Difference between white/black/clear magic racks?

CreeDo

CreeDo

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Does anyone have experience with all the different varieties of the magic ball rack, and any comments as far as which works best?

When I first got it, I believe it was from pro9.co.uk and it was white, and I broke in the wing ball every time with it.

Eventually it wore out or I lost and I got one of the black ones. It felt thinner, and I was having some trouble getting the balls to freeze on some tables. Not sure if it's the rack or the table or an irregular set of balls. The wing ball no longer feels like a sure thing even on very good equipment.

Now I have some of the CSI-branded black ones that are supposed to be slightly different and better... more durable or whatever. But still no sure bet.

I don't wanna be "that guy" who chases after older equipment, if it's just in my head. So I'm asking, does anyone else have an impression one way or the other?
 
I have a black magic rack, but I don't know if it is one of the newer models or the original model. I didn't have to peel anything off of it, like some people have said they have had to do with theirs.

I like the rack, but I wonder why you want one that "wires" the wing ball into the pocket. I like the balls to break open and spread, but I don't want any rack that "guarantees" a certain ball to be made on every break.
 
I've only used the clear ones but I know some with the others and the clear has out lived all thiers so I'd stick with the clear.
 
I had some clear ones, but I kept losing them. Black wins for not being invisible.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. Maybe I'll try a clear since I've seen the other two.

Hawaii: I think they all require peeling? Keep in mind some of them have a peel layer that's so thin and so cleanly cut, it's basically invisible. You can use the rack without peeling, but it's a hair thicker and curls more easily.

On the black ones, the peel is blue... the clear text on the rack will be blue when held up to the light and sometimes you can barely see a blue edge peeking out from a cut area.

As for why I want one that wires the ball... I guess we have different goals. Some see the break as sort of a way to just scatter the balls and get the game started, with the breaker having a small edge in that he gets to keep shooting if something randomly drops.

I see the break as a shot. I'm playing to make a specific ball. If I miss the ball, it's just like I missed a shot and it's now my opponent's turn. If I get lucky and some other ball flies in, ok, but I'm not thrilled that I missed my shot.

The wing ball flying in is just a natural result of a perfectly tight rack, which is why I buy these things. If it doesn't fly in, the rack wasn't dead-nuts frozen so I might as well just use a house rack. Just scattering balls is easy with any rack, I don't need to pay extra to hit hard, squat the cue ball, and just hope something good happens.
 
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The Magic Rack is definately the way to go if you like having the rack (or the racker) having a bearing on the outcome of a match. I have used one since they first came out. I currently use the black one that just says Magic Ball Rack on it. The side you have up is shiny and the side you place down has a dull look to it. I like this one over the CSI one because I think the CSI is almost too thin and doesn't hold the balls as well. They will all get little wear lines on them where the balls come off but they should last 6 months or so with normal wear. Seybert's is where I got mine and they are quite reasonable. Haven't had or seen the white ones yet.
 
I've had and used all of the racks mentioned - they all work fine to me, as long as the ballsets were matched and relatively new.
 
corey you're right... having the balls all be from the same set is essential. I've had situations where one ball just seems to refuse to freeze, I swap it with a different one, and it locks in place. It's not that the first ball wasn't moving to the correct spot... it was resting where it was supposed to be. It's just smaller than the rest.

Field - knew I shouldn't have been talked into the more expensive csi-branded ones. The thickness never bothered me cuz you can pretty much always just remove it after the break. But not being thick enough to hold balls in place is a dealbreaker.
 
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