Predator Pool Table

realkingcobra said:
That's funny, because a lot of people on AZB own Diamond tables, and I've never heard ONE of them complain about hurting their hands getting the balls out of the ball box....not ONE!
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I got a diamond about 18 months ago and this was my only single complaint about the table. There were a few times I scraped the tops of my knuckles hard enough they were bleeding. The pool rooms I play league in has lots of diamond tables, and i noticed almost everyone of them has the black plastic ring around the ball box missing. I assuming this is because of people keep hitting them with their hands and knocking the ring off over time.

I will say on my table I took a fine tooth file and knocked the edge off the black plastic ring around the ball box. That seemed to help a bit, but I still occasionally will get a scrape.
 
iusedtoberich said:
I disagree. Go to Drexeline Billiards in PA. They had 4 GC4 tables redone with the Diamond Black cushions about 5 years ago. And rails extended. (It’s a one pocket room). Those 4 tables bounced way more than the superspeed tables. They were ruined IMO.
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Are you trying to say all pool table mechanics do the same level of work on ALL pool tables worked on? Why is it that if a subpar table mechanic works on a pool table, and it don't play as good as YOU think it should, the fault is the table manufacturer and NOT the person who worked in it last? And who ever told you all tables should play the same, no matter where they're located....when YOU walk through the door to play pool??????
 
surffisher2a said:
I got a diamond about 18 months ago and this was my only single complaint about the table. There were a few times I scraped the tops of my knuckles hard enough they were bleeding. The pool rooms I play league in has lots of diamond tables, and i noticed almost everyone of them has the black plastic ring around the ball box missing. I assuming this is because of people keep hitting them with their hands and knocking the ring off over time.

I will say on my table I took a fine tooth file and knocked the edge off the black plastic ring around the ball box. That seemed to help a bit, but I still occasionally will get a scrape.
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I've been reaching my hands in that very same ball box for over 21 years to get the balls out, trim or no trim, I've never scraped my hands, why not???
 
iusedtoberich said:
I disagree. Go to Drexeline Billiards in PA. They had 4 GC4 tables redone with the Diamond Black cushions about 5 years ago. And rails extended. (It’s a one pocket room). Those 4 tables bounced way more than the superspeed tables. They were ruined IMO.
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I've got Diamond Black Rubber on my Gold Crown I installed by one of, if not the best mechanics in CA. It's the best playing table I've played on.
 
iusedtoberich said:
It might also mean Diamond has no clue what they are doing with the cushion, when they are so different than all the other commercial table companies. Touché.
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Here's some more secret news, there is NO STANDARD as to how a pool table is suppose to play, there's only DIFFERENCES between table manufacturers, get it through your head, the WORLD DON'T PLAY ON GOLD CROWNS exclusively!!! If they did, there would only be ONE pool table manufacturer on this planet!!!!
 
Boxcar said:
Change is good. It really is time to shake things up a bit. Wouldn't it be funny if Predator just completely ate Big D's lunch?

They'll call it "The Pool Table Wars." My Deddy is Biggern' Yo Deddy.
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ChrisinNC said:
Yes, easier playing pockets with shallower shelves could be the wave of the future, at least for poolroom tables and possibly even for professional tournament tables. The game is already too hard for most of us!
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I personally think the diamonds are some of the ugliest tables ever built I would never own one, the Predator is no GC or Centennial but it is more modern looking and I would own one.
 
Chili Palmer said:
I personally think the diamonds are some of the ugliest tables ever built I would never own one, the Predator is no GC or Centennial but it is more modern looking and I would own one.
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Damn! That ugly?
The Metro table is the ugliest of all tournament tables imo. Olhausen Championship is one ugly table and plays like a home table .
I find Diamonds pretty . GC3 is ugly to me .
GC1 and 2 in their original colors are pretty to me . So are the Anniversary .
 
realkingcobra said:
Laugh all you want, but did you ASK Diamond if they'd install the Brunswick Superspeed cushions on the table you was interested in buying?? Hell no, because you wasn't really interested in buying one in the first place, that's the truth of the matter!! You'd rather just complain about something you DON'T HAVE!!!
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I wouldn't even know it would be an option to install SS on a Diamond from the factory. I'm guessing they would tell me to go pound sand if I asked for it. If someone had that table setup and I could try it out to be assured I liked the play, then my next table probably would be a Diamond. I'd go with a Professional probably, built with maple wood. Possibly even do a two tone wood scheme like a few customers did over the years.

I like most of the Diamond table a lot. I also like that it is built in the USA, and the company is involved with pool. There are some minor things I don't like about the table that I could get over. But the bounce off the cushion I have played on dozens and dozens and dozens of Diamonds in many states all over the country, and I only liked the play of the cushion in a rare case or three out of that sample size. I personally simply could not get over that play for something I'm going to drop 10k on.
 
iusedtoberich said:
They are the non modified factory 5” pockets. I wanted a home table to get loose and get in stroke with. Not torture myself. If I had gone Diamond I would have ordered the league cut pockets. 9 years later now and I don’t regret the pocket size one bit. That said, many people have the opposite opinion and want a tight home table.
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Ya I was on the fence with this. Since I went 9ft I decided on the 4.75 leagues vs 4.50 pro's.
 
Actually maybe my next table would be a Predator!:) With all the Matchroom events now switching to Predator, and all the new Pro Tour events being on Predator (except the one in Griff's room), there will be plenty of opportunity to try the new Predator table in the USA. I like how they did the top rail, everything being flush, and the pocket opening distinctly matching the corner castings.

I actually like the idea of extruded aluminum. Coincidentally I'm designing a custom extrusion for my dayjob and having a tool built for it. I'll have the extruded parts in about one month. Exciting for me, as this is the first extruded profile I've designed. Aluminum extrusions are an appealing manufacturing process. The tooling is dirt cheap. The parts are usually very consistent from batch to batch, and usable without any secondary machining operations. The length is about unlimited. The cross section has some limitations on its shape, but those limitations aren't showstoppers for most ideas.

You could also do some interesting things because the extrusions are usually hollow. For example I'm designing (for fun) a CNC machine that I'm looking at using off-the-shelf aluminum extrusions for the frame. A large section, about 6" square. I would fill the hollow inside space with a mixture of epoxy and granite stones. The function of the epoxy granite is to damp the system, so it vibrates less while performing its cutting duties as a CNC machine. Perhaps something like that could be applied to a pool table. The hollow cavity afforded by the extrusion process could be filled with epoxy granite. Its cheap, it adds mass and damping, and could ultimately lead to a better rolling ball.
 
JoeyInCali said:
Damn! That ugly?
The Metro table is the ugliest of all tournament tables imo. Olhausen Championship is one ugly table and plays like a home table .
I find Diamonds pretty . GC3 is ugly to me .
GC1 and 2 in their original colors are pretty to me . So are the Anniversary .
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There are WAY too many options for me to pick a an ugly table, simply put - they look cheap. This table, to me, looks very similar to a table I bought for $100 back in the 80's. Is it functional, sure, is it well built, yep, does it play amazing yep. I love playing on them and I generally do fairly well on them, but it sure is ugly ;)

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And I honestly don't know the differences between the different GC's so I can't comment on that but I doubt there's a GC anywhere in the world that I would pass up to buy a diamond.

I think the key is - I'm not looking to be a pro and am very happy with my current level of play and have no desire to buy a table simply because "it's the best" and it's the shiny new kid on the block and it will make you play better. If I buy a table it's primary intent is for enjoyment of the game but it also must look good ;)

The Predator is a much cleaner looking table but I would still prefer a GC, I would consider replacing my current table (Gandy) with a Predator if the price was right and I liked the available colors.
 
The_JV said:
I know right.... How long has it taken table manufacturers to figure out that having protrusions above the rail height could screw up someone's cueing...?
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I'm not sure if the info is in this thread but it also looks like they are more rounded so the outer edge is lower than the rail? On diamonds I will sometimes hit the butt of the cue on the rail because their rails are more flat. That and the aforementioned ball box opening size are the only two functional things I dislike about the diamonds.
 
realkingcobra said:
I've been reaching my hands in that very same ball box for over 21 years to get the balls out, trim or no trim, I've never scraped my hands, why not???
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Because you have tiny hands and a tiny brain and maybe a few other issues?

And before anyone slams me for saying that - go through this thread (or any of his posts) and see how many of them are personal attacks on people.

EDIT: For prosperity reasons I'm leaving this one here ;)
 
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Chili Palmer said:
Because you have tiny hands and a tiny brain and maybe a few other issues?

And before anyone slams me for saying that - go through this thread (or any of his posts) and see how many of them are personal attacks on people.
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Cry me a river will ya, you've always been one of those a$$holes here on AZB, so don't blame me for all your tears! And little, I'm not, I guarantee you that, twinkle toes!!!!
 
Chili Palmer said:
Because you have tiny hands and a tiny brain and maybe a few other issues?

And before anyone slams me for saying that - go through this thread (or any of his posts) and see how many of them are personal attacks on people.
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Buddy, you seriously need to go back and look at ALL your posts, you really contribute nothing to AZB except attitude!!! Then get butt hurt when other people don't speak up and support your wild claims! Stop playing pool if your hands are to BIG to get the balls out of the ball box on the Diamond tables!!! Or in your case, TRY being SMARTER than the table, it really DON'T have teeth in the ball box, I promise you that!!!!
 
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