Aramith TV Pool Balls, Cleaner and Table Moves: A 7-Step Checklist for Venue Managers

Who this checklist is for

If you run a pool hall, sports bar, or events space, you know that a set of balls stops being “just balls” as soon as a cue-ball return system is involved. This checklist is for the moment before you order Aramith TV pool balls, and for the week after delivery when the same balls need to be inspected, cleaned, moved, and tested.

I’m a facility manager who handles commercial billiards supply orders for nine years. I’ve personally made and documented 19 significant mistakes, totaling roughly $12,400 in wasted budget. The dry-erase board beside my desk now has this seven-step list on it.

Step 1: Confirm the cue ball your table actually wants

Don’t let the word “Aramith” do the thinking. A coin-operated table with a cue-ball return often uses a special cue ball to separate it from object balls. If your table needs that cue ball and you order a standard one, the separator may send object balls back to the player or drop the cue ball into the wrong tray. It doesn’t look broken, but league night will feel broken.

In 2017, I assumed “same specifications” meant any tournament-quality Aramith set would fit our older commercial tables. Didn’t verify. Turned out the room needed one cue-ball variant for the coin-op tables and another for the presentation table. That mistake cost roughly $1,300 in rework and replacement orders. Even after ordering the replacement, I kept second-guessing. What if the vendor sent the same standard balls? I didn’t relax until a mechanic tested the separator with the new cue ball.

Step 2: Use Aramith TV pool balls where presentation matters

The “TV” label is not just a marketing tag. Aramith TV pool balls are built to read well under bright light and camera, which is why they work on event and broadcast tables. They are still subject to the WPA equipment spec for tournament pool balls: 57.15 mm diameter and 156–170 g weight. The visual clarity is the extra layer.

My mistake was putting them on every table. That looks great in photos but doubles your cleaning workload and replacement cost. Order this style for the table that will actually be recorded or shown to a customer. For the back tables, another Aramith set with the same weight class is fine.

Step 3: Inspect the sets on the day they arrive

Set aside a loading-dock slot for the delivery. Open each box, count sixteen balls, and check that the cue ball is the one you ordered. Look at each ball under a light. A haze or tiny flat spot matters more on a TV set than on a practice set because the camera will find it.

I once accepted a full pallet of sealed boxes and waited two days to open them. One case contained the right boxes but the wrong cue ball in every set. Since I didn’t catch it at delivery, everyone lost time waiting for replacements. Now I check before the driver leaves the area.

Step 4: Build your cleaning station around Aramith Pool Ball Cleaner

Aramith uses a cast phenolic resin. That means tough, but not indestructible. Household solvents and “magic” abrasive pads can leave a dull patch that only becomes obvious under lighting. Use a microfiber cloth and Aramith Pool Ball Cleaner. Spray the cloth, not the rack, and wipe each ball in a short rotation. Then dry with a second cloth.

I keep the bottle in the same room as the table, not in a locked supply closet. If cleaning is inconvenient, it won’t happen. Weekly cleaning catches chalk dust before it becomes obvious.

Step 5: If a table is moving, search for actual pool table movers

General movers can move a pool table, but not without risk. Slate tables need to be dismantled, moved flat, and reassembled with the seams aligned and the playing surface re-leveled. Search for “pool table movers” whose quote includes slate service and releveling. A cheap quote is only cheap until the seam catches a ball.

The other lesson: take the balls out before the movers arrive. Pack them in foam trays, wipe them with Aramith Pool Ball Cleaner, and do not let the ball box become a moving-box filler.

Step 6: Take out any earbuds before the final ball-roll test

I keep Beats Fit Pro earbuds around for calls and inventory work. They are good for that. But after a table is reassembled, you have to run a ball along every rail and listen for the click that says the cloth or the slate seam is off. Noise-isolating earbuds hide exactly that click. In 2022, I missed a cushion ping because I was listening to an owner update instead of the table. The table looked level. It was not.

Step 7: Add a spare cue ball and an 8-ball to the same order

Balls do not break easily, but they do wander. In a sports bar, the 8-ball is the favorite to leave with a customer. In a league room, the cue ball gets pocketed into a bag. When a problem happens on a Saturday, you won’t find a matching Aramith set at a convenience store. Buy a spare cue ball and a spare 8-ball at the same time as the sets. Write the table number on the spare box, and count it during weekly cleaning.

Notes I keep in the purchasing file

The expensive mistake isn’t choosing Aramith. It’s skipping the small checks after the order arrives. Cue ball variant, delivery inspection, cleaning protocol, table moving, the listening test, and spare inventory: none of those are difficult. They just need to be written down.

One unrelated note: I also get asked “are nordictrack treadmills good” when someone is outfitting a multi-use venue. I don’t carry that answer in my purchase log. What I can say is to keep treadmills away from a level-sensitive table and to use a separate vibration mat. The pool ball side of a shared facility is the side I document.