Worsted cloth for a casual player ?

martin35 said:

Guys

I’m actually restoring a 9ft Anniversary and I will have to choose a new cloth soon. I’m only a casual player and the table will be intended for the family and friends.

It’s will be my first real cloth install and next year I will have to dismantle the table again to refinish my basement floor. For those two reasons I would like to start with a cheaper cloth (150$-200$).

If I go with a woolen cloth, Championship Invitational seems to be a good option but I’ve seen couple of cheaper than Simonis worsted cloth option out there (CPBA, Invitational Mecury Ultra, Proform…).

I wonder if for my level of play if I will see a big difference between worsted and woolen cloth ?

Thanks

Martin

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Regardless of skill, I always recommend a worsted cloth on a 9' table. You really can't beat ProForm 505, for the price. Speed is similar to Simonis 860HR, and it is quite durable. It even stretches hard, like 860HR.

martin35 said:

Thanks Geoff for the feedback

I think I will give Proform a try.

Looking at Proform "Tournament Blue" color swatch from different website I can see some shade variation. On some site it looks a lot paler than Simonis and on some other it looks like a closer match, From your experience is there a big difference between both colors ?

Martin

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It's not a huge difference, but it is different. ProForm is just a shade lighter. Depending on your lighting, you may not even notice the difference. In fact, lighting can dramatically change the appearance of the cloth's color.

Regardless, I think that you'll be pleased with Tournament Blue ProForm505. I installed it on my personal table, and I am quite impressed by the durability of it. It seems to be a bit more resistant to burn marks than other cloth.

One thing of note: ProForm does have a bit of a textured feel to it. Like other cloths, it becomes more pronounced when the cloth is stretched tight. This "feel" would be hard to measure, but every cloth is different. Based on my experience, Championship Tour Edition has quite a smooth "feel" to it. Simonis 760 and 860 are similar, if not slightly coarser. 860HR is more coarse, and Proform505 is the coarsest of all of these choices.

I just installed the CPBA in their Tournament Blue which I think is a shade darker than Simonis.
I found the coarseness about the same as 860HR, but it seems to soften some with use and brushing. I would rate the speed as equal to 860HR as well.
This CPBA is a bit more resistant to cueball burn marks.
Overall I'm very pleased and would recommend, especially at the price point.