Cyclop, Super Aramith, or Centennial Balls?
- Thread starter Kamikazecuetips
- Start date
asiasdad
Banned
Ive been using the latest cyclop balls with the red dot cueball. This is their third attempt and its still not right. Obviously they realise the shortcomings and keep reformulating but in my few weeks of playing with it, Im not happy. You get a lot of weird rolls, especially the longer it travels at slow pace.
I need to test brand new Aramiths as well before I make a full judgment, but for now unless you get it for a good price, stick to Aramith.
I need to test brand new Aramiths as well before I make a full judgment, but for now unless you get it for a good price, stick to Aramith.
agreed, i also have both and the tournament set is just nicer and classier
JC
Coos Cues
I am striving for the day I can feel all this difference everyone talks about. Most balls I see skid were stroked poorly no matter what kind of balls they are if they are relatively clean.
I have at least one set of each mentioned in this thread. The cyclop balls stay cleaner much longer hands down.
That's good enough for my skill set and they are my favorite for that reason. When I go pro like everyone here, I'm sure I'll notice a lot more difference.
JC
I have at least one set of each mentioned in this thread. The cyclop balls stay cleaner much longer hands down.
That's good enough for my skill set and they are my favorite for that reason. When I go pro like everyone here, I'm sure I'll notice a lot more difference.
JC
Cheap balls play dead.
The top quality balls are more lively, made to better tolerances and have better finishes. Any ball will behave different after they are cleaned and polished. If you use a wax type they will slide. Most balls will slide on new cloth until the cloth is worn in.
You can have the best balls but if the table is crap you are wasting your money.
A table with old cloth that has worn spots, loaded up with chalk and dead rails is like putting high performance tires on a Yugo.
You also need to use a CB that matches the set. If you use a lighter ball the draw will be fantastic but the follow thru will suck, and vice versa.
No matter what you buy they will eventually get scratches and small nicks but the better ones will hold up longer. From my experience there are very few players that even notice, or know that there are different kinds or quality of balls. Most think that balls are balls and just play with what is available.
The top quality balls are more lively, made to better tolerances and have better finishes. Any ball will behave different after they are cleaned and polished. If you use a wax type they will slide. Most balls will slide on new cloth until the cloth is worn in.
You can have the best balls but if the table is crap you are wasting your money.
A table with old cloth that has worn spots, loaded up with chalk and dead rails is like putting high performance tires on a Yugo.
You also need to use a CB that matches the set. If you use a lighter ball the draw will be fantastic but the follow thru will suck, and vice versa.
No matter what you buy they will eventually get scratches and small nicks but the better ones will hold up longer. From my experience there are very few players that even notice, or know that there are different kinds or quality of balls. Most think that balls are balls and just play with what is available.
Very cool information and I dig your enthusiasm in going all out with the testing.
My next question will be have you tested different sets that have been in use for long hours (if not a year or two).
I've noticed my Aramith Pro's after three years of use, get dirtier faster and show signs of wear. How do Cyclop sets hold up over time?
I think out of the box, they are all great sets- but put 750 hours of drills into them and will they play as good? Have we heard any reviews of pool halls that have gone to Cyclop over Aramith for their longevity?
Thanks again for your post, this thread has some great information for future reference.
I would also like to thank K2Kraze for the detailed information on the balls tested and for the great photos. I think you answered my original question....I will just have to get 2 to 3 different sets of balls to see for myself what I prefer. Thanks again to everyone for your input. Even to the poster who showed us the YouTube video on how the Skittles are made...lol.
Centennials all the way for me. Probably because what I am used to playing with ( 20+ years ) and I'm a believer " if it ain't broke.....). I really do not care for the Cyclops. Hate the colors, and when on TV ( or at a distance in person ) can't tell which ball is which ball. Also while it very well be totally in my head, every time I've played with Cyclops balls I always play horrible ( more horrible than normal lol ). As others have said, Aramith, they are quality set and really couldn't tell a difference . You could always just piss a bunch of people off and go with an old set of ivory balls lol.
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In a very short span of time theres been 3 reformulations that play differently. They have improved and I think by the fifth they should be close to aramith.
Got back from DCC last week and while I was there a guy had a set of calipers and measured several Cyclops balls and found them to be differently sized. I was very surprised but I had heard this before and now I just don't know what to make of these balls. I'm not sure they have the same quality control that Aramith has so let the buyer beware.
Great post K2K:clapping::clapping: Get work getting and supplying all that info.
I agree with almost everything you say. I have Centennials, Aramith Tournaments and Cyclops skittles, oldest set is 3 years old. I think the Aramith Tournaments play as clean as the Cyclops. My vote for the best set period would be Aramith Tournaments. My vote for best value would be the Cyclops by a landslide!! The Tournaments I see advertised at $400 with the Centennials I think about $20.00 cheaper. $200.00 for Cyclops is a steal!! I think my next set will be Aramith Super Pros. FWIW I usually use the Q balls that come with the set but some visitors like Aramith Red Circle Qballs, I have 3 of those, and 1 measel Q ball which nobody including me ever want to use.
I agree with almost everything you say. I have Centennials, Aramith Tournaments and Cyclops skittles, oldest set is 3 years old. I think the Aramith Tournaments play as clean as the Cyclops. My vote for the best set period would be Aramith Tournaments. My vote for best value would be the Cyclops by a landslide!! The Tournaments I see advertised at $400 with the Centennials I think about $20.00 cheaper. $200.00 for Cyclops is a steal!! I think my next set will be Aramith Super Pros. FWIW I usually use the Q balls that come with the set but some visitors like Aramith Red Circle Qballs, I have 3 of those, and 1 measel Q ball which nobody including me ever want to use.
For me it's simple. It's all about the cueball. Cyclops cueballs are different than the rest of the set. The white is almost translucent. Pick it up and rub the surface. Feels porous and grabs the cloth hard. This is the action that drives me crazy. I expect the ball to take off in a specific tangent and then react to the spin where the Cyclops balls tend to grab almost simultaneously.
I like to use inside and I find they throw less than expected, I suspect this is because the swerve counteracts the squirt.
Replace cueball we quality ball and they play fine. My attitude is just buy from someone who can get it right without me tweaking...Aramith.
I like to use inside and I find they throw less than expected, I suspect this is because the swerve counteracts the squirt.
Replace cueball we quality ball and they play fine. My attitude is just buy from someone who can get it right without me tweaking...Aramith.
In the run up to the DCC I played exclusively with a Cyclop set for several weeks. This week I switched to my Aramith set.
Straight out of the polisher, I was amazed at how dirty the Aramiths got after just an hour of use. After two hours they were smudged up and pretty filthy. The Cyclops balls stay much cleaner for much longer. YMMV.
Lou Figueroa
I played with the red dot at the DCC and IMO it was fine. None of my opponents seemed to have trouble with it, nor any of the dozens of guys all around me playing tournament and money matches with it. It is a new formulation and I would say it plays very much like a red circle.
Lou Figueroa
Wow......you seem really into your balls.
Honestly though. You must be the closest thing to a pool ball expert I've heard of.
It seems to me the Cyclops react differently to cut shots than the Aramith Pro.
That's not to say I couldn't get used to it and would think the reverse at some point.
But since most pros and tournaments I play in use Aramith and they seem to be the standard to which other pool balls are measured, a zero point if you will, I went with those.
No regrets whatsoever.
Good to hear because the eyeball version plays like junk. I must admit they do stay cleaner.
oh, I don't know. They do have the Standard, the Premiere, the Super, the TV, the Continental, and the Duramith (not to mention the Camouflage, Poker, and, my favorite: Glow in Dark) sets.
Seems to me they do plenty of reformulation ;-)
Lou Figueroa