Opinions: Ball Return or NO

xianmacx said:
Its interesting how strong opinions are on both sides. I bet it aligns with what was in the first pool hall you frequented and fell for the game...
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I never picked up a two piece cue until a few days before my 60th birthday, about the same time I found AZB.

It isn't that easy bending over to the ball return for me, but I do enjoy walking around the table.


I have a question about competition on a drop pocket table.
If a pocket has enough balls in it that you feel it may cause a subsequent pocketed ball to bounce out, can you remove/move balls before a called shot?
 
I have a G.C.1, it came with ball return, I hated the noise from it. Made it sound hollow and cheap. Switched it out for drop pockets. Also the noise of the balls landing in the ball box was loud, I put a pad in there (maybe a little too thick) and once in a while a ball would bounce out on the floor. For me emptying the pockets is no more a pain than emptying the ball box. Also mine did not have the skirt covers when I bought it, no biggie, still plays great.
 
jimmyco said:
I never picked up a two piece cue until a few days before my 60th birthday, about the same time I found AZB.

It isn't that easy bending over to the ball return for me, but I do enjoy walking around the table.


I have a question about competition on a drop pocket table.
If a pocket has enough balls in it that you feel it may cause a subsequent pocketed ball to bounce out, can you remove/move balls before a called shot?
Click to expand...

Yes, you can empty a pocket anytime as long as it is your turn.
 
Drop pockets are my preference. Gathering the balls really isnt a big issue, they are quieter, they make keeping track of balls in one pocket easier, etc etc etc. More pluses than minuses IMO. :thumbup:
 
Ball returns. My home table has ball returns which are nicely coated and don't make much noise. A piece of carpet in the box muffles the noise.

The downside is that there are more surfaces that need cleaning.
 
MattPoland said:
My old table didn’t have a ball return. My new one does. I love the ball return because I don’t like retrieving balls from pockets.

My wife hates the ball return because it is stupid loud.


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Exactly what I was going to post lol
 
trob said:
Exactly what I was going to post lol
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I love how quiet Diamond tables are. I was thinking about using some 1/8” neoprene to cushion some of the spots the ball drops.


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There is nothing better than a ball return table. How annoying is it to walk around a table collecting balls. Then if you miss a ball to double check the pockets.... There is no reason to have to empty a pocket during a match because it is too full and the object ball jumps out..... As for the noise... you can go to Lowes and get rubber tubing, make one cut down it with a razor blade and place it around the return's tracking.... Problem solve... my table has rubber tubing around the tracks... No noise, Plus.. The collector box is lined with rubber.... No noise ..... Good Luck.
 
I've had both...
First a 9' Diamond Professional and about a year ago I upgraded to a new Pro-Am.

There are pros and cons to each style, but I like the ball return better. I probably went overboard on trying to quiet everything down but I had that luxury since I installed the table.

All the ball tracks are lined with Simonis cloth and I added extra neoprene padding anywhere a ball could impact inside the middle trough. I also added more padding where the balls drop down into the collection bay. Overall, it's very quiet other than a faint thud when the balls make the drop down into their final resting place.

My table sits on carpet and I almost always have music playing so the sound of my ball return is hardly noticed. It would definitely be louder if the table was on a wood or concrete floor.

For 1 pocket, it is essential to have some sort of ball rack to keep track of both player's balls, otherwise they end up on the floor. Diamond sells a nice wire ball rack that can easily be mounted on the Pro-Am table with just a couple wood screws.
 
JZMechanix said:
I've had both...

All the ball tracks are lined with Simonis cloth and I added extra neoprene padding anywhere a ball could impact inside the middle trough. I also added more padding where the balls drop down into the collection bay. Overall, it's very quiet other than a faint thud when the balls make the drop down into their final resting place.
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How did you secure the simonis to the tracks? And the neoprene to the middle trough?

I am interested in doing this when I get one installed.

Do you think the installers from Diamond are open to doing this type of work when they install a table or is this a owner must do as they install it?
 
haystj said:
How did you secure the simonis to the tracks? And the neoprene to the middle trough?

I am interested in doing this when I get one installed.

Do you think the installers from Diamond are open to doing this type of work when they install a table or is this a owner must do as they install it?
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3M77 for covering the ball tracks and narrow crown staples for the neoprene.

I can't say for sure if the installers would do it... Lining the ball return tracks is pretty easy but they might not have any extra cloth or neoprene. You'd have to supply it but it doesn't take long to install.

Diamond actually does a good job from the factory of making the ball return quiet (most of the inside is already covered with some type of rubber), I just decided to take it a few steps further.
 
14-1StraightMan said:
There is nothing better than a ball return table. How annoying is it to walk around a table collecting balls. Then if you miss a ball to double check the pockets.... There is no reason to have to empty a pocket during a match because it is too full and the object ball jumps out..... As for the noise... .
Click to expand...

I agree on all points, but with regards to the noise from the ball returns, for me that's just part of the environment.

I have no desire to ever own a drop pocket table.
 
JZMechanix said:
I've had both...
First a 9' Diamond Professional and about a year ago I upgraded to a new Pro-Am.

There are pros and cons to each style, but I like the ball return better. I probably went overboard on trying to quiet everything down but I had that luxury since I installed the table.

All the ball tracks are lined with Simonis cloth and I added extra neoprene padding anywhere a ball could impact inside the middle trough. I also added more padding where the balls drop down into the collection bay. Overall, it's very quiet other than a faint thud when the balls make the drop down into their final resting place.

My table sits on carpet and I almost always have music playing so the sound of my ball return is hardly noticed. It would definitely be louder if the table was on a wood or concrete floor.

For 1 pocket, it is essential to have some sort of ball rack to keep track of both player's balls, otherwise they end up on the floor. Diamond sells a nice wire ball rack that can easily be mounted on the Pro-Am table with just a couple wood screws.
Click to expand...
I too have done pretty much what you did to quite down the balls in the ball return and tray. Now when a ball drops one might think it got stuck in the track until you hear it drop into the tray. I have a Centennial and they have tubes cut in half and it's easy to line them with something to cushion the sound.

As far as one pocket goes I made a divider that separates the balls when they fall into the tray. Locks into place in less than a second and vise versa. Here is a picture of it.

Rack holder.jpg

one pocket seperator.jpg
 
I love my ball return on my GC IV, but is there something that can be done about that knuckle busting support beam running through the ball box?...Thanks!
 
depends on the game
I had to have everything handy when racking from the side of the table.
Same thing on the other side of the table.
managed to get the ball return up off the floor at 23", not a bad reach.

ballreturnRacks.JPG
 
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