Measles cueball vs Red Circle cueball weight differences

My contribution....

I have a pretty good digital scale that weighs in grams so here's what I found.

I measured each ball several times just to make sure the scale was reading the same each time.

Blue Circle cue ball... 170 grams (comes with the Centennial ball set. I have two and they both weighed 170 grams)

Red Circle..... I have 3 of them. One weighed 166 grams each of the 5 times I weighed it. Another weighed 166 4 times and 164 once. The third weighed 166 twice and 168 3 times.

Measles ball.... 170 each of 5 times.

cue ball with no markings and I don't remember where it came from... 166 grams.

Centennial balls: 8 ball and 15 ball weighed 168 grams and the 1, 5, 13, balls weighed 170 grams

Draw whatever conclusions you want.

This concludes this test. :cool:
 
shortman said:
There are actually 3 balls to consider here. I have all 3, there are 2 (red circles dot) and measle ball. One red dot has a brownish color to it and is the heaviest of the 3, the other red dot is solid white and near the same as the measle. Depending on what tourney I have coming up is the one I practice with at home.

cheers---------BW
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Well, just to make this mud a little more muddy: there are at least two different measles balls out there. When they first came out, I bought one off eBay, just to see what all the fuss was about. Another guy at my pool hall bought one at about the same time from a billiard supply house. His came in the sealed plastic armored Pro Cup packaging that looked very Aramith-like, while mine had been advertised as a "special" from a set of Aramiths that the original packaging had been ruined :-) They were two different colors -- I think mine was a bit yellower, and I think mine played a bit heavier than what looked like the real Aramith.

Also, let's not forget the red triangle cue ball that's out there.

No, no. Don't thank me. Just hope this helps clarify a very entertaining discussion :-)

Lou Figueroa
 
My own experience with the measle ball; harder to draw, easier to follow, like it's heavier. Efren, playing at Hard Times about a year ago was asked about the measle ball and replied "it's hard to draw". I don't use it in my tournaments any more for this reason. It plays like it's a little larger/heavier.

Danny K
 
Lou, I just read your post. I think you're right. I played in a UPA event about a year ago and the measle ball seemed to be about the same weight as the rest of the balls. The ones I purchased for my room definitely seemed heavier, though.

Danny K
 
cubc said:
Can someone that has 2 of those balls weigh both and post the outcome please?
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Red Circle - about 8 years old, lots of play: 5.7 oz
Measels 1 - about 2 years old (bought separate): 5.9 oz
Measels 2 - about 1 year old (Aramith Set): 5.9 oz
Aramith Rempe training cue ball: 5.7 oz
Old Aramith set (mid 80s) (gobs of play): 5.6 oz
*all of the old Aramith balls weigh 5.6 oz, go figure*

I have little faith in the "cue balls lose significant mass" theory. They may lose some mass, but I think it would be hard to lose 5%-10% without being noticable. Any such significant loss should be readily apparent - either visually or through play. Losing 10% would take a cue ball from 5.9 oz to 5.3 oz. This would push the interaction way down the inelastic collision scale.

IMO, unless there are chips out of the ball, they should be within a couple percent of new weight through their life cycle. But what do I know...

With a .6 oz difference in weight the cue ball would naturally rebound about 5% of its initial speed -> making the 90 degree rule tricky at best. But with a lighter cue ball, draw would be much improved. ;)

My rudimentary calculations show that a .1 oz difference in ball weight will result in 99.1% "accuracy" of play. That is, if the cue ball weighs 5.8 oz and the OB weighs 5.9 oz, the OB will have 99.1% of its "perfect" forward velocity (head on hit), while the cue ball will have a .9% rebound (again head on).

For .2 oz difference, its 98.2%
For .3 oz difference, its 97.4%
For .4 oz difference, its 96.5%
For .5 oz difference, its 95.6% and
For .6 oz difference, it's 94.6%.

Using these percentages seems to show that 90 degree rule becomes the
89.2 degree rule for a .1 oz lighter cue ball
88.4 degree rule for a .2 oz lighter cue ball
87.7 degree rule for a .3 oz lighter cue ball
86.9 degree rule for a .4 oz lighter cue ball
86.0 degree rule for a .5 oz lighter cue ball
85.1 degree rule for a .6 oz lighter cue ball
Although this is not a true mathematical calculation, it is a rough approximation that should be close enough for government work.

I think I could play at .1 or .2 difference and feel ok. But at about 5.6 oz, I think I could tell enough to need a new cue ball.

-td

[edit: someone with a calculator please fix this math ;)]
 
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Dr. Dave analyzed the Measle ball about a year or so ago on Billiards Digest forum. As I recall the phenolic was a different compostion than the Red Dot or Blue Dot balls and deflected off the object balls differently. I know that I definitely prefer the Blue Dot ball or even the Red Dot over the Measle ball. You people that are scientifically inclined may want to search the aforementioned Forum. Maybe it is just subjective like the "hit" of a cue.
 
i ususally dont make negititave posts, but honestly only a handfull of people play good enough in the world that this makes any difference to, it all in your head, except the big ball on the barbox or the one with metal in it,

i thought the blue circle was the only ball i could play with, now i dont care what they give me-as long as its the same diameter of the OB's its all the same or so damn close it takes 2 minutes to adjust, i aint a great player and thats why it dosent matter, they all play so close, its a mental thing
 
faster

charlieb said:
Dr. Dave analyzed the Measle ball about a year or so ago on Billiards Digest forum. As I recall the phenolic was a different compostion than the Red Dot or Blue Dot balls and deflected off the object balls differently. I know that I definitely prefer the Blue Dot ball or even the Red Dot over the Measle ball. You people that are scientifically inclined may want to search the aforementioned Forum. Maybe it is just subjective like the "hit" of a cue.
Click to expand...

My measles ball plays a little faster than the red circle and "eye" cue balls at the hall. Mine was individually packaged and purchased from a reliable source but I must say it is very yellow looking to my eye.

It rolls enough differently after contacting the object ball that I rarely use it. I use the house cue balls gambling or in competition and I need to be used to playing shape with them.

Hu
 
From a "feel" standpoint, for me the measles seems heavier when I hit it. That all the science I seem to need. Screws me up practicing with the measles and going to a magnetic. I could be wrong. Yes, I'm sure of it, my wife tells me that all the time. :rolleyes:
 
I used to hate that polka dot cueball. In my last trip to the Philippines, they were calling it the "slippery" cue ball.
Seeing it's now a popular cueball I got another one and use it exclusively now. It's really not too bad as long as the set of balls it goes with are Centennials or Super Pro. The cheaper Crown or Premier balls just seem to light for it ( specially the worn out ones ).
 
Danny Kuykendal said:
Lou, I just read your post. I think you're right. I played in a UPA event about a year ago and the measle ball seemed to be about the same weight as the rest of the balls. The ones I purchased for my room definitely seemed heavier, though.

Danny K
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Danny, I really think it was because you had Premier set of balls to go with them. Also the red dots do wear out and become so light.
 
A lot of players using thinner shafts often complain about the vibration & noise when using the measle...no issues at all when swapped to a red circle. I do believe that using a measle daily will indeed improve your game.
 
Varney Cues said:
A lot of players using thinner shafts often complain about the vibration & noise when using the measle...no issues at all when swapped to a red circle. I do believe that using a measle daily will indeed improve your game.
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I think that now too. You can see that ball spin.
 
enginear??

realkingcobra said:
LMAO...Helpless???? I just thought I'd come in here and stir up some dust...LOL

I'm a billiards technician, not an enginear...LOL But...wasn't is enginears that designed an built the Titanic? OR...how about the bridge that collapsed in Minnisota?...LOL

Glen
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Is an enginear where you get your hearing checked in "Minnisota"?? lol
 
Measles

All the players I know switch cue balls when a Measles is on a scheduled match table. It has slight nuances of the old big Mud cue ball (2 3/8" cue ball). I don't care for it, never have, and if you shoot a shot and can't figure out how the cue ball will spin from the english you put on it, then you need to give up Pool.

The only time a railbird can see the spin is at the end of the shot when it is slowing down anyway, and what player cares about what the railbirds see anyway, they are involved in the match.

For instructing purposes, it may be okay, but I see no other practical purpose for it. It became a 'fad' in the cue ball area, and they sold you a bill of goods, as far as I am concerned.

About like the Elephant balls they came out with.
 
I want to thank all who contributed information in this thread. I actually prefer the measles ball as that's what I have on my own table and thats what the tournaments I play at use as well. I just found some very subtle differences in playing with the red circle after spending so many hours this weekend alone just using measles. Usually I switch back and forth so much it doesnt make much of a difference, but Friday - Monday it was all measles until monday night where I noticed the difference.

Adjusting isnt hard for either ball, but I just wanted to bring it up here to get peoples opinions on the matter. Thanks for that.
 
snapshot used the measurement of 2-3 grams. just in case anyone is used to the ounce , 28 grams makes up 1 ounce. therefore, 2 grams is 1/14 of an ounce. does anyone know the difference in weight between a regulation set of balls and the cue ball used on bar tables.
 
back on page 1 i posted the weights in ounces, grams & grains (for you guys that do your own reloads :))
 
td873 said:
... I have little faith in the "cue balls lose significant mass" theory. They may lose some mass, but I think it would be hard to lose 5%-10% without being noticable. Any such significant loss should be readily apparent - either visually or through play. Losing 10% would take a cue ball from 5.9 oz to 5.3 oz. This would push the interaction way down the inelastic collision scale. ...
Click to expand...
Well, yes, it is readily apparent. As I pointed out in my article in Billiards Digest, worn cue balls are frequently clearly, visibly, obviously smaller than object balls. Maybe the pool halls you go to change out the balls often enough for it not to be a problem, but most pool halls keep ball sets in play for a long time, and the cue ball wears down faster than the object balls.

A popular cue ball these days is the red circle. As it wears down, it turns into more of a "pink circle" as the plastic of the red circle wears off. If you look, you will find these in play. Sometimes the circle is worn so much it's not a complete circle.

As far as the difference in cue ball action, as I also pointed out in my article, for the cue ball size problems I saw in a real pool hall, the difference in mass would make roughly a 1-diamond difference in a 2- or 3-diamond draw or follow shot. For players who don't have 1-diamond accuracy on their draw or follow speed, maybe the cue ball doesn't make any difference. For any B or better player, I think it can make a difference.
 
cue balls

I have a brand new measle and red circle, and fairly new centennials. By my gram scale.... red circle..166 grms..measle..166 grms..centennials..164 to 166 grms..size..red circle..2.255inches..measle 2.254...centennials..from 2.248..to 2.253...I am not sure if the material is exactly the same in all balls and that could account for rolling differences. I also have a red circle that is 10 yrs old...160 grm and 2.244 in size.
 
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