Standardize Cue Ball Weights !

Island Drive

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
I've got no problem with the different mfg logos on the cue balls, but WHY do they have different weights????
This game is tough enough.
I'm not talking about the bar table cue ball.
 
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Most pool balls are pretty standardized. They should be only a few grams off from each other.
 
They should be matched to the set they are used with not to other cueballs.
Maybe for pro events the ball sets should be all taken and matched for weight to get the best matching set, not just used because they came from one box. You can see tennis players, baseball players, etc... going through the balls to find what they like even though all of them come from the same manufacturer. Before a pool event starts, a few people with good scales are in a room with 40 ball sets weighing and sorting them into matched sets.
 
No problem Bob, but why should any cue ball that the pros use be different?
I'm asking because, the four different ones I have, all play a ''little'' different than each other.

By doing this, the pro level of play will become even better.
Cue ball timing/release with off center cueing is ''critical'' to many shots.

Or is it not?
I notice it Big Time.
 
Dr Dave Quote:

I think the 8% difference in ball weights mentioned above would definitely be noticed by a good player (especially on draw shots and natural angle direction).
 
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no idea if its true, but ive heard before the “elasticity” of the ball will sometimes make it play heavy/light despite being the same weight as any other cue ball. my understanding is this is why people feel they can get “more draw” with a red circle cue ball, because its actually bouncing off the ob faster, or something.

Again, no clue whether this is true or not
 
I think the mixture will/would/could/does have an effect.
Some pick up more dirt than others, but the pros will notice all these things.
But I feel, the Weight of the Cue Ball should Not vary for the pros.

Makes me wonder about the snooker cue ball, or pro golf ball weight.
 
Every table plays different speed/rails/etc
better players adapt quicker
should apply to cue balls too
jmho
icbw
 
Looking at the charts Rexus provided, I'm not really seeing a deviation more than apx 2 grams, for all but one vintage set. 2 grams in relation to its matching set is 1.19% in an almost worst case scenario. I'll admit, I'm nowhere near a pro player, but can a really good player actually tell a 1% difference? Thats about the maximum difference of the rest of the balls in the set.
 
I heard of a story about a set of balls with consistent weight, however after decades of use the balls developed different centers of gravity. Any experts able to weigh in on if a balls center of gravity changes over time?

Yes consistent weight matters and true center of gravity for a sphere.
 
bbb said:
Every table plays different speed/rails/etc
better players adapt quicker
should apply to cue balls too
jmho
icbw
Click to expand...
I think the players have every right to expect the cue ball to be the same weight as the object balls, which is the important factor. Some cue sports have explicit equipment rules about how well matched they have to be.
 
Island Drive said:
I think the mixture will/would/could/does have an effect.
Some pick up more dirt than others, but the pros will notice all these things.
But I feel, the Weight of the Cue Ball should Not vary for the pros.

Makes me wonder about the snooker cue ball, or pro golf ball weight.
Click to expand...
A bit of a segue but I can say tennis balls vary considerably between tournaments. Ball pressure, weight, and density of felt all vary. Function of court surface, altitude, and gender (e.g. men and women play with different balls for the US Open).
 
I looked at the PGA specs. They mentioned your ball cannot weigh more than a certain amount.
 
I remember in 1975-6 when Grady Matthews opened up his pool room in Colorado Springs.
About a yr in Black Bart/Bob Osborne showed up to play some 9 ball sets with Grady.
He pulled out this red circle cue ball (1st time I ever saw it), and gurgling Grady said ''no way''!
He was used to playing with the Blue Circle Cue Ball that came with the Centennial Set, a ball designed to ''churn'' into a 14.1 stack/break shot with lots of 12 o'clock high cue ball spin.
That Blue Circle ball was heavier than the Belgium red circle cue ball and was a great cue ball for 14.1.
Now, the red circle cb allows a player with a great draw stroke to cut a ball in at a 30 degree ish/angel & come back up table, allowing the shooter two ways to get shape on the next ball, follow/draw.
The blue circle/stock Centennial cb in a similar situation would only allow the shooter to go forward because of it's weight.
Bob then offered Grady a game on the wire to 11 for $1,000 a set with this cue ball, Matthews declined.
 
I don't understand why everybody gets to play with their choice of pool cue. Everybody should use the same stick. In fact every pool table should have it's own stick that everybody shares. Shoot till you miss then leave the stick on the table when you sit down.
 
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