Do you want your Table to just look good or Play good as well?
Where will your Warranty come from?
Who is setting up your Table?
What is a regulation size tables.
Most commonly used sizes are now 7', 8' and 9' tables.
To measure a table place a tape measure on the inside of the rubber and measure to the opposite side.
I have included a chart for your convenience to measure your room size (click here to download).
The best slate is from Italy and Brazil, both of these countries have been milling slate to "10:1,000" for years.
Many customers get caught up in looking at the design and colour of the table and forget that they are buying not just to look at
Your table is being purchased to play on.
There is rubber under the cloth on the rails
All companies have Natural Gum Rubber.
Where the difference is how the rubber is mixed with other compounds than baked to make it into a playable rail. Test Your
Olhausen has a life time guarantee on "Accu-fast" rubber specially made to their standards in the USA. (the Best Money can Buy)
Legacy offers a 25 year warranty
Break down of how to determine if it is Pool or Snooker Table
Snooker Tables
Worsted cloth will play faster, but shows more wear
Finish Quality is extremely important
Olhausen uses premium North American woods and all finishes have from 6-12 coats to produce the finished Product
How the frame is assembled and the legs are attached:
Quality hardware makes a difference when assembling and taking apart a table
With such a big investment, do you really trust your self to get the most out of your table when assembling.
Accessories:
When buying used:
When Buying New:
What make a good quality Maple Cue?
Selection of wood is important
The quality of the joint is tricky for a beginner to determine
The 2 pieces of metal should not be of the same type,
1 piece cues will play better but lack the ability to travel with you.
The wrap on the handle should be of leather or Pressed Irish linen
The best balls are phenolic resin they have a yellowish look not a bright white finish
All manufactures will agree that a slate pool table should only be installed by a trained pool table mechanic.
Warranty on a table is only honored by manufactures when the table is installed by a qualified mechanic.
When installing the table all pieces of slate must be true and flat, this is not something the average handyman is going to be able to do. Proper tightening of all screws is important, too tight and there is a chance of a crack while too loose could leave the table room to move. Stretching the felt takes years of experience to master. One must be sure to have correct tautness in order for the table to play and wear properly. The alignment and positioning of the rails also play a critical part of how the table will play.
Here at All About Billiards, Mark has 35 years of experience, that means he has worked on thousands of tables not only “The best in billiards” but on all brands. “The table is only as level as the person who put it together.” Do you want to invest your hard earned money on a table and not have it play the best it can?
There are five grades of natural gum rubber.
Most slate pool table manufactures claim to have natural gum rubber and say they meet BCA standards. This may be true but the higher the grade of gum rubber, the more accurate the rebound of the ball and the more lively the response.
Olhausen is the only company to offer the Accu-fast cushion with a lifetime warranty, made from premium grade rubber mixed with proprietary chemicals and pigments to increase accuracy. Anti revision chemicals are used to prevent the rubber from reverting back to its natural state. A true k-66 face profile is used as a standard for over a century. 100% bonding, compared to 66% used by most manufactures ensures the best possible end product. Of coarse the cushions are made in the USA to unsure the quality control need to produce the most important part of the game.
What the rubber is attached to also makes a difference in the play of the ball. A hard backing secured properly to the slate will make all the difference in how the ball will react. A rail secured with free floating plates held by a staple will vibrate loose and change the play of your table. This will also need regular tightening to keep in place and have a rattling sound. Olhausen tables are installed on only hardwoods using “T nut” construction. This combined with high quality bolts and washers maintain a consistent level of play.
Many tables designed have been copied from other larger brand manufactures. The problem with a copy is that corners are cut to make the selling price lower. Most of us have heard the saying “You only get what you pay for”, this very true in pool table designs.
Most copies are made over seas with inexpensive labour, therefore the attention to detail is lost because of non skilled workers. The frame is made of many pieces so more tables can be packed into shipping container, the quality of wood is generally overlooked which can cause the finished table warp in the future. Just because the lumber is from North America does not mean the wood is high quality.
Cheap low quality lumber makes for a poor strength final product that has lots of screw, bolts and metal brackets that weaken the overall integrity of the table. A true flat surface is needed to stabilize the slate.
We do not drive a car with four bald tires, or build a house on a weak foundation: why would we buy a table the will shift when you put any weight against it.
No. The thickness of slate is not as important as where it comes from and how it is finished. More importantly, what is the slate being laid on?
For many years the standard thickness of billiard table slate was ¾”, making 1” an upgrade for 4x8 tables. The thickness of the slate has minimal effect on the overall playability of the table.
Dufferin Tables: No longer made, ussually never atached the slate to frame. This made it a free floating bed of slate. Much, much harder to keep level.
If the slate shifts there will be a very slight bump between the slates causing the cloth to get a wear mark as it passes over the area of the table.
Olhausen offers 1” thick slate, with a bed liner glued to the back as a standard. By attaching a bed liner with glue not screws, the ball will have less vibration sound when rolling on the table; this also provides a more stable piece of slate when handling during shipping and installation. The bed liner also offers the ability to staple cloth to the slate instead of gluing. Stapling will allow for a much more controlled installation and removal of cloth, therefore improving the end playing enjoyment.
No, slate can not warp. The best slate in the world comes from Italy and Brazil; hundreds of years working with the stone have provided them with experience needed to create the highest quality finish. Diamond honed slate is ground on the top surface with a series of peaks allowing the surface to be much truer and flat. Many tables now offer slate from the orient.
If the slate is not true and flat before it is installed than how will a mechanic be able to make it level on the table?
When buying used there are many factors that come into play.
What shape is the cloth in, and does it need to be replaced?
Does it have a slate bed in it?
Does the table have good working rubber on all 6 cushions,
Is the rubber the same age and consistency for the table to play properly. This is an expensive part of the table to replace if the rails are dead.
The way to check the rails for lively, consistent play is to bounce a ball off of all 6 rails. The ball should bounce off far enough for a bank shot to be made in any pocket. The harder we have to hit the ball the less accuracy we will have. The rails are the key to a table playing well.
What shape are the accessories in?
What kind of wood is the table made from, or is it even real wood?
A table should be set up and moved by a professional. Each slate slab can weight between 145 pounds and 375 pounds. If a piece of slate is damaged during transportation you will want to replace all 3 as they should be a matched set.
There are several different bolt hole patterns, Therefore they do not fit every table.
You should also be aware of wether or not the table has the type of rails you want (pool or snooker).
Very often you can purchase a new Pool table, complete with no headaches for about the same price, as a used table that is filled with many hidden costs.
Everything you need to get playing is included, plus professional installation.
For many customers a billiard table is a “once in a life time purchase”, this is why it is so important you know what you getting for your money.
By contacting our store we can educate you about what to look for and give you comparable pricing from new to used.
We will also educate you about the details of what makes up a great playing table.
If you decide to buy used we can move it, recover it, replace rails, or just sell you the accessories you will require.
Making a educated purchase is always the easiest one.