have excess schmegma on the balls after running them in the polisher? Are you using too much cleaner? What kind of polisher do you have? Mine come out of my Diamond polisher like new and ready to use.

Click to expand...

Probably using to much polish, but once I tried using less and don't want to run the risk of ruining 2 sets over a few drops more

I use aramith cleaner by hand
Then run through my polisher with le manifiq by tiger

Deffintley don't want any excess because they will glide like ballons in a swimming pool on the already very fast billiard cloth
Simonis 300 rapide