Hey folks,
I'm curious. I would like to get some opinions on equipment and whether they affect the correct play of the balls and table. I am primarily interested in thoughts about the magic rack, but would also like to know what people think, generally, about some other devices. Let me tell you my thoughts on a couple, and then the arguments I've heard pro or con for each item. The best would be if people would be willing to rank these items in order in terms of how much they affect play.
Magic Rack: As far as I can tell, this is the best racking device so far. It delivers a perfect or near perfect rack every time, takes very little time to use, works on any table, and makes the conditions equal for everyone. For most players, I think this is a great device. However, some people believe that since the rack stays on the table, it might interfere with the movement of the balls. I believe that to a *TINY* extent this is true, but it is so insignificant that the benefits vastly outweigh the possible problems. I was only able to notice any movement in balls if they were moving *very* slowly and parallel to the surface of the rack. Even in this case the change in the final destination of the ball was insignificant. In a several hour long playing session leaving the magic rack on the table 100% of the time, not once did it impact a single game.
Magnetic slug cueball: This is the ball widely used on bar boxes, typically Valley, manufactured about 10 years ago or so. The idea is that a cylinder is drilled out of the ball, and a bar of metal is installed so that it will work with magnetic cue ball return system. In my experience, while this ball is better than some bar balls, it on occasion can take an odd roll if that cylinder is oriented just right. Also, if the cylinder is installed without being *perfectly* centered, some odd things can happen to say the least. The size and weight are approximately correct, but the ball reacts differently depending on if you are spinning it around that cylinder, or spinning the cylinder end over end. Personally I think this makes more difference than the magic rack.
Oversize, overweight cue ball: This changes the game fundamentally. Obviously the whole world of position play is radically altered. The tangent line concept is out the window. The feel of the ball is dramatically different. How this ball was ever considered a viable idea by anyone, least of all manufacturers of pool tables, is a mystery to me. To me this changes the game in a night and day way.
Bad, worn, incorrectly installed or otherwise defective rails: To me, this can range anywhere from a very subtle change to a horrific destruction of the game. When the rails get very hard, you might as well just not bother playing. The ball comes off absurdly long, and basically just does who knows what. Same if the rail point has become rounded. Rails that are too high or low cause problems too. Older slow rails, or "dead" rails are much less of an issue for me. I'm not crazy about them, but they are not a total game changer either.
Holes in cloth: Oddly enough, I think holes in the cloth have almost no impact on the game, or at least a very little impact. If they are severe, it can come into play. On my table, I have a rip that is in the shape of a capital letter F, maybe 5 inches tall. There are plenty of times that this alters the path of the cue ball or object ball, particularly if I slow roll it. However, it seems like 1 in a hundred racks that an issue really comes up. I'd rank this type of problem somewhat low.
Really bad plastic rack that doesn't fit balls well: I think this has an obvious effect, particularly on 9 ball. Maybe a really huge investment of time and effort on the part of the racker can overcome this issue, but most are not likely to put in that effort. For me this can be a serious game changer when in the hands of a non-conscientious racker.
So here is how it comes out for me (ranked from most impact on the game to least):
1) Heavy cueball
2) bad rails (a close second...maybe in extreme cases it might even be #1)
3) crappy plastic rack that doesn't fit balls well
4) holes in cloth (bad ones)
5) magnetic slug cue ball
6) magic rack (and this is 200 miles behind #5, and honestly not even worth mentioning here except to get feedback from others)
Anyone else want to play? Thanks for any input you can offer.
KMRUNOUT
I'm curious. I would like to get some opinions on equipment and whether they affect the correct play of the balls and table. I am primarily interested in thoughts about the magic rack, but would also like to know what people think, generally, about some other devices. Let me tell you my thoughts on a couple, and then the arguments I've heard pro or con for each item. The best would be if people would be willing to rank these items in order in terms of how much they affect play.
Magic Rack: As far as I can tell, this is the best racking device so far. It delivers a perfect or near perfect rack every time, takes very little time to use, works on any table, and makes the conditions equal for everyone. For most players, I think this is a great device. However, some people believe that since the rack stays on the table, it might interfere with the movement of the balls. I believe that to a *TINY* extent this is true, but it is so insignificant that the benefits vastly outweigh the possible problems. I was only able to notice any movement in balls if they were moving *very* slowly and parallel to the surface of the rack. Even in this case the change in the final destination of the ball was insignificant. In a several hour long playing session leaving the magic rack on the table 100% of the time, not once did it impact a single game.
Magnetic slug cueball: This is the ball widely used on bar boxes, typically Valley, manufactured about 10 years ago or so. The idea is that a cylinder is drilled out of the ball, and a bar of metal is installed so that it will work with magnetic cue ball return system. In my experience, while this ball is better than some bar balls, it on occasion can take an odd roll if that cylinder is oriented just right. Also, if the cylinder is installed without being *perfectly* centered, some odd things can happen to say the least. The size and weight are approximately correct, but the ball reacts differently depending on if you are spinning it around that cylinder, or spinning the cylinder end over end. Personally I think this makes more difference than the magic rack.
Oversize, overweight cue ball: This changes the game fundamentally. Obviously the whole world of position play is radically altered. The tangent line concept is out the window. The feel of the ball is dramatically different. How this ball was ever considered a viable idea by anyone, least of all manufacturers of pool tables, is a mystery to me. To me this changes the game in a night and day way.
Bad, worn, incorrectly installed or otherwise defective rails: To me, this can range anywhere from a very subtle change to a horrific destruction of the game. When the rails get very hard, you might as well just not bother playing. The ball comes off absurdly long, and basically just does who knows what. Same if the rail point has become rounded. Rails that are too high or low cause problems too. Older slow rails, or "dead" rails are much less of an issue for me. I'm not crazy about them, but they are not a total game changer either.
Holes in cloth: Oddly enough, I think holes in the cloth have almost no impact on the game, or at least a very little impact. If they are severe, it can come into play. On my table, I have a rip that is in the shape of a capital letter F, maybe 5 inches tall. There are plenty of times that this alters the path of the cue ball or object ball, particularly if I slow roll it. However, it seems like 1 in a hundred racks that an issue really comes up. I'd rank this type of problem somewhat low.
Really bad plastic rack that doesn't fit balls well: I think this has an obvious effect, particularly on 9 ball. Maybe a really huge investment of time and effort on the part of the racker can overcome this issue, but most are not likely to put in that effort. For me this can be a serious game changer when in the hands of a non-conscientious racker.
So here is how it comes out for me (ranked from most impact on the game to least):
1) Heavy cueball
2) bad rails (a close second...maybe in extreme cases it might even be #1)
3) crappy plastic rack that doesn't fit balls well
4) holes in cloth (bad ones)
5) magnetic slug cue ball
6) magic rack (and this is 200 miles behind #5, and honestly not even worth mentioning here except to get feedback from others)
Anyone else want to play? Thanks for any input you can offer.
KMRUNOUT
Last edited: