All else equal, is the measle pro cup harder to draw than other cueballs?

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PocketPoint

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Is the measle ball harder to draw than other cueballs? (Big ball not taken into consideration)

I've never actually tested this out by taking two different cueballs and use them both at the same table at the same time.

I've heard some people say yes, and some no.
 
The Measle ball is harder to draw because it is hard to place the dots in the right place. It is also harder to make those dots in the right perspective in 2 plane. To draw a regular ball all you need is a compass or a circle template.

Another answer to that question is if it is referring to backspin it acts the same as any other regulation ball. If the other cue ball you are comparing it to is a little lighter or has been recently been waxed than it will not have as much back spin with all other conditions being the same.

The way the CB reacts depends on it weight and size compared to the other balls. If it is lighter it will "draw" easier. If it is heavier it will "follow" easier. Just think of the mass. If something that is lighter hits something that is heavier it will bounce off if it is heavier it will go thru.
 
Well, I've never done any scientific tests ... but, I have two sets of balls, the Brunsw. Cent, and the Aramith Pros. I can tell you that if I take two of the BCs and place a measles ball in the middle of them, when I place the flat of the rack over all three the rack rocks back and forth from the middle. Same is true of the APs. So, that tells me the measles ball is slightly bigger than either set of balls I have, which means the equators don't touch and it is slightly harder to draw.

Maybe the balls I have are worn some, I don't know, I never went that far to measure them. I replace the measles ball with the ball that came with the APs and no more rack rock. :)
 
I play with the measle ball all the time as I have one on my table at home. I have not found that it is any harder to draw than the regular Arimath cue ball that came with the set of balls. If you are comparing it to a red circle, then you will notice a slight difference as the red circle cue ball is a tad bit lighter than a normal cue ball.
 
Maybe people have the same problem our LO had when he proudly brought in his brand new personal measles ball. He couldn't draw it. The problem was that the object balls had been in use for about 12 years. Balls wear down. The balls were all visibly smaller than the cue ball. You can't draw a watermelon off a grape.

As close as I can tell, all the balls Aramith makes are within 0.001 inch of the correct size when they come out of the box.

The balls need to be the same weight, too, and you need a scale that will read out to one gram or better.
 
I have the polka dot cueball, centennial cueball and red circle.
The measle is the toughest one to draw and easiest to follow.
 
I guess you guys are playing with a different Measles ball than I am.

I have the Aramith Pro TV set and hate the cue ball. You call draw it by looking at it. On the other hand if you want to follow it through the rack LOL.

Something is wrong with this cue ball. The red circle is much easier to follow and the old blue circle acts much more normal.

Every time the Measles ball touches another ball it sticks to it. What is that all about. Now that I am playing again every day it is really a problem. What is going on? Do I have a different cue ball than everyone else?

Bill Stroud
 
bstroud said:
I guess you guys are playing with a different Measles ball than I am.

I have the Aramith Pro TV set and hate the cue ball. You call draw it by looking at it. On the other hand if you want to follow it through the rack LOL.

Something is wrong with this cue ball. The red circle is much easier to follow and the old blue circle acts much more normal.

Every time the Measles ball touches another ball it sticks to it. What is that all about. Now that I am playing again every day it is really a problem. What is going on? Do I have a different cue ball than everyone else?

Bill Stroud
Click to expand...


FWIW, there are some counterfeit measles balls out the. I forget which is which, but one is pure white and the other a bit yellow. Also FWIW, at the DCC 14.1 challenge this year, Mika was bee-at-ching about the red circle and asking (whining) why they couldn't use a measles ball. He was saying the red circle was too light.

Lou Figueroa
 
bstroud said:
I guess you guys are playing with a different Measles ball than I am.

I have the Aramith Pro TV set and hate the cue ball. You call draw it by looking at it. On the other hand if you want to follow it through the rack LOL.

Something is wrong with this cue ball. The red circle is much easier to follow and the old blue circle acts much more normal.

Every time the Measles ball touches another ball it sticks to it. What is that all about. Now that I am playing again every day it is really a problem. What is going on? Do I have a different cue ball than everyone else?

Bill Stroud
Click to expand...

I did notice this same thing the other week. Unless it was a big skid I didn't seem to notice, but when the other person was shooting I noticed a very small skid on pretty much every shot, but without the telltale conk of a skid.

Not sure if it has anything to do with how incredibly dry it has been here lately because I've just recently noticed it during winter. I will say that while playing this week with a red dot I didn't notice anything of that sort, but there were also well over a thousand people in attendance playing, or watching so the humidity would also be higher in there than a normal hall.
 
Donny Mills was *****ing at the open about the red circles saying they needed to use the measles ball and not the trick cueball. Now Mika has said more or less the same thing at DCC.

I had a measles ball and hated it since I tend to over use draw.

The measles ball was both larger and heavier than a new set of centennials I have. The weight difference coupled with the balls not contacting on the equators caused it to be harder to draw and some odd throw/cling issue since the cueball was actually trying to climb the object ball at contact. It's not your stroke it's plain old physics. I was told by someone in the industry that I trust that the measles ball was meant to be used with the complete TV set and was missmatched to other sets. Saluc has remained quiet on the subject since they are selling them for a nice retail price.
 
Measles

I was told the measles ball has a coating on it that other cue balls do not have.
I have had no major problems drawing it or moving it around.
But it has squirt on me. On a almost straight in punch shot. It threw the object ball off line.
Anyway the ball was made for TV to see the English translated on shots.

Not my favorite cue ball, but I can cope.
 
I've done my fair share of playing with the red circle. I also have a blue circle and a measle ball for my home table. To me, the measle ball draws about the same as the blue circle and follows easier. After playing only with these two balls (mostly the measle ball) for about 6 months, the red circle is like playing pinball! You can make that thing do anything.

I hear a lot of complaints about the play of the measle ball... especially compared to the red circle... especially from older players.

I find that the people who complain about the measle ball are the people who are not willing to adjust to change. Heck... a Gold Crown V plays different than a Diamond Pro Am and they both play different than a Gold Crown I, but I don't hear many complaints about that.

My favorite cue ball is the one that puts the object ball into the center of the hole... on a good day, any of them will do that... circles, spots, magnets, or otherwise.
 
I use the measle ball at home when I give lessons, and 1 thing I do think is, the chalk sticks to the Measle ball more then others. I noticed at this last Derby CC, you could see the cue ball being cleaned many times. Just my opinion...
 
The measle ball is .2 oz heavier than the red circle. Yeah it does not draw as well considering all things equal on same draw shot.
 
Here are the official WPA ball specifications from their web site:

16. Balls and Ball Rack
All balls must be composed of cast phenolic resin plastic and measure 2 ¼ (+.005) inches [5.715 cm (+ .127 mm)] in diameter and weigh 5 ½ to 6 oz [156 to 170 gms]. Balls should be unpolished, and should also not be waxed. Balls should be cleaned with a towel or cloth free of dirt and dust, and may also be washed with soap and water. Balls contaminated with any slippery substance - treated with a polishing or rubbing compound and/or waxed - must be cleansed and dewaxed with a clean cloth moistened with diluted alcohol before play.

Note that balls can vary in size and weight by quite a lot (and far too much in my opinion, especially in weight) and still meet the specifications. Also, there is no requirement that all balls within a set be closer together in size and weight than is allowed by the general specifications; I think this also is a considerable flaw in the specifications.
 
Bob Jewett said:
Maybe people have the same problem our LO had when he proudly brought in his brand new personal measles ball. He couldn't draw it. The problem was that the object balls had been in use for about 12 years. Balls wear down. The balls were all visibly smaller than the cue ball. You can't draw a watermelon off a grape.

As close as I can tell, all the balls Aramith makes are within 0.001 inch of the correct size when they come out of the box.

The balls need to be the same weight, too, and you need a scale that will read out to one gram or better.
Click to expand...
I have a brunswick blue dot, aramith red dot and aramith measle & have mic'd and weighed all three.... they are exactly the same.
 
Technically, if all things were equal....

Chris

PocketPoint said:
Is the measle ball harder to draw than other cueballs? (Big ball not taken into consideration)

I've never actually tested this out by taking two different cueballs and use them both at the same table at the same time.

I've heard some people say yes, and some no.
Click to expand...
 
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