Pool Tables?
 

So, giving this a shot, we'll see how much actual traction this will get. Actually searching around on the internet doesn't reveal a lot of hard evidence. It's mostly buyer guides and sellers with blogs.

So I'm asking you guys, who had experience with pool tables? What brand do you like or hate? Stuff like that. I know a lot of basics from my searching, but I want more.

Also, I'm looking at buying a table soon. I want a new table so I get what I want, but my dad says buy used and just refurbish it. Here's some tables I'm looking at.

This is a table for about 3 grand. That's delivered and installed with my choice of felt.
http://www.watsons.com/default/gaston-plank-and-hide

This one is a couple hundred more, and is metal. It looks cool and feels solid, but I can't help but think it goes against tradition. Shouldn't a table be wood?
http://www.watsons.com/default/xane-plank-and-hide

They seem like well built tables. I have no clue how long they're going to last, but my biggest concern is the cushions, no info.

On the other side of things, this guy will deliver and install the table with new felt for 1250.
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/tag/5294634509.html

Already gave ya all I can in the other thread.
The wood one looks fine but like you implied it is kind of hard to tell. My info on table is 30 years out of date so maybe metal is fine now but I would be wary.

Buy used. People are usually desperate to get rid of these when they're moving. Craigslist is overflowing some months.

-Justin

This is my recommendation as well. The money you can save will pay for having a pro move and set it up and still leave you well ahead of the game in price.

You can also get a used one re-felted cant you??

There are several on craigslist, and people are pretty desperate to get rid of them. My dad also made the good point that a lot of people will get a table, then just never use it. Some of these could be several years old, but basically be brand new because they were hardly used. Buying used and having new felt installed does seem to be the cheaper option all day long.


It's still a hard decision for me though because if I buy used I don't get the table I want, but I also don't know if that's worth the extra money. As long as I can play pool on it, who cares what it looks like, right? Also, I've been talking to a salesperson and I almost feel obligated to buy something from her, but that's a personal thing.


I have a month to decide, either way.

Bought our house, gutted the basement and built a beautiful games room, bought a high end pool table, foosball table and dartboard, used them all extensively for about two years. Son moved out. Now the pool table makes a great laundry sorting place and cat bed the foosball table managed to keep the rest of the room dust free due to some weird static charge thing and I am pretty sure the darts are seized right into the board.
On the plus side, the grandsons are now at an age where they can actually start to play these things properly so I expect an upswing in use soon.

I tend to re-arrange rooms over time, and a pool table really limits that flexibility. Just knowing I could never really put the thing anywhere but where it sat would drive me nuts, even if I was using it consistently.

Also, I bet a lot more pool tables see use as laundry stations than as game tables.

-Justin

I used to move and set up pool tables as a side gig back in my army days and can vouch that this is 100% accurate.

Fun story:
Got a call to move a coin op table from a bar to a guy's house. He didn't want to pay for the 4 to 6 hours it takes to dismantle a coin op so all we did was pull the legs. Get it in the truck and head to the guy's house.
The house is brand new, very expensive (around $500K in 1978 expensive) and they hadn't even moved in yet. He shows us where the stairs to the basement are and we take one look and tell him "no way is it going through there". We he whines that he really has to have that table for sentimental reasons and we need to make it fit.
We manhandle it and get it to the door but there is no way it can be angled enough to fit. He asks us to back it off a couple of feet and then disappears for about 20 minutes. Eventually he shows up with a chainsaw in hand and proceeds to chop the top of the door jamb out right to the ceiling. Well this helps a bit and we get it partially angled but now it catches on the stairs. Down he goes with the chainsaw, chops off the top and bottom of the stairs. We can now lower the table into the basement and set it up.
Dude really, really wanted that bloody table!

I don't get how he can afford that house, be willing to destroy stuff he'll have to fix later and still not be able to pay the cost of moving the table. I bet it wasn't cheap to fix the door or stairs.

He cut wires and everything. The whole dismantle and reassemble process would have cost him about $150 (again 1978 dollars) and delayed the delivery by about a day.
It was a sight to see though and ya just can't make that crap up.

Now here's an Olhausen, which I think after reading everything I could find is maybe the best brand. There's not much detail and he doesn't have a location in the post, so I'm suspicious, but the price is good. I think moving and refelting it will cost another $500.


http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/for/5313038802.html

Very nice table. In fact that is what I have except mine is the older style with the straight legs and base (no taper like that one has).
For that price even if you had to put $1K into it (which you won't) you would still be getting it for less than half price. That is the sort of deal that can frequently be found in used tables. Listing doesn't mention if accessories come with it but if they do then that can easily be another $200 you can be saving.

I don't mind about the accessories. I want to get a nice set of competition grade pool balls and one of those aluminum racks anyways.

Is it true that Olhausen cushions don't need to be replaced?

It doesn't hurt to have a couple of sets of balls. I have a beater set for drunken visitors and a good set for serious play. The more beers involved or the younger the players the more ball that end up bouncing off the floor and you don't want to have that happen with the good ones.

The top line tables which of course include the Olhausen ones all use a high grade, pure rubber, bumper that other than physical damage (cuts, tears, etc) should last the life of the table without losing their bounce, shrinking or separating. The cheaper lines of table, including some top name manufactures (i.e. Brunswick) will use a rubber coated neoprene bumper that will eventually dry out and shrink. When new or only a few years old it is almost impossible to tell the difference but as they age there will be visible deformities along the length of the bumper and it will very obviously start to separate from the side of the table.
Picking a quality table can be rough since there are so many small manufactures that make several grades and even though they all look the same there can actually be some substantial differences.

I have bought used pool tables. Make sure the bumpers all are still bouncy. If they have become stiff the table will have a "dead" spot. Also, the thicker the slate the better. Take your time. I bought a sweet modern table that is black and chrome with grey felt for $700. I love it.

Make sure your room is big enough. My room is 24 x 14, and I only have a 8 foot table.

The worn out cushions is why I double checked on the Olhausen. I'm thinking to avoid that issue I'll just keep an eye out for something that shouldn't have problems, but there's not many Olhausen tables for sale. Most of what I'm seeing on Craigslist are brands I haven't heard of and finding reviews for pool tables is difficult. There are a few places that give minor write ups, but it's not information in high demand. Slate at least an inch thick is ideal, so it's number one on my question list.


As for room, that seems to be one of the trickiest things. I'm actually looking for a new place too, so I'd like to force myself to wait until then to get the table. But I'm noticing so many houses with "entertainment" rooms that are like 24'x11' for some reason. It's impossible to find less rectangular rooms.

The odds of getting an Olhausen table with bad bumpers are pretty remote. Anything that is going to damage them is going to be obvious by sight or feel.

Yes table sales can be very regional but some of those custom one by the small manufacturers are actually really sweet. The easiest way to judge the quality of a table without knowing every single point to look at is to check if there is any particle or wafer board used in any part of it. If there is anything that is not real wood (even trim) then shy away from it as odds are there are other areas that were skimped on hidden away in the structure.

This is fun actually having a topic that I can claim to be an actual "expert" on for a change.

Yeah, that's why I'm looking for an Olhausen. I've been reading stuff for days and all the arrows point to them.

I'll look into local tables more closely as I find them though, just to keep things open. Though I'm waiting to hear back from a buddy who's parents might be selling their table. It's either a Legacy, or an Olhausen. If it's the latter then I'll try and snag it.

I wish I had an eye for those things. I'm not sure looking around a table I'd be able to identify fake stuff.

He has a bit of a bias since they sell new which is obvious by his repeated "it can be expansive" comments about fixing up used but shows what to look for pretty well.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcEYIIgxxCM"]How to Buy a Used Pool Table - YouTube[/ame]

I'm not sure how useful dredging this thread back up will be with @Tcoat MIA, but I've had a change of plan regarding the pool table. Instead of hiding it in the basement, it can get a prominent location upstairs if it takes on the guise of a dining room table. Some searching has yielded a few options, but not very many. It might be too limited a market, but I'd like to try and find a fairly affordable one. It doesn't look like the big brands make this type of table specifically, though.

this ones nice?
http://www.longs-billiards.com/image...eece-large.jpg

I need a TL/DR for this thread please

Oh man that table's gaudy.


The short version is I've been trying to settle on a pool table because I've wanted one for a long time. This was an info gathering thread that pretty much was settled, with much help from Tcoat since he used to install them. I've resurrected it because instead of just a pool table, I actually need one that is also a dining room table.

I see. Could you not get a big piece of wood to fill the play area and have a thin lip on it that goes over the edges then throw a table cloth over it?

It's entirely possible, while not going that route, that such an item as a dining table top that fits any table most likely exists. And if I go that route, it would probably work well enough. But a pool table has a distinct look, while the tables designed as dining tables look like nothing more than an ordinary table.

Attachment 132218
http://www.snookersports.com/dining_snooker_table.html

So do I get a cookie for this one?

Used is a good idea and if you really want to save on cost get a more commercial model/style.


might want to look into majestic, heritage and palason if you can find them. You should definitely be able to find something sub or around 2k that looks decent and isn't fugly looking

No, no cookie because it's fugly

But u canz eats off it?

No, he doesn't get a cookie because that's a snooker table, not a pool table.

my opinion on these things... get cheapest craigslist table possible. If you end up using it alot and having a pool table works out; put it back on craigslist and then get the one you want for more $$$.

What the hell is snookers?

I know I want a good one because I know I will use it, but I agree with your mentality to an extent. I can buy a cheap table and have the felt replaced, and if they're rough even the rails can be fixed. A $500 table can become a $3000 with maybe a grand of work.
No clue, honestly. It's just another type of billiards.

No way you'll get a chair and your knees under a fairly standard table.

That's why there's this type.
http://www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/imag...pool-table.jpg

http://stuffpoint.com/south-park/ima...ark-snooki.jpg


no wait... that's a snooki

I'll say a cheaper table is a good alternative (I mean quality yes) depending on what it's used for... if it's a cottage or party table maybe not get a super awesome nice ass custom table...just my 2 cents

well, it's looking like I have to make a choice between "used and affordable" and "overpriced dining room table that is also a pool table" because the extremely limited options I've found so far are all super expensive. I saw good things about a company called A.E Schmidt, but like most of these manufactures, they don't list a single price on their site. They do have a nice dining pool table too, but I bet it costs at least 8 grand.