Ivory BALLS

[PoolSleuth]

Had a little debate yesterday over the positive thing about Ivory Balls. Personally can not remember much about playing with Ivory Balls.

But one guy said they are Lighter in Weight, and You can get more Draw, SideSpin, etc. Action off of Ivory verses Synthetic Balls?

 

[MacGyver]

I don't see any reason they couldnt make the synthetic balls lighter for more action if that is what players wanted..

it seems to me though with a heavier ball you could put more spin on the ball without increasing how fast the ball is moving(thus accuracy)... it seems like with a lighter ball it would be moving way faster for an equivilent hit and squirt would be insane....

They can change hardness, weight, size, etc of synthetic balls relativly easily, the fact they are using current setup should speak to its usefullness I think...

 

[Rich R.]

But one guy said they are Lighter in Weight, and You can get more Draw, SideSpin, etc. Action off of Ivory verses Synthetic Balls?

This is a guess, as I don't have a lot of solid knowledge on this point.

I think the ivory balls may have been lighter than the cheaper, heavier, clay balls used at the same point in time. However, I don't believe they are lighter than the modern synthetic balls. JMHO.

 

[Mike_Mason]

Ivory...

I've never seen or heard of ivory pool balls...but I have played with ivory billiard balls...a number of different sets...It was a neat thing to do because of the rarity of it all...felt lined cases etc...but I'll take the new technology any day...balls were not only 'dead' but misshapened over time that probably won't happen much with new technology balls...

And I've sure played enough with the old clay pool balls...I remember playing a long straight in 1-ball to the corner pocket...when the cue ball hit the 1-ball the clay number insert was driven halfway out the other side of the ball lol...

 

[gulfportdoc]

I played quite a bit of 3C with ivory billiard balls in the 60's. They were heavier, and to me, they felt like a purer hit. I had the impression the angles were truer. They sure sounded great-- a satisfying click.

All the rooms I grew up playing in had the old clay balls. They were also heavier, and had some of the same feel characteristics of ivory. The downside was that they wore out quickly in commercial rooms. They all seemed to have hairline cracks in them, and once in awhile --if the owner kept them too long-- one would break into two parts, or a large chunk would fall out.

All told, the modern resins are much better; especially in the more expensive sets: Centennials or Aramiths. The cheap ones are horrible-- light and inconsistent.

Doc