Seriously..that non-rack rack?
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Awesome!!
The magic rack is awesome! A consistent, perfect rack every time. The same for both players. It should be the new standard for all tournament play, in my opinion anyway...
The magic rack is awesome! A consistent, perfect rack every time. The same for both players. It should be the new standard for all tournament play, in my opinion anyway...
You didn't watch the stream did you now??
I hope they fix the problem for tomorrow because it was the deciding factor in all of the matches... Efren got a slug in his match and there were plenty of times The Magic Ball Rack was not freezing the balls.... I think I counted at least 8....
Something should only be a new standard if it does something better than the old way...
Magic ball rack at Accu-Stats invitational
I have found that the magic ball rack works good for 8-ball.
BUT you have to make sure to 'gently' push the balls into each other.
If there was a problem, it was probably from the person racking the balls and their inexperience. Used properly, the balls will be frozen and break well.
Mark Griffin
I have found that the magic ball rack works good for 8-ball.
BUT you have to make sure to 'gently' push the balls into each other.
If there was a problem, it was probably from the person racking the balls and their inexperience. Used properly, the balls will be frozen and break well.
Mark Griffin
Here's what the rack is all about:
Consistency. It sounds like Shane was upset that he wasn't able to make a ball on the break. Big deal! Not every rack is going to be a break and run. Geez it seems like more and more, pros are becoming too picky about every miniscule thing.
Rack isn't breaking too good? Try a different break! Don't try changing the equipment to blame it for why you can't make a ball. Deal with it, your opponent is using the same tools. And if he's able to make balls, it means you're doing something wrong. People tend to forget tha sometimes the only thing you can control on the break is the cue ball. Sooo much is luck. There are thousands of things happening inside the rack at the moment of contact and the split seconds following initial contact. Trying to control the break and make a ball every single time takes away the element of mystery and challenge that makes the sport so great.
My point being, it shouldn't matter what rack you use, so long as both are using the same one.
Consistency. It sounds like Shane was upset that he wasn't able to make a ball on the break. Big deal! Not every rack is going to be a break and run. Geez it seems like more and more, pros are becoming too picky about every miniscule thing.
Rack isn't breaking too good? Try a different break! Don't try changing the equipment to blame it for why you can't make a ball. Deal with it, your opponent is using the same tools. And if he's able to make balls, it means you're doing something wrong. People tend to forget tha sometimes the only thing you can control on the break is the cue ball. Sooo much is luck. There are thousands of things happening inside the rack at the moment of contact and the split seconds following initial contact. Trying to control the break and make a ball every single time takes away the element of mystery and challenge that makes the sport so great.
My point being, it shouldn't matter what rack you use, so long as both are using the same one.
I know they had several people try and I would think with the instructions someone broke out that they should get it to work fine... I have used the 8ball and combo and while I "think" they are flawed on several points they never usually fail at the task of getting the balls loaded together.....
The head ball seemed to be the main issue as the players rejected multiple racks that Cosmo put up based on it not touching the 2 balls behind it...
Shuman, Archer, Cosmo, SVB, Corey and several others tried to solve the riddle but failed...
I wish I had found time in Tunica to show you the Accu-Rack system but there were just too few breaks. They are out of R&D now and I am pricing production setups and quantities... I'll send you a full set as soon as the first batch is ready for the market.....
"Just a thought for you to consider"
Well,-------(IMHO) The idea that the "Magic rack" has made some positive headway in solving some of the problems (common to getting the balls positioned fairly in the racking position) has some merit. However, when one considers that the 8-ball "Magic rack" itself, raises the outer balls, higher at the balls intersecting midpoint, presents some new variables that have negative side effects on how the balls explode and leave the rack area of the table and are completely attributable to this racks basic design.
With very little consideration one can see that the outer balls in this rack being raised even slightly above the centers of the inner balls, causes the whole explosion of the rack to offer some very "unnatural" responses!
But fear not, it should be obvious to everyone that this type of rack will be the future of racking the pool balls quickly and fairly, just not in the current "Magic rack" form.
P.S. I seriously doubt that racking inexperience is the problem with Kenny or Cosmo. Remember, along the same thought lines described above, those balls arn"t "Super Aramith Pro's" either! I wonder what that set balls circumference tolerances are?:smilewinkgrin:
Well,-------(IMHO) The idea that the "Magic rack" has made some positive headway in solving some of the problems (common to getting the balls positioned fairly in the racking position) has some merit. However, when one considers that the 8-ball "Magic rack" itself, raises the outer balls, higher at the balls intersecting midpoint, presents some new variables that have negative side effects on how the balls explode and leave the rack area of the table and are completely attributable to this racks basic design.
With very little consideration one can see that the outer balls in this rack being raised even slightly above the centers of the inner balls, causes the whole explosion of the rack to offer some very "unnatural" responses!
But fear not, it should be obvious to everyone that this type of rack will be the future of racking the pool balls quickly and fairly, just not in the current "Magic rack" form.
P.S. I seriously doubt that racking inexperience is the problem with Kenny or Cosmo. Remember, along the same thought lines described above, those balls arn"t "Super Aramith Pro's" either! I wonder what that set balls circumference tolerances are?:smilewinkgrin:
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For the life of me, I don't know why people don't use the Slug Doctor. It's perfect. Every single time.
I agree with the above poster about the Slug Doctor being an excellent racking tool. I have used the magic rack as well, and while it does as good a job when new, I don't like when it starts to get kinked and beat up.
The comments made about the outside balls being higher than the inner balls in a full rack (8 ball) when using the MR confused me though... I thought the contact point of the balls was still on the table, but the rack kept them from rolling off by surrounding that contact point. Am I wrong?
The comments made about the outside balls being higher than the inner balls in a full rack (8 ball) when using the MR confused me though... I thought the contact point of the balls was still on the table, but the rack kept them from rolling off by surrounding that contact point. Am I wrong?
Sardo is OK if you have a rolling dolly with you when you go play. Never had any issues in using the MR, it does make it pretty easy to make a ball in 9-ball though. Unless you have a pretty new ball set, a good rack and a table that is not worn at all around the rack area, it's better than anything else. Which means 95% of the time it's faster and tighter than a regular rack.
Quit Playing
I had quit playing for several years (probably 11 years) and started back last November. I had seen and used the Sardo and while it seemed to work fairly well I remember racks would still fall apart on tables with worn cloth. Since starting back playing again, I have purchased the Magic Rack system as I was very impressed at how well it works. I agree that it is possible to have some gaps in the rack if the balls are not placed carefully in their slots. But, by simply examining the rack and tapping the balls into place with your fingers a perfect, tight rack can be achieved EVERY time.
Can the MR be improved? Sure! But without a doubt, it is definitely a giant step in the right direction for consistent racking. I would rather use nothing else. When matching up to play 9 or 10 ball, using the MR is always a stipulation. No more getting jacked on the rack whether intentional or not.
I had quit playing for several years (probably 11 years) and started back last November. I had seen and used the Sardo and while it seemed to work fairly well I remember racks would still fall apart on tables with worn cloth. Since starting back playing again, I have purchased the Magic Rack system as I was very impressed at how well it works. I agree that it is possible to have some gaps in the rack if the balls are not placed carefully in their slots. But, by simply examining the rack and tapping the balls into place with your fingers a perfect, tight rack can be achieved EVERY time.
Can the MR be improved? Sure! But without a doubt, it is definitely a giant step in the right direction for consistent racking. I would rather use nothing else. When matching up to play 9 or 10 ball, using the MR is always a stipulation. No more getting jacked on the rack whether intentional or not.
Magic racks work great. Every ball gets dead nuts frozen.
Last night Shane asked to switch, but Johnny was able to make balls using the exact same rack. Darren broke dry just about the whole set but again his opponent found a way to make something drop. The balls are spreading just fine, there are no slugs here.
If players aren't making specific balls in specific pockets (like the 2nd row ball in the side)... it's possibly due to some difference in the geometry of the 10 foot table.
If the rack itself is truly at fault, don't blame ALL magic racks. I've had a few duds where one hole is off, or got worn, or the rack got creased badly.
Maybe the balls in the red'n'yellow set are a hair larger or smaller than the rack is designed for?
Maybe the spot is off, or the ref forgot to cinch the balls, or he angled it by accident?
Last night Shane asked to switch, but Johnny was able to make balls using the exact same rack. Darren broke dry just about the whole set but again his opponent found a way to make something drop. The balls are spreading just fine, there are no slugs here.
If players aren't making specific balls in specific pockets (like the 2nd row ball in the side)... it's possibly due to some difference in the geometry of the 10 foot table.
If the rack itself is truly at fault, don't blame ALL magic racks. I've had a few duds where one hole is off, or got worn, or the rack got creased badly.
Maybe the balls in the red'n'yellow set are a hair larger or smaller than the rack is designed for?
Maybe the spot is off, or the ref forgot to cinch the balls, or he angled it by accident?
Well, after the stream last night they came down and gave lessons in how to rack with the Magic Rack. It looked as if the order that the balls were placed into the template mattered. Cosmo was placing the head ball first but it appeared as if he was instructed to place a ball on either side of the rack first instead. Also, the Magic Rack needs to be oriented a certain way and during the stream someone came out and was showing Cosmo the mark on the rack that should be on the spot.
The problem could possibly be slight nuances of the Magic Rack of which they were unaware. When I saw Cosmo trying to tap in the head ball while using the Magic Rack template, I thought it was odd. Tapping in usually won't work when you have a template.
It was the first day of the tournament and I'm sure they are working on getting all the minor glitches out of the system. So far it has been an incredible stream with very minor problems.
The problem could possibly be slight nuances of the Magic Rack of which they were unaware. When I saw Cosmo trying to tap in the head ball while using the Magic Rack template, I thought it was odd. Tapping in usually won't work when you have a template.
It was the first day of the tournament and I'm sure they are working on getting all the minor glitches out of the system. So far it has been an incredible stream with very minor problems.
Anytime you can minimize whining & complaining about the rack, it improves the game and how others percieve our sport. Sardo was Expen$ive, heavy, couldn't hang it on the light if needed and I'm sure there were other issues. And if you mistakenly dropped the plastic Sardo rack, it could possibly cut the cloth or break, or people would steal it. Its time came and went, and like everything out there it evolved. I wonder from what perspective your forming your decision? Have you played, traveled, gambled and been in events such as the US Open, or not? How many pro events or semi pro events have you played and ca$hed in to come to this conclusion? If you've been out there for yrs and have come to this conclusion I would question your logic.
Personally I prefer the great wooden racks and the sounds they created as they are part of the game, just like the sound of Sigel with a sliding obj. ball hitttin/slapping the back of the pocket, its special.
I came into last night stream half expecting to see the red and yellow balls gone, there were so many neg posts about them. I had no issues at all following what the commentators saying.This may have been aided by the fact that the balls spread so well last night-very few clusters.
Also someone pointed out we have been trained for the commentators to tell us what the pattern will be. It's almost a competition between them at times to call the future shots. They dont do that in Snooker and perhaps we shouldnt so often either. Still i had no problem understanding the patterns being called out. In fact when they have the real balls and they mention the 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 14 15. Chances are i wont be able to tell which ones they are. No one could on the straight pool last week for sure.
Also someone pointed out we have been trained for the commentators to tell us what the pattern will be. It's almost a competition between them at times to call the future shots. They dont do that in Snooker and perhaps we shouldnt so often either. Still i had no problem understanding the patterns being called out. In fact when they have the real balls and they mention the 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 14 15. Chances are i wont be able to tell which ones they are. No one could on the straight pool last week for sure.
HARD TO MAKE BALLS BREAKING ????
Of course it is. This isn't 9-ball or even 10-ball.
This is 15 ball folks and on a bigger table !
Thats 2 very big factors to think about when pondering why dry.
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Ok other Sardo thing in OP. Sardo works well on a table with brand new cloth. And even then it was dimpled to help this dinosaur size rack do the job. Besides it was very expensive and not affordable for 99% of the pool world.
Like trying to deliver pizza in a semi.
R I P Sardo !
Of course it is. This isn't 9-ball or even 10-ball.
This is 15 ball folks and on a bigger table !
Thats 2 very big factors to think about when pondering why dry.
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Ok other Sardo thing in OP. Sardo works well on a table with brand new cloth. And even then it was dimpled to help this dinosaur size rack do the job. Besides it was very expensive and not affordable for 99% of the pool world.
Like trying to deliver pizza in a semi.
R I P Sardo !
I use the Magic Rack on my home table for practice, just to keep the table from developing divots in the rack area. For this, it works great. I have had three of the 8-ball racks, and found that the rack has only one position in which it racks properly. Because of the angles at which the diamonds are cut into the rack, there is only one position in which you get a tight rack. Other positions leave the two balls behind the head position a little bit loose.
This makes sense, it's a triangle but the cut of the holes orients properly only in one direction, if you flip the MR randomly it won't work right on the 2 other corners on the spot.
Never used the 8-ball MR myself but this can explain things very well.
I think the best use of the MR is in 10-ball. 9-ball is good because the 9 stays put, but it's too easy to make 1-2-3 balls off a well done rack and with soft break and pattern racks, you will have C players running out.
I should've asked..what's wrong with the Sardo or any other quality rack. In other words, anything other than that . It's crazy stopping whatever momentum a player might have been building in order to laboriously construct a tight rack, when, imho, 'rack your own' stops any squabbles. The spectators, I included, shouldn't be subjected to it either.