I've been playing almost solely on Diamonds for about 2 years and I'm realizing these tables are kinda cheap.
1. The ball returns are the worst. I'm not a fan of ball returns anyways, but I've never danced so much trying to figure out which end the cue ball will come out. It's kinda ridiculous considering the popularity of Diamond.
2. The corner pockets seem to malform slightly on at least one of the pockets. Sure... you can blame the installer, but there seems to be an unusually high percentage of Diamonds this happens to. So can you always blame the installer in this case?
3. The wooden frames come with such an artificial looking stain that they all look like veneered plastic that scuffs and holds prints. I understand that high VOC poly can be expensive to buy in larger quantities past a quart (do to strange regulations), but come on, put some quality finish on there.
4. The pocket receptacles are cheap plastic. I've seen balls just jump out like I am playing a carnival game. Would a leather padding be too much to hope for, you can literally buy enough in small quantities at Tandy for under $20 at retail prices to cover all pockets.
5. The ball holders are effective, but cheap and way too small. If you're really going to go cheap and make a wire ball holder, why not make one that can hold at least 14 balls? If you're going to have to have a cut out for tables with ball returns, why does the cut out have to have over hanging lips that make the effective reach in the size of a bird house?
What made these tables have great popularity and why do people insist that the table itself plays well is beyond me. I get the feeling people associate Simonis as being a Diamond only worsted felt and that nobody before Diamond made adjustments to the pocket geometry.
But, but... oh those ball returns.... I hope Diamond stops making them.
1. The ball returns are the worst. I'm not a fan of ball returns anyways, but I've never danced so much trying to figure out which end the cue ball will come out. It's kinda ridiculous considering the popularity of Diamond.
2. The corner pockets seem to malform slightly on at least one of the pockets. Sure... you can blame the installer, but there seems to be an unusually high percentage of Diamonds this happens to. So can you always blame the installer in this case?
3. The wooden frames come with such an artificial looking stain that they all look like veneered plastic that scuffs and holds prints. I understand that high VOC poly can be expensive to buy in larger quantities past a quart (do to strange regulations), but come on, put some quality finish on there.
4. The pocket receptacles are cheap plastic. I've seen balls just jump out like I am playing a carnival game. Would a leather padding be too much to hope for, you can literally buy enough in small quantities at Tandy for under $20 at retail prices to cover all pockets.
5. The ball holders are effective, but cheap and way too small. If you're really going to go cheap and make a wire ball holder, why not make one that can hold at least 14 balls? If you're going to have to have a cut out for tables with ball returns, why does the cut out have to have over hanging lips that make the effective reach in the size of a bird house?
What made these tables have great popularity and why do people insist that the table itself plays well is beyond me. I get the feeling people associate Simonis as being a Diamond only worsted felt and that nobody before Diamond made adjustments to the pocket geometry.
But, but... oh those ball returns.... I hope Diamond stops making them.