Ball polisher
- Thread starter Hugh Jass
- Start date
I like my eight ball Diamond polisher. Had it for about four or five years now.
Some guys have enjoyed success with homemade bucket polishers. Recently I have also seen a photograph of a four ball polisher prototype that's in development.
Lou Figueroa
Don't be huge ass and drop so much money on one of those and just make a bucket polisher for under $40. They work great.
My buddy and I made a bucket polisher we were not impressed.
Purchased engineered solutions can be very good and they cost more for a reason. I have a ballstar it does 8 balls at a time. I paid 400+tax. My buddy now has the dual platter diamond that does all 16 balls. He paid a little over 500 at the Derby they had an onsite sale.
If you are going to play pool for the next 10 years it cost you a dollar a week or so you might want to treat yourself and buy the best. I like the Diamond and the ballstar better than the bludworth but that is just an opinion.
The people who do buy quality tools usually do not regret the money spent. The people who make there own tools usually do not regret it either. Let us know which way you go.
Purchased engineered solutions can be very good and they cost more for a reason. I have a ballstar it does 8 balls at a time. I paid 400+tax. My buddy now has the dual platter diamond that does all 16 balls. He paid a little over 500 at the Derby they had an onsite sale.
If you are going to play pool for the next 10 years it cost you a dollar a week or so you might want to treat yourself and buy the best. I like the Diamond and the ballstar better than the bludworth but that is just an opinion.
The people who do buy quality tools usually do not regret the money spent. The people who make there own tools usually do not regret it either. Let us know which way you go.
I have owned the Blud and Diamond. Of the two the diamond is a better product, and safer to use. I have seen the results with a homemade bucket polisher. It does a good job. If you are handy you should consider making one.
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I have the Bludworth, which works just fine. The machine has a built-in eccentricity in the spinning fabric "platter." This causes the balls to bounce around just enough to clean them. If they didn't bounce around they would have spots on the horizontal axis where the balls weren't cleaned quite right. Keep stuff like that in mind if you decide to make one yourself.
I don't know anything about the Diamond machine, but one thing I would recommend is for a few extra bucks get the 16 ball cleaner. 8 balls is going to take twice as long and, if you're anything like me (and not Lou) that's going to bother me over time.
I don't know anything about the Diamond machine, but one thing I would recommend is for a few extra bucks get the 16 ball cleaner. 8 balls is going to take twice as long and, if you're anything like me (and not Lou) that's going to bother me over time.
The Diamond accomplishes the same thing a little different. The disc the balls spin on is off center. This causes the balls to spiral as they go around, resulting in 100% coverage and thorough cleaning. Regarding the 8 ball versus the 16 ball, while both are built like tanks for commercial use the 16 ball is probably used more for cleaning multiple sets, for pool rooms. Most folks who have one at home use it in two stages, the first platter for cleaning with an agent, then they go in the second platter for buffing out. So no time really saved. The 16 ball also takes up significantly more room.
According to ghost ball, apparently I'm a huge ass because I have the Diamond (single platter). Didn't se much benefit to the double platter for my home use anyway and it takes up significantly more space. I don't use much polish at all, just a couple of spritzes of Maguiars instant detailer while the balls are spinning and there is no residue build-up on the carpeting, so I personally don't see much benefit in the two stage process. I usually clean them when I'm finished so in the 2-3 minutes the single platter takes while I'm putting my cues away and covering the table, the balls are done.
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Find Robert ingold
Hes on fabebook
He makes a great cleaner
In the 200+ dollar range
Can make a double platter cleaner to clean all the balance
He makes them with individual holes so they don't rub against each other, can add a timer
Not a slop bucket that has the balls grinding against each other,
It's a well made great working machine
Message me if you need his number
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I use a towel. It's all you need and doesn't take any longer considering all the prep and maintenance you'll have to do with those ball cleaners.
Here's what the WPA says about it in their rules.
It's a paste from this link:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=139625
WPA Equipment Specs:
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.
Here's what the WPA says about it in their rules.
It's a paste from this link:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=139625
WPA Equipment Specs:
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.
I would have bought the 16 ball polisher IF I could have got it home AND I had space -- it's huge. As is, I was barely able to wrestle the eight ball polisher into the front seat of my Nissan AND THEN put it up along side of my bookcase that holds my pool library, hoping my wife wouldn't notice and think it was just a big pool book.
Didn't work but she let me keep it
Lou Figueroa
I would have bought the 16 ball polisher IF I could have got it home AND I had space -- it's huge. As is, I was barely able to wrestle the eight ball polisher into the front seat of my Nissan AND THEN put it up along side of my bookcase that holds my pool library, hoping my wife wouldn't notice and think it was just a big pool book.
Didn't work but she let me keep it
Lou Figueroa
Roger that, Lou. It's a piece of furniture, not a counter top unit.
Instead of spending hundreds of dollars why not get some Aramith ball polish and ball restorer and use your hands along with a couple of towels and just scrub them pretty good? You don't have to clean them all that often. A little sweat equity would save a lot of $$$.
I've had my balls cleaned at a pool/billiard dealership and I could have done better with some polish and a towel.
r/DCP
I've had my balls cleaned at a pool/billiard dealership and I could have done better with some polish and a towel.
r/DCP
I went the manual route when I first got my table. Yeah, it would take a twenty minutes to a half hour, but I just cleaned them while I watched TV so no biggie. But I like clean balls every time I play so at that point it was a huge PITA. :thumbup:
I do agree with not spending more on a ball machine than you can afford. But that goes for anything. However, if you can afford it and it's worth it to you, then buy it.
Ballstar for me. I'd buy it again. Look into Seyberts...maybe you can find a discount code.
The Diamond single platter machine is worth every penny. Ok, every $100 bill.
Both the outside carpet insert and the center carpeted "sprocket" are easy to keep clean as you clean more and more balls with a moistened towel every few hours of use. No Aramith Polish or restorer buildup - ever. Speaking of polish -- you really only need polish every other maybe third visit to the machine - not that it retains much if any polish to speak of, but more of a "quick detail" that you'll realize once you master this machine.
Literally takes 1-2 minutes per 8 balls every few playing sessions to keep ANY ball set pristine. Not just CLEAN. FLAWLESS. As new. Zero hassle. 100% perfect coverage and not just "hand rubbed" or wiped what someone may think is perfectly done on an entire ball surface. Frees up more time for cleaning off your rails or shafts before calling it a day as well
For those that value their time and balls, I think it's one of the better investments a player could ever make. Try running your balls down to the local store every month or so and see how much that'll cost and what fun that is. Out of sight - out of mind with your precious ball set
If you can budget the Diamond polisher, you won't be disappointed.
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Both the outside carpet insert and the center carpeted "sprocket" are easy to keep clean as you clean more and more balls with a moistened towel every few hours of use. No Aramith Polish or restorer buildup - ever. Speaking of polish -- you really only need polish every other maybe third visit to the machine - not that it retains much if any polish to speak of, but more of a "quick detail" that you'll realize once you master this machine.
Literally takes 1-2 minutes per 8 balls every few playing sessions to keep ANY ball set pristine. Not just CLEAN. FLAWLESS. As new. Zero hassle. 100% perfect coverage and not just "hand rubbed" or wiped what someone may think is perfectly done on an entire ball surface. Frees up more time for cleaning off your rails or shafts before calling it a day as well
For those that value their time and balls, I think it's one of the better investments a player could ever make. Try running your balls down to the local store every month or so and see how much that'll cost and what fun that is. Out of sight - out of mind with your precious ball set
If you can budget the Diamond polisher, you won't be disappointed.
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Huge ass was play on the OPs name, Hugh Jass.