Cue Ball Weight Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

[1pocketguru]

I often think of the gambling match that never happened between Ronnie Allen and Artie Bodendorfer (at least that is who I thought it was), they argued for a few days over whose cue ball would be allowed in the game. Maybe it was just an excuse to avoid the match.
Anybody bother to weigh their cue Ball? Regulations for pocket billiards that I've seen state the balls should weigh between 5.5 ounces and 6 ounces. (BCA and WPBA)
I've noticed the cue ball gets lighter from wear faster than the others (Simply because it's struck on every shot).
But a lighter cue ball will draw better but a heavier one will break things up and follow easier.
I think the ideal weight would be 5.75 ounces, but I can think of good arguments for a 6.0 ounce too.
I'm over analyzing I know, it's more important to simply play.
(Clean/dirty/chipped all seems easily adapted to).

 

[couldnthinkof01]

I weigh all the balls. I want the c.b. and o.b. to
be the same weight and size.
When one is off I spin it three times, bury
it in the backyard, dance the riverdance on
it, and wait 3 days.

 

[garczar]

I often think of the gambling match that never happened between Ronnie Allen and Artie Bodendorfer (at least that is who I thought it was), they argued for a few days over whose cue ball would be allowed in the game. Maybe it was just an excuse to avoid the match.
Anybody bother to weigh their cue Ball? Regulations for pocket billiards that I've seen state the balls should weigh between 5.5 ounces and 6 ounces. (BCA and WPBA)
I've noticed the cue ball gets lighter from wear faster than the others (Simply because it's struck on every shot).
But a lighter cue ball will draw better but a heavier one will break things up and follow easier.
I think the ideal weight would be 5.75 ounces, but I can think of good arguments for a 6.0 ounce too.
I'm over analyzing I know, it's more important to simply play.
(Clean/dirty/chipped all seems easily adapted to).

Only weighed one pool ball in 40yrs of playing. It was when measel ball came out. You are WAAAY overthinking this.

 

[lfigueroa]

Only weighed one pool ball in 40yrs of playing. It was when measel ball came out. You are WAAAY overthinking this.

I don’t think so.

I replace my CB every so often. Not too long ago I ordered a red circle and right off the bat I could tell it was wrong, not going through the balls properly, deflecting at a greater angle on slightly off-center follow shots, and often stopping dead and sticking to an OB. So I ordered from a different supplier and it was heavier by just a few grams and all was right with the world again.

Lou Figueroa

 

[The_JV]

But a lighter cue ball will draw better but a heavier one will break things up and follow easier.

The craziest action I was ever able to apply to a CB was on a valley BB with a weighted CB. I don't know the actual weight of those balls, but I know it's heavier than a "typical" CB.

I think the ideal weight would be 5.75 ounces, but I can think of good arguments for a 6.0 ounce too.

I think the ideal weight would be whatever matches the rest of the set.

 

[Scott Lee]

All of the legitimate cueballs are within a few grams of 6 ozs. People say that some play different than others, but imo the person that can adapt quicker will win more often, regardless of what CB is used.

Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

I often think of the gambling match that never happened between Ronnie Allen and Artie Bodendorfer (at least that is who I thought it was), they argued for a few days over whose cue ball would be allowed in the game. Maybe it was just an excuse to avoid the match.
Anybody bother to weigh their cue Ball? Regulations for pocket billiards that I've seen state the balls should weigh between 5.5 ounces and 6 ounces. (BCA and WPBA)
I've noticed the cue ball gets lighter from wear faster than the others (Simply because it's struck on every shot).
But a lighter cue ball will draw better but a heavier one will break things up and follow easier.
I think the ideal weight would be 5.75 ounces, but I can think of good arguments for a 6.0 ounce too.
I'm over analyzing I know, it's more important to simply play.
(Clean/dirty/chipped all seems easily adapted to).

 

[garczar]

All of the legitimate cueballs are within a few grams of 6 ozs. People say that some play different than others, but imo the person that can adapt quicker will win more often, regardless of what CB is used.

Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

Agree. I don't own a table so when i go play i use whatever is in the tray. My home spot, Magoo's in Tulsa, uses red-circles and i 've never had any reason to question/worry about their weight. You adapt very quickly to whatever ball you use.

 

[Bavafongoul]

168 grams.....seems pretty ideal IMO.

CB & OB should have identical weights.

 

[ShootingArts]

old hustler

Somebody will probably remind us just who it was but an old road man toted his own ball set. He said if you can't get your whole set of balls in the game, at least get your cue ball in it.

He also said that if you couldn't get your cue ball in the game you probably didn't want to play. Pretty important in his mind!

I always called the weighted or oversized cue balls the eight hundred pound gorilla on the table. Also where the "draw for show, follow for dough" came from. Those things would follow for miles but if you could draw one of those cue balls six feet you were a monster!

My measle ball played heavy I believe. Just the way it moved balls around and on three railers it moved about a foot and a half further than the red dots usually in that hall. There were a few blue dots floating around. They played light and short so if I got one of those in the tray I would go back to the counter and replace it.

Weight is the only thing we can test easily. If the cue ball doesn't weigh within a couple tenths of a gram what your other balls weigh I would consider replacing it.

I have three sets of the same pool balls at the moment. Some temptation to weigh all of the balls and see if I can build a more closely matched superset. However, I believe that exact mix of the ingredients and the cure time and temperature may be as important or more important than the weight. First thing to do would be to get all the same lot number if trying to build supersets.

Hu

 

[ideologist]

The Red Circle ball is sold by Aramith as a Specialty Ball.

It is noticeably lighter and draws more easily

Might as well use a trick shot ball

 

[straightline]

I always called the weighted or oversized cue balls the eight hundred pound gorilla on the table. Also where the "draw for show, follow for dough" came from. Those things would follow for miles but if you could draw one of those cue balls six feet you were a monster!
Hu

I like the big ball or better yet billiard balls but the small thing with the ball bearing? The design and the manufacturing of the day just about required the ball to roll off.

 

[garczar]

The Red Circle ball is sold by Aramith as a Specialty Ball.

It is noticeably lighter and draws more easily

Might as well use a trick shot ball

I've heard this before and i've also seen reports where the RC and the Measel weigh exactly the same. Must be a bigger variance in the scales than the balls. 12grams seems like a big difference. Guess i need to go A/B a RC vs. the house Measel rock. Covid boredom for sure.

 

[garczar]

I've heard this before and i've also seen reports where the RC and the Measel weigh exactly the same. Must be a bigger variance in the scales than the balls. 12grams seems like a big difference. Guess i need to go A/B a RC vs. the house Measel rock. Covid boredom for sure.

Just read a test where a RedCircle averaged 4grams lighter than a BlueCircle or a Measel. That i could believe. Yes, 4grams is a tad lighter but nothing close to the 12gram difference i've seen in other reports. RC does play a little different due to the different phenolic blend used. Its a little 'softer/grabbier' than a BC or Measel.

 

[ShootingArts]

pipe collar

I like the big ball or better yet billiard balls but the small thing with the ball bearing? The design and the manufacturing of the day just about required the ball to roll off.

Wasn't what I expected when the heavy cue ball broke a couple times. It had what looked like a short piece of pipe or a pipe collar in it, a hollow cylinder. Seemed like it would be a lot harder to balance than the round steel ball I expected. No idea of a brand, I don't remember a marking on those old balls and the bars usually had a few extra cue balls.

Hu

 

[Bavafongoul]

I have found the difference to average closer to 6 grams, not 4 grams.
That’s a significant variance & affects play if the OB is six grams heavier.

 

[MSchaffer]

I can't remember where I read it, but the most logical explanation for the different playing characteristics in the RC and measles cue is not the overall weight of the balls, but rather the distribution of the weight. The measles cueball plays as if the majority of the weight is distributed around its circumference with the core being lighter, whereas the red circle plays as if the core is heavier. Overall, though, their weights are similar, if not identical.
Don't know if this is true, or if it has been tested, but seems the most convincing explanation I've heard.

 

[garczar]

I can't remember where I read it, but the most logical explanation for the different playing characteristics in the RC and measles cue is not the overall weight of the balls, but rather the distribution of the weight. The measles cueball plays as if the majority of the weight is distributed around its circumference with the core being lighter, whereas the red circle plays as if the core is heavier. Overall, though, their weights are similar, if not identical.
Don't know if this is true, or if it has been tested, but seems the most convincing explanation I've heard.

They are made from two differing phenolic compounds. The RC is somewhat softer/'grabbier' than the Measel. The Measel is made from a harder compound so besides being a tad heavier it also slides a bit more. The difference isn't huge and one adjusts pretty quick. A lot of this gets in people's heads more than anything.

 

[Bob Jewett]

... , but seems the most convincing explanation I've heard.

It is hard to make a ball with a light/heavy center. If you get the location off a little, the ball will roll off.

Many years ago I bought my own blue circle cue ball because all the cool players carried their own. It was before Aramith was the standard and was made by Hyatt.

It had real bad roll-off even though it was brand new.

Later I saw a blue circle broken open. It had what looked like a ping-pong ball sized center that was chalky looking in comparison to the rest of the plastic. And you could see clearly it was not centered as the broken outside plastic was not a uniform thickness all the way around.

I suspect that they put a heavy center in so that on average the cue ball would be the right weight as it wore down over the years.

 

[9ball5032]

168-169 grams and I am fine.
I had a couple of red circles weighed 166 and change.
Could draw it real good.
As far as follow......I looked like a beginner.

 

[straightline]

Wasn't what I expected when the heavy cue ball broke a couple times. It had what looked like a short piece of pipe or a pipe collar in it, a hollow cylinder. Seemed like it would be a lot harder to balance than the round steel ball I expected. No idea of a brand, I don't remember a marking on those old balls and the bars usually had a few extra cue balls.

Hu

Really? A cylinder? lol. Well at least they got the genre to market.