Does a Good Triangle/Rack Make a Difference.

lfigueroa

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Just curious what the consensus was on racks.

I know there are the Diamond racks, the titanium racks, (way back the Sardo's), and the custom wood racks... so, do they really do the job better than your average house plastic/wood rack?

Lou Figueroa
don't care
about the templates
 
The advantage of the premium racks is that they are generally more accurately constructed. If the angles are off slightly, the balls will not all touch.
I prefer the metal racks, since the balls will never leave indentations and they are also easier to keep clean.
I often find corners on wood racks to be off a little, and end up marking the best corner for consistent results.
I like lightly holding the balls tight to the rack and shifting it around to see if balls are sliding or rolling to check it quickly.
 
lfigueroa said:
Just curious what the consensus was on racks.

I know there are the Diamond racks, the titanium racks, (way back the Sardo's), and the custom wood racks... so, do they really do the job better than your average house plastic/wood rack?

Lou Figueroa
don't care
about the templates
Click to expand...
I think you know the answer...there were a lot of crappy racks in rooms back in the day and an excellent rack in good condition was the exception, not the norm.

Oh yes, it matters.
 
I purchased a Delta-13 elite years ago after they first came out and have never looked back. It wasn't cheap, but it still gives a tight rack after years of use and it is going to outlive me. People complained about how loud they were, but most people that own one know how to mitigate the noise with a tactical placement of the fingers while racking. Let me see...no noise or a tight rack...which would I rather have???

My problem with getting tight racks anywhere is usually the fault of the worn racking area.
 
Definitely matters, 90% of players can not make a tight rack with the crappy plastic ones. They can’t do it, or they just lose patience. The original diamond wood rack was really good, the replacement plastic ones, 99% there.
 
Maniac said:
... People complained about how loud they were, but most people that own one know how to mitigate the noise with a tactical placement of the fingers while racking. ...
Click to expand...
The Delta-13 sound deadening inserts do an amazing job. The rack sounds just like wood with them. The bare metal sound is like breaking glass for me.

It's the most accurate triangle rack I've ever seen.
 
IMO, with a triangle rack, the balls being new and consistent in size is much more important than the rack. With new balls, good results come with the new Diamond plastic rack, and the Delta 13 Elite (not the cast version).

The Diamond plastic rack IMO is much better than high quality wood racks, as they all eventually chip and wear and loosen at their joints.

If I was looking for a 1-pocket setup I'd go Diamond plastic and new balls.

All that said, even with a brand new Delta 13 and brand new balls (I had both at the same time), the template racks give that setup the 6 ball in ease of a perfect rack. (for 9 ball).

Of the template racks, "magic ball rack" brand is the best, and the original commercial one. Outsville is the worst. Super hard to get them tight with that one.
 
I agree with many of the comments.

Diamond Wooden Racks are good, but they can get beat up. Also, it is common in my experience for them to get gummy at the point the balls touch them, which often causes balls to stick to the rack (thus unfreezing when you pull the rack away). This crud can be scraped off, and that helps.

The Diamond plastic rack is excellent. I can’t compare it to the Delta rack because I have never had one.

I have not had success with the new fangled Predator rack. I could not get the balls tight. I’ve also noticed many bad racks at Predator events. That said, a guy I know who owns it likes it and seems to get a tight rack for a second ball break in 8b. Maybe it just takes practice to train your hands to manipulate the balls in it.

Cheap plastic ones suck and are a sin against the pool gods.

As [mention]iusedtoberich [/mention] said, the quality of the balls are key. With new balls and new cloth I can get a tight rack with any decent rack. When the balls are old, or heaven forbid mismatched, good luck getting a tight rack. If it’s a full rack and I am free to arrange them as I please, I might be able to find a limited number of good balls and freeze those ones to give a good break.

I also have views on templates.

With bad or mismatched balls, I like the Taom MaxRack (the poop emoji looking rack). I find the extra bits of plastic (more slots for balls) help corral the ones that are reluctant to freeze. The only downside is the extra bits are more things for balls to rest on post break, making it harder to remove the template.

I haven’t tried the new Pagulayan rack, which also has extra bits.

For a full rack with good balls I like the magic rack and the Perfect Rack (simple triangles) because you can still get a good rack and don’t have anything except the triangle shape for balls to sit on post break.
 
lfigueroa said:
Just curious what the consensus was on racks.

I know there are the Diamond racks, the titanium racks, (way back the Sardo's), and the custom wood racks... so, do they really do the job better than your average house plastic/wood rack?

Lou Figueroa
don't care
about the templates
Click to expand...
Yes
Doesn’t have to be a fancy rack, but the plastic ones don’t freeze the balls.
 
Yeah the rack matters for sure. A good solid triangle enables you to push the balls tight together compared to the ol' flimsy and springy black triangles in most clubs. Additionally, as most (recretional) players slide the rack to the correct spot, the bottom of the rack should be made in a way that it doesn't damage the cloth.
 
Plastic racks = junk

The Diamond wood racks are excellent, but previous comment about goop/crud brings it down a notch.

I’ve got a Delta 13 for home and never a bad rack, period.

Racks aren’t always the issue; good luck racking in commercial settings where balls are worn, mismatched, clingy/dirty, and where the cloth is deformed from dozens of people racking over hundreds of times in slightly different spots.
 
lfigueroa said:
Just curious what the consensus was on racks.

I know there are the Diamond racks, the titanium racks, (way back the Sardo's), and the custom wood racks... so, do they really do the job better than your average house plastic/wood rack?

Lou Figueroa
don't care
about the templates
Click to expand...
I have a delta 13, and I think I prefer it to the plastic racks. I wonder if the wood racks would get indentations over time. I am choosing to not worry about it and use my delta-13.

Personally, I can't stand the noise of the delta-13 without some kind of insert (even a bad insert works wonders).

kollegedave
 
iusedtoberich said:
IMO, with a triangle rack, the balls being new and consistent in size is much more important than the rack. With new balls, good results come with the new Diamond plastic rack, and the Delta 13 Elite (not the cast version).

The Diamond plastic rack IMO is much better than high quality wood racks, as they all eventually chip and wear and loosen at their joints.

If I was looking for a 1-pocket setup I'd go Diamond plastic and new balls.

All that said, even with a brand new Delta 13 and brand new balls (I had both at the same time), the template racks give that setup the 6 ball in ease of a perfect rack. (for 9 ball).

Of the template racks, "magic ball rack" brand is the best, and the original commercial one. Outsville is the worst. Super hard to get them tight with that one.
Click to expand...
This…
 
in one pocket it takes just a little more time to get a tight rack with the old wooden racks in most pool rooms.

9 ball about the same.

few, except runout high players. get any benefit of breaking in 9 ball, so the rack doesn't effect on your winning chances.

and the rack is the same for both sides and if you care enough just spend a little more time than your opponent and you will have a slight edge if you think it matters. so in effect a bad rack helps you if you use it to your advantage. a perfect rack is neutral for both players.
 
iusedtoberich said:
IMO, with a triangle rack, the balls being new and consistent in size is much more important than the rack. With new balls, good results come with the new Diamond plastic rack, and the Delta 13 Elite (not the cast version).

The Diamond plastic rack IMO is much better than high quality wood racks, as they all eventually chip and wear and loosen at their joints.

If I was looking for a 1-pocket setup I'd go Diamond plastic and new balls.

All that said, even with a brand new Delta 13 and brand new balls (I had both at the same time), the template racks give that setup the 6 ball in ease of a perfect rack. (for 9 ball).

Of the template racks, "magic ball rack" brand is the best, and the original commercial one. Outsville is the worst. Super hard to get them tight with that one.
Click to expand...
Wow, that's kind of surprising, we are at the opposite ends of the spectrum on this one, I have absolutely no problem getting a tight rack with my Outsville template and the plus is that they do not crack or "chip".
 
lfigueroa said:
Just curious what the consensus was on racks.

I know there are the Diamond racks, the titanium racks, (way back the Sardo's), and the custom wood racks... so, do they really do the job better than your average house plastic/wood rack?

Lou Figueroa
don't care
about the templates
Click to expand...
The plastic racks that you are likely to find under a Valley in a bar are beyond unholy. Some manufacturers apparently think that the smaller the rack is the tighter the rack will be, I have seen some that have a 1/4" or less behind the back row, you cant even get the tips off your fingers between the balls and the rack, they fit so tight it's almost impossible to get the rack off without disturbing the balls. Then there are others that appear to be made from rubber, try pushing the balls forward and the rack flexes incredibly easy.
 
fastone371 said:
The plastic racks that you are likely to find under a Valley in a bar are beyond unholy. Some manufacturers apparently think that the smaller the rack is the tighter the rack will be, I have seen some that have a 1/4" or less behind the back row, you cant even get the tips off your fingers between the balls and the rack, they fit so tight it's almost impossible to get the rack off without disturbing the balls. Then there are others that appear to be made from rubber, try pushing the balls forward and the rack flexes incredibly easy.
Click to expand...
Those small plastics are the worst!! I like a wood rack that has some room so I can roll em forward and let static attraction keep em tight.
I've always worked hard to give a tight rack to whoever I'm playing. Try to avoid the pattern racking nonsense even tho I know it well.
I want a tight rack, so I give one.
 
iusedtoberich said:
IMO, with a triangle rack, the balls being new and consistent in size is much more important than the rack. With new balls, good results come with the new Diamond plastic rack, and the Delta 13 Elite (not the cast version).
Click to expand...

this is most of it, i think.

my favorite rack is the v-rack and it actually seems to accommodate for the issue of mismatched balls better than most.

i also adore its portability, and that theres no back on it (like a sardo) so you can just slide it forward when you’re done, instead of having to lift it off potentially disturbing the rack.

billet aluminum. well worth it imo
 
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