Pool Ball Weights

[Mensabum]

As you mentioned, racking can be a large issue. If the balls are fairly old and the room has to replace one of them, a tight rack will be hard to get. If sets of different ages get scrambled, good luck.

As for position play problems, here is an analysis I did in my December, 2005 column in Billiards Digest -- at the end of the PDF. For the range of ball size errors we actually saw in that room, the difference is significant on draw shots.

http://www.sfbilliards.com/articles/2005.pdf

Well, how bout dat.

 

[fritzwalker]

As you mentioned, racking can be a large issue. If the balls are fairly old and the room has to replace one of them, a tight rack will be hard to get. If sets of different ages get scrambled, good luck.

As for position play problems, here is an analysis I did in my December, 2005 column in Billiards Digest -- at the end of the PDF. For the range of ball size errors we actually saw in that room, the difference is significant on draw shots.

http://www.sfbilliards.com/articles/2005.pdf

Interesting article, Bob. But I note that you describe a ball that is 0.33 oz. or about 9 g lighter. With that much of a difference I'm not surprised at all that you will encounter a big difference in draw. But when I expressed skepticism about a noticeable or controllable effect I was talking about a 1 - 2 g difference in the ball sets under discussion; i.e., about a 1% difference. I'm still a little doubtful that difference will be significant, but freely admit I might be wrong. Just going on intuition here.

 

[Bob Jewett]

Interesting article, Bob. But I note that you describe a ball that is 0.33 oz. or about 9 g lighter. With that much of a difference I'm not surprised at all that you will encounter a big difference in draw. But when I expressed skepticism about a noticeable or controllable effect I was talking about a 1 - 2 g difference in the ball sets under discussion; i.e., about a 1% difference. I'm still a little doubtful that difference will be significant, but freely admit I might be wrong. Just going on intuition here.

A one gram difference between balls in a new set will be hard to notice. The most sensitive test I've seen that a player can repeat is using half-ball follow angles. I have seen balls in play that were significantly different on that test although they looked nearly the same -- I didn't have a chance to weigh them.

In the test I described in the column, the weight difference caused three diamonds of draw instead of two. If the draw difference goes linearly with mass error, the draw distance difference will be around half a ball. Most players have a lot more inherent error in their two-diamond draw shots than that.

 

[Mensabum]

That is the story. Not compression, but wear and damage. Temporary compression and snap back causes very tiny flecks to come off of the balls. As you noted, the cue ball has the most collisions so gets the most wear.

I went in an old pool hall and the cue ball was visibly smaller than the other balls to the naked eye. I happened to have a measle ball in the truck and just walked out and got it. I was a stranger and didn't know if the counterman was playing games or not.

I bought the thirty dollar measle ball but quit playing with it because I found it played heavy too. I believe that pool balls are oven cured as part of the manufacturing process and I also think that measle balls are clear coated in an extra step before final cure. I think that some part of this different processing changes the hardness or rebound of the measles ball. Going four rails it seemed to roll a foot to a foot and a half further than the house cue balls. Made it worse than worthless to practice with. Took a couple years but I finally found somebody that was getting ready to play in an event the measle ball was going to be used in to give it away.

My usual long winded post to say that I found the measle ball to play heavy too. It was new and the cue balls I compared it to weren't but it seemed to play enough heavier to wreck practice using it.

Hu

I gotta agree that my measles plays 'Heavier' than a red or blue or even no dot cue ball.
That's why I like it. Compression plays a huge roll in how balls react coming off collisions and how the cue ball was made, type of material, bake time, % of moisture in the mix, length of curing process, was it a vacuum cure, or?? It plays heavy bcuz of several of these factors being different than how the other cue balls were made.
Thanks for that comment Hu!!
Tells me I'm not crazy, and have company if I am.

 

[Mensabum]

A one gram difference between balls in a new set will be hard to notice. The most sensitive test I've seen that a player can repeat is using half-ball follow angles. I have seen balls in play that were significantly different on that test although they looked nearly the same -- I didn't have a chance to weigh them.

In the test I described in the column, the weight difference caused three diamonds of draw instead of two. If the draw difference goes linearly with mass error, the draw distance difference will be around half a ball. Most players have a lot more inherent error in their two-diamond draw shots than that.

This may sound crazy, but back in the day, cue balls were heavier. Most old guys recall those bar box balls as big as softballs. I liked the measles ball from the get go, bcuz it had a 'touch' of that 'big ball play' to it. They way it drew, rolled thru on kills,
Came off the rail, all of it. Reminiscent of a day long past.
Remember, I'm medicated guys. As often as possible.

 

[ShootingArts]

This may sound crazy, but back in the day, cue balls were heavier. Most old guys recall those bar box balls as big as softballs. I liked the measles ball from the get go, bcuz it had a 'touch' of that 'big ball play' to it. They way it drew, rolled thru on kills,
Came off the rail, all of it. Reminiscent of a day long past.
Remember, I'm medicated guys. As often as possible.

I liked those big heavy cue balls or just heavy cue balls. I called them eight hundred pound gorillas. They were definitely a help in playing pinpoint cue ball position on a bar box. You always knew reactions when you had one of them on the table. Equal weight or light cue balls made things less certain.

I went in a place with the oldest Diamonds I know of. They gave me a tray of balls with a cue ball that looked like a walnut! A quick confirmation about how little it was and I just walked out to my truck for my cue ball. Figured they were game playing and the game wasn't pool!

Hu

 

[Mensabum]

I liked those big heavy cue balls or just heavy cue balls. I called them eight hundred pound gorillas. They were definitely a help in playing pinpoint cue ball position on a bar box. You always knew reactions when you had one of them on the table. Equal weight or light cue balls made things less certain.

I went in a place with the oldest Diamonds I know of. They gave me a tray of balls with a cue ball that looked like a walnut! A quick confirmation about how little it was and I just walked out to my truck for my cue ball. Figured they were game playing and the game wasn't pool!

Hu

I'm glad somebody else does as well. I liked pushing that old mud ball around those beat to hell bar boxes in no man's land. If you wanted to scare em, you just drew it about 4 foot. Took care of that shit real quick. Lol.
New players don't know what they're missing.
Then again, perhaps they do.

 

[ShootingArts]

I'm glad somebody else does as well. I liked pushing that old mud ball around those beat to hell bar boxes in no man's land. If you wanted to scare em, you just drew it about 4 foot. Took care of that shit real quick. Lol.
New players don't know what they're missing.
Then again, perhaps they do.

I hear tell Keith and a few others liked the mud ball too.

I had to laugh about draw. Like you say, if you could draw the mud ball straight back a few feet or more people were in awe!

Hu

 

[Mensabum]

I hear tell Keith and a few others liked the mud ball too.

I had to laugh about draw. Like you say, if you could draw the mud ball straight back a few feet or more people were in awe!

Hu

Thank ya kind sir!! We aims to please.

 

[Bavafongoul]

What is so startling, although the financial implication why seems pretty obvious, is the official rules of pocket billiards
allows for a object ball weight variance up to 1/2 oz. which seems pretty generous. I’d otherwise have thought the
tolerances should be much tighter. Imagine playing with a set where all the odd numbered balls were 1/2 oz. lighter
than the even numbered balls. I suppose it would be legal or how about playing a cue ball 1/2 oz. lighter than the OBs.

The last time I checked, the rules would allow it and the balls in a tournament aren’t supposed to be polished either.
How many pool balls have sets of balls that aren’t all the same? We tend to overlook how much replacing sets cost?

 

[garczar]

Tulsa legend Fat Randy Wallace loved the mudball on those Valley's. He beat a lot of champions in that little arena.

 

[ShootingArts]

What is so startling, although the financial implication why seems pretty obvious, is the official rules of pocket billiards
allows for a object ball weight variance up to 1/2 oz. which seems pretty generous. I’d otherwise have thought the
tolerances should be much tighter. Imagine playing with a set where all the odd numbered balls were 1/2 oz. lighter
than the even numbered balls. I suppose it would be legal or how about playing a cue ball 1/2 oz. lighter than the OBs.

The last time I checked, the rules would allow it and the balls in a tournament aren’t supposed to be polished either.
How many pool balls have sets of balls that aren’t all the same? We tend to overlook how much replacing sets cost?

I was in a quality pool hall, well maintained Diamonds with the cloth changed at least once a year. Something called my attention to the tray of balls. All too common for the cue ball to not match the rest. They get stolen or substituted. However, I noticed three different designs on the numbered balls. They were from at least three different sets. Weights, resin blends, and cures could vary even in sets that look the same.

A week are two later I brought in an almost new set of thirty dollar balls that I had bought planning to cut up for a project. This matched set of dirt cheap ballss played far better than the balls from the counter at the pool hall. If I was to play a big money match I would bring my own set of at least medium quality matched balls or ask if there was a new set on hand.

Hu

 

[Mensabum]

I see yhat

I was in a quality pool hall, well maintained Diamonds with the cloth changed at least once a year. Something called my attention to the tray of balls. All too common for the cue ball to not match the rest. They get stolen or substituted. However, I noticed three different designs on the numbered balls. They were from at least three different sets. Weights, resin blends, and cures could vary even in sets that look the same.

A week are two later I brought in an almost new set of thirty dollar balls that I had bought planning to cut up for a project. This matched set of dirt cheap ballss played far better than the balls from the counter at the pool hall. If I was to play a big money match I would bring my own set of at least medium quality matched balls or ask if there was a new set on hand.

Hu

I see that all too often in some halls. Mismatched sets of balls. They do what they gotta. Not like they're making money hand over fist. Don't be afraid to ask for a decent set, but sometimes you just gotta go w the flow. When in Rome and all that.

 

[Mensabum]

What is so startling, although the financial implication why seems pretty obvious, is the official rules of pocket billiards
allows for a object ball weight variance up to 1/2 oz. which seems pretty generous. I’d otherwise have thought the
tolerances should be much tighter. Imagine playing with a set where all the odd numbered balls were 1/2 oz. lighter
than the even numbered balls. I suppose it would be legal or how about playing a cue ball 1/2 oz. lighter than the OBs.

The last time I checked, the rules would allow it and the balls in a tournament aren’t supposed to be polished either.
How many pool balls have sets of balls that aren’t all the same? We tend to overlook how much replacing sets cost?

That's crazy!!

 

[ShootingArts]

I see yhat

I see that all too often in some halls. Mismatched sets of balls. They do what they gotta. Not like they're making money hand over fist. Don't be afraid to ask for a decent set, but sometimes you just gotta go w the flow. When in Rome and all that.

I don't ask, just do a quick shuffle myself so that all my balls at least have matching patterns! No harm to the trays I scavenge from since they now have more matching pattern balls too.

Some halls have cleaners that clean more than one set of balls at once and I think that contributes to the mismatches at those halls. Fifty years ago I played at one old hall with clay balls. The owner was smart enough to keep a set of balls matched to a table. The old ten footers in there had two and a half inch slate! Todays tables don't begin to match those old monsters.

Hu

 

[Bavafongoul]

The best thing I ever did was invest in a set of Aramith pool balls and a travel case.

A few years later I upgraded to a new set of Centennials when they were under $300?
Now I have 3 sets of Centennials and 2 Aramith sets but basically just play Centennials.

 

[Mensabum]

I don't ask, just do a quick shuffle myself so that all my balls at least have matching patterns! No harm to the trays I scavenge from since they now have more matching pattern balls too.

Some halls have cleaners that clean more than one set of balls at once and I think that contributes to the mismatches at those halls. Fifty years ago I played at one old hall with clay balls. The owner was smart enough to keep a set of balls matched to a table. The old ten footers in there had two and a half inch slate! Todays tables don't begin to match those old monsters.

Hu

I envy an old dude comes in with his own set of balls. It's a shame the tables aren't in good enuf shape for that to matter. I wouldn't put my own set on many of the tables locally. Nails sticking out of pocket liners, staples coming loose, crap all over the cloth, you know what I mean. I wouldn't want my balls exposed to that. My balls need to be in a soft warm place.

 

[Mensabum]

The best thing I ever did was invest in a set of Aramith pool balls and a travel case.

A few years later I upgraded to a new set of Centennials when they were under $300?
Now I have 3 sets of Centennials and 2 Aramith sets but basically just play Centennials.

What's the difference, if you don't mind me asking?? I don't keep up on all that. I just hope they're all kinda the same size and still round enuf to roll.
Messin witcha.

 

[Mensabum]

I don't ask, just do a quick shuffle myself so that all my balls at least have matching patterns! No harm to the trays I scavenge from since they now have more matching pattern balls too.

Some halls have cleaners that clean more than one set of balls at once and I think that contributes to the mismatches at those halls. Fifty years ago I played at one old hall with clay balls. The owner was smart enough to keep a set of balls matched to a table. The old ten footers in there had two and a half inch slate! Todays tables don't begin to match those old monsters.

Hu

I had an old ivory cue ball we used on those old clay bastards. You recall those Hu!! On many a bar table in rural towns. Tables were as old as the balls. Probably came with them. Promotional or some such. Now, those took talent. Mud ball and claybees. Boy, talk about deadsville.