Solid, yes
Solid, yes but I wouldn't drop $8K-$9K on one.
Pick a table…new AE Schmidt vs used California House?
- Thread starter pmb9484
- Start date
If you decide on a new Diamond from any Diamond series, be very, very sure to request -- under their "Pocket Size" option -- "League cut" (4 3/4" corners) rather than accepting "Pro cut" (4 1/2") corners. Pro cut corner pockets are odiously discouraging for casual players, and totally progress-limiting when instructing your kids (as you indicated you'd like to do eventually) . . . and discouraging even when practicing solo, to advance your (and your wife's) own skills.
Arnaldo ~ There's a saying even among professionals that goes: "Snooker is torture; pool is fun." The advice I've extended to you above, guarantees that the "fun" element of pool is more optimally assured for you and yours with *league cut" pockets. And btw, the 8-foot size you have in mind is the perfect choice for your intended use. A 9-footer would be far less than ideal for you.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Benelli
Well-known member
So I'm a rabid AE Schmidt fan and have one myself. But if you're going to buy a brand new table then it's hard to justify anything but a Diamond.
Any table other than a Diamond is going to lose 70% to 80% of its value the minute it's set up in your home.
If you're in the market for a great used table then AE Schmidt and Connelly should be at the top of your list. Hell I got my 94 9ft Gatsby for $300 which was a steal for a solid oak, 3 piece slate, handmade table. Once I got new rails and felt on it she plays just as well as the diamonds I played on at the local pool hall but without any of the bullshit I had to put up with there!
I'm sure time is the limiting factor and you want a table that she will agree to now, but I would give it a month and troll FB marketplace and see if something reasonable shows up that she also likes just from a cost-saving perspective. You can then sink the money saved into Balls and Cues!
Any table other than a Diamond is going to lose 70% to 80% of its value the minute it's set up in your home.
If you're in the market for a great used table then AE Schmidt and Connelly should be at the top of your list. Hell I got my 94 9ft Gatsby for $300 which was a steal for a solid oak, 3 piece slate, handmade table. Once I got new rails and felt on it she plays just as well as the diamonds I played on at the local pool hall but without any of the bullshit I had to put up with there!
I'm sure time is the limiting factor and you want a table that she will agree to now, but I would give it a month and troll FB marketplace and see if something reasonable shows up that she also likes just from a cost-saving perspective. You can then sink the money saved into Balls and Cues!
Last edited:
Neither of those tables is worth near anything anyone wants for them
Nor will they play like any commerical table you'd be competing on.
Pass on it unless you got a lot of money to blow and are the casual type of player
Nor will they play like any commerical table you'd be competing on.
Pass on it unless you got a lot of money to blow and are the casual type of player
I too have never heard of the California House brand before this thread. I checked out their site, and was shocked there was another USA made brand out there.
IMO, if it makes your wife happy, I'd go for that one. Even over the Brunswick Montebello, which is probably Chinese (but I'm not certain on this). Until you get to commercial tables like a Gold Crown, all the home tables play about the same, IMO.
They are all less weight than the commercial tables, have thinner slates, less frame mass, narrower rails for your bridge hand, usually the K66 instead of K55 cushions, and their pockets are cut favorably so its easier for balls to drop when they rub the rail on the way in.
All that said, as long as the cushions are not hard as a rock and dead, and the table is level, and you get new Simonis or other worsted wool cloth, you will have an absolute blast on a home table. So would any of us
IMO, if it makes your wife happy, I'd go for that one. Even over the Brunswick Montebello, which is probably Chinese (but I'm not certain on this). Until you get to commercial tables like a Gold Crown, all the home tables play about the same, IMO.
They are all less weight than the commercial tables, have thinner slates, less frame mass, narrower rails for your bridge hand, usually the K66 instead of K55 cushions, and their pockets are cut favorably so its easier for balls to drop when they rub the rail on the way in.
All that said, as long as the cushions are not hard as a rock and dead, and the table is level, and you get new Simonis or other worsted wool cloth, you will have an absolute blast on a home table. So would any of us
OK good to know. appreciate the insight from someone familiar with the table.
Same thing from American Heritage, looks nice, but all cheap panels. I here to say this but in the billiards industry it REALLY is "get what you pay for"
Reading these posts brings up a sticky point with me.
It's cloth not felt.
It's cloth not felt.
Whats a Nunya?
Olhausen have good rails when I had one..9ft montrachet. When i moved I got a Diamond from a pool hall...smelled like a pool hall. Wife didnt mind much..get what you want.