9 ft bar box

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Silver Member
They existed. I played on one 35 year: ago, and it was heinous since we used the big ball. Today’s newbies think those tables never existed. Here’s one. And here’s the owner. He bought it some 25-30 years ago and has first rights of refusal if the current bar owner sells it. 9’ bar table with the Universal B table (mud ball).
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3652.jpeg
    IMG_3652.jpeg
    157.8 KB · Views: 295
  • IMG_3650.jpeg
    IMG_3650.jpeg
    186.6 KB · Views: 301
I always referred to any coinop table as a bar box. I've never actually seen a 7ft in person the bars all had 8ft Valley table around here.

Doesn't Diamond make a 9ft smart table?
 
I always referred to any coinop table as a bar box. I've never actually seen a 7ft in person the bars all had 8ft Valley table around here.

Doesn't Diamond make a 9ft smart table?
Yes, they do. I played on one in Nassau.
 
Nice. Do you know if they were constructed like the smaller Valleys? Or more like a regular big table with 3 pieces of slate?
 
I always referred to any coinop table as a bar box. I've never actually seen a 7ft in person the bars all had 8ft Valley table around here.

Doesn't Diamond make a 9ft smart table?
I assume you’re in Texas? All national amateur league championships are on 7’ tables.

All coin-op tables are not bar boxes, in my view. We typically talk about bar boxes as the Valley/Dynamo/Global/Sheti bar boxes with their special structure in terms of pockets, cue ball return, cushion set up.
 
They existed. I played on one 35 year: ago, and it was heinous since we used the big ball. Today’s newbies think those tables never existed. Here’s one. And here’s the owner. He bought it some 25-30 years ago and has first rights of refusal if the current bar owner sells it. 9’ bar table with the Universal B table (mud ball).
Yes, back in the 70s and 80s I played in a place that had two of them. Don't know the brand but they used the big ball and were brutal. This place was open till 4 am and was known to have action.

They were real traps. Many a champ left there short going off locals.
 
Last edited:
I assume you’re in Texas? All national amateur league championships are on 7’ tables.

All coin-op tables are not bar boxes, in my view. We typically talk about bar boxes as the Valley/Dynamo/Global/Sheti bar boxes with their special structure in terms of pockets, cue ball return, cushion set up.
No where near Texas. New Brunswick, Canada.

I've heard more than a few people on forum and FB call a 7ft Diamond Smart table a bar box and if it is how is a 9ft smart table not a bar box?
 
I assume you’re in Texas? All national amateur league championships are on 7’ tables.

All coin-op tables are not bar boxes, in my view. We typically talk about bar boxes as the Valley/Dynamo/Global/Sheti bar boxes with their special structure in terms of pockets, cue ball return, cushion set up.

Seeing your post title brough to mind a saying like "A four door coupe car".
I have only thought of "bar box" as a 7 ft table, more specifically one not very well taken care of LOL
A Diamond 7 ft table to me is a "7 ft table" not a "bar box", at least with how my brain pictures things. In general terms, I think even a good 7 footer would be a bar box.
 
No where near Texas. New Brunswick, Canada.

I've heard more than a few people on forum and FB call a 7ft Diamond Smart table a bar box and if it is how is a 9ft smart table not a bar box?
This is why the internet posters are not the best source of information. For the tournaments that CSI used Diamond 7’ table, we were told to do everything we could to never say, “bar box” when describing the 7’ Diamonds. Diamond never wanted their coin-op Smart Tables to be put in a category of “bar box.” And I think it’s very obvious that they aren’t.
 
Seeing your post title brough to mind a saying like "A four door coupe car".
I have only thought of "bar box" as a 7 ft table, more specifically one not very well taken care of LOL
A Diamond 7 ft table to me is a "7 ft table" not a "bar box", at least with how my brain pictures things. In general terms, I think even a good 7 footer would be a bar box.
All throughout northern Central Mass, 8’ bar box tables are very commonly found. As mentioned earlier, Texas seem to have a lot of 8’ bar boxes. Different areas of the country have different requirements and amusement companies, therefor different experiences when it comes to size of barboxes. I played in a couple of NYC bars that had 6’ (or 6.5’) barboxes. The local thought it was the standard size.

To me, bar boxes have always been the type of coin-op table with the screw-in replaceable cushions and rail or balance cueball cueball return (with or without magnet), and side body frames that make it look boxy.
 
All throughout northern Central Mass, 8’ bar box tables are very commonly found. As mentioned earlier, Texas seem to have a lot of 8’ bar boxes. Different areas of the country have different requirements and amusement companies, therefor different experiences when it comes to size of barboxes. I played in a couple of NYC bars that had 6’ (or 6.5’) barboxes. The local thought it was the standard size.

To me, bar boxes have always been the type of coin-op table with the screw-in replaceable cushions and rail or balance cueball cueball return (with or without magnet), and side body frames that make it look boxy.
I've seen some 6' tables on my work trips, took me aback a bit because they are really tiny up close LOL

I just can't picture anything other than a 7 footer or so as a "bar box". It's like saying "he is dating a model" and we all get an image of some hot good looking person when there are models that are not so good looking, but that is the general idea we all would get. I think your definition of a bar box extends out further than for most pool players.
 
I think the term bar box is often self-explanatory. They are tables that are located in a bar that generally has only one or two because pool is not a featured activity.

They generally are never clean the balls are dirty and there's beer stains on the cloth. Not to say the tables were good quality to start with regardless of their size.
 
Back
Top