Lifespan of Tournament Champion balls?

[EnterTheDragon]

How long do they last in good condition and how can you tell when it's time to buy a new set?
Do you start getting a lot of kicks even when the balls are just cleaned or what?
I play quite a lot, approx. 15-25 hrs/ week.

[deant1982]

Kicks are believed to be caused by dust and other "foreign bodies" between the cue ball and object ball. This includes chalk dust and general dust. It is also suspected static electricity comes in to play causing them. If the balls are well looked after, there is no reason they shouldn't last for years.

Best thing to do is to give the table a good brush whenever you can (ideally each time before you play) and an iron occasionally. (I actually used to brush and iron for free, the table I played on every saturday morning, simply because I felt more comfortable and confident on a freshly cleaned table, so I played much better. I did find that by doing this, there didn't seem to be hardly any kicks at all in a 5 or 6 hour session).

[Deepscrew]

I also brush the table (no iron available) before play as it quickens it more than anything...

Played in a garage yesterday and it must be dampish conditions as so much chalk stuck to the white ball, plenty of kicks too.

EDIT: In answer to your question, unless the balls have chips or scuffs on them i wouldnt imagine they ever need changing. They wont go out of shape so how would they degrade over time other than to chip and scuff?

[cazmac1]

There is info in the in the paper work that comes with a new set. Can't remember of the top of my head but I think it is around 100,000 hits?

[poolqjunkie]

I think I read something like a 100K hits or was it a million?
I always am under the impression that the cue ball will get smaller and hence lighter over time so it needs to be replaced after a while, but I think the other balls should last longer. May be if you measure the ball and weight it and notice a big difference in the cue ball you should change the cue ball...not sure when you need to change the whole set...

[EnterTheDragon]

Ok, thanks for the answers. The 100k hits was new info for me, didn't know they last that long.