Here at Cue News we decided to give the “TOP” Rack a go. Andy Urquhart, the founder of the “TOP” Rack sent us four complimentary new racks to use in a Local 8-ball competition in Hervey Bay. Here’s what we thought.
Our first impressions upon opening the rack was that the quality seemed great – it definitely didn’t feel like the rack would snap in a hurry and could handle being chucked around the pool room. It’s made of 6mm acrylic, not like other racks on the market, but it was also totally different in look to a standard triangle. It wasn’t deep, was flat and had rounded circles for the balls on the inside.
We had our pick of branding and colour options, but we chose to just to stick with the standard option, which was red with the words The “TOP” Rack engraved on it. However, for people looking to customise their rack, we could have chosen from a range of different colours and any wording engraved on it.
Next, we moved on to testing how well it was going to rack the pool balls. The “TOP” Rack claimed their rack would be the best in the business to get the tightest rack, with all balls touching – a top tier pool players dream. We know that certain variables are going to come in to play, like how old the table cloth is and whether there are dibbets in the cloth already. It doesn’t matter how good a rack is, table conditions still play a major factor. The tables at the Sporties in Hervey Bay are not too flash hot, but in comparison with the standard triangle rack, the “TOP” Rack did achieve the better rack every time. For typical results of both racks, see the comparison shown below.
When racking the balls, normally (with the standard triangle)you would just chuck the balls in and place them in the right pattern, bring the black ball up to the dot and then lift the rack off., With the “TOP” Rack it’s not as simple, unfortunately you need to start setting them up manually with your hands, remembering the correct pattern without being able to switch the balls around if needed (which is not as easy as it seems). Once you’ve done this, you place the rack over the top of your handmade triangle of balls. From there on, it’s smooth sailing and if you need help, there is even a Facebook tutorial from the “Top” Rack. Despite your trouble, you will get close to the perfect rack every time.
A tip from us? Because of the difficult process, you may just want to use the standard triangle to “chuck” your balls in and make your pattern, before swapping it with the “TOP” Rack to get the tightest rack as possible. It’s not a big deal, but in our opinion, you still need two racks to get the job done, which is a bit of a let-down.
When it comes to achieving the tightest rack in pool, we don’t think you can go past this rack. Andy Urquhart really has made a great rack for all of us serious pool players and had filled a void in our game by creating it.
If you would like any more info about the “TOP” Rack, check out their Facebook.