Cloth suggestions

not a mechanic but changing cloth also...

I am also curious if mechanics recommend anything other than Simonis for a home table - it seems there must be some good cloth out there that is not quite as expensive as Simonis yet still plays well and gives good life. Simonis has about priced itself out of my social security retiree budget, even for an 8-foot table it costs nearly $300 at internet retailers..

I probably should not complain about price, though, since Simonis 860 now on the table has given me well over 7 years of service and would not need replacing except A. there are a few tiny 1/16" or smaller wear holes up at the head of the table, and B. I made it ugly by putting down some Permanent Adhesive hole reinforcements I bought at Walmart - they proceeded to make dirt rings every where I put them, and the ugly dark dirt rings did not show up until several days after I removed the little buggers.

I have found no chalk that is the same color as Tournament Blue Simonis. I tried Master Green, the one that looks Turquoise, and hated what it did to my cloth, cue ferrules and shafts, and my hands. I switched to some old Pewter Gray Silver Cup I had laying around and it is currently my favorite along with Tan Silver Cup. Neither the Pewter Gray nor the Tan Silver Cup mark up the table or the cues or me. I am now trying some Gray Master chalk and so far so good, cloth stays clean as do the cues.

My used table came with Red cloth - red and burgundy seem popular for home furniture tables. Big problem - Red or Burgundy chalk will really really screw up the ferrule on all your cues and anything else it comes in contact with. Due to the Ugly factor, I stay away from any Red chalk, Dark Blue chalk and a few other colors including Green Master.

foosman said:

Ok, I am not a pro, or a tournament player. I am just a guy who wants to set up his home table (a Brunswick Prestige Oak 9 footer) with a cloth that would act like most of the cloths you would encounter going out to places like Rusty's, Clicks, or any other pool hall. Is it really worth dropping the money for Simonis?

Also, what is the recommended height to hang your light over the table surface. Thanks.

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If you want it to play like the cloth they have at the pool hall, you will want to go with Simonis. That is what they most likely use and will last much longer than a regular felt. As for the light over the table the playing surface of the table is at 30-31" high. I think a normal height to install the light is the same 30-31" above the playing surface. Some install the light at eye level. Hope that helps

My light is 42" above the playing surface, that's 73" measuring to the ground. That is measuring to the bottom of the light diffusers on my Brunswick light. I originally had it a few inches lower but often you bang your head on it when racking, it did not change the quality of the light at all when I raised it. My Brunswick light is big, its the same length as the table, I think the size of the light will dictate how high to install it. I think most of us have played at a bar that has the light too low and when reaching across the table or putting your head over the rack looking for gaps you hit your head on the light. These are some of the things to take into consideration when installing your light, at least you have a range to work within now. Good luck.

You can also check this thread from AZB here, there is some pretty good info in it, including WPA rules/recommendations.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=149333

I am not a professional mechanic but I have recovered quite a few tables in my neighborhood. Out of 8 tables in our "room" I will have 6 of them covered with Proline Proform 5088. 4 have had 2 seasons played on them and are holding up very well. You might check it out. Less than $200 for an 8 ftr.