Thank you all for your input — much appreciated.
Yes, I was aware at the time of purchase that this table was a compromise between a pool table and a piece of furniture, and I was admittedly optimistic. Following the installation issues, it became clear that it is far from what one would call a professional pool table, so I’m under no false illusions there.
I have considered replacing it; however, due to space constraints it must function both as a pool table and as our main dining table. Either I’m looking in the wrong places, or there simply aren’t many truly good professional-grade pool tables that also work well as a sit-down dining table. Everything I’ve found so far seems broadly similar to what I already have — though I’d be very interested to hear any genuine alternatives if they exist.
Until then, the goal is to get this table performing as well as it reasonably can, within its limitations.
Geoff — a special thank you for the detailed feedback. Rail thickness measures around 43 mm, which is roughly in line with your estimate. My local club is having their tables re-clothed at the end of the month, and the same fitter will be doing this table as well. They currently use CPBA cloth, and the plan is to re-install the same cloth both at the club and at home too (hopefully with someone who knows which way is up this time!).
The pockets are indeed very tight — frustratingly so. Anything short of a clean centre hit tends to rattle between the jaws and stay up. At present, there is no cushion facing installed. Am I correct in thinking that both the pocket shape and the missing facings can be addressed fairly easily by the installer when the cloth is changed? Is there anything specific I should request, or anything I should be careful about?
Comparing it to my local club tables, the cloth certainly feels slow, but the rails seem to be the bigger issue in terms of ball speed. I’m sure the upside-down cloth doesn’t help, but the rails appear to kill the ball far more than expected. Is there any test I can do (or share results from) to determine whether the rubber rails are too hard and would benefit from being replaced? Or could this behaviour realistically be explained purely by the incorrect cloth installation?
The rubber itself feels noticeably harder than the more flexible cushions at my local club. If changing the rails is advisable, is there any particular brand or model that works best on MDF-rail tables, or would any reputable K55-profile cushion rubber be suitable?
Thanks again for all the help and insight — it’s been extremely useful.
