Actual Brunswick Gold Crown iii vs Brunswick Centurion review

rexus31

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I waited to chime in on this one. I think these tables play quite well for the money. the frame sucks, blah blah blah, we all know that.

Set up properly, I think its a great route for the money and the Metro model plays very similarly. Gold Crowns are becoming harder and harder to find IMO> They are also going up in price, I been payin quite a bit more for tables, I am also super picky......

Good for you Konrad! I enjoyed watching this post transpire~

TFT
No it doesn't, in fact all it does is show the differences in how the table was made. You are just making the same statement as anyone else who has a Gold Crown

This guy was just tryin to show people they could buy an affordable and easy table to buy... The Century and Centurion are both great for the money. I have worked and played on both. I have restored more GCs than I can count anymore, I know they are the best.

KONRAD: I really appreciate the post you made! I hope others who need a table and may be on a limited budget, will read this thread and buy one of the 2 models. For a practice table at home, this can be a very very affordable route and the tables play very very close to a GC. My $0.02 and I work on tables for a living! Celebrating 10 years in May! SO MUCH FUN!!!

TFT
Thanks for chiming in, Trent. If I'm not mistaken, I think Konrad's intent was to review a Centurion (which he opted to buy) review it, compare it to a Gold Crown and prove it is as good a table as a Gold Crown. The data and info I posted was to show where the key differences were and why those differences make the flagship Gold Crown the superior table between the two; even you admit this. Is the Centurion a decent table "for the money". Well, that all depends how much we are talking and what type of use the table will get. If purchased for around $500 (preferably less) and it is not needing new rubber and is in overall sound condition, I think this is a decent table to practice on at home if a good mechanic took the time to get it to play its best. That being said, it will never be a Gold Crown. Even on its best day.
 
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pw98

Registered
That was kind of my doing not theirs. They only replaced 2 because the pockets were cut at the wrong angle. None of them were dead to start with. They tried to stretch the 2 rails an 1/8” to fix it at first. When that didn’t work. They gave me the option to leave the miscut pockets, replace them all, or just the 2 miscut ones. I still paid the same price as it would have been to change all 6 and they informed me of it, but the rails were fine to start with. So why bother. Especially after they had spent the extra time attempting to fix them free of charge. I can’t tell the difference between the new and old right now anyway.
There are some tables at a bowling alley here that had 1 rail replaced and those rails now plays like a rocketship. I think you should have gotten all of them replaced.
 

trentfromtoledo

8onthebreaktoledo
Silver Member
Thanks for chiming in, Trent. If I'm not mistaken, I think Konrad's intent was to review a Centurion (which he opted to buy) review it, compare it to a Gold Crown and prove it is as good a table as a Gold Crown. The data and info I posted was to show where the key differences were and why those differences make the flagship Gold Crown the superior table between the two; even you admit this. Is the Centurion a decent table "for the money". Well, that all depends how much we are talking and what type of use the table will get. If purchased for around $500 (preferably less) and it is not needing new rubber and is in overall sound condition, I think this is a decent table to practice on at home if a good mechanic took the time to get it to play its best. That being said, it will never be a Gold Crown. Even on its best day.
COMPARE HOW IT PLAYS, is what I was understanding. Now lets get to facts:
I have worked on both and can make the Centurion and Century play great, so good, I bet you could not prove a quantifiable difference in how it PLAYS: PROVE MOE WRONG??:) . No more input on this one, this is why I waited to chime in. Not debating....


KONRAD< GREAT POST!!! I am sayin you proved your point 100% and I work in the industry every day. Actually, I am aboout to start stripping and sanding a GC3 RIGHT NOW! BYE BYE

TFT
 

rexus31

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
COMPARE HOW IT PLAYS, is what I was understanding. Now lets get to facts:
I have worked on both and can make the Centurion and Century play great, so good, I bet you could not prove a quantifiable difference in how it PLAYS: PROVE MOE WRONG??:) . No more input on this one, this is why I waited to chime in. Not debating....


KONRAD< GREAT POST!!! I am sayin you proved your point 100% and I work in the industry every day. Actually, I am aboout to start stripping and sanding a GC3 RIGHT NOW! BYE BYE

TFT
No need to shout, brother. Agree to disagree. Given a Centurion and a Gold Crown that are both setup by the same skilled mechanic, the Gold Crown will play better. There are several reasons the Gold Crown is the flagship of the brand; all have been pointed out in this thread. Can a Centurion be made to play good: absolutely! All things being equal, the Gold Crown is a superior table. You said so yourself, "The Century and Centurion are both great for the money. I have worked and played on both. I have restored more GCs than I can count anymore, I know they are the best."
 

trentfromtoledo

8onthebreaktoledo
Silver Member
No need to shout, brother. Agree to disagree. Given a Centurion and a Gold Crown that are both setup by the same skilled mechanic, the Gold Crown will play better. There are several reasons the Gold Crown is the flagship of the brand; all have been pointed out in this thread. Can a Centurion be made to play good: absolutely! All things being equal, the Gold Crown is a superior table. You said so yourself, "The Century and Centurion are both great for the money. I have worked and played on both. I have restored more GCs than I can count anymore, I know they are the best."
you cant PROVE that one plays better than the other. that is a fact. Don't tell me: SHOW ME :) now i feel like debating the topic, lets see some evidence. not speculation, actual hard facts. we are talking about the play of the table and dont get started with"vibrations" and all that jazzz about how the frame will make the table play so different, I am talkin the facts. I wanna hear!

TFT
 

garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
you cant PROVE that one plays better than the other. that is a fact. Don't tell me: SHOW ME :)
Define 'better'. I've played on both and GC's have a much stouter/heavier 'feel' to them. To me that would put a GC in the 'better' category. Way better actually.
 
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maha

from way back when
Silver Member
no arguments from anyone the g.c is a better table as its a commercial table.
just like in your kitchen a commercial stove will be much better than what you probably have. and so on with things.
his table is a great playing table although not really a nine ball table, but for in home its just fine.

in the house i personally want a furniture like table. so i chose a ventura 2. and its wonderful. has big pockets so i can cheat pockets and get position like pool was designed to be. plus balls go in and its fun. and mine plays just like a gold crown except for the pocket size. thats my choice and i can afford any table i want, and i am a good player.
 

rexus31

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
you cant PROVE that one plays better than the other. that is a fact. Don't tell me: SHOW ME :)
If it can't be proven, how can you "know they are the best"? Construction, materials used and design all point toward the Gold Crown being the superior table in every way including playability. Before Diamond came on the scene, there was a reason the Gold Crown was chosen over other models in the Brunswick lineup for professional tournaments: it's a superior table in every way. Again, I'm not saying the other tables can't be setup to play good. They can! But if you put and equally setup Gold Crown up against the other tables, the Gold Crown wins. C'mon, Trent. You even said the Gold Crown "is the best".
 

trentfromtoledo

8onthebreaktoledo
Silver Member
No need to shout, brother. Agree to disagree. Given a Centurion and a Gold Crown that are both setup by the same skilled mechanic, the Gold Crown will play better. There are several reasons the Gold Crown is the flagship of the brand; all have been pointed out in this thread. Can a Centurion be made to play good: absolutely! All things being equal, the Gold Crown is a superior table. You said so yourself, "The Century and Centurion are both great for the money. I have worked and played on both. I have restored more GCs than I can count anymore, I know they are the best."
you cant PROVE that one plays better than the other. that is a fact. Don't tell me: SHOW ME :)
If it can't be proven, how can you "know they are the best"? Construction, materials used and design all point toward the Gold Crown being the superior table in every way including playability. Before Diamond came on the scene, there was a reason the Gold Crown was chosen over other models in the Brunswick lineup for professional tournaments: it's a superior table in every way. Again, I'm not saying the other tables can't be setup to play good. They can! But if you put and equally setup Gold Crown up against the other tables, the Gold Crown wins. C'mon, Trent. You even said the Gold Crown "is the best".
the rails are constructed the same, same cushions and the same slate. :)
 

trentfromtoledo

8onthebreaktoledo
Silver Member
The only reason I can't is I don't have access to a Centurion.
it gets the same rails length wise, diamond system is same, banks very nicely, just like a gold crown. in essence, play wise, it is very very similar. i understand all of the frame issues, the slate and the top are built well. It was a fun thread to watch. I am workin on a table now! :)

TFT
 

JazzyJeff87

AzB Plutonium Member
Silver Member
I had a Brunswick cabriole I think it was called. I got it used for cheap. It was a decent table and I got plenty out of my money but without even taking a shot you could tell it wasn’t up to par with the nice commercial tables. I’m not sure what it was about but just getting down on a shot once I got to a pool hall I would feel the difference right away. Some kind of intangible something or other that told me I was setting up on a real table.

Once I got back home I would have the opposite feeling when getting down on my first shot. Maybe it was almost imperceptible movement (or lack of) of the table. Or maybe it was in my head but I don’t think so. A quality pool table is a beautiful thing
 

Willowbrook Wolfy

Your wushu is weak!
Gold Member
Ok I’ll give my review soon. Preview is Centurion plays the same. GC3 is a little better though. And my next table will hopefully be a GC4.
 
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garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ok I’ll give my review soon. Preview is Centurion plays the same. GC3 is a little better though. And my next table will hopefully be a GC4.
A 'little' better? Go take a GC3 apart. There are a few things they could have done better(cushions for one) but its still a GC and built like a tank. GC4 uses same frame btw. Glad you like your table but stop trying to compare it to a GC.
 
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