Where did you buy your 12-foot snooker table?

Rethunk said:

If you have a 12' snooker table and you live in the U.S., where did you get the table? Did you buy a used table, order a new one in the U.S., or did you have a table imported?

Someone living in California posted in The Snooker Forum about wanting to buy a regulation snooker table for his home. Does anyone have any advice for him?

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I'm the 'someone' that Rethunk was referring to. I'm happy to say that yesterday, I agreed to buy a refurbished, 40yr old, steel block, Westbury table from a vendor in the UK. This table appears to be in excellent condition, and originally was used for some tournaments, but has since then been in the residence of the manager of a number of professional players, who used it for practice.

For some time, (several years), I have been perusing the websites of snooker table vendors, both in Canada and the UK, with the intention of eventually getting one for a room that I was planing to add to my house. Originally I had my sights set on a new Westbury that was priced at about $20,000, on a Canadian site that no longer exists. Later I started looking at New Riley Aristocrat tables, priced at around $11,000 on UK sites. More recently as my room neared completion and I was getting near the point of actually buying, due to the economic conditions I had lower my sights to a new, non-steel block, Riley Renaissance or Titan Corinthian in the $5-6,000 range. Happily, a couple of weeks ago, in response to a question I posted on a primarily UK snooker forum, I became aware that there is an oversupply of top quality, refurbished tables in the UK. One poster put me in touch with a vendor from whom he had bought a refurbished Riley a couple of years ago, and was very happy with the table and the deal.

To cut this story short, I have bought a top quality, fully refurbished table for about half of what I had been contemplating paying for a new, but much lower quality table. My main reason for posting this here is to alert anyone who might be contemplating buying a full size table, that this refurbished market exists in the UK. Top quality tables can be bought, at lower prices than you might think. This table is costing me about $4,500, including shipping. I should have it installed for around $5,000 total.

I should add that I had three quotes for shipping, from different vendors. Two were close, one at 650GBP to LA, and the other at 705GBP to my driveway in N California. But one vendor quoted 2,500pds!!

Hopefully this information will be of help to someone else who is contemplating buying a full size table.

Duguy

WOW! That's awesome, duguy, its really nice to have your own snooker table at home, especially here in the US. How's the feel of table overall; I mean, the pockets, cloth, nap, roll, etc.? Are there other snooker players or beginners whom you play with or is it pretty much a self-interest? I wish I had a room/area to put a 10 footer, let alone a 12 footer.

I've know a few clubs here in the uk donating perfectly good tables for bonfire night as the maket is so very very small.

My local clubowner sold 3 last year to another club and was chuffed to get £300 apiece and i've seen one go on ebay for as little as £100 after a £500 starting price in their original listing never got a bid.

It's just one of those things we would all love but you need a fortune first to buy the house it'd ft in.

Wity said:

... you need a fortune first to buy the house it'd ft in.

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Hmmm, I believe one doesn't need a "fortune" to purchase a bangalow to place a snooker table but rather a big enough room or an area, such as a garage or family room or an attic or a basement for examples, to fit-n-adjust in accordance. I wouldn't mind a 10 footer if I'd the space and enjoy the game of snooker over regular pool tables anytime, if that what it takes.

DKhan said:

WOW! That's awesome, duguy, its really nice to have your own snooker table at home, especially here in the US. How's the feel of table overall; I mean, the pockets, cloth, nap, roll, etc.? Are there other snooker players or beginners whom you play with or is it pretty much a self-interest? I wish I had a room/area to put a 10 footer, let alone a 12 footer.

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Well, due to the time needed to refurbish it in the UK, and then ship to the west coast of the US, it will be a couple of months before I even see the table.

I'm recently retired, and live in a community where there are a lot of other retirees. I think this table will be getting a lot of use over the next 20 years, (hopefully!), but mostly by a lot of duffers like myself. I actually haven't played in about 40 yrs, but have always remembered the good times at the local snooker halls in NZ where I grew up. For some time now, it has been my dream to have one in my house, and I am currently in the completion stages of an addition in my basement, which I have built myself. That has been no small project and involved excavating around 130yds of dirt by hand, pouring 50yds of concrete slab and retaining walls, and installing two steel beams in order to be able to remove posts to make enough room for the table.

There is a nice looking 12' Brunswick Anniversary snooker table on ebay for a mere $1300. see:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260450479618

duguy said:

Well, due to the time needed to refurbish it in the UK, and then ship to the west coast of the US, it will be a couple of months before I even see the table.

I'm recently retired, and live in a community where there are a lot of other retirees. I think this table will be getting a lot of use over the next 20 years, (hopefully!), but mostly by a lot of duffers like myself. I actually haven't played in about 40 yrs, but have always remembered the good times at the local snooker halls in NZ where I grew up. For some time now, it has been my dream to have one in my house, and I am currently in the completion stages of an addition in my basement, which I have built myself. That has been no small project and involved excavating around 130yds of dirt by hand, pouring 50yds of concrete slab and retaining walls, and installing two steel beams in order to be able to remove posts to make enough room for the table.

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40 years of no snooker and all of sudden, for the love of the game, you purchase a snooker table and make painful adjustments to accomodate one. I've no words to describe it but simply put "extremely inspiring/remarkably outstanding".

I shall be receiving a set of snooker balls which I purchased via ebay at an incredible low price to play on the regular pool tables (9 footers), just for the love of the game and to "teach" my son (I wish there were regulation tables in and around close proximity of my residence). One of the billiard halls nearby, where I often practice and play regular tournaments, has agreed to accommodate one of their 9' tables for snooker play whilst others learn the game (ofcourse I shall keep the balls to myself, as and when needed, ROFL).

Rethunk said:

I did the same: I bought a set of 2-1/8" Aramiths from Ozone Billiards at a decent discount.

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I purchased the regulation size 1-7/8" for $27 including shipping via eBay.

Playing with snooker balls on a 9' pool table is better than no snooker at all.

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Absolutely. That's the way to go, Rethunk.:smile: Several good 9/10 ball shooters whom I know at the regular local pool hall are very eager to try it out. I'm sure they'd love the game on a 9 footer; making it a lot easier to pot and ofcourse the high breaks once they get the "feel" of snooker.

DKhan said:

I purchased the regulation size 1-7/8" for $27 including shipping via eBay. Absolutely. That's the way to go, Rethunk.:smile: Several good 9/10 ball shooters whom I know at the regular local pool hall are very eager to try it out. I'm sure they'd love the game on a 9 footer; making it a lot easier to pot and ofcourse the high breaks once they get the "feel" of snooker.

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Do you mean you bought a 1-7/8" set of snooker balls? If so, that's not a regulation size set. Snooker balls (in the U.K. and Canada for sure) are 2-1/16" The 1-7/8" sets are the black-ball sets; 7 yellows, 7 reds, and a black.

Maybe I just misunderstood and you weren't talking about a set of snooker balls.

eastcoast_chris said:

Do you mean you bought a 1-7/8" set of snooker balls? If so, that's not a regulation size set. Snooker balls (in the U.K. and Canada for sure) are 2-1/16" The 1-7/8" sets are the black-ball sets; 7 yellows, 7 reds, and a black.

Maybe I just misunderstood and you weren't talking about a set of snooker balls.

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You are absolutely right about the 2-1/6" regulation size. I bought the smaller sized ones to play on smaller tables but then again, one has to factor in and compromise for the larger pocket size and smaller table. Perhaps, on second thought, I should have purchased the larger 2-1/16" ones but with smaller ball set (having 10 reds rather than 15). Darn it!

O well, I wonder how the 1-7/8" ones would play out but shall experience once I receive them and try it out. Have you or anyone else tried them and found any 'major' difference(s) in play? Frankly, I haven't paid any attention to the ball size when I used to play snooker at various pool halls on both 10' and 12' tables.

Also, if anyone could help me out in making ball spot measurements on a 9 footer? Thanks.

Thanks Rethunk, for the dimensions; that was easy.

The 1-7/8" snooker balls I mistakenly bought are useless and meant for "piggy banks" or "miniature tables for kids". I simply gave them away; disgusted, and looking forward to purchase the 2-1/16", 2-1/8" or even better the 2-1/4" for pool tables made by Aramith.

Anyone selling snooker balls here in the Westcoast, California, please let me know (used ones are fine).