I am Eli Ceballos, a professional photographer at Cryfoto in Brooklyn NY, I play in the National Amateur Pool League (NAPL).
I’ve had some experience with several styles of racks made of many different materials. I felt that it was time to get a serious rack when my game stared to progress, so I started to do a little testing. Basically I found that they all have their pros and cons: a few have more pros than cons and the reverse is also true.
Here is what I found out when I did my comparison. The basic plastic racks are very affordable ($5) but are almost impossible to get a perfect rack because of their flexibility. You can really forget about any kind of consistency. Next are your basic wood racks that despite also being cheap ($9) are in fact much more durable. They do wear out after time, leaving depressions of the balls on the wood and are quite harsh on the felt. My favorite of the inexpensive racks has to be the heavy duty plastic racks. They defy their nature in that they are plastic but have VERY little flex to them. Nice and tight, cheap ($8) but not too pretty.
For some, aesthetics matter.
Then we get into the specialty racks, you know the ones we see and make us tilt our head a little. The Sardo M-5000 rack looks cool and works well but has a few drawbacks, namely the cost ($70), its build, (which is plastic and therefore prone to wear) and the effect that pushing down on the balls has on the felt.
The Magic Rack for me was a mixed bag and the only constant was its fairly affordable price ($18). Its portability is marred by the fact that because it was so light a plastic, it was also was prone to bending. Its ability to rack firmly was tarnished by the fact that it takes long to do so.
Finally we have the Delta-13 Select. A marvel of engineering that is fairly affordable ($60). Its effectiveness is due to its aluminum construction and its generous spacing on the bottom of the rack. The rack does not interfere with balls that are close when racking for straight pool as much as the old wooden racks. It is the most beautiful of any of the available racks with one exception—The Delta-13 Elite—will outlast all of your other pool related purchases.
It comes in five standard colors with a free laser engraving. Comes nicely packaged with a certificate of authenticity and a lifetime guarantee. I LOVE THIS RACK! It is beautiful, it is lightweight and it is Made in the USA!
At the End of the day nothing tops the Delta-13 racks if you insist on tight racks every time. Yes they are pricey with the Elite starting at $120 but if you own a table and consistency matters then this is a small investment.
For more information please check out Delta-13’s webpage here!