Diamond Ball Washer

rexus31 said:
Different strokes for different folks. Some people want to have the brand new, latest and greatest setup. I don't see anything wrong with that and don't necessarily see them as suckers. I prefer to buy something old and make it look new again which is what I did with my Gold Crown I. People who buy new could scoff at my preference and call me cheap. Well, there was nothing cheap about restoring my table and I could have written a check for a Diamond but that wasn't what I wanted.
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I bought tournament used tables in perfect condition....at half the price. Their prices are excessive. Like most everything of late.
 
SBC said:
I bought tournament used tables in perfect condition....at half the price. Their prices are excessive. Like most everything of late.
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Still used. Pool tables are like cars. They lose 30-40% of their value once the new owner takes delivery.
 
rexus31 said:
Still used. Pool tables are like cars. They lose 30-40% of their value once the new owner takes delivery.
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That's one expensive first rack.

I just paid 6800 used for my home table.

The dollar devalued horrifically by our incompetent government plus corporate greed equals the inflation you see. That and a public that just believes what they are told to.
 
Diamond can charge whatever they wish. It's their product and company. The number of items they sell will determine if the price is relevant to the market. Apparently, at least for now, the price is fair because they can not keep them in stock. If they charged $10,000.00 each for the cleaners, they might be readily available in stock from now on as none would sell. This is just simple, basic, market based economics. Supply and demand.

Rexus comments are really for individually made, custom art, not cleaners and lights. Anything made 1 at a time and customized for a customer is an entirely different world of price. Material cost has little to do with the price of art. Still, supply and demand sets the price. People are willing to pay much more, in many cases, for something made "Just for them".
 
mrpiper said:
Rexus comments are really for individually made, custom art, not cleaners and lights. Anything made 1 at a time and customized for a customer is an entirely different world of price. Material cost has little to do with the price of art. Still, supply and demand sets the price. People are willing to pay much more, in many cases, for something made "Just for them".
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Agreed, but material costs are materials costs. At $400 in materials plus their overhead, It's understandable why Diamond charges what they charge for their ball polishers. Insinuating they are price gouging and raking in the dough on these units is not accurate.
 
rexus31 said:
Agreed, but material costs are materials costs. At $400 in materials plus their overhead, It's understandable why Diamond charges what they charge for their ball polishers. Insinuating they are price gouging and raking in the dough on these units is not accurate.
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The ball polisher doesn't have $400 in materials. $100 motor, 2 $7 belts, some hardware and plywood.
 
SBC said:
The ball polisher doesn't have $400 in materials. $100 motor, 2 $7 belts, some hardware and plywood.
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Not to disagree or be argumentative… how much is anything worth? If we do not want the item no it’s not worth it. Want it like it buy it. Buy parts and build it. Do it. Pretty simply. Is a Simonis cloth worth $400 shipped/tax. It is if that’s the cloth a person wants. My hobbies cost more than they’re worth.
 
Wiring, switch, pulleys, carpet, bearings, rod, sprockets; it all adds up pretty quick. Even if Diamond's CoM is $300 total with wood, hardware, paint, etc., they are still paying someone to assemble it (multiple people I would assume). RKC told me soup to nuts it takes 10-12 hours to put a unit together. Plus, there were initial R&D costs associated with the design. I also believe they CNC all the pieces for the unit. Those aren't cheap. It's not like they are making 100% profit on these. I'd estimate the profit around $100-$150.
 
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rexus31 said:
Wiring, switch, pulleys, carpet, sprockets. Even if Diamond's CoM is $300 total with wood, hardware, paint, etc., they are still paying someone to assemble it (multiple people I would assume). RKC told me soup to nuts it takes 10-12 hours to put a unit together. Plus, there were initial R&D costs associated with the design. I also believe they CNC all the pieces for the unit. Those aren't cheap. It's not like they are making 100% profit on these. I'd estimate the profit around $100-$150.
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Yours is custom. Hand built and a show piece. It’s artwork. Worth plenty.
 
SBC said:
The ball polisher doesn't have $400 in materials. $100 motor, 2 $7 belts, some hardware and plywood.
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Here's my list of materials. I already had the plywood and poplar leftover from other projects. Even without the sky high price of the sprocket and pad set, I'm over $300. If you add in a sheet of plywood, I'm right back up to the $400 neighborhood. Back out the custom feet and materials are still over $300.

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SBC said:
Not as fast as Diamond.

Well over 30% increase in 3 years.
One of the clearest examples of a company's price control through dealerships.

No justification for this, other than they can.
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I have never had a problem with profits. Who works for free? If they left $ on the table selling too cheap in the past, shame on them. If they price them self’s out of the market-sounds like a opportunity for someone else.

Free market economies are the best, look at what happens in price controlled markets. Not good.

I’ve always had the frame of mind if I can’t afford something, go earn more money. Sadly that hasn’t happened yet for my own jet. But I’m working on it. Until I do, I’ll make due with what I can afford-I learned that from my parents who lived though the Great Depression and couldn’t afford a education, make what you have work.

Best
Fatboy 😀
 
SBC said:
The ball polisher doesn't have $400 in materials. $100 motor, 2 $7 belts, some hardware and plywood.
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You'd be wrong, and I'd take that bet any day of the week, and twice on Sunday. You are guessing at the cost, I designed and built the Diamond ball polisher, and I can tell you for a fact, especially with the incredible price increases in plywood, BEFORE it went up, the hard cost was $375, unlike you, I'm speaking with hands on experience!
 
rexus31 said:
I built two; still time consuming. Anything hand built like this is going to take some time. I'd have to setup tooling, etc if I was going to offer these for sale which might cut down some of the labor but pool table lights aren't a hot commodity so it would be unlikely to offer them at a much lower price. I'd have to maximize the profit per unit for it to be worthwhile. I certainly could not bank on making a little on a lot because I most likely wouldn't sell a lot. With that, would it even be worthwhile to setup tooling for a low volume project? There's a reason Brunswick doesn't make lights anymore.
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I watched all of your projects come to life on here. You have some mad skills and determination. Thanks for sharing
 
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