(Topic ID: 268778)

Disappointed in new Pinballs - who had good ones?

By ezatnova

3 years ago


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  • 55 posts
  • 27 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 2 years ago by TheLaw
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    There are 55 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.
    #1 3 years ago

    Ordered replacement balls for my BKSOR and AC⚡️DC figuring with all the multiballs that happen, they do a lot of bashing into each other.

    Ordered balls from pinball life and was disappointed as soon as I opened the bag and saw how cloudy/matte they were. Sure enough, comparing them to my well used AC⚡️DC balls, they are not nearly as shiny and nice looking.

    Anyone have a go to source for quality pinballs?

    In pic attached, my old pinballs on the right at the new PBL ones on the left.

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    #2 3 years ago

    Yes. Buy from ball baron. I had the same issue with the pinball life ones. Don’t think they are necessarily bad, just dark.

    #3 3 years ago

    Oh, and don’t forget to clean the PBL ones they are coated in oil!

    #5 3 years ago

    I've been buying bc precision off amazon. Shiny, not bad price in 25 pack. Change em out yearly, they still look great

    #6 3 years ago

    Thanks!

    Interestingly, I checked back in my old emails and the nice shiny ones that actually look better in the photo, even after being used for hundreds and hundreds of games, were ALSO pinball life’s! Guess whoever they source from has changed

    #7 3 years ago

    Interesting that the ball baron ninja balls have a warning about magnets. Ugh. Could be bad with BKSOR with the magnasave

    #8 3 years ago

    Well, I ordered Ninjas for my AC⚡️DC and regular chromes for black knight sword of rage, given the magma save

    #9 3 years ago

    i never had issues with marco ones. maybe try theirs?

    #10 3 years ago
    Quoted from ezatnova:

    Well, I ordered Ninjas for my AC⚡️DC and regular chromes for black knight sword of rage, given the magma save

    Be sure to remember the amount of which you ordered. Unless Ball Baron has changed things I've had them ship to me with no designation which is which

    #11 3 years ago
    Quoted from TheLaw:

    Be sure to remember the amount of which you ordered. Unless Ball Baron has changed things I've had them ship to me with no designation which is which

    My last order from them had the bags labelled

    #12 3 years ago
    Quoted from zacaj:

    My last order from them had the bags labelled

    Good. I just have 2 bags with balls and have to guess.

    #13 3 years ago
    Quoted from TheLaw:

    Be sure to remember the amount of which you ordered. Unless Ball Baron has changed things I've had them ship to me with no designation which is which

    Same thing happened to me a while back. Sucks. Still recommend Ball Baron, though.

    #14 3 years ago
    Quoted from Hayfarmer:

    I've been buying bc precision off amazon. Shiny, not bad price in 25 pack. Change em out yearly, they still look great

    I had bad luck with that company. Many of them came pitted. Many bad reviews on them as well.

    #15 3 years ago

    Well, there's carbon steel balls and chrome balls. Carbon steel less shiny, but also don't get easily magnetized like the chrome do. It's all I buy. And you can buy them cheaper on ebay from ball bearing sellers.

    #16 3 years ago

    I know of some people who put the new ball in a tumbler and polish up that way.

    #17 3 years ago

    Crap. I ordered ninjas for my AC⚡️DC and regular chrome for BKSOR thinking that those wouldn’t have the magnet issues (since it’s the Ninja page that specifically says they have magnet issues). Now it sounds like all of the chrome balls will have issues and I should have gotten carbon steel for BKSOR?

    #19 3 years ago
    Quoted from ezatnova:

    Crap. I ordered ninjas for my AC⚡️DC and regular chrome for BKSOR thinking that those wouldn’t have the magnet issues (since it’s the Ninja page that specifically says they have magnet issues). Now it sounds like all of the chrome balls will have issues and I should have gotten carbon steel for BKSOR?

    Hopefully it wont happen too fast with just the one outlane magnet. It's not like Metallica Premium with 3 magnets. See how it goes.

    #20 3 years ago
    Quoted from ezatnova:

    Crap. I ordered ninjas for my AC⚡️DC and regular chrome for BKSOR thinking that those wouldn’t have the magnet issues (since it’s the Ninja page that specifically says they have magnet issues). Now it sounds like all of the chrome balls will have issues and I should have gotten carbon steel for BKSOR?

    Chrome balls are more prone to magnetize but doesn't mean they instantly will. In time probably. I think all steel balls can magnetize if exposed to magnets for long enough time.

    #21 3 years ago

    They can be demagnetised with heat, a degaussing coil, or a few hard hits with a hammer.

    Easiest to just replace them. If you have a heat gun around it might be worth a shot. I removed a hard drive magnet from its mount using a heat gun once and was very disappointed that a lot of the magnet strength was gone.

    Obviously hitting them with a hammer will cause other problems. Would make a good experiment for an enterprising YouTuber.

    #22 3 years ago
    Quoted from Tomass:

    I had bad luck with that company. Many of them came pitted. Many bad reviews on them as well.

    I've ordered 4 times, never an issue. Prob 75 to 100 balls. Tried the ball baron on met pro, magnetized very quickly. I order only from amazon prime, so easy return if prob

    #23 3 years ago

    I noticed this problem tonight playing Gorgar. I bought new not so shiny ballls,not sure of manufacture but dont magnetize as well as my old one?

    #24 3 years ago
    Quoted from Hayfarmer:

    I've ordered 4 times, never an issue. Prob 75 to 100 balls. Tried the ball baron on met pro, magnetized very quickly. I order only from amazon prime, so easy return if prob

    Maybe it is a recent thing. Almost every one had pitting, some worse than others. I see other reviews similar to mine, so maybe they had a bad batch?

    #25 3 years ago

    Thats y I ok only order from prime. No worries on return ir shipping. Hope they are good again

    #26 3 years ago
    Quoted from Tomass:

    I had bad luck with that company. Many of them came pitted. Many bad reviews on them as well.

    Me too, as if the balls were sitting under a leaking pipe and got all rusted and then shipped them to me from the warehouse. Returned them within 15 minutes of getting them.

    #27 3 years ago

    I ordered from ball baron once, so far so good.

    #28 3 years ago

    I have a lot of issues with balls tht are eccentric. Have to order 25 to get maybe 2-3 sets of 3 balls that are true.

    #29 3 years ago

    Also ordered 12 ninja balls from ball baron. They are flawless and a great improvement to the stock Stern balls on my two games.

    #30 3 years ago
    Quoted from guitarded:

    I have a lot of issues with balls tht are eccentric. Have to order 25 to get maybe 2-3 sets of 3 balls that are true.

    How are you testing them? It’s bizarre that you’ve had multiple issues. Generally a defect like that would get caught at the factory.

    #31 3 years ago
    Quoted from YeOldPinPlayer:

    How are you testing them?

    Pan on a flat surface. Then I play the ones that aren't obviously eccentric and pull the unbalanced ones as they show themselves.

    It's annoying as hell, but a ton of the balls I buy just are not good. Some are like eggs and never even see a machine.

    #32 3 years ago
    Quoted from Oneangrymo:

    Me too, as if the balls were sitting under a leaking pipe and got all rusted and then shipped them to me from the warehouse. Returned them within 15 minutes of getting them.

    Just recvd a 25 and 5 pack from bc precision. looked at every one with glasses on and a magnifying glass. Couldn't be happier. No defects

    #33 3 years ago

    As little as the magna save is used on the BKSOR, I would not worry at all about which kind of balls go in there.

    #34 3 years ago
    Quoted from guitarded:

    but a ton of the balls I buy just are not good. Some are like eggs

    Post a video of the next egg shaped pinball you get.

    Are you thinking 10%, or even higher?

    11 months later
    #35 2 years ago

    I decided to continue this thread instead of starting a new one.

    I’m pretty sure I’ve always used BC Precision, and I can vouch for their past quality. But I just got an order of 100 chrome steel balls from them that absolutely suck. I sent them a polite email asking if they might have sent the wrong thing, no response. Here’s a comparison of their Chrome Steel balls (on the left) with Ball Baron ninjas (on the right). I tried polishing them with Flitz and corncob media, and they’re a little better, but still not as shiny as the balls I’m taking OUT of my games after a year of play.

    The ninjas look fantastic, this close-up doesn’t do them justice.

    BTW, I don’t care what a pinball looks like. I DO care about what it’s doing to my playfield. You can rub 2 pinballs together and listen to the sound they make to get a sense of this. Ninjas are pretty quiet, and BC Precision are like “SCRITCH SCRITCH”.

    9797F1C9-1F7E-492F-9E34-7417677E3972 (resized).jpeg9797F1C9-1F7E-492F-9E34-7417677E3972 (resized).jpeg

    #36 2 years ago

    I ordered a dozen balls from Ball Baron and they are great. My 10 year old noticed an improvement in the first machine he played with a new ball. He said 'this game plays faster'. Not that faster is the intention, I just think the other balls had so many imperfections that is was slowing the speed down.

    #37 2 years ago

    I polish mine with Mother's mag polish, holding the ball with my fingers and rubbing it into a folded up rag... the hard way. I should get me a little hand-held slow speed polisher of some kind.

    #38 2 years ago
    Quoted from Skidave:

    I ordered a dozen balls from Ball Baron and they are great. My 10 year old noticed an improvement in the first machine he played with a new ball. He said 'this game plays faster'. Not that faster is the intention, I just think the other balls had so many imperfections that is was slowing the speed down.

    I just ordered 76 of the Ninjas, to get the price break (I can use 51 of them right away). I’ll be a customer for life if they’re as good as the sample he sent me - and no reason they shouldn’t be.

    #39 2 years ago

    I bought Ninjas recently and also some carbon balls for my games with magnets. I thought I'd use the Ninjas in my GnR because it only has a magnet in the upper lanes which really isn't activated all that often - say compared to The Walking Dead for example. After maybe just a few games on my GnR with the Ninjas I noticed some trough issues and immediately realised the balls must already have some magnetising issues. I swapped for the carbon and then trough issues all gone.

    The Ninjas are fantastic in my opinion but definitely not suitable for any games with any magnets at all.

    #40 2 years ago
    Quoted from swampfire:

    I decided to continue this thread instead of starting a new one.
    I’m pretty sure I’ve always used BC Precision, and I can vouch for their past quality. But I just got an order of 100 chrome steel balls from them that absolutely suck. I sent them a polite email asking if they might have sent the wrong thing, no response. Here’s a comparison of their Chrome Steel balls (on the left) with Ball Baron ninjas (on the right). I tried polishing them with Flitz and corncob media, and they’re a little better, but still not as shiny as the balls I’m taking OUT of my games after a year of play.
    The ninjas look fantastic, this close-up doesn’t do them justice.
    BTW, I don’t care what a pinball looks like. I DO care about what it’s doing to my playfield. You can rub 2 pinballs together and listen to the sound they make to get a sense of this. Ninjas are pretty quiet, and BC Precision are like “SCRITCH SCRITCH”.
    [quoted image]

    Dang, been using bc also, never had an issue. Was gettin ready to order 50. Where is best place to get carbon balls, all my games have magnets.

    #41 2 years ago
    Quoted from Hayfarmer:

    Dang, been using bc also, never had an issue. Was gettin ready to order 50. Where is best place to get carbon balls, all my games have magnets.

    before somone says Ball Baron, my last order of carbon balls were total garbage. basically the same results as swampfire

    #42 2 years ago

    I’ve never had much luck with carbon core balls, they’re usually hazy no matter who I get them from.

    #43 2 years ago

    Just to follow up on this, BC Precision did get back to me with a very nice response - I should have waited longer for them to reply. The email said:

    “Hi John,

    They are chromium but the high luster finish balls are hard to get right now. They are a good grade but that does not always make the ball have a "luster". To answer your question, yes you can certainly send them back for a refund if you like. I e-mailed you a return label.”

    Nice to know that they accept returns. And TBH I’m not sure if I would have even noticed a difference if I hadn’t gotten the Ninja samples. Ninjas are like PDI glass that way.

    Quoted from swampfire:

    I decided to continue this thread instead of starting a new one.
    I’m pretty sure I’ve always used BC Precision, and I can vouch for their past quality. But I just got an order of 100 chrome steel balls from them that absolutely suck. I sent them a polite email asking if they might have sent the wrong thing, no response. Here’s a comparison of their Chrome Steel balls (on the left) with Ball Baron ninjas (on the right). I tried polishing them with Flitz and corncob media, and they’re a little better, but still not as shiny as the balls I’m taking OUT of my games after a year of play.
    The ninjas look fantastic, this close-up doesn’t do them justice.
    BTW, I don’t care what a pinball looks like. I DO care about what it’s doing to my playfield. You can rub 2 pinballs together and listen to the sound they make to get a sense of this. Ninjas are pretty quiet, and BC Precision are like “SCRITCH SCRITCH”.

    #44 2 years ago

    And just to add even more info... the BC precision balls are G25, while the Ball Baron balls are G10 (lower is better). So I think BC Precision is still a good source, but I’ll make sure I’m ordering G10 next time.

    #45 2 years ago

    Here's info on grades.

    https://www.precisionballs.com/ballgradechart.pdf

    Just found it via google but thought I'd share

    #46 2 years ago
    Quoted from altan:

    Here's info on grades.
    https://www.precisionballs.com/ballgradechart.pdf
    Just found it via google but thought I'd share

    This calls for R&M “true level”:

    #47 2 years ago
    Quoted from TheLaw:

    before somone says Ball Baron, my last order of carbon balls were total garbage. basically the same results as swampfire

    Titan pinball

    https://www.titanpinball.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=69

    #48 2 years ago

    +1 on Ninja balls

    #49 2 years ago

    I put a Ninja into Dialed in along with carbon steel and let 'er rip for a couple of weeks. Upon close inspection through a powerful lens (a 35 mm projector lens that Star Wars was most likely projected through) I noticed the carbons were scarred consistently. Soft scratches. The Ninja had divots in certain places. Much deeper. Disturbing was when I used my fingernail I could feel a sharp edge to the divot. Not so with the carbons. Needless to say, the Ninja was magnetized. Possibly someone who is smarter than I could tell me if carbon steel is harder than chrome and this is why the chrome "chipped". I am more interested what the ball is doing to the play field not how shiny they are.

    #50 2 years ago
    Quoted from swampfire:

    This calls for R&M “true level”:

    Most brilliant show ever produced

    There are 55 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.

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