Table Preference Poll

What do you prefer, ball return or drop pockets?

  • Drop Pockets

    Votes: 98 51.0%

  • Ball Return

    Votes: 94 49.0%
  • Total voters
    192
subdude1974

subdude1974

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Was reading a thread just a minute ago and thought it might be interesting to see what a majority prefer. Drop pockets or ball return? I myself hate ball returns. Chalk always falls into the table and then balls get stuck and you have to poke around in the table or drop balls numerous tiimes down every pocket to get that 1 ball out. When I do buy a table it will be a GC with drop pockets.
 
subdude1974 said:
Was reading a thread just a minute ago and thought it might be interesting to see what a majority prefer. Drop pockets or ball return? I myself hate ball returns. Chalk always falls into the table and then balls get stuck and you have to poke around in the table or drop balls numerous tiimes down every pocket to get that 1 ball out. When I do buy a table it will be a GC with drop pockets.
Click to expand...
Haah! With drop pockets you guarantee you will ...ahh, nevermind.

Ball return for me...and I have owned both.
 
I like the ball return (subway). I'm old so I want all the balls to come to me. Johnnyt
 
I prefer ball return also, and if you vacuum the table periodically then chalk shoudnt cause "stuck" ball problems. JMHO

Mike
 
the reason i mentioned vacuuming the table is a little bar where i play, they brush the table down to a corner pocket and the table has a problem with stuck balls. i know it is a bar box and i shouldnt expect much but cleanliness would help.

Mike
 
Drop pockets and an 8' table were my main two requirements for a home table (within my price range and good quality of course).
 
I voted drp pocket but I'm kinda of two minds on this. I don't like walking around the table to gather balls as that makes my back hurt, then again some ball returns are so low that gets to be a killer on my back, so...????
I could use either with a designated racker. lol
 
ball return !

Especially on the GoldCrown , which uses a ball return system which is readily accessible . No dropping multiple balls in the pockets - just run your finger between the steel rails the balls ride on , and you'll find & clear any blockage in seconds . Drop pockets , on the other hand , have a nasty habit of spitting balls back out if they get too full - and looking to see how many balls are in the pocket can break up the rhythm of your pre-shot routine .
Just imagine playing one pocket with drop pockets !
make a ball , empty the pocket , make a ball , empty the pocket , .............
 
i was a ball return guy, now I'm a drop pocket guy. in a few years I will probably be a ball return guy. Its not a big issue
 
As a current ball-return owner, I would absolutely love a drop-pocket table. I think they look classier, they're quieter, and would keep the balls/table cleaner by the balls not picking up dust that can build up inside the returns.
 
The only game I have any interest in playing anymore is one pocket. For one pocket, I feel drop pockets are better. But that's just me!
 
I Play 14.1 so kind of a hassle monitoring how man balls are in a pocket, considering most balls are shot into the bottom 2 pockets !

and the same probably goes for most One Pocket players !

-Steve
 
muddawg said:
I prefer ball return.

Chalk won't fall in if you keep them further away from the pockets.

I hate having to walk around the table to get all the balls.
Click to expand...

Same here. It's a simple thing, but it does get annoying if you're playing a lot. And the worst is when you get complacent about it, and forget a ball in one of the pockets, and you have to go back around the table again looking for it. Don't lie, we've all done it.

Also, I just thought of this: I find it especially annoying on drop pockets that, if you have a accumulation of more than 4 balls in one particular pocket, you need to stop what you're doing, and take a couple out just to feel comfortable shooting in that pocket again. I've had a ball rejected from a pocket with too many balls already in it. This is obviously a non-factor on a ball return table.
 
Last edited:
Ball return. I absolutely hate drop pockets. My table has them but not by my choice. If I noticed the noise of ball returns, it would be because I wasn't paying enough attention to my game. I hate having to go around the table picking balls out of pockets, especially since I no longer play 9 ball.
 
It's obvious, if you play all types of games under all types of conditions (practice vs play), sometimes a ball return is ideal, and sometimes a drop pocket is ideal.

So why don't table manufacturers do the obvious: Make ball return tables with simple "pocket blocks" that you could remove to use the ball return, and insert to use the table as a drop pocket. You could even have SPECIFIC POCKETS set up to do one or the other.

As a matter of fact, it would probably be easy enough to make special "pocket bottoms" that could be put into or taken out of ball return tables (with a special tool, or something, from the pocket opening), so that you could switch back and forth between both systems.

Edit: Or, I suppose you could just stick a towel down the pockets of a ball return table and temporarily turn it into a drop pocket. The last table I had was an ancient Brunswick that was built as a ball-return, but I simply put drop pockets in it instead of taking the time to set up the ball return system.
 
Last edited:
When I was first learning the game, Irving Crane always told me he prefered drop pockets. Easy to see how many errors you made when you can count the balls made in the side pockets and beyond. Guess rotation players won't care. One hole guys don't have to guess at which balls are theirs and how many. Only 14.1 players might really have a reason to prefer drops. Then again, someone as frugal as me might care:o! The shear cost of ball returns:rolleyes:! Did I mention I need the exercise!

Lyn
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top