Which Pool Table?
By
Jeff King
There are a few
things to consider when purchasing a pool table that have an
effect on the price and quality of your table and therefore,
your game. Note that the term “pool tables” refers to the table
used to play billiards, snooker, and all other cue-sports
similar to this. The differences between these games are the
rules and sets of balls used, not the table itself.
Pool tables are
constructed in a wide variety of sizes and there can be great
variation in the quality and construction methods used. The main
reasons for the range in sizes in pool tables for sale are
simply that an authentic full-size table is huge and a
consideration of the various costs of a full-size table. Pool
tables are invariably a perfect rectangle with the width being
half the length. A standard full-size English Billiards table
measures 12' long, and, therefore, 6' wide! These days it is not
difficult to locate tables measuring nine, eight, and seven feet
long respectively, which are more realistically suited for
people's homes.
When buying a
pool table it is important to consider the construction
materials used. Of these the surface is by far the most
important feature. If you're after a basic, cheap table, new
discount pool tables which use a wooden surface with cloth
overlay can be found for less than US$400. However, if you are
after a more authentic table, which will ultimately give you a
much better game, then there is no substitute for slate. Any
serious cue-sports enthusiast will not settle for anything less
than a slate table which will not flex or suffer the deformities
that wooden-surfaced tables are subject to. Slate is a very
hard, dense stone which is quarried and cut into single, solid
slabs the full size of the table, machined to near-perfect
flatness and covered with cloth to make the surface of the
table.
Unless subjected
to absolutely brutal punishment it will not chip, dent, flex, or
be affected by moisture. The slab used for tables will vary
anywhere between a full 2 ½” thick for much older tables and,
more recently, about one inch in thickness. Generally speaking
the thicker your slab the better, however, the biggest drawback
with slate tables is that they are truly monumental in weight,
especially for larger, older tables. These can weigh as much as
1000 pounds! Along with such a large, heavy cut of solid stone
come increased handling and construction costs.
Other things to
consider when assessing the quality of a table include: The
grade of cloth used – good tables use a woolen cloth; the
sturdiness of the frame and type of wood used in the
construction, particularly the legs; how well the pockets and
netting are made, what the netting is made of, and whether they
use real leather guards. Finally the quality, feel, and bounce
of the bumpers running along the inside edge of the table.
Brunswick pool tables are an example of a respected brand that
performs well for all these tests of quality, with more than 150
years of experience to their name.
The cost of
authentic, full-size slate tables reaches well into the
thousands of dollars which, for most people, is not a realistic
purchase, assuming you have room for it in the first place.
However, if you're after cheap pool tables there are a few
options open to you: For real discount pool tables you can go
with the wooden-based tables mentioned earlier. Their surface
may dent, warp, and may make for a less enjoyable game as time
progresses but they're highly affordable. If you're unwilling to
settle for lower quality, and you have a bit of ability with
your hands, consider looking for cheap pool tables in the
classified advertisements in your local paper or online that may
be in a state of disrepair. If you're willing to put the work
in, so long as you can find a table with a slab intact, you can
more or less rebuild or restore the rest of the table from the
ground up and re-cover it yourself. In this way, you can have a
quality slate table for a fraction of the cost of a new one but
every bit as good.
Fortunately ball
sets are getting cheaper and cheaper these days, with little
reduction in quality. The same cannot be said for cues,
unfortunately, so you should always remember to look down the
length of a cue to see if it has bowed before buying it.
Finally, you don't want to be peering at your table in the dark.
Consider purchasing a set of good overhead pool table lights to
ensure you get the most from your table.
Jeff King writes
on many consumer topics.
There's more
about tables at
Table Land
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