This thread is TDLR; as far as I can tell, so I will try to summarize:
- There is no Diamond lease / share profits program that I could find. They do have a financing program listed here:
Diamond Billiard Products
diamondbilliards.com
- Many local operators / vendors (not manufacturers) seem to offer either revenue sharing or lease / rental programs for both Valley and possibly Diamond tables. For example, this site:
Transform your space with Player Two's customizable Valley coin-operated pool tables. Perfect for bars and pool halls. Start the fun and boost your revenue today!
www.playertwo.com
- I have played on some very nice Valley tables in my 50+ years of playing pool if they are maintained and setup correctly with quality rails plus high grade felt and if the foundations of the tables are sound (rail bolts tighten correctly, slate and its bed are not damaged or warped, pockets are in excellent condition, etc.). Yes, they are not Diamonds, but not every bar wants or needs Diamond tables.
- On ball sets: Yes, the default Aramith Premier line with the modified stripe balls and the green Valley cougar cue ball (mud ball) can get quite tired over multiple years of use. My recommendation is to get a personal set of Dynasphere Bronze / Vanadium balls for players that care about the hit of a quality set of balls and usually have a quality cue stick or two (one for breaking) that they travel with to one or more bars. But there are some considerations to make when bringing your own balls with your other usual hardware:
- The bar table's ball return might not be open and your cue ball does not come down the ball return if a scratch is made. Solutions are:
- Use the green Valley cougar cue ball (ugh).
- Upgrade to the purple Valley cougar cue ball (a little better one that is labeled as tournament quality and will work with the ball return). Here is a link:
This cue ball is made for coin op tables that return the ball at the break end. It does not have the magnet in the middle of the ball however.
seyberts.com
- Look for bars that offer free pool with ball returns open to use your own set or ask the owners if you can rent the table with the ball return opened so you can use your own set. They even might let you keep your ball set behind the bar so you do not have to travel with it (this is what I do and we use either a red circle cue ball or the included Dynaspheres cue ball).
And on a closing note, most bar owners don't really care about the condition of their bar tables. And if they do, they charge more for pool or drinks / food or both. It is about a $1000 on the west coast to do an 8 foot Valley table for quality rails and felt including proper labor and setup. That can be a big hit if an owner has multiple tables that get a good amount of play. Even a bigger hit to the owner if there are clueless players spilling drinks, trying jump or masse shots incorrectly or just sitting on the tables which all result in premature wear and damage.
