Olhausen Rattle Fix?

tysonverge said:

I ordered an 8' Olhausen Hampton table this past week and expect to have it installed mid october (2010). Has Olhausen made any adjustments to their cushion facings or cushions that eliminates this "Olhausen Rattle" problem? Or should i have 3/16" neoprene facings for when the installer shows up with the table? Also does changing the facings affect the lifetime warrenty on the accu-fast cushions? Thanks for all the great info here too by the way. This is a very informative site!

Click to expand...

the rails will probably be covered when the installer shows up at your door. suggest you discuss the facing change with the dealer prior to delivery.

PM RKC or SDBilliards, they know the what for. The way I understand the problem is that it is partly the facings, partly the way the pocket angles are cut (splayed out) and partly the accufast cushions. The accusfast cushions are on the soft side (for lack of a better term), so when a ball hits the facing it "opens up" more than on say Artemis rubber. When the cushions opens up it tends to rebound the ball more towards the other facing than into the hole. Couple that with the tendency for the cushions to be cut splayed out and it results in the dreaded rattle.

Obviously the cushions are what they are, though they can be replaced. The cut of the pockets can be taken care of by a good mechanic. My understanding is that RKC or Donny can advise you on harder facings that help reduce the problem by lessening the amount the cushions open up when a ball strikes it.

Hope this helps.

DogsPlayingPool said:

PM RKC or SDBilliards, they know the what for. The way I understand the problem is that it is partly the facings, partly the way the pocket angles are cut (splayed out) and partly the accufast cushions. The accusfast cushions are on the soft side (for lack of a better term), so when a ball hits the facing it "opens up" more than on say Artemis rubber. When the cushions opens up it tends to rebound the ball more towards the other facing than into the hole. Couple that with the tendency for the cushions to be cut splayed out and it results in the dreaded rattle.

Obviously the cushions are what they are, though they can be replaced. The cut of the pockets can be taken care of by a good mechanic. My understanding is that RKC or Donny can advise you on harder facings that help reduce the problem by not reducing the amount the cushions open up when a ball strikes it.

Hope this helps.

Click to expand...

seems like a lot of work and expense to modify a brand new table which I doubt the OH folks will do or are qualified for. getting them to replace the facings with neoprene is probably a stretch too but doesnt hurt to ask.

accurajoe said:

seems like a lot of work and expense to modify a brand new table which I doubt the OH folks will do or are qualified for. getting them to replace the facings with neoprene is probably a stretch too but doesn't hurt to ask.

Click to expand...

Well, I completely understand. BTW, most of my experience with O's are the commercial models like the Champion line. But to the extent that using a different facing will resolve the problem that should be no big deal. As far as the cushions themselves I didn't know that ALL Olhausens came with the Accufast rubber. In regard to the angle the pockets are cut at, I wouldn't worry about it. Enjoy the table and if you have issues about how it plays just have a good mechanic do the new cloth install when the time comes and have him make any changes you want at that time. You may want the pockets tightened or whatever at that time anyway so he can do anything else you need then.

You may not even have any issue with the way your table plays. My experience on O's is pretty much confined to the commercial environment and lord knows how many times these tables have been hacked on and double or triple shimmed.

I looked up the Hampton on line just now and I must say it is a stunner. Hope you'll be real happy with it and I'm sure it will look beautiful in your home. :wink: Enjoy your new toy.

Still, get a hold of Donny or Glen and ask them about the facings. I'm not a mechanic but I did do a considerable amount of research on this very topic, just trying to share what I found out.

Splayed pockets

You probably should play with it for a while. People complain about the pockets rattling balls but it will actually teach you to aim more for the center of the pocket. I have had people say they are "tight pockets" when in fact thay are pretty good sized. The issue is the pocket facing angles and harder facings would help this. Many people are tightening up tables by extending sub-rails and reducing the pocket opening. Olhausen made the pocket play tighter with facing angles. Just play on it if you are an intermediate player now you are bound to get better just having a pool table in your house available for practice. Myself I wouldn't gamble on one of those tables but if I had one at home I would.

The Champion line of commercial tables also have a deep shelf slate and this contributes to the playing characteristics. I don't know about the rest of the line (i.e. the Hampton).

tysonverge said:

So when people talk about the "Rattle" are they only talking about the commercial or the home tables as well. I havent played on either, but i will find out very soon. :smile:

And if so is it more prominate on the commercial tables because the deep shelf slate?

Click to expand...

I don't know. Most of my playing time on Olhausens are on the Champions because that is the table at the room closest to my house. The subject has come up often enough that I guess it pertains to most all Olhausens but I can't say that for sure. I also don't know if all O's have the deep shelf slate but obviously that would be a contributing factor, just like it is on the Diamonds.

I play on an Olhausen at home and at the pool hall. The pocket and shelf dimensions are exactly the same.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk