Good point. I play in pristine tournament conditions at home. Clean table, good cloth, clean like new balls. I play almost exclusively among a group of friends who all have home tables and we get together when we can. When I play on public tables it is definitely different, but I honestly play a little better after a little warm up. Dirty balls play with a little more forgiveness and less throw than a clean new or like new set.
you must not have a Diamond table...the dye from the pockets mark the balls
That was a concern for me as well so I built mine to store easily under my Gold Crown.
Are balls different in the uk? Same methods listed here should work anywhere.
It has been my observation that clean freshly polished balls throw far less than dirty ball which throw more. Same with spin transfer and balls hit to rail with spin, more affect with dirty balls and less affect with polished balls.
Less friction with clean balls
Honestly, this depends on how they are cleaned. The alcohol / Aramith mixture leaves the balls more "squeaky clean" than Aramith alone and they actually are very clean, but throw quite a bit more. Dr. Dave did a really good video on throw impact of various cleaning methods. His video showed that balls cleaned with just alcohol throw A LOT. The Alcohol / Aramith spray mixture in my machine produces a throw about equal to that of a set new out of the box. Aramith cleaned balls clearly throw less, and balls cleaned with silicone compounds almost don't throw at all, but that changes as the cleaner residue wears off the balls in his video. The Alcohol / Aramith mixture was not part of his test though.
