I stand 100% corrected!!!

Bob 14:1

Bob 14:1

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Earlier I started a thread touting the wonders of Meguiar's Synthetic Polymer as a ball polish. I still stand by its ease of use and longevity because it is indeed not a wax, but a sealant.

Over this same time period, I've watch instructional videos of progressive drills, and shot these same drills 'til my eyes bled.

I would set up the same ball arrangements and simply didn't improve or come close to the results promised by and demonstrated by the experts.

This morning, again disappointed at my continuing inability to draw more than a lucky few feet, I took the Centennials and gave them a thorough soaking and scrubbing with a wash cloth and a strong solution of Dawn liquid dishwasher detergent.

Whoa!!! All my practice had not been in vain. Immediately I saw a two fold improvement in my draw and follow. Down the rail and off the rail shots seemed to come more easily. I also noted that my tangent line did indeed send the ball where I thought beforehand that it should.

Early on I had used the Aramith Twins, but back then my game was so pedestrian that I couldn't make an accurate assessment. Regardless, there's nothing cheaper than detergent and water, and my results were an astounding improvement in just about every aspect of my game. I still can't bank, but my results are now closer to my pre-shot expectations. That is, I still mostly miss banks, but I'm getting closer with the rare attempts I try them, and the ball seems to rebound more predictably.

Take from this what you will. Just thought I'd throw this by you. Your comments and experiences would be appreciated, but puhlease, no clean or dirty ball, balls, or my balls jokes. The first 500 were somewhat amusing, but I think it's time to move on.

Have a good one!!! :wave2:
 
Hrm, I've always used Brillianize, but now I am tempted to see if there would be a difference with just soap and water. I always thought Brillianize left no film on the ball so it wouldn't change things.

I'm going to start packaging up 2 oz. containers of Dawn soap and marketing them to pool players as "Wonder Magic Billiard Ball Cleaner" for only $14 each. Then I'll put out a Kammui version, spelled incorrectly to avoid copyright violations, and charge $55.
 
A friend of mine used the meguiars quik detailer in the red bottle. Over time the balls got significantly "gunky". There were spots that look like when you climb a pine tree and the sap gets onto your hands.

In my personal tests, I've found the aramith ball cleaners to be the best cleaners to use if you want to use a cleaner, or just plain ol' soap and water. Mr clean magic eraser for those stubborn chalk marks if necessary.

Edit - when the balls were in this gunky state the balls would skid and kick all over the place.

The aramith or plain soap and water clean gives you the most realistic playing set of balls after.
 
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PaulieB said:
Hrm, I've always used Brillianize, but now I am tempted to see if there would be a difference with just soap and water. I always thought Brillianize left no film on the ball so it wouldn't change things.

I'm going to start packaging up 2 oz. containers of Dawn soap and marketing them to pool players as "Wonder Magic Billiard Ball Cleaner" for only $14 each. Then I'll put out a Kammui version, spelled incorrectly to avoid copyright violations, and charge $55.
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Hey Paulie, :thumbup:

Please lemme know what your results are. The Meg's sealant made the balls so slippery they'd "pop" out of my hands occasionally when I took them out of the pockets. There was no question the polymers sealed the balls. After only five or so racks yesterday afternoon, I already have picked up some black pocket marks. At this point I'll put up with marks since my cue ball control has improved so drastically.

Perhaps as a better player, you might not notice such a difference. So either it's my skill level or maybe your product is much better.
 
I washed my balls today using soap and water. (Sorry, couldn't resist starting that way.)

I noticed very little difference in play after washing them. If any difference at all, *maybe* a bit more throw when using english, but not any huge difference.

This could be because Brillianize doesn't add a layer to the balls or because the soap and water didn't wash the Brillianize off. Not a great test, I know.
 
PaulieB said:
I washed my balls today using soap and water. (Sorry, couldn't resist starting that way.)

I noticed very little difference in play after washing them. If any difference at all, *maybe* a bit more throw when using english, but not any huge difference.

This could be because Brillianize doesn't add a layer to the balls or because the soap and water didn't wash the Brillianize off. Not a great test, I know.
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This appears to be the stuff. Seems the only variation is the size of the container. How's it on black pocket marks and impact marks? Does it give any gloss to the balls?
http://www.brillianize.com/
 
That is the stuff. A little lasts a long while. I have one of those home made bucket/buffer cleaners and I just spray a little while the balls are spinning and it cleans them and polishes them without leaving a noticeable film. Pocket marks seem to be lighter and they come right off with the next cleaning. I don't get obsessive with my cleaning (maybe once every 3-4 weeks or so) and don't see a huge difference in play the way I used to when I used spray wax on the balls.
 
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Sounds like it's certainly worth a try. Any ideas who may stock it locally; i.e. Lowes or Home Depot. If not, I see it online at many sites. Thanks again for your input and help!!! :thumbup:
 
Brillianize is what I use, and what I ship with my ball polishers. I have tried different cleaners buy I like the Brillianize the best.

One big bonus for me is that it doesn't "gunk" up the insides of the ball polisher the way some of the other polishes do. This would also lead me to believe there would be less build up on the balls.

Bob if your looking for a bottle to try shoot me a pm. I have not offered it by itself yet in the for sale section but I do have plenty of stock.

Woody
 
There ya go Bob, there is another person who uses this product ... and one who has a heck of a lot more experience than I!

Definitely pick up a bottle and give it a try.

*edit* I don't ever remember seeing it sold at Lowe's/Home Depot, I got my bottle direct from Brillianize. I would however, suggest supporting a fellow AZer and picking up a bottle from Woody. :)
 
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bbb said:
anyone use maguiar ultimate detail??
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UQD is in the same family of sealants as Meg's Ultimate Paste or Liquid wax. However bear in mind that they are not waxes; all three use synthetic polymer technology. These products all fall in Meguiar's "Consumer" division, so they call it a wax so the folks that clean their cars once a year know what the heck they are grabbing off of the retail shelf. Visit the Meguiar's on line forum if you want the skinny on most any of their products. It's AZ for car nuts like me.

It also makes the balls soooo slippery that again, they'd literally squirt out of the micro fiber when I'd hand polish with UQD. It's also not as good as the Ultimate Wax paste at preventing black marks and impact marks.

I.E. I think you'll run into the same non responsive and erratic ball action that I experienced.
 
i use maguires cleaner wax in a red tin, its a solid compound with no abrasives in it, in a diamond ball polisher and the balls come out dry and look brand new, i wipe them off with a clean damp terry cloth towel(i dont use fabric softener on those towels when i wash them) and the balls look and play like brand new. I dont spin them too often, probably once every 30 hours of play depending on how fast they get dirty, if the table cloth is new then perhaps 100 hours of play. doing this the balls play like new balls, nothing funny.

Now playing with juiced balls can be fun for trick shots etc. but i dont do that all that often.
 
Bob 14:1 said:
UQD is in the same family of sealants as Meg's Ultimate Paste or Liquid wax. However bear in mind that they are not waxes; all three use synthetic polymer technology. These products all fall in Meguiar's "Consumer" division, so they call it a wax so the folks that clean their cars once a year know what the heck they are grabbing off of the retail shelf. Visit the Meguiar's on line forum if you want the skinny on most any of their products. It's AZ for car nuts like me.

It also makes the balls soooo slippery that again, they'd literally squirt out of the micro fiber when I'd hand polish with UQD. It's also not as good as the Ultimate Wax paste at preventing black marks and impact marks.

I.E. I think you'll run into the same non responsive and erratic ball action that I experienced.
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you might be surprised that diamond billiards recommend it for their ball cleaning machine
http://www.diamondbilliards.com/index.php/accessories/ball-polishers
 
If you ever wanna resurrect microfiber cloths that do have fabric softener or wax or whatever, shoot 'em through your washing machine and add a few ounces of vinegar. That's what the pro detailers do.
 
Bob 14:1 said:
I had seen that before. Perhaps in small doses and with power the balls don't act spooky. I loved the stuff, but it just hurt my game. BTW, UQD is dynamite for Brunswick Formica rails.
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thanks for the tip
i have a gc1
:wink:
 
The problem I see with going strictly with water or detergent and water is you'll have a hard time removing the scratches from miscues and chalk on the table. To remove these you have to use an abrasive. The Aramith products contain abrasives. The Restorer is courser than the Cleaner. The key is the abrasives used must be extremely fine and that break down quickly. This minimizes material removal and burnishes the surface.

Its hard to find a product that doesn't leave something behind. It may not be "wax" but something else like silicone or whatever. My sugestion is if you want them perfect is to use any of the quality plastic polishes like McGuires, Plastex, Aramith, ... then come back and remove the residue. Then for added shine (burnish) using a ball polisher that doesn't allow the balls to touch as they spin. Once you have a clean set then you can get by with just the ball polisher for a while, as long as you run them through it before they get all scratched up and dull. Like every couple hours of play.
 
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