Best template rack?

The Renfro

Outsville.com
Silver Member
Correct. The ring template is a cnc cut, 1/8" thick sheet of plastic. Maybe vinyl? He also throws in a few of the paper rings.

Buy it once, and it's good for a lifetime (as long as they keep making paper reinforcements). I don't apply it like he suggests, I use it to actually mark the circles on the cloth with a thin felt marker, but could see why most people wouldn't want to do that. Pics below.


Never heard of racktight before, but it looks very similar in function. I could see the racktight being more problematic for replacing worn rings though, if I'm understanding it right, since you need to buy more I assume.

Edit to add a video of it in use:
Cpl of Caveats... WPA disallows templates for 14.1 and says they cannot be glued or ironed onto the surface. So that will need to be addressed.. In my talks with Grace regarding the racktight she mentioned they were not meant for one pocket either but not everyone plays 14.1 or 1hole.... Last thought is that the reason tapping does not work on new cloth is that a few days into a tournament the cloth has stretched and the tap marks move... GB9 went to templates because they had to retap if the event was more than a weekend long... Would be interesting to see how long it would take before the spots moved to out of spec on brand new cloth....
 

PickPocket

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have owned both the Magic Rack & Outsville Accu-rack.

I currently use the Accu-rack. (Aramith Super Pro's) 8, 9 & 10 Ball.

It's super tight. And yes sometimes when I break center 8 stays near its spot after. (Which is a good sign it's doing a good job)

As far as the break goes I'm I don't think it could be any better.

My personal issue is that WHEN it needs to stay on the table after the break (due to balls on it), and I shoot a slow shot across part it, it will effect the roll of slower moving balls.

I take it off the table as quickly as possible now. That way it can't "Shark" my shot in my head.

Ps. My Rack is from 2018.
 

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have owned both the Magic Rack & Outsville Accu-rack.

I currently use the Accu-rack. (Aramith Super Pro's) 8, 9 & 10 Ball.

It's super tight. And yes sometimes when I break center 8 stays near its spot after. (Which is a good sign it's doing a good job)

As far as the break goes I'm I don't think it could be any better.

My personal issue is that WHEN it needs to stay on the table after the break (due to balls on it), and I shoot a slow shot across part it, it will effect the roll of slower moving balls.

I take it off the table as quickly as possible now. That way it can't "Shark" my shot in my head.

Ps. My Rack is from 2018.
We’ve used them all and I’ve found the Accu-rack to be the best. Works best with both new sets of balls and older balls. Yes, you do need to shift the balls forward slightly sometimes, but it’s no problem once you get it down.

Also, I’ve found that if any ball, sometimes the head ball or second two balls don’t quite freeze, just flip the template over and use the underside instead.
 

CocoboloCowboy

Cowboys are my hero's
Silver Member
I had a preowned Magic Rack, apparently from BCA in Sun City.

Went back to plastic or wood triangle supplied at Pool Room.

Personally did not like the Magic thing, also it was a pain to store with out damaging.
 

jrctherake

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Cpl of Caveats... WPA disallows templates for 14.1 and says they cannot be glued or ironed onto the surface. So that will need to be addressed.. In my talks with Grace regarding the racktight she mentioned they were not meant for one pocket either but not everyone plays 14.1 or 1hole.... Last thought is that the reason tapping does not work on new cloth is that a few days into a tournament the cloth has stretched and the tap marks move... GB9 went to templates because they had to retap if the event was more than a weekend long... Would be interesting to see how long it would take before the spots moved to out of spec on brand new cloth....
Did the WPA change their mind about templates and 14.1?

I noticed they used one for the 714 ball run.
 

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Post

Depends on which set of balls you are using..
The magic rack must be used with super pro or better ball set.
The turtle rack was designed with the Cyclop ball set in mind..
The outsville rack was designed to be used with just about any ball set. The outsville can be crumpled up then ironed flat again.. it’s fairly durable but nothing lasts forever’




Rob.M
Between those three, the magic rack will last the longest. For a weekly pool tournament at a pool room, it won’t be long before the turtle and magic, both plastic, get all bent up and then useless. The sticker system they used for the 14.1 contest is interesting, and I’d like to give it a try but haven’t yet.
 

larryvietvet

New member
Have the Accu and Magic, prefer the magic as it's easier to remove between small gaps. Two years medium use at home developed gaps by the 8 ball and 5th row. Used scotch tape and covered 1/3 of the outside edge of the effected slots one side only. Tight racks now.
 

RickLafayette

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
For those not familiar: set and forget. Perma Rack

Perma Rack.jpg
 

stewie

Active member
The Outsville Accu-Rack had 2 things going for them over the Magic Rack for me:
  • holes are tapered, while racking you can push forward and balls will fall back into place against each other
  • you can roll it up and put into a 1 1/2-inch pipe (a standard sink drain pipe is 12" long, and you need 11"), it will go back to flat. Magic Rack deformed for good and became unusable.
 

skip100

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The place I play has a Magic Rack and it became mostly worthless after a few months with huge gaps.
 

RickLafayette

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
I purchased a Perma Rack a couple of months ago but hav not set it up yet.
How do you like it?
I've been using it about 3-4 months now and love it. Several weeks ago I replace two of the "donuts" because they started to lift. I use the Avery clear and I have a roll of 200, a couple of bucks at Office Depot. I didn't use the white ones that came with the rack because they felt "thicker" than the clear, and because the clear is less distracting. After a couple of racks you're not even aware of them until it's time to rack again.
 

telinoz

Registered
I've been using it about 3-4 months now and love it. Several weeks ago I replace two of the "donuts" because they started to lift. I use the Avery clear and I have a roll of 200, a couple of bucks at Office Depot. I didn't use the white ones that came with the rack because they felt "thicker" than the clear, and because the clear is less distracting. After a couple of racks you're not even aware of them until it's time to rack again.
Balls roll off, deflected at low speed with this?
 

telinoz

Registered
Very little. You really have to pay attention to see if it's happening. Much less than a removable template.
I have a decent break, so majority of the time I remove the template right away.
Otherwise, we mark balls and remove the template.
We never play a ball across the template, just to avoid any chance of deflection.
A lot of effort is spent getting the tables level, so if the correct shot is a slow roll we can play it with a high degree of confidence.

So, I have always been a bit sceptical of fixed templates.
Not seen one here on a table in Australia yet to try it out.

Thanks for the feedback though Rick, much appreciated.
 

boogieman

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
Magic rack racks them tight, almost too tight as in the balls are sort of pre-loaded. They wear out after a 6 months of serious play. Still usable but you start getting gaps in the second row and have to piss with it.

Accu rack is my favorite. Thin, balls act similar to a perfectly racked triangle. Will stand up to a lot of use. Can be ironed if you accidentally crease it. Can roll up. It has a slight learning curve as in you have to load the balls and push them upward a bit. Doesn't get gaps in the second row when old, like magic rack does.

The perma rack posted earlier is a great one too. No real roll offs but it will require you to set it up well the first time.

EDIT: Turtle is ok, but it's thick like magic rack and sort of pre-loads the balls too. Don't know about longevity but probably similar to MR.
 
I have a Turtle. Use it occasionally. Really no need for it. Speeds up racking but slows games down when it needs removing. I think it's a pain in the butt. Good quality though.
 
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