Pool Ball Set

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Bumpa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I volunteer at a senior assisted living center. Even though I am mostly a beginner, I know enough to teach and play pool with the residents. The 30+ year old Olhausen table is in poor condition with Accu-Dead cushions, rough cloth, loose pockets, and old scratched and dull balls. I recently refinished/retipped the old Dufferin cues, and they work great.

Now I would like to replace the balls. Since the table does not get much use, do I need to invest in an expensive set of Aramith balls? How much should I expect to spend on a set of balls that would look good, play well, and last many years?

Thanks.

Rick
 
I would imagine the level of use of the table, and the experience of the users, would call for a cheaper set of balls and be just fine. The Aramith Premier set (entry level Aramith IIRC) is semi-cheap and of solid quality.
For perspective, while I like the shiny perfectness of my Aramith Super Pros, I don't notice an appreciable difference with a set of no-name cheap balls I had from a previous table.
 
Before you replace the balls, make sure the pockets on the table do not have anything sticking out, or have ripped linings. If the balls they have are dinged up and scratched, it could be from the table and a new set will get the same treatment.

I took a friend's Centennial set to play with in a pool room because the balls they had were old and scratched. After a few hours I found out why their balls where scratched, the Centennials I brought also had some new slices on them, the leather lining on top of the pockets were cut and exposed a sharp and jagged metal edge. Hit a ball hard into that, after a few games the balls are in bad shape.
 
IMHO balls are one of those things (unlike 99.99% of the rest of pool equipment) that you get what you pay for.
 
hang-the-9 said:
Before you replace the balls, make sure the pockets on the table do not have anything sticking out, or have ripped linings. If the balls they have are dinged up and scratched, it could be from the table and a new set will get the same treatment.

I took a friend's Centennial set to play with in a pool room because the balls they had were old and scratched. After a few hours I found out why their balls where scratched, the Centennials I brought also had some new slices on them, the leather lining on top of the pockets were cut and exposed a sharp and jagged metal edge. Hit a ball hard into that, after a few games the balls are in bad shape.
Click to expand...

great post!
 
Guys -

Thank you for the replies. At our level, I suspect none of us would know the difference between an expensive versus a cheaper set of balls, so I will probably not invest a lot of money. And I will check the pockets for sharp edges. Good advice. Thanks again.

Rick
 
Something to consider is buying a used set. Wih limited use they may last for several years. One of the local sports bars here was selling used sets of Arimith balls for $20 each.
 
Bumpa said:
I volunteer at a senior assisted living center. Even though I am mostly a beginner, I know enough to teach and play pool with the residents. The 30+ year old Olhausen table is in poor condition with Accu-Dead cushions, rough cloth, loose pockets, and old scratched and dull balls. I recently refinished/retipped the old Dufferin cues, and they work great.

Now I would like to replace the balls. Since the table does not get much use, do I need to invest in an expensive set of Aramith balls? How much should I expect to spend on a set of balls that would look good, play well, and last many years?

Thanks.

Rick
Click to expand...

I'm nothing special on the table but I notice a difference between my scuffed-up cheap balls and my friend's polished Centennials. Having said that, though, it sounds like you'd be better off putting your money into the table and getting a cheaper set of balls right now.
 
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