Get Rid of that Measle Ball!

Sounds reasonable to simply return to using a Standard Cue Ball.
I have never understood the "attraction" to the Spotted Wonder Ball.

It helps viewing.

I'd think someone would have made a ball, that when it spins, creates a cool image of some kind, an optical illusion of sorts.

I'm not smart enuf to do it, but I hope someone is and tries it.


Jeff Livingston
 
Wow, is all I can say. The measles doesn't act right, so you'll take the red circle?

In my experience, it's the red circle that doesn't act right.



Funny, I don't think ANY cue ball acts right when I shoot it.

:p


It couldn't be me, could it?


Jeff Livingston
 
I agree, the dotted ball is terrible. also, why would you want the viewer to see the spin, it takes away the mystery behind the game. "WOW, HOW DOES HE DO THAT?" is gone.

Non-players like it and can learn just how hard the game is by seeing what is really happening.

If one watches a really good player play with a white cue ball, it seems that the game is so easy a caveman could do it. The cue ball just ends up in perfect position but amateurs don't know why or care, it just does, so it is boring to watch perfection. But when one sees just how much it takes to make it so, that piques interest in the game. imho.


Jeff Livingston
 
Funny stuff...

I have Measles ball and a Brunswick ball at home. Red Circles are used at the 2 rooms I frequent. If my memory serves me right.... The last time I was asked about this subject by a friend I got out the scales and weighed each cue ball that I personally own and it was somewhere close to the figures below:

Measles ball weighs : 167g and some change
Brunswick ball weighs : 163g and some change

I'm just a B player on a good day (in my area) or ranked 7/9 in APA for what it's worth. I'm pretty sure that everyone is in agreement that the Measles ball plays funny (Follows easier and More stroke required to Draw) but I play equally well with Red Circle, Brunswick or Measles ball after I hit a few racks and get warmed up! Apparently, 4 grams difference in a cue ball is a HUGE deal to some folks. I'd be more inclined to think that most players blame the ball for their own bad performance of inconsistent play. That's almost like saying I lost the set/match because it rained yesterday and Joe Blow who beat my brains out wasn't equally affected by the change in cloth speed!! Every single table in our local rooms play slightly different and that is somewhat of a factor to most, but if 4 grams makes or breaks your game maybe the *Look of the ball subconsciously throws your game off and you just don't want to admit it to anyone.

If it's good enough for the pros to run 8 packs or more with... It's surely good enough for me.
 
I hate the damn thing. It dont act right. Ill take a red circle any day.

It behaves the same as any other cue ball. I personally being able to see the spin take, and would be sad to see it go. I play with a measles ball, a cue ball from my aramith premiers, and the CB from my centennials. There is no significant difference between any of these CB's.
 
I have Measles ball and a Brunswick ball at home. Red Circles are used at the 2 rooms I frequent. If my memory serves me right.... The last time I was asked about this subject by a friend I got out the scales and weighed each cue ball that I personally own and it was somewhere close to the figures below:

Measles ball weighs : 167g and some change
Brunswick ball weighs : 163g and some change

I'm just a B player on a good day (in my area) or ranked 7/9 in APA for what it's worth. I'm pretty sure that everyone is in agreement that the Measles ball plays funny (Follows easier and More stroke required to Draw) but I play equally well with Red Circle, Brunswick or Measles ball after I hit a few racks and get warmed up! Apparently, 4 grams difference in a cue ball is a HUGE deal to some folks. I'd be more inclined to think that most players blame the ball for their own bad performance of inconsistent play. That's almost like saying I lost the set/match because it rained yesterday and Joe Blow who beat my brains out wasn't equally affected by the change in cloth speed!! Every single table in our local rooms play slightly different and that is somewhat of a factor to most, but if 4 grams makes or breaks your game maybe the *Look of the ball subconsciously throws your game off and you just don't want to admit it to anyone.

If it's good enough for the pros to run 8 packs or more with... It's surely good enough for me.


+1. I'm gonna start using my rempe ball sometimes and compare what it does to my game . It's far lighter. On page 5 or 6 or so are pics on my CB'S on a scale.
 
The blue circle doesn't bounce around like the measles and other cue balls. Standardize the game and use one cue ball and one set of balls. The blue circle would be my choice.

Until the game has tighter equipment standards, playing on different tables will always be a crap shoot. Pocket sizes, cue balls and ball sets, cues and chalk, should be a level playing field with rules and restrictions for each area.

Best,
Mike

The game of pocket billiards is not played on a pool table, its played in our minds. I for one agree. But, regardless of the equipment, I admit I'm not playing on a level playing field. :embarrassed2:
 
... The last time I was asked about this subject by a friend I got out the scales and weighed each cue ball that I personally own ...

But one really shouldn't generalize from weighing just two balls. It's a safe bet that measles balls vary in weight one from another, and so do "Brunswick" (blue circle?) balls.

Here's a post from DogsPlayingPool last year that you might find informative about the various balls: http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=4351676&postcount=20

[Some good points otherwise.]
 
I don't have much on the way of knowledge or expertise on the subject. I like to practice with a measles ball to study my stroke and amount of English I apply...but for game play, I like a straight white cue ball.
 
I don't have much on the way of knowledge or expertise on the subject. I like to practice with a measles ball to study my stroke and amount of English I apply...but for game play, I like a straight white cue ball.

Racist!!!!!!!

Oooops, sorry, thought this was NPR. :D

Nevermind,

Jeff Livingston
 
I prefer watching with measle ball, but it isn't a huge thing.

I am going to watch either way, and it isn't a big deal.

If the players don't like it for any reason, I would switch it out or have both of them and have the players decide prior to starting match.

Ken
 
After reading all the post about it not acting right, I always thought it was my fault that the CB didn't go where I wanted. I knew I was a lot better than what I was playing. LOL---Smitty
 
The measle ball is a great product, it makes the physics of pool much more understandable for players and spectators.
I do however have a problem with how the ball is made and that the read dots vears faster than the CB itself.
If Aramith fixed that issue the measles ball would be even more awesome.
 
I am also of the mindset that a good player should be able to adapt to the equipment and "deal with it" to get the job done... And I like the measle ball just fine.

When I bought my table a set of Aramith Super Pros was part of the deal, but once everything was set up and playing it became obvious real fast that the 2 ball and cue ball were mismatched replacements from a heavier set. The two ball had a different font and the pasty-matte looking cue ball plowed its way around the table like a bowling ball.

One good thing about Aramith Super Pros is that it's easy to buy individual replacement balls, so I also bought a Super Pro 2-ball to make a complete Aramith Super Pro set. And since the pool hall I go to uses Aramith measles CBs, that was a good excuse to get one of those instead of the standard Super Pro CB. I'm very happy with the consistency of this set.

Also, I've had a set of Raschigs that I bought when in the USAF in Germany back in the 80's, which I've kept around until I knew I'd inevitably get a table of my own. I played with those until I had a consistent Aramith set put together...

I've weighed the balls on my cheapo postal scale to compare them...

Raschig balls weighed in at 5.8 ounces (160g)
Aramith Super Pro 6 ounces even (170g)
Mismatched Cue Ball & 2-ball I no longer use 6.6 ounces (185g)

I use Triangle chalk (bought 1/2 gross in 1988, still have 2/3 of the box) and I mostly play with the Aramith balls nowadays 'cuz that's what's in play at the pool hall, but I did recently start playing with the Raschig's again after reading this thread...

I've said repeatedly in other threads that Raschigs play very similar to the Aramith Super Pros, but this discussion got me to change back to the Raschigs for the last few days and I've been paying attention to chalk adhesion.

I definitely think there is some truth to the comments about the measles ball holding chalk more than some other CB's... I could immediately tell during the first rack played, the Raschig cue ball holds noticeably less residual chalk than the measles ball.

It has also occurred to me that I've felt the need to polish the whole set of Aramith balls twice this year already, most recently last week. But, I can say with certainty that in the past, I have never felt the need to polish the Raschig set, dating all the way back to when I bought them in 1988. Granted, the Raschigs had been sitting unused in their box for the last 24 years, but they were used daily on USAF rec center Gandy tables from 1988-1990. And if I ever did clean them, it was just a quick wipe with a cotton towel.

Even now, looking at the two sets side by side, the Raschigs look cleaner than the Aramith SP's, which I polished just last week. And my table is not dirty. Sorry, I can't compare to any other Aramith brand or Brunswick balls, but I'm comfortable saying that the Aramith SP balls pick up and hold more residue/dirt than the Raschigs.

On related note, I have found that the measle cue ball can make for a good conversation piece with non-pool player visitors to your house... It does have a certain "gee whiz" factor.
 
Last edited:
... I do however have a problem with how the ball is made and that the read dots vears faster than the CB itself.
If Aramith fixed that issue the measles ball would be even more awesome.

Please explain what you mean by that. The Aramith measles ball has 6 red dots. I've never noticed any imbalance or unnatural ball movement related to the orientation of the dots as the ball comes to a stop. Maybe you mean something else by "vears faster"?
 
Undecided

I use both and will probably continue to do so for awhile. My Grand kids like that measles ball I got when I got my Aramith ball set. I wish Aramith would make one with blue dots to match the Tournament Blue 860 HR cloth on my table. I doubt it would show up as well on TV though.
 
as long as there's no equipment guidelines we're stuck with gimmicks.

I would disagree! The "measel ball" reacts in some unusual ways (relatively speaking), which aren't necessarily "bad," I actually believe it makes the game easier (which may be "bad" depending on several variables).

We have several different cue balls where we offer training and the measel ball definitely reacts different in terms of speed (after contact) and angle calibration (the measel ball is 2 grams heavier).

The "measel ball" is a good training cue ball, not to actually play with, however, as long as there's no equipment guidelines we're stuck with gimmicks... such is life. ;)

'The Game is the Teacher' .com



It behaves the same as any other cue ball. I personally being able to see the spin take, and would be sad to see it go. I play with a measles ball, a cue ball from my aramith premiers, and the CB from my centennials. There is no significant difference between any of these CB's.
 
Back
Top