Why did the Sardo Rack disappear?

Wybrook said:
They are complete garbage...

If you have ever looked at the internal workings on those racks, you will see they don't actually "push" down on the balls and make them tight as they purport to do. The racks don't even touch the balls as you push down on the handles. Haha... This theory would not work anyways because how many times do you push on the balls with your fingers only to have the balls move as soon as you pull the wood rack.

The whole premise behind the rack was to "train" the table first which meant set up a rack of balls on the table, then proceed to tap on each one until there was a clear indent in the cloth. When you went to rack each game, the balls would merely fall into the holes.

We used those on the IPT and it was such a gaff... Half the players were not even using the racks.. you could just form the balls into a triangle and push them over the spot and they would sit in the indents. Nice...
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Yep same experience here. I was playing at the Derby several years back and the match was on the farthest corner table in the room. There wasn't anyone within 150 feet of our match. We couldn't get the damn thing to rack tight. So my opponent finds another rack and asked me if I wanted to use it. Hell yes!

I start racking using the "other" rack. Within 30 seconds, here comes Lou Sardo from nowhere, admonishing us for not using the Sardo rack. We tell him that it's not working. He laughs like it wasn't possible for the rack not to work. He then tries to rack with the Sardo and has the same results. He spends the next 10 minutes re-training the table. And it worked like a charm :grin:

I do have to give the Sardo's some credit. They put their money into sponsoring tournaments on a product they truly believed in.
 
CocoboloCowboy said:
Magic Rack is the new Rack. Don't own one but saw it in action. Great product! JMHO
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Yes, perhaps a bit too great. I can't wait until this fad passes too. IMO, I think the game needs a bit of randomness. I like the idea of improving the triangle (Delta & Diamond have great triangle racks). I don't like the idea of a guy finding a perfect spot to break from and proceeding to pocket a ball on the break time and time again.

Seriously, if Magic Rack becomes the standard, they're going to have to make the pockets 4" to keep people from putting together 6 packs.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
Yes, perhaps a bit too great. I can't wait until this fad passes too. IMO, I think the game needs a bit of randomness. I like the idea of improving the triangle (Delta & Diamond have great triangle racks). I don't like the idea of a guy finding a perfect spot to break from and proceeding to pocket a ball on the break time and time again.
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Might be true, but for most amateurs the big thing about magic rack is that it makes racking so easy and convenient. No more hassle.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
Yes, perhaps a bit too great. I can't wait until this fad passes too. IMO, I think the game needs a bit of randomness. I like the idea of improving the triangle (Delta & Diamond have great triangle racks). I don't like the idea of a guy finding a perfect spot to break from and proceeding to pocket a ball on the break time and time again.

Seriously, if Magic Rack becomes the standard, they're going to have to make the pockets 4" to keep people from putting together 6 packs.
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Fortunately we are going to 10 ball which at least takes a good hit to make a ball on the break consistently. It isn't dead like the wing ball is in 9 ball.

I agree that the game needs some randomness but the problem is what exactly is random. Technically, something that is controlled by the players isn't truly random. This is where the problem lies. Being able to fidget with the rack either for or against your favor becomes much more possible with a triangle. Even if there is no intention each person may rack in a slightly different manner which can change the way the balls are racked and isn't really random. This is where all the debate and frustration comes in during competition. The easist default is to have it completely equal at this point and the Magic Rack does that. Racking order is still random, that will have to do for now.
 
I believe the year was 2007 when I went to Newport RI to attend a casting call for a reality TV show called “Everyday Edison”. There were several sponsors to the show and they were looking for new products to put on TV and show the inventor going from idea to market. This was before iPhone and I was pitching the Bank Shot Calculator in its original form. I had a conversation with a gentleman who told me his company had recently purchased the rights to the tight rack. I can’t remember his name or his company’s but that was about the last time I remember seeing it used on television. So I think the answer to the OP’s question is they were bought out and removed from the mainstream to make room for all the other racks that have flooded the market.
 
Sardo was great

I had a totally different experience with the SARDO. We used it on brand new tables recovered with Simonis 860 around Washington state and it worked like a dream. Tight rack everytime. There was a short learning curve for the user, but the ones that were impatient to learn were usually the same guys who gave a sloppy rack with the triangle.

The real reason I think that it went away was Cory Deuel beating Mika 11-0 in the US OPEN using the soft break he perfected on the Sardo. You rarely saw it after that!!! People (some top players included) complained that he broke like a girl although he made balls and ran out everytime. They said the break shot should be loud and thunderous because they weren't used to someone taking the time to learn how good a soft, controlled break could be, when the balls were dead tight.

Just my opinion, but I think Cory killed the Sardo with a great US OPEN win!!!!
 
dedstroke38 said:
Fortunately we are going to 10 ball which at least takes a good hit to make a ball on the break consistently. It isn't dead like the wing ball is in 9 ball.

I agree that the game needs some randomness but the problem is what exactly is random. Technically, something that is controlled by the players isn't truly random. This is where the problem lies. Being able to fidget with the rack either for or against your favor becomes much more possible with a triangle. Even if there is no intention each person may rack in a slightly different manner which can change the way the balls are racked and isn't really random. This is where all the debate and frustration comes in during competition. The easist default is to have it completely equal at this point and the Magic Rack does that. Racking order is still random, that will have to do for now.
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I don't think a switch to 10-ball is inevitable. If I were to bet on it, I would bet on 9-ball with triangles for 10 more years, at least. I think the rack-de-jure will make an appearance in larger events (US Open, etc.) but regional tours will not change. I think there is a loud voice from a minority of players calling for change and a loud voice from a minority of players calling for tradition. The vast majority doesn't care and will likely default to what they already know - triangles.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
Yes, perhaps a bit too great. I can't wait until this fad passes too. IMO, I think the game needs a bit of randomness. I like the idea of improving the triangle (Delta & Diamond have great triangle racks). I don't like the idea of a guy finding a perfect spot to break from and proceeding to pocket a ball on the break time and time again.

Seriously, if Magic Rack becomes the standard, they're going to have to make the pockets 4" to keep people from putting together 6 packs.
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I love the magic rack. I'm not breaking and running, but there is nothing worse than getting a bad rack. I hate when a table doesn't rack well. Spend 15 min racking to get every ball frozen... its annoying. The magic rack fixes all of that for the most part. Or what's worse when you spend 15 min racking and it's still not perfect, then they snap the 9 in. A 9 on the break is a lot more rare with a magic rack, its gotta get kicked in.

I hope the magic rack sticks around, in 10ball especially. And I think regional tours will switch in the coming years to 10ball. First the open events, then the lower level handicap events. The tristate does a 10ball event every other month or so. Will the APA??? probably not.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
I don't think a switch to 10-ball is inevitable. If I were to bet on it, I would bet on 9-ball with triangles for 10 more years, at least. I think the rack-de-jure will make an appearance in larger events (US Open, etc.) but regional tours will not change. I think there is a loud voice from a minority of players calling for change and a loud voice from a minority of players calling for tradition. The vast majority doesn't care and will likely default to what they already know - triangles.[/QUOTE

Exactly, they don't know about the Magic Rack YET. Tradition is another word for stubborn in my opinion. If tradition is to the point where people won't rack with something because it's different even though it works better than that is ridiculous.
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dedstroke38 said:
Jude Rosenstock said:
I don't think a switch to 10-ball is inevitable. If I were to bet on it, I would bet on 9-ball with triangles for 10 more years, at least. I think the rack-de-jure will make an appearance in larger events (US Open, etc.) but regional tours will not change. I think there is a loud voice from a minority of players calling for change and a loud voice from a minority of players calling for tradition. The vast majority doesn't care and will likely default to what they already know - triangles.[/QUOTE

Exactly, they don't know about the Magic Rack YET. Tradition is another word for stubborn in my opinion. If tradition is to the point where people won't rack with something because it's different even though it works better than that is ridiculous.
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I don't think it's destined to switch over. For now, the Magic Rack relies on amateurs actually purchasing it. I don't know of any regional tour or poolroom that provides them for general use. With that said, providing the Magic Rack for a local event is going to cost money since some will get lost, damaged or stolen. What's more, there are three different Magic Racks for 8, 9 and 10 ball. Unlike a triangle, there is no universal Magic Rack.

I think in the end, people are going to rely on the equipment provided by the venue and all venues provide trinagles. This is just my guess and of course, there's a real possibility I could be wrong.
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new products

I appreciate anyone who comes out with a new product. The marketplace decides what is best and that is fine, but I appreciate Sardo and anyone else who makes an effort. Glad we are not still driving buggies or plowing with oxen.
 
Rack

It is basically gone because it is big, clumsy, and it makes indentations in the cloth, and that's the bottom line.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
Yes, perhaps a bit too great. I can't wait until this fad passes too. IMO, I think the game needs a bit of randomness. I like the idea of improving the triangle (Delta & Diamond have great triangle racks). I don't like the idea of a guy finding a perfect spot to break from and proceeding to pocket a ball on the break time and time again.
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I see a contradiction in your statement about not liking the tight rack provided magic rack but liking the idea of improving the triangle rack.

Either way, if you end up with dead tight rack, it will improve breaking.

Magic rack seems be used on many Asian tournaments. At around $10 for TWO racks (perhaps cheaper if purchased in bulk for tournaments), I don't think it's going to break anyone's bank. FYI, I think there are only two version of magic racks now .. one for 8 ball and another template for 9 OR 10 balls.
 
Hidy Ho said:
I see a contradiction in your statement about not liking the tight rack provided magic rack but liking the idea of improving the triangle rack.

Either way, if you end up with dead tight rack, it will improve breaking.

Magic rack seems be used on many Asian tournaments. At around $10 for TWO racks (perhaps cheaper if purchased in bulk for tournaments), I don't think it's going to break anyone's bank. FYI, I think there are only two version of magic racks now .. one for 8 ball and another template for 9 OR 10 balls.
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It's not a contradiction at all. There are slug racks on one end of the spectrum and absolutely perfect racks on the other end. In my opinion, I think pool is best when we fall somewhere in the middle of these two ends.

As for cost, they were selling them at the BCA event last month for $20. That's about $20 more than what the current cost is for using the provided equipment.
 
Didn't they use the Magic Rack for the Ultimate 10-ball tourney (if I got the name right) a few weeks ago? The one with the Mike Dechaine/Jeremy Jones final.
 
Yes they used the Magic rack at the ultimate 10ball and it once again showed it's flaws with pro after pro making one of the balls behind the 1 in the side on command. The Magic Rack makes both 9ball and 10ball a runout contest. I think if they continue to use it 1)Winner breaks goes in the trash OR 2)We play Bowliards and each pro gets 10 racks to run so safety play goes by the wayside.

I like rack your own winner breaks with a good old fashioned triangle over anything I have experienced so far.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
It's not a contradiction at all. There are slug racks on one end of the spectrum and absolutely perfect racks on the other end. In my opinion, I think pool is best when we fall somewhere in the middle of these two ends.

As for cost, they were selling them at the BCA event last month for $20. That's about $20 more than what the current cost is for using the provided equipment.
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I carry a magic rack in my case and ask if it can be used in every set I play. Tournament, league, gambling. A lot of people who have never used it, most of which are much better than me, say no. Then they check the rack until its perfect. It doesn't make any sense. If you want a perfect rack, use the magic rack and save us both the arguments. Maybe I'm just bad at racking, but I'll take the easier way out. If they run the set out on me, I'll shake their hand... but it has yet to happen.

All of the major online pool stores sell 2 magic racks for $10. And yes, that IS $10 more than using the one provided at the pool hall which may or may not be good. They also have cues on the wall but I like to bring my own as well.
 
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