Pro Cup aka Poka Dot ball vrs Red Circle

What do ya think?

  • One the way out

    Votes: 9 22.0%

  • They are here to stay

    Votes: 32 78.0%
  • Total voters
    41
  • Poll closed .
Tom In Cincy

Tom In Cincy

AKA SactownTom
Silver Member
Are the Pro Cup cue balls on their way out?
The Red Circle balls are being used on most of the tables in the major US Open events, except for the TV table(s).
The DCC uses Red Circle balls on all but the TV table.


Is the Pro Cup cue ball on the way out?

I bought a Red Circle ball just to practice with. Same size and weight of the Pro Cup, just made differently.
 
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Tom In Cincy said:
Are the Pro Cup cue balls on their way out?
The Red Circle balls are being used on most of the tables in the major US Open events, except for the TV table(s).
The DCC uses Red Circle balls on all but the TV table.


Is the Pro Cup cue ball on the way out?

I bought a Red Circle ball just to practice with. Same size and weight of the Pro Cup, just made differently.
Click to expand...

The 2012 Pro Players Championships (PA) and US Open 10-Ball (Vegas) used Pro Cup aka Measle cue balls.

Nope, I don't think it's on the way out.

The only difference in the Red Circle vs. Measle ball is in its composition - different materials; which means everything, with regard to playability and interaction with the other balls.

Going from a Measle ball to a Red Circle, you will undercut everything and visa/versa.

The Measle is made to the same specs (and composition) as the Pro Cup Ballset - which is also seems to be the same as the Brunswick Centennial Ballset; however the Blue Circle Cue Ball plays differently - so, maybe not.
 
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These are observations I've made from MY experiences with these two cueballs:

The measle ball that I own SEEMS to play a little heavier than any other cueball (save the "mudball") I've ever used.

I can draw a red circle cueball further/easier than any other cueball I've ever used. Plus, when I'm playing in poolhalls that have the red circle cueballs in their ball sets, it seems like I see a lot more cueballs flying off the tables on breakshots.

Maybe I'm crazy???

Maniac
 
I do not like the measles ball at all, I see no need to watch all the spots spinning around. I know what english I need to make the shot and don't want my opponent to know what I did. Wasn't the whole concept of the measles ball for the audience anyway??
 
I've always preferred the Blue Circle cue ball in 14.1. Its heavier than the Red Circle and will churn thur the stack much better with high force follow. The Blue Circle cue ball comes with a new set of Brunswick Centennials. In rotation games I prefer the red circle, this lighter ball allows me to move whitey around the table allot easier when I get on the wrong side of the ball as I'm very adept at drawing a ball around table off rail 5 rails. Yrs of playing on the old rag cloth made you develop that swing.
 
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CrownCityCorey said:
The 2012 Pro Players Championships (PA) and US Open 10-Ball (Vegas) used Pro Cup aka Measle cue balls.

Nope, I don't think it's on the way out.

The only difference in the Red Circle vs. Measle ball is in its composition - different materials; which means everything, with regard to playability and interaction with the other balls.

Going from a Measle ball to a Red Circle, you will undercut everything and visa/versa.

The Measle is made to the same specs (and composition) as the Pro Cup Ballset - which is also seems to be the same as the Brunswick Centennial Ballset; however the Blue Circle Cue Ball plays differently - so, maybe not.
Click to expand...

I agree. Additionally, the Red Circle ball has always been a "specialty" cue ball product from Aramith anyway. "Specialty" meaning it is, and has always been, offered as a separate cue ball product -- it has never been bundled with Aramith ball sets, as the Pro Cup (measles ball) has. That says a lot, by the way, about how Aramith views the Red Circle -- they feel the Pro Cup is a better matched ball to the object balls than the Red Circle is.

Whenever you hear of someone getting a tray of balls and there's a Red Circle cue ball in there, you can bet that tray set of balls was "assembled" by the pool hall to substitute the Red Circle for whatever cue ball that originally came with the object ball set.

-Sean
 
sfleinen said:
Whenever you hear of someone getting a tray of balls and there's a Red Circle cue ball in there, you can bet that tray set of balls was "assembled" by the pool hall to substitute the Red Circle for whatever cue ball that originally came with the object ball set.

-Sean
Click to expand...

I always figured these balls were in the poolhall's set to replace stolen/lost cueballs. In my regular hangout, there's more than a few racks that have cueballs that are a tiny bit smaller (import knockoffs???) than the object balls and several more racks that have 8-balls that have a not-so-shiny finish to them. I think they are probably going the cheapest route whenever they are replacing stolen/lost balls.

Maniac (leaning heavily toward "stolen" as opposed to "lost")
 
Maniac said:
I always figured these balls were in the poolhall's set to replace stolen/lost cueballs. In my regular hangout, there's more than a few racks that have cueballs that are a tiny bit smaller (import knockoffs???) than the object balls and several more racks that have 8-balls that have a not-so-shiny finish to them. I think they are probably going the cheapest route whenever they are replacing stolen/lost balls.

Maniac (leaning heavily toward "stolen" as opposed to "lost")
Click to expand...

I agree with this as well. In fact, there's only one pool hall near me that doesn't have a mix of Centennials and Aramith balls in each tray of balls (they do their due diligence to keep the balls matched). It's odd when I go to a pool hall, getting a tray of balls, and some balls have the Centennial "darts" while others don't, and some stripe balls have the numbers on the white area of the balls while other stripe balls have the numbers in the stripe itself.

What will be interesting, though, is that these differences will probably vanish, as Aramith was already well on their way to "standardizing" all their ball product specifications (i.e. weights, size tolerances, and resins -- making them all pretty much the same) before Aramith themselves was bought by Simonis. As corporate acquisitions normally go, the whale-doing-the-swallowing will want to further streamline the whale-being-swallowed's products. We may see a day when there won't be a difference between a Red Circle and Pro Cup (measles) ball, save for the markings on the ball.

-Sean
 
sfleinen said:
...What will be interesting, though, is that these differences will probably vanish, as Aramith was already well on their way to "standardizing" all their ball product specifications (i.e. weights, size tolerances, and resins -- making them all pretty much the same) before Aramith themselves was bought by Simonis. As corporate acquisitions normally go, the whale-doing-the-swallowing will want to further streamline the whale-being-swallowed's products. We may see a day when there won't be a difference between a Red Circle and Pro Cup (measles) ball, save for the markings on the ball.

-Sean
Click to expand...

I would be surprised at this only because it makes sense for Aramith to continue offering balls at different price points with the lower priced balls made from less expensive materials. The market for sets under $300 has to be huge.

In any event, what Sean said about the red circle is correct - it is Aramith's generic stand alone CB used primarily for replacing CBs. It is made from a resin formula that does not come with any of their sets, and appears to be two levels of quality below the blue circle, red logo, and Pro Cup (measles ball), which are all made from the same Super Pro resin that the Super Pros and Centennials ball sets are made from.
 
DogsPlayingPool said:
I would be surprised at this only because it makes sense for Aramith to continue offering balls at different price points with the lower priced balls made from less expensive materials. The market for sets under $300 has to be huge.

In any event, what Sean said about the red circle is correct - it is Aramith's generic stand alone CB used primarily for replacing CBs. It is made from a resin formula that does not come with any of their sets, and appears to be two levels of quality below the blue circle, red logo, and Pro Cup (measles ball), which are all made from the same Super Pro resin that the Super Pros and Centennials ball sets are made from.
Click to expand...

this... i just read a thread the other day discussing all the differences between the cue balls... i forget if that was a new thread or old one i had found. i'll have to see if i can find it again and post a link here...
 
I don't think all red circle cue balls are made the same. Sometimes, I think some feel a little heavy or play like it is heavy.


Now a measles cue ball feels lighter when you shoot with one. Seems easier to move around.


Maybe it's the $20 price tag compared to a $10 red circle cue ball.:D
 
that's it! post 5!
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=3524257&postcount=5





i have centennial balls on my table at home... although i've used a measles cue ball for the past year. now i guess i need to go home and weigh / measure to see how close the cue balls are ;) one of the threads i was reading talked about replacing the cue ball on regular basis due to the extra wear it gets compared to other balls.

how quick do they wear down from use and polishing?

i thought one of the benefits of centennials was they could be polished more often and still last longer than other balls. i do keep my table clean and my balls polished (balls get polished maybe 3 or 4 times a year i'd guess).
 
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poolguy4u said:
I don't think all red circle cue balls are made the same. Sometimes, I think some feel a little heavy or play like it is heavy.


Now a measles cue ball feels lighter when you shoot with one. Seems easier to move around.


Maybe it's the $20 price tag compared to a $10 red circle cue ball.:D
Click to expand...
Measle cue balls play HEAVIER to me and to a lot of people I know.
They follow more but are tough to draw.
Even more so if the object balls are old and worn out.
 
j13smiley said:
that's it! post 5!
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=3524257&postcount=5





i have centennial balls on my table at home... although i've used a measles cue ball for the past year. now i guess i need to go home and weigh / measure to see how close the cue balls are ;) one of the threads i was reading talked about replacing the cue ball on regular basis due to the extra wear it gets compared to other balls.

how quick do they wear down from use and polishing?

i thought one of the benefits of centennials was they could be polished more often and still last longer than other balls. i do keep my table clean and my balls polished (balls get polished maybe 3 or 4 times a year i'd guess).
Click to expand...

No problem using the measles ball (the official Aramith Pro Cup) with your Cents as it is the same ball (made of the same material) as the Blue Circle that came with the set. The issue is the weight of any replacement ball. The Cents are said to be a matched set meaning all balls in the set are matched by size, weight, and color. The spec for balls are between 5 1/2 to 6.0 oz. So what a matched set means is that throughout the set the balls will be very close in weight. So in one set the balls may be close to 5 1/2 oz while in another set the balls may all be closer to 6 oz. When putting a replacement ball in a set it may be heavier or lighter than the rest of the set, even though it is within the spec range. It's sort of luck of the draw. Too bad the measles ball is individually packaged or it would be easier to weigh several at a store and pick the one that weighs closest to the rest of the balls in your set.

The Cents should last years and years, though they may discolor over time.
 
They are not the same weight.
And one reason you see them on alot of diamond tables is because they take coins and are not open. measle ball goes.in with regular balls on diamonds since its the same weight. Red circle returns to where the cue ball comes out.

Red circle if anything is the one on the way out. Go try and find 2 red circles at a pool room near you that are the same size and weight as each other. Alot harder then u think
 
Tom In Cincy said:
Are the Pro Cup cue balls on their way out?
The Red Circle balls are being used on most of the tables in the major US Open events, except for the TV table(s).
The DCC uses Red Circle balls on all but the TV table.


Is the Pro Cup cue ball on the way out?

I bought a Red Circle ball just to practice with. Same size and weight of the Pro Cup, just made differently.
Click to expand...

People steal the measle ball that's why they don't use it on all the tables plus it's more expensive. No I don't think it's on it's way out, why would you even ask that when as you said the Pro Cup Balls are used on every TV table. Just wondering do you not like the Pro Cup Ball?
Archer and Bustamante both said they liked the measle ball better than the red circle on the last TAR podcast.
 
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DogsPlayingPool said:
No problem using the measles ball (the official Aramith Pro Cup) with your Cents as it is the same ball (made of the same material) as the Blue Circle that came with the set. The issue is the weight of any replacement ball. The Cents are said to be a matched set meaning all balls in the set are matched by size, weight, and color. The spec for balls are between 5 1/2 to 6.0 oz. So what a matched set means is that throughout the set the balls will be very close in weight. So in one set the balls may be close to 5 1/2 oz while in another set the balls may all be closer to 6 oz. When putting a replacement ball in a set it may be heavier or lighter than the rest of the set, even though it is within the spec range. It's sort of luck of the draw. Too bad the measles ball is individually packaged or it would be easier to weigh several at a store and pick the one that weighs closest to the rest of the balls in your set.

The Cents should last years and years, though they may discolor over time.
Click to expand...

I measured the diameter and weight of 3 Red Circle and 3 Aramith Measle cue balls. All were extremely close to the same exact weight and diameter. I wish I had written down the results, but didn't.
 
poolhustler said:
I measured the diameter and weight of 3 Red Circle and 3 Aramith Measle cue balls. All were extremely close to the same exact weight and diameter. I wish I had written down the results, but didn't.
Click to expand...

That's what I would expect; Aramith has pretty good quality control. The Red Circle however, is made from a different resin at a lower price point. So it still may react differently than than the measles ball, depending on the ball set being used.

I would also think that the measles ball, being made of a higher end resin, would be a little easier on the bed cloth.
 
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