Billiard & Pool Table Advice

There are so many choices out there when purchasing a billiard table or pool table and prices can start from just a couple of hundred dollars on Ebay. However, you should be aware of what you may be buying! Many people buying a billiard or pool table are cautious and quite correctly so. Most of us purchase only one billiard table during our lives. Usually new tables are designed to look very attractive, so choosing is not easy.

Cheap tables from China poorly built may look inexpensive but remember this “you get what you pay for”. Danny Townsend Billiard and Pool Tables can usually provide much better value for your money by providing and professionally installing a quality product that will give you many years of trouble free enjoyment.

Here are some brief tips to help you really enjoy your new table.

Think about what you are buying the table for. For example, buying a large table may not be appropriate if the main users are likely to be children.

Make sure the table will fit comfortably in your room, together with the other items you propose to have there, be it couches, chairs, plants, television, even a bar, and so on.

If your room is an awkward shape, get some expert advice as to the size of table you should choose in order to be as comfortable as possible & avoid frustration.

When checking a table, see how the cushions perform when you bounce a ball off them – are they lively or not? Does the ball come off the cushion at a proper angle when bounced against? Does the ball tend to ‘jump’ when it strikes the cushions? Many tables are made with inadequate cushions because it saves money – but it does not give the player much joy. Replacing poorly performing cushions with superior ones costs a substantial amount so you should try to get it right from the beginning.

For a good performing table, the bed of the table should be made of slate. If good quality slate is fitted to a strongly made table frame you have the best chance of getting a consistent game. Look underneath the table. Is the slate sitting firmly on the entire frame? It should do to give the slate the best possible support. If the slate is not fully supported the table will move out of level. If there are wedges placed between the top of the frame and the bottom of the slate the table will only remain level in the short term.

A sound table should be made from quality furniture timbers. Some hard timbers which are not properly seasoned will move over time and affect the performance of your table. We do not recommend that the frame of a table which has a slate bed should be made from anything other than good quality timber (not particle board of any kind!) – the joints are not likely to take the strain over the longer term.

Fine Cloth fitted correctly will assist in the balls running smoothly and straight. Most prominent players, past and present, have agreed that the finest cloths come from the West of England. We provide the finest cloths on all our reconditioned tables.

The brackets holding the pockets should be of metal. Plastic or “metalised” plastic brackets often break. The nets should be kept in place with a strong wire, not by staples which fail after a short time. The brackets should be covered with genuine leather to prevent damage to the balls.

There are good brands and bad brands. Give us a call to get our opinion on the table you’re thinking of buying.