Pro Shop
Topic: Pocket reducers

Hi guys,

I came across this product in the pro9 shop, and I was wondering if there is anyone that used this before. The product is this :

http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/theproshop/main.php?P=cat&C=73

It does look a bit pricey but I feel that I need it because I have a brunswick centurion at home with huge pockets. So when I play on tables with smaller pockets I just don't feel confident enough which effectively makes me play really bad.

I have three main concerns about this one.

1) It doesn't look very solid....so will a hard shot move it ?
2) It looks like the "cushions" that it uses to pad the pockets have a different shape than the pockets themselves. So I am not really sure if this just reduces the pockets or change the shape as well (which will probably make shots close to the rail impossible).
3) Is the amount of padding fixed ? It looks like you can't adjust the amount of pocket reduction you want. I'm asking this, because practically you will need more or less padding to the pockets according to your current pocket size.

Thanks for any help on this.

I have used these on a normal Sam table at Rileys!

They are tough! sure will sharpen your potting up though. Very solid in the pocket and don't move even when smashing balls at them, oh and if you smash balls at them you will miss! Not sure how well they will fit your table but there is a lot of play in them.

It IS very difficult to work out what they look like in action isn't it? In hindsight I wish I had taken a photo from ABOVE the product when fitted to a pocket because then you would clearly see that the device extends the line of the cushion into the pocket in a very natural manner. It's JUST LIKE having longer cushions (shape wise) - although the hard rubber material that they are made from makes them not just SMALLER pockets, but MEAN pockets too!



For practice to sharpen up your aim, I think they are great. They are quite good for proposition bets too apparently, as they can really surprise an opponent who thinks he's sharp!

Being honest there is one down side, and that's the fact that the spring that holds them in shape stands proud higher) than the pocket, and because of this, it may hamper "big" people when practicing trying to cue over that pocket, but for practice sessions you'd be happy to make the necessary concession.

If you want a more permanent modification I would recommend the thick shims for next time you get your table reclothed.

Hope this helps, and remember this is just my opinion, and others may vary!


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Authorised Pro9 forum advertiser/sponsor

I have used them, but only 2 or 3 times. Mainly because I wouldn't recommend using them in match play and there are 3 match tables at my club, good for drills & solo practise though.


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Matt Lester
www.matthew-lester.com

Thanks everyone for your help.

As a conclusion I will probably buy these and try them out. The only reason why I want them is practice anyway. Therefore it might even be better if they are harder than competition size table pockets.

Obviously I am definitely going for a better solution when I recloth the table, but it's something that will have to wait as I can't afford it now . btw does anyone know how much will a recloth , resize of the pockets and recushion of the table might cost .....in terms of labour ?

love the way it spelt adjusts....ajusts to fit all pockets on all tables

^^ Oh wow, I'd never noticed that before... You don't think it could be the American spelling do you? That's a photo of the front of the box!

not sure I want to buy this any more

Just a small review on the product after a few days I've used it.

I would say that it is more or less what I expected. So it does make some shots ridiculously hard. This is because the hard rubber that the cushions are made of do not forgive at all and as soon as the ball touches them it will bounce them out.

The fitting is extremely easy but unfortunately it is not very solid. Just like I suspected, a hard shot will dislocate the reducers slightly....but it's not a big problem. The main problem is what big dave said though.....the spring will get in your way in a lot of shots.

I have to say that I didn't really expect something more than what I got and in general they are a very good potting practice. I dare to say that my pockets became harder than snooker pockets (and certainly harder than table 1 at demons ).

I would recommend these reducers to anyone that want to sharp their potting. The main downside of this is the price, as I would believe that this would offer a better value for money at around 20 pounds.

Anyway, big dave I can upload some pictures if you want. Just let me know how you want them taken

HOW TO ADD A PHOTO IN THE FORUMS

Not too difficult when you know how..

First load your photo at www.photobucket.com (get a free account) then take the Direct Link code they give you - it might look like this...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/BigDaveKnight/POOL/Pro9Balls.jpg

Click the Image button when posting in the forums and paste the direct link code when prompted. That will give you something that looks like this:



And when posted it looks like this...



Photos should be no more than 500 pixels wide please!

(If that's too much hassle, Pro9'ers can email them to me and I'll often upload them if I think they are worthy!)




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Authorised Pro9 forum advertiser/sponsor

Good for potting practise, if only they were made of rubber and acted like cushions it actually wouldnt be that hard.

Found that using them all the time can can take aaway from your pattern play.

Good overall though

I wasn't really looking for a guide on how to upload photos, but thanks anyway

Just because you said that you wanted to upload pictures yourself, I was wondering on what angles you believe that the pictures would be more useful etc..

Anyway I'll probably take some pics tonight and post them

OK, it's not going to be easy to describe the photo I was imagining, but basically it would be from above and to the side (looking down the rail) to show (and accentuate) the fact that the natural line of the cushion is extended further into the pocket, as I think it's quite difficult to imagine what these odd triangular shapes look like when fitted.

I did take photos like this before, but I lost them when a laptop gave up the ghost!