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DON'T DROP THE BALL
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| OK, you've got a lovely game collection. They're all in excellent condition and play beautifully. But sooner or later you know something's going to change. It won't be long before you look down and realise the lustre has gone and suddenly your balls have lost their shine. Scuffed, pitted or rusted pinballs can cause damage to your playfield so it's important to replace them as soon as you spot a problem. That means having spare balls to hand, ready to go straight into action. Regular carbon steel pinballs should not be left exposed to moisture or placed anywhere that leaves them liable to damage, so the question of where to store your spare balls comes to mind. Additionally, when a pinball machine is folded up or transported, the balls should be removed to avoid damage to plastics and playfield toys. If you're storing a game for a while, where to you put the balls to keep them in tip-top condition? Well, now Pinwest have solved the problem with their Ball Sack.
The Ball Sack is a quality one-piece product made from a black vinyl material with a faux leather look. It holds six balls in individual compartments which should be enough for one to six games, depending on the models (and assuming none of them are an Apollo 13). The outer edge is double stitched in red to match the red Ball Sack panel on the front flap.
When closed, the Ball Sack resembles an oversized black enchilada and it is fitted with a loop handle you can use to carry it or hang it on display.
The Ball Sack is secured by a snap fastener on a flap at either end and by a velcro strip underneath the logo on the main flap. Undoing the main flap allows access to the interior and the compartments which hold the balls.
You can remove balls just by lifting the main flap but to place the balls inside you really need to unfasten the two side flaps so you can fully access the pouches.
There are six pouches each of which hold a single ball. This ensures the balls are not damaged or scratched by contact with their neighbours. The inner surface of each pouch features a felt-like finish which further protects the balls. The individual pouches are stitched together in pairs to taper them, thus making sure the balls are held snugly and don't fall out.
The top and bottom flaps are double skinned, so you can store small, flat items inside such as a cloth or some paperwork.
The Ball Sack comes with a cleaning cloth so you can give your balls a polish before putting them in the pouches or placing them in your game.
Pinballs are often stored with a coating of oil to prevent rust forming on the surface and although the pouches may become a little mucky over time with repeated use, there seems to be no reason why oiled balls shouldn't be stored in the Ball Sack, although you will may want to upgrade the supplied polishing cloth to something a little more substantial that can cope with the oil. Black stitching is used throughout to join the various parts and even the velcro closure is sewn in to ensure it doesn't detatch. The twin wall construction adds solidity and gives a feeling of quality.
The Ball Sack isn't an essential product by any means but instead it's an attractive accessory which fulfills a useful function and adds a touch of class to any home collection. It costs US$14.95 / £8 plus shipping and is available from the maker's website at:
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