Pool table brand recommendations

C. L. Bailey

GrayBeard said:

I don't know if there can be any consensus on this question, but if you had to select a pool table other than a Diamond, or a Brunswick Gold Crown, what brands/models would you consider? Below is a partial list of the different pool table brands I have seen for sale on Crag's List locally. Which brands would you avoid like the plague, and which might be worth a look? Something not on this list? In my area I see a lot of Brunswick, Olhausen, Peter's Billiards, American Heritage and Golden West tables.

Thanks for your input!

American Heritage
AMF Playmaster
Brunswick
C.L. Bailey
Chicagoan
Connelly
E.A. Burgin & Son
Golden West
Kasson
Mizerak
Olhausen
Peter's Billiards
Presidential
Valley

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Just put up a Fischer which is made by the cl bailey group. Stout, very decent playing table. Another friend also had one with good luck. A tweaked up Valley plays good. Probably more pool played on Valleys than even Diamond or B-wick. Think of all the bars thar have valleys. Any table will eventually need money thrown at it someday.

I sold Olhausen tables for 10 years. They are an excellent well made table, offer lots of options, and hold their value decently. Golden West tables are spotty from table to table on their construction quality. I would shy away from Golden West.

DavidMNienow said:

I sold Olhausen tables for 10 years. They are an excellent well made table, offer lots of options, and hold their value decently. Golden West tables are spotty from table to table on their construction quality. I would shy away from Golden West.

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Olhausens are good tables, I used to like the AMF playmaster tables too.

I also have a 1959 fischer 8 foot got cheep plays farley decent got it for around 500

I would be happy with Brunswick, amf, olhausen and Connelly which should be easy enough to find in craigslist. I would stay away from canon and Minnesota fats tables.

I like my Gabriel table a lot. If you can find one it would top my list again.

You might want to add Dimalto tables to your list. Mike Grosso (14-1StraightMan here on AZB) has one -- a Riviera model -- and I can tell you, it's a beautifully-playing table:

Some pics:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=287980

Story of how Mike got this (his childhood) table back, many decades later:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=140832

Another make you might want to add are Kim Steele tables.

So Dimalto and Kim Steele.

HTH,
-Sean

I've played on several Wilhem Saunier tables, and two of the played well, while the third needs a recondition. Stout tables, overall

I would also give Gandy a look as well.I have a 9 ft big G that plays great.I got
a deal on 4 of em for 500 bux cuz the guy wanted them out of storage.I sold
the other 3 and kept one.Point is if you can find em they're usually very
reasonable on the price and they play good too

from my experience... there are two correct lists that do not contain the same brands

If you enjoy playing, and want a "nice" table that will hold its value and be pretty
AE Schmidt, Olhausen, Connely

If you are a die hard PLAYER, and want the best playing table you can get second hand that isnt a diamond or a brunswick:
Fischer, CL Bailey, AMF, Gabriel

I have owned Fisher, Brunswick (2), and Olhausen. All play well but the Olhausen is my favorite.

Forgot to mention. Olhausen has incredible service. They are very, very, customer oriented.

Following is my opinion on your question. If I could not get a Gold Crown or a Diamond I would quit playing pool, or maybe get a Valley. It really depends on why you want a table, just to play around with friends or to actually improve your game. My first table was the "furniture" table, I will not make that mistake again. To make a long story short, I used it for about 2 months, when I found my Gold Crown, then I burnt my "furniture" table in my burn barrel. My goal was to have fun but also improve my game, after playing at a pool hall about a dozen times I knew there was no way a "furniture" table was going to cut it for me. If you are trying to improve your game you really need to take a hard look at the different tables and really see the differences. Probably my biggest complaints about non commercial or furniture tables is the use of press board or particle board or whatever they call it, but the screw holes will not hold tight anymore after a couple disassembles. They other complaint is the size, shape, and shelf depth of the pockets. Generally the pockets are ginormous and there is little to no pocket shelf which makes them play ridiculously easy. The tables I am referring to are the ones where the long side rails are 2 pieces and there is no wood rail behind the side pockets, most of them look like this. Its like they all come from the same manufacturer and just get different labels. My friend has an American Heritage that is like this, just an awful playing table for trying to improve. Unfortunately the previous statements seem to hold true for Olhausens also, as much as I would like to believe they made a decent table, the opposite seems true. You would be best to post this question in the ask a mechanic section.

you said "other than" diamond and brunswick gold crowns for whatever reason so...

Gandy Big G and Gabriel tables are lifetime quality with fantastic playability. Both exc tables.

These, however, are less likely to be found used simply because less of these were made compared to brunswicks.

You can definitely find a very nice gold crown in the $1000 - $2000 range, occasionally even under $1k.

the older GC's are very heavy duty and play great.

Olhausen tables have gaffy pocket cut angles and too-deep shelves making them problematic.

gl

best,
brian kc

Kickin' Chicken said:

[...]
Olhausen tables have gaffy pucket cut angles and too-deep shelves making them problematic.
[...]
brian kc

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I agree, Brian. While Olhausen may make a good table, my biggest gripe with the ones I played on were those funky drop-pockets with the plastic buckets. When a ball drops into them, they sound like a cue ball being dropped into an empty 5-gallon spackle bucket, and rapidly bouncing off the bottom like a trampoline. "Kudddrrrrrrrrr!!" When playing on one, I feel like going around to the drop pockets and stuffing paper towels in the bottoms to act as pillows.

Good luck to the OP in his choices, though. Definitely has a good list to choose from now.

-Sean

Kickin' Chicken said:

you said "other than" diamond and brunswick gold crowns for whatever reason so...

Gandy Big G and Gabriel tables are lifetime quality with fantastic playability. Both exc tables.

These, however, are less likely to be found used simply because less of these were made compared to brunswicks.

You can definitely find a very nice gold crown in the $1000 - $2000 range, occasionally even under $1k.

the older GC's are very heavy duty and play great.

Olhausen tables have gaffy pocket cut angles and too-deep shelves making them problematic.

gl

best,
brian kc

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I've stayed on the sidelines in this discussion partly because I don't know the reason for the OP question.

At the moment, used Gold Crowns are the biggest bargains out there. Here in CT, a seller had a half dozen GC3's for $750 each and I've seen others as low as $500 with general prices on the used market hovering in the $1,000 range. That's alot of table for very little money.

At those prices, after you're done using it, the pain of the resale price is avoided.

My only regret on setting-up my own GC I is that I wish I had refinished and restored it but no matter, it's still the same table.

Jay

Diamond Table.......... end of your search!!

GrayBeard said:

Sadly, I don't have room for a 9' table in my house. I will probably have to go with a 7' table. I have some work to do before I even have room for that. I have indeed seen some very good deals on GCs on Craig's List, but can only dream. I haven't seen any 7' diamonds in the year or so I have been looking at tables on CL, thus my question about alternatives.

Many thanks to all who have responded. I'm very glad to get advice/opinions from people with experience with different brands of tables.

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Ah, you should've mentioned that you were in the market only for 7-footers! That would've definitely changed the landscape of what recommendations you would've received, because some table makers never made 7-footers.

Anyway, you do have a lot of information, and hopefully it gives you just that -- alternatives -- that you wouldn't have otherwise queried for.

-Sean