Poll: Diamond vs Brunswick cushions

Do you prefer Diamond or GC cushions? Factory original only, not hot-rodded.

  • I prefer a factory blue label Diamond cushion

    Votes: 34 38.2%

  • I prefer a factory GC 4 or GC 5 Super Speed cushion

    Votes: 41 46.1%

  • I like them both equally

    Votes: 14 15.7%
  • Total voters
    89
  • Poll closed .
iusedtoberich

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Poll. Please read this before voting.

ONLY considering how the CB and OB's bounce off of the cushions, do you prefer the modern Brunswick GC4 and GC5 cushions, or the modern "Blue label" Diamond cushions?

Special considerations:
1. Only vote for a stock factory table. Not a table that has been hot-rodded by a mechanic.
2. Only consider a good condition cushion. Not a cushion that has failed due to rot or any other reason.
3. Only consider how the balls react off of the cushions. For position, for banks, for kicks, etc. Do NOT consider the pockets, or any other parts of the table.
 
Brand new, and after a year of being broken in, SuperSpeed is superior to Artemis.

Artemis rails are more lively for 9 ball, but I play a lot of banks and Artemis rails bank funny, especially if there is any soon on the ball.

Yes, you can adjust to that, but SS rails are more intuitive at all times.
 
ideologist said:
Brand new, and after a year of being broken in, SuperSpeed is superior to Artemis.

Artemis rails are more lively for 9 ball, but I play a lot of banks and Artemis rails bank funny, especially if there is any soon on the ball.

Yes, you can adjust to that, but SS rails are more intuitive at all times.
Click to expand...

You're opening a can of worms. :D
 
I voted equal. Sometimes I really like Blue label because you can shorten the bank better but the flip side is the blue label is more speed sensitive making my banking more inconsistent.

PS. Please throw away all red labels that have not been converted. They truly play like $hit
 
jtompilot said:
I voted equal. Sometimes I really like Blue label because you can shorten the bank better but the flip side is the blue label is more speed sensitive making my banking more inconsistent.

PS. Please throw away all red labels that have not been converted. They truly play like $hit
Click to expand...

I made the best bank of my life on a Red. Impossible on any other table. Banked it back under me, OB was a millimeter away from the point. No other table banks that short.
 
jtompilot said:
I voted equal. Sometimes I really like Blue label because you can shorten the bank better but the flip side is the blue label is more speed sensitive making my banking more inconsistent.

PS. Please throw away all red labels that have not been converted. They truly play like $hit
Click to expand...

I still like my red label diamond. I honestly don't think that it matters much. I played on John Brumback's home red label diamond (it was one of the derby city classic TV tables). I asked him what he thought of the new blue diamond tables. He basically just shrugged and didn't seem to think it mattered too much either way. Perhaps you could get him to.chime in.
 
Tables

Diamond uses two different cushions.... The 9' use the Artemis ( hump side down) and the 7' use a black cushions( hump side up).... No one is bickering about how the 7' play compared to the 9'....
.... It's all about what's behind the cushion'





Rob.M
 
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And I have a 9' Diamond.....
U needed a fourth option.
...I wish my game was good enough to notice the difference.
Lol
 
I've only played on one Diamond table, that being a Diamond Professional model. Which, of course, is a Gold Crown copy.

Anyway, it belonged to a former WPBA touring pro and as best that I can remember I thought it played better than my Gold Crown IV. But then again, I think that's sort of normal, for someone to think someone else's table plays better than yours. After playing on the same table 50,000 times other tables usually do seem to play different.

r/DCP
 
jalapus logan said:
I still like my red label diamond. I honestly don't think that it matters much. I played on John Brumback's home red label diamond (it was one of the derby city classic TV tables). I asked him what he thought of the new blue diamond tables. He basically just shrugged and didn't seem to think it mattered too much either way. Perhaps you could get him to.chime in.
Click to expand...

Huge difference. They did not change just to change, they did it to be better. We have a blue and red table right next to each other. The red is just too FAST for a barbox. There is so little room to begin with, making the rails super fast takes away from the game. Thank goodness they came out with the Blue Label Diamonds :thumbup:
 
Diamond bar boxes are by far, the worst contraptions to play on once the cloth isn't new anymore.
OMG.
Those play insane.
Nothing but extra rails on every shot.
There is no holding up and killing whitey.
You will want to kill yourself if you try that.
 
I know some of the top pros like Rodney Morris are pretty vocal on not enjoying competing on Diamonds, even though theyve won championships on them. The rails do play pretty unique :)
 
What are the variables from cushion to cushion? Here's what comes to mind:

- faster/slower
- bounce longer/shorter
- more/less consistent

How do the main types compare in these ways?

pj
chgo
 
Patrick Johnson said:
What are the variables from cushion to cushion? Here's what comes to mind:

- faster/slower
- bounce longer/shorter
- more/less consistent

How do the main types compare in these ways?

pj
chgo
Click to expand...

Could also add:

-how environmental factors (temp/humidity) affect the ball's reaction
-How the age of the cloth affects the ball's reaction (people here have stated new cloth on a Diamond plays much better than old cloth)
-How the cleanliness of the ball affects the ball's reaction (Pro John Schmidt has stated here on AZ many times over the years that a polished ball plays properly on a Diamond, while a dirtier ball climbs the cushion and does not play properly)
-How the angle of attack into the cushion affects the ball's reaction
-How the speed into the cushion affects the balls reaction
 
9andout said:
...I wish my game was good enough to notice the difference.
Lol
Click to expand...

I was watching Mike Sigel play on a local Diamond table. He was missing position by over a foot when coming off the long rail. He kept complaining about the rails as compared to what was "normal." It was enough of a factor that he had to change some of his position decisions when coming off the rail.
 
I prefer the gold crown all day. They rebound closer to a natural angle and the ball actually slows down when it hits the rail a little.... Compared to the unnatural speed of the diamond rails.
 
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