IMO you can't do as good a job by hand.
Which Ball Cleaning Machine is the best in the market today?
- Thread starter Daddybear
- Start date
You built one, you know exactly what I'm talking about!
I only have experience with my home made Diamond style cleaner, and a friends Ballstar. I clean the balls at home, Aramith Premium and Aramith Duramith, apx every two weeks with the Aramith cleaner diluted apx 10-15%. Table is vacuumed apx every two to three days use. Balls come out great and similar to' but somewhat cleaner than the ones at the two leagues we play.
Our friend uses a Ballstar unit every day and Centennial balls. They look incredible, better than new, but have a slippery feel, and play really different. They also have an exaggerated amount of draw. While I like the way they look and the amount of action you get with them, the downfall is most all places you go out to play pool at will not play the way they do, so I see that as a problem unless you don't clean the balls with them as much as our friend does.
Our friend uses a Ballstar unit every day and Centennial balls. They look incredible, better than new, but have a slippery feel, and play really different. They also have an exaggerated amount of draw. While I like the way they look and the amount of action you get with them, the downfall is most all places you go out to play pool at will not play the way they do, so I see that as a problem unless you don't clean the balls with them as much as our friend does.
I almost feel like not bothering with cleaning my balls. After many hours of home practice with nicely cleaned balls I get to the pool room and their often nasty balls just don't play the same. By the time I adjust to them I'm done for the night. I should probably stop cleaning my home table as well.
... and leave your cue in the trunk of the car in 100 degree heat so it gets a nice warp.
fortunately I use carbon fiber, but the tip may fall off
There's some legal loopholes these Chinese companies use to avoid paying any import duties/taxes so you see these amazing prices (in addition to the slave labor and shoddy manufacturing). I heard this morning that congress is looking into closing some of these loopholes and better protect US manufacturers. We may be seeing an end to these dirt cheap imports. I've gotten some import stuff where they basically lie about the contents of the box to zip it through customs.
I have league on Mondays and Wednesdays and if I am cleaning them that week, will do it on Thursday or Friday, that way they have a few days to dirty up. Our one league has never cleaned the balls, just bought new ones every couple years, the other league cleans theirs every couple weeks.
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
I'm kind of pessimistic about anything congress has a hand in. In reality they will probably figure a way for them to get kickbacks instead. Some of the cheap stuff is OK, but other stuff is downright dangerous, bad electrical practices, toxic materials, brittle plastic, literal slave labor, etc.
I have found a mixture of 2-4 tablespoons Aramith Ball Cleaner mixed with 8 ounces of 91% isopropyl alcohol cleans the balls well and leaves them shiny but not slick. They have that brand new out of the box feel each time them come out of my polisher.
The Ballstar cleaning solution does leave the balls too slick which definitely affects the way they play.
They're just rebranded Chinese machines. A little Google will find a lot of them on AliBaba, Amazon, etc. for dirt cheap. And their lights sure look like these...