BEST 7 FOOT TABLE FOR 4K OR LESS
- Thread starter bbb
- Start date
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
Honestly a Valley with Penguin pro cut or Ridgeback, and some new 860 and it will be great. Look at RKC's youtube channel and it gives you all the info you need to DIY, also a good idea to know that stuff even if you have someone install, that way you know the type of stuff they should be doing.
It takes a while for most players to tell the difference between a tournament table and everyday home table. Mostly speaking for myself.
I know this is an older thread but I have questions.
I moved to TN recently and EVERYTHING is bar box. I have a 9' ProAm in my home but want to pick up a 7 footer to put in my shop so I can practice on similar equipment the local tourneys use.
It will be in a separate room than the machines but not temperature controlled most of the time.
Can a Valley be made to play very similarly to the Diamond 7 footers? I want a 1pc slate table but do not know if the Valley is the best to convert to play like a Diamond or if there are others out there that fit the bill. I like how they are bulletproof, cheap, and easy to find.
I will greatly appreciate any responses/suggestions from those who have done it.
There are a number of factors that determine how a table plays. When people say that they want their table to play like a Diamond, it could mean any number of things. It could be in terms of rail responsiveness, pocket difficulty, quiet ball roll, or perfectly level surface.... If you want all of those, a Valley won't cut it... But, if you're looking for pocket difficulty and moderate rail responsiveness, you might be ok with a Valley.
You can make a Valley play well, using Penguin Pro Pocket rails. That's going to be the biggest upgrade, toward making it play like a Diamond.
From there, you need to ensure that the corner castings are tight and don't move. You also want to ensure that the rails are mounted flush to the slate. This generally requires shimming the slate up, so that the rails sit just slightly above the laminate.
The biggest issue with a Valley is that the slates always sag in the middle. I make the joke: that's how they came up with their name.
You can try shimming the center of the slate higher, though it will force the rails to sit high near the side pockets.
Thank you for your time and detailed response.
Since I play 99% of my pool on a 9' ProAm, I find myself feeling almost claustrophobic on the Diamond bar box. The rails seems faster and play shorter that that to which I am accustomed. I am mainly interested in the same tight pockets, speed, and rebound I get on the 7' Diamond for my shop table. A guy I knew out west had a 7' home (furniture) table that was converted to play very similarly to a Diamond and that would suit me as well but no idea what it was or who fixed it. If picking up a Valley and swapping to the rails you suggested will get me close in the aspects I mentioned, it is probably the easiest/cheapest way to go for me.
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
See my post above. It will be similar to a Diamond but not quite. The shelves are quite shallow on Valleys. With 4 1/4" pockets it will be similar-ish to a 4 1/2" pro cut diamond. You lack the shelf depth but the slightly smaller pocket works pretty well. Valleys are fine. The Diamond will allow jump shots to be jumped easier. To me it feels like the Valleys either absorb some of the impact or just from the slate being thinner. The Penguin rails are a huge upgrade.
Thank you. A buddy of mine changed his over to the Ridgebacks. Are they about the same as Penguin? If I pick up a Valley, I will grab the Penguins. I watched RKC's video about installing the cloth. I've done a 9' his way but the Valley is a bit different with the rail nose height etc.
Did you get them with cloth installed? Just curious. TY
I would suggest spending some time playing on a nicer Valley in your area before making a commitment, to me even a nice tight pocket Valley plays nothing similar to a Diamond bar box. Even though a Diamond bar box is small it still has a big table feel, I cant say the same for any Valley that I have ever played on.
The room I have in my shop if not large enough for a big table and not clean enough for me to put an expensive table in it.
A Valley is a low-investment little table I hope to use to get accustomed to the speed and rebound of the smaller Diamonds used around here.
Maybe in a year or so I can make the room better and more sealed off from the shop in which case I won't fear putting a 7' Diamond in there.
Other than the shallow shelves, once the rails are replaced and pockets tightened, it will play relatively close, no?
Thanks for the response.
A Valley will not play close to a Diamond BB.
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
On the ridgebacks, I honestly don't know. My friend has penguin. At the time it was very hard to buy ridgeback. I've heard they are good but I know the penguin plays good having played on it a lot.
He did get them with cloth installed. To be honest the rails are the most tedious part of putting cloth on a table, I think it's worth it to buy them already done with the cloth you will use on the bed. One less headache and it's basically bolt on at that point. They did a great job on the rail cloth install.
Is there another 7' table that can be converted to play similar to a diamond?
My 9' Diamond ProAm plays a lot like the gold crowns I have owned, it's not on another level or anything. I am mostly concerned with rebound and speed being as close to that of a diamond as possible.
No other 7’ tables have have the same rail design as a Diamond.
I've been telling that one for years.
I've seen them so bad, you can't get the rail bolts to hit the T-Nuts in the rail if you raise it to level.
I don't mind a decent Valley with PRO rails on it though, I own an early 70s Valley with Ridgebacks and it plays really well.
I had an opportunity to swap the Valley for a Diamond and I kept the 8' Valley over a 7' Diamond.
I'm simply looking for something I can practice on that will prepare me better for the local tourneys. I cannot get myself to trade down from a 9 footer in my home to a bar box, so I thought I'd put one in the shop. I can practice on it while the machines are running. There is a pool hall with Diamond bar boxes literally across the parking lot from the shop but I will not leave my equipment running unattended. I'm fine to hit balls in the next room because I can hear what's happening in the shop.
BTW, my 2 yr old ProAm plays just like my GCs. It does not bank short in the least, right from the factory. I'm sure the rails are more responsive but at least adjustments are not required for banks.