cue ball decision thread (2, 3 or 4 choices)

S

sbrownn

Registered
Hi everyone.

I do not want discuss cue ball weights (grams, ounces, whatever) in this thread.

I would like to discuss cue ball feel and my following choices (all balls were bought from authorized dealers instead of Amazon, where I have received a fake one before) in order of preference:

Aramith red circle
I own and have played for a long time with an authentic Aramith red circle (Super Aramith compound). Is a league standard, very good and consistent feel on hit and english. It stays reasonably clean and easy to wipe off. Does not seem to play more reactive (lighter some say in other posts) than any of the other balls below.

Aramith red logo
Multiple players in my league have this ball and have played with it many times. The Aramith spec sheet says it Super Aramith Pro compound like the Aramith 6 large red dot below but I do not get the same bouncy (rubbery?) feel when I play with it. It seems to stay cleaner and easy to wipe off. It does not seem to play less reactive (heavier some say in other posts).

Aramith 6 large red dot
I also have owned (but it was stolen) and played many times with a Aramith 6 large red dot ball (Super Aramith pro compound). It is a TV standard ball and had a bouncy (rubbery?) feel to it that made it feel not as consistent at times. It stayed reasonably clean and easy to wipe off.

Aramith Tournament black logo (new one with logo inside two half circles, I ranked this one last because I have not played with it)
I bought a set of Tournament Aramith (non TV colors, Super Aramamith Pro with Duramith compoud) but since I do not have a table and mostly play on bar league tables, many of my friends I play with say I am taking an unnecessary risk of damaging a very nice set of balls. I have read reviews on this set and ball, some have said they break and separate the best of all plus stay very clean and nick free all because of the Duramith technology. Many reviews I've ready say this set takes more energy (10%?) to get everything moving, especially the cue ball, but once it does, it is great play (does this mean they play heavy or are they just tuned for faster simonis felt?). I have not played with this cue ball or ball set, but I have played with a Super Pro Aramith set which I really like. My friend is interested in my Tournament Aramith set and is ok if I keep and try the black logo matching cue ball to try out, if I do I will reduce the price, of course.

Thoughts on keeping the black logo cue ball to try out? Will I like it given my order of preference for the above balls?
 
sbrownn said:
Hi everyone.

I do not want discuss cue ball weights (grams, ounces, whatever) in this thread.

I would like to discuss cue ball feel and my following choices (all balls were bought from authorized dealers instead of Amazon, where I have received a fake one before) in order of preference:

Aramith red circle
I own and have played for a long time with an authentic Aramith red circle (Super Aramith compound). Is a league standard, very good and consistent feel on hit and english. It stays reasonably clean and easy to wipe off. Does not seem to play more reactive (lighter some say in other posts) than any of the other balls below.

Aramith red logo
Multiple players in my league have this ball and have played with it many times. The Aramith spec sheet says it Super Aramith Pro compound like the Aramith 6 large red dot below but I do not get the same bouncy (rubbery?) feel when I play with it. It seems to stay cleaner and easy to wipe off. It does not seem to play less reactive (heavier some say in other posts).

Aramith 6 large red dot
I also have owned (but it was stolen) and played many times with a Aramith 6 large red dot ball (Super Aramith pro compound). It is a TV standard ball and had a bouncy (rubbery?) feel to it that made it feel not as consistent at times. It stayed reasonably clean and easy to wipe off.

Aramith Tournament black logo (new one with logo inside two half circles, I ranked this one last because I have not played with it)
I bought a set of Tournament Aramith (non TV colors, Super Aramamith Pro with Duramith compoud) but since I do not have a table and mostly play on bar league tables, many of my friends I play with say I am taking an unnecessary risk of damaging a very nice set of balls. I have read reviews on this set and ball, some have said they break and separate the best of all plus stay very clean and nick free all because of the Duramith technology. Many reviews I've ready say this set takes more energy (10%?) to get everything moving, especially the cue ball, but once it does, it is great play (does this mean they play heavy or are they just tuned for faster simonis felt?). I have not played with this cue ball or ball set, but I have played with a Super Pro Aramith set which I really like. My friend is interested in my Tournament Aramith set and is ok if I keep and try the black logo matching cue ball to try out, if I do I will reduce the price, of course.

Thoughts on keeping the black logo cue ball to try out? Will I like it given my order of preference for the above balls?
Click to expand...

I likewise have a large assortment of modern aramith cue balls, but have not been able to identify any difference in their play. Some seem more durable than others, with my aramith tournament black measles ball being most gash resistant so far.
 
sbrownn, Howdy;

Interesting topic. What I find the most interesting is when you stated; "Multiple players in my league have this ball ".
I don't play in league (none within reasonable mileage), and when I did 20 or years ago folks didn't tote their own
to the league matches. Simply used the ball that was on the table at the establishment where two teams were to shoot
that evening. Yea, home field advantage, but then it evens out when they arrive at your Home field. First ran across
this concept maybe 6 to 8 years ago when doing a deal with a league player from the PNW.

Now if I wanted an advantage relating to the CB, my choise would be the Old Valley Red circle (Aramith), from the 90's.
They just 'play different' enough to confound the opposition.

Just my 2 pennies worth.

hank
 
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I use the red circle, red logo and 6 red dot at home.
I like to practice with the 6 red dot ball, It reminds me constantly how bad I hit the ball.
I’d like to get the black logo ball but that $48 is killing me.
 
So I ended up selling the Tournament Aramith to my friend and kept the cue ball from the set. I played with it some yesterday and today on two very different table types. The first ones I used it on have very good to excellent condition Simonis and I did not notice or require any extra effort to get my shots going for the make or the desired leave plus the draw was absolutely crazy more than I am used to. Today, I played it on my normal tables for league, which unfortunately need some love given they have poorly laid Predator felt with a lot of wear and tired bumpers and this is where I noticed the Tournament Aramith ball needing more effort for everything (shot makes, leaves and draw). I guess the Tournament Aramith set needs a tournament (or tournament like) setup to shine. I will keep my red circle and purple logo Aramith (guess they are the swiss army utility for any type of table and condition) in my bag when I go to my league bar and then bring out the tournament cue ball when I go to the Moose lodge which had the very nice Simonis tables and rails.
 
The cue ball is incapable of transmitting feel. It is a hard phenolic material that does not compress during your stroke.
The contact with any hard surface gets transmitted with the object that contacts or strikes it. The cue ball does not
create feel. The construction of the cue, ferrule type, tip material and the stroke velocity you use determines any feel.
 
Cue balls can vary in weight as will object balls. Mismatched OB weights affect the way the cue ball performs.
The balls you find at pool halls aren’t always new or sometimes not even a matched set. The physics of pool are
not a mystery but are largely misunderstood or overlooked by the majority of pool players that pay more attention
to aiming. Most players have a preference for pool ball brands and the cue ball used. As long as all the balls are
closely matched in weight (grams), the player will get better results than if the balls varied in weight which the rules
of pool actually allow for. Pool balls can substantially differ in weight & still be sanctioned for official tournament play.
 
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I prefer the cueball that comes with the rest of the set. The action of the balls seem to be more natural and predictable than when you mix and match.
 
The sets in the middle of the Aramith line are very very very close to each other, the cheapest set and the Tournament sets play and "feel" different. The cheaper set is easier to move around and play light, the Tournament set plays heavier, the cueball takes more action to move around than the Pro Cup sets like the measels ball or the red circle and the logo ball.
 
hang-the-9 said:
The sets in the middle of the Aramith line are very very very close to each other, the cheapest set and the Tournament sets play and "feel" different. The cheaper set is easier to move around and play light, the Tournament set plays heavier, the cueball takes more action to move around than the Pro Cup sets like the measels ball or the red circle and the logo ball.
Click to expand...
Believe you and MattPoland are right.

Aramith has stated their phenolic resin balls have hardness ratings from 73-80 and density from 169-187. That seems to cover four generations of balls.

The 100 year set sounds to be harder/denser given the statement made regarding "rebound".

All of this makes me wonder about taking a higher resin cue ball to league play. Should I use my Aramith black logo, the unmarked cue ball from my bronze set or use the table ball?
 
sbrownn said:
Hi everyone.

I do not want discuss cue ball weights (grams, ounces, whatever) in this thread.

I would like to discuss cue ball feel and my following choices (all balls were bought from authorized dealers instead of Amazon, where I have received a fake one before) in order of preference:

Aramith red circle
I own and have played for a long time with an authentic Aramith red circle (Super Aramith compound). Is a league standard, very good and consistent feel on hit and english. It stays reasonably clean and easy to wipe off. Does not seem to play more reactive (lighter some say in other posts) than any of the other balls below.

Aramith red logo
Multiple players in my league have this ball and have played with it many times. The Aramith spec sheet says it Super Aramith Pro compound like the Aramith 6 large red dot below but I do not get the same bouncy (rubbery?) feel when I play with it. It seems to stay cleaner and easy to wipe off. It does not seem to play less reactive (heavier some say in other posts).

Aramith 6 large red dot
I also have owned (but it was stolen) and played many times with a Aramith 6 large red dot ball (Super Aramith pro compound). It is a TV standard ball and had a bouncy (rubbery?) feel to it that made it feel not as consistent at times. It stayed reasonably clean and easy to wipe off.

Aramith Tournament black logo (new one with logo inside two half circles, I ranked this one last because I have not played with it)
I bought a set of Tournament Aramith (non TV colors, Super Aramamith Pro with Duramith compoud) but since I do not have a table and mostly play on bar league tables, many of my friends I play with say I am taking an unnecessary risk of damaging a very nice set of balls. I have read reviews on this set and ball, some have said they break and separate the best of all plus stay very clean and nick free all because of the Duramith technology. Many reviews I've ready say this set takes more energy (10%?) to get everything moving, especially the cue ball, but once it does, it is great play (does this mean they play heavy or are they just tuned for faster simonis felt?). I have not played with this cue ball or ball set, but I have played with a Super Pro Aramith set which I really like. My friend is interested in my Tournament Aramith set and is ok if I keep and try the black logo matching cue ball to try out, if I do I will reduce the price, of course.

Thoughts on keeping the black logo cue ball to try out? Will I like it given my order of preference for the above balls?
Click to expand...
Without any types of measurements your observations are subjective, and it is difficult to separate real and imaginary analysis.

Kind of like saying, “I don’t want to hear anything about rulers. Which one of these pencils do you feel is longer?”
 
Bavafongoul said:
Cue balls can vary in weight as will object balls. Mismatched OB weights affect the way the cue ball performs.
The balls you find at pool halls aren’t always new or sometimes not even a matched set. The physics of pool are
not a mystery but are largely misunderstood or overlooked by the majority of pool players that pay more attention
to aiming. Most players have a preference for pool ball brands and the cue ball used. As long as all the balls are
closely matched in weight (grams), the player will get better results than if the balls varied in weight which the rules
of pool actually allow for. Pool balls can substantially differ in weight & still be sanctioned for official tournament play.
Click to expand...
Though variations in weight, diameter, roundness and acoustic properties make a difference in performance,

the magnitude of these variations can be larger than most people think before they make a true perceivable/measurable difference.

Dr. Dave has some technical proofs that show this, but not always directly (some math interpretations required)

…

I’d like to point out that conspiracy theories are usually based on sound scientific theories with unrealistic quantities of certain things.
 
sbrownn said:
Hi everyone.

I do not want discuss cue ball weights (grams, ounces, whatever) in this thread.

I would like to discuss cue ball feel and my following choices (all balls were bought from authorized dealers instead of Amazon, where I have received a fake one before) in order of preference:

Aramith red circle
I own and have played for a long time with an authentic Aramith red circle (Super Aramith compound). Is a league standard, very good and consistent feel on hit and english. It stays reasonably clean and easy to wipe off. Does not seem to play more reactive (lighter some say in other posts) than any of the other balls below.

Aramith red logo
Multiple players in my league have this ball and have played with it many times. The Aramith spec sheet says it Super Aramith Pro compound like the Aramith 6 large red dot below but I do not get the same bouncy (rubbery?) feel when I play with it. It seems to stay cleaner and easy to wipe off. It does not seem to play less reactive (heavier some say in other posts).

Aramith 6 large red dot
I also have owned (but it was stolen) and played many times with a Aramith 6 large red dot ball (Super Aramith pro compound). It is a TV standard ball and had a bouncy (rubbery?) feel to it that made it feel not as consistent at times. It stayed reasonably clean and easy to wipe off.

Aramith Tournament black logo (new one with logo inside two half circles, I ranked this one last because I have not played with it)
I bought a set of Tournament Aramith (non TV colors, Super Aramamith Pro with Duramith compoud) but since I do not have a table and mostly play on bar league tables, many of my friends I play with say I am taking an unnecessary risk of damaging a very nice set of balls. I have read reviews on this set and ball, some have said they break and separate the best of all plus stay very clean and nick free all because of the Duramith technology. Many reviews I've ready say this set takes more energy (10%?) to get everything moving, especially the cue ball, but once it does, it is great play (does this mean they play heavy or are they just tuned for faster simonis felt?). I have not played with this cue ball or ball set, but I have played with a Super Pro Aramith set which I really like. My friend is interested in my Tournament Aramith set and is ok if I keep and try the black logo matching cue ball to try out, if I do I will reduce the price, of course.

Thoughts on keeping the black logo cue ball to try out? Will I like it given my order of preference for the above balls?
Click to expand...
Sounds like to me, your league guys have been playing pool a very long long time and are still “D and C” players that have no idea what they are doing, can’t play by real rules, have no clue what physic's are. 10% my a$$, ok, whatever floats your boat. Sorry, for the painful rant.
 
jtompilot said:
Sounds like to me, your league guys have been playing pool a very long long time and are still “D and C” players that have no idea what they are doing, can’t play by real rules, have no clue what physic's are. 10% my a$$, ok, whatever floats your boat. Sorry, for the painful rant.
Click to expand...
I smell trolls about. I noticed a difference and so did the other higher players on the tournament ball on the slower felt. BTW, I usually finish top 3 in the city league out of 32 very good players plus I am a 7/8 in APA and a 545 in BCA.
 
nataddrho said:
Though variations in weight, diameter, roundness and acoustic properties make a difference in performance,

the magnitude of these variations can be larger than most people think before they make a true perceivable/measurable difference.

Dr. Dave has some technical proofs that show this, but not always directly (some math interpretations required)

…

I’d like to point out that conspiracy theories are usually based on sound scientific theories with unrealistic quantities of certain things.
Click to expand...
All aramith cue balls I tried on this thread were 2.25” and within 1 gram of each other, with red circle and red logo being 169g and the purple logo being 170g. So yes, it does come down to composition and hardness and the characteristics of those two items, which is exactly what I wanted to discuss.
 
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