Let's talk about the measles ball

Baxter

Baxter

Out To Win
Silver Member
Seems to me that the quality has gone down in recent years. I've noticed that the last few I've bought mark up more easily and get dirty faster compared to the other cue balls, and even compared to the measles ball when it first came out. I don't know if they started using a lesser grade phenolic or what. Has anyone else noticed this?

I switched from a phenolic tip on my break stick to an Outsville Hammerhead purely to avoid the little half moon micro fractures all over the ball, but even the Hammerhead still leaves scuff marks. And you can count how many times I've jumped the ball because there's a scuff mark for every jump shot. No other cue balls do this. I'm getting tired of spending $30 to replace a cue ball every couple of months.
 
I bought 5 of them and got screwed on one of them. I started cleaning them with Dawn and on one of them the red from the spots ran all over the ball. Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
I bought 5 of them and got screwed on one of them. I started cleaning them with Dawn and on one of them the red from the spots ran all over the ball. Johnnyt
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You get them from Eddie Wheat ?

Dave
 
Baxter said:
Seems to me that the quality has gone down in recent years. I've noticed that the last few I've bought mark up more easily and get dirty faster compared to the other cue balls, and even compared to the measles ball when it first came out. I don't know if they started using a lesser grade phenolic or what. Has anyone else noticed this?

I switched from a phenolic tip on my break stick to an Outsville Hammerhead purely to avoid the little half moon micro fractures all over the ball, but even the Hammerhead still leaves scuff marks. And you can count how many times I've jumped the ball because there's a scuff mark for every jump shot. No other cue balls do this. I'm getting tired of spending $30 to replace a cue ball every couple of months.
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I've more or less noticed they are fading from use. For awhile, they were all the rage at tournaments and matches. I honestly don't see the value of them as a player or a spectator.
 
TATE said:
I've more or less noticed they are fading from use. For awhile, they were all the rage at tournaments and matches. I honestly don't see the value of them as a player or a spectator.
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I don't either. I use them because everyone else around here uses them. All the local leagues and tournaments use them. Hard Times in Sacramento uses them in their tournaments. So I use them. Wouldn't care a bit if everyone started using the red circles.
 
This ball is about 3 months old. It was just cleaned and polished on Wednesday. All the blue marks you can see is chalk that is scuffed into the surface of the ball. Those are all little scuff marks. Each one of those scuff marks increase the odds of getting a skid. My local pool hall has red circle cue balls that are over 10 years old, and don't have a single scuff mark like my 3 month old measles ball has. The measles ball that I replaced with this current one has a bunch of little half moon micro cracks in it from breaking with a phenolic tip, and I don't even break hard (19mph max). Quality on these things just seems to be in the shitter. Maybe they should start making them with their "duramith" technology.

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I have one at least 5 years old. It looks perfect. I use a phenolic break tip on my break stick and jump daily with a Jacoby. Also, if the CB gets launched (and it does) it will bounce around on porcelain tile. I would be upset if my CB had half moon cracks and scuffs in that short of time.

I hate this measle CB. I use it because it takes practice getting used to. It's distracting to me. After a while, the looks become normal.
 
chevybob20 said:
I have one at least 5 years old. It looks perfect. I use a phenolic break tip on my break stick and jump daily with a Jacoby. Also, if the CB gets launched (and it does) it will bounce around on porcelain tile. I would be upset if my CB had half moon cracks and scuffs in that short of time.

I hate this measle CB. I use it because it takes practice getting used to. It's distracting to me. After a while, the looks become normal.
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That's what I'm saying, the older ones didn't do this. It's only been happening for the past few years. Something changed, and it sucks.
 
My I ask what kind of chalk are you using?
And even zooming in, I can't see any cracks in the finish. Need hi def pic I guess.
 
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Um, Red Circle balls are trick shot balls.

At least measles balls are weight matched. The quality is still good in the last one I got in the past year.
 
buckshotshoey said:
My I ask what kind of chalk are you using?
And even zooming in, I can't see any cracks in the finish. Need hi def pic I guess.
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Regular ol Masters. The cue ball pictured doesn't have any cracks. I changed break tips then bought this ball. The old one had the cracks.
 
Baxter said:
I don't either. I use them because everyone else around here uses them. All the local leagues and tournaments use them. Hard Times in Sacramento uses them in their tournaments. So I use them. Wouldn't care a bit if everyone started using the red circles.
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I did the same thing until HT bellflower stopped using them and CSI did too. I found it easy to go from a standard CB to the measles ball, but after practicing exclusively with the measles ball for several months, a white CB seemed odd. One time I practiced with the measles for the Swanee one year and they switched to the red circle - boy was that a transition. On those sticky tables the red circle backed up and grabbed way too much.
 
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I never understood the appeal of this ball. It actually makes me nauseous watching it spin around the table.

Additionally I've spent the better portion of my life working at this game. I'm not crazy about a cue ball that shows my opponent what I'm putting on a ball, I dislike this a lot.

I've been using a red circle ball for a very long time, always carry one, always have numerous new spares at home. This was THE cue ball for a long time, why it changed to the measles ball I'll never understand.

Note for those that will post the obligatory falsehoods that the red circle is lighter or as a previous poster put it, a trick shot ball. It's neither of those things, when new it's the same size and weight as other cue balls like the measles and blue circle per Aramith. It's seemingly different appearance is because it has a carom finish which also makes it a "hotter" ball.
 
Colonel said:
(re Red Circle Ball) It's seemingly different appearance is because it has a carom finish which also makes it a "hotter" ball.
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Can you explain this? I have noticed I get more action with the red circle - and wondered why.
 
I have no problem using any of them. The only ones I despise are the steel core mud balls.
The measle ball was made for tv. It gave the viewers a sense of what the shooter was doing.
And one more thing....in a timed match, such as the Mosconi cup where shot clocks are used, the time keeper cannot see when a regular cue ball stops spinning. It leads to the shot clock starting a few to several seconds too early.....then the start of a whole new thread....THE TIME KEEPER SCREWED ME OVER!
 
TATE said:
Can you explain this? I have noticed I get more action with the red circle - and wondered why.
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I was about to mention that the Cueball that came with my Centenials seems way 'faster' than the measals ball. Ive never tried to quantify it though.

And my Measals ball makes OP's look brand new out of the package. No amount of polishing could remove the chalk residue from that finish, and I only use pre-flag master (cause my dad left me a bunch).

I do like the measals for practicing, I immediatly know if I got a tips worth of unintentional english on the ball.
 
ideologist said:
Um, Red Circle balls are trick shot balls.

At least measles balls are weight matched. The quality is still good in the last one I got in the past year.
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The measle ball is weight matched? If you are buying the CB ball separately, weight matched to what exactly?
 
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