Diamond VS Gold Crown (all others need not apply)
Diamond Professional VS Brunswick Gold Crown
OK, Before you even read another post on this topic, you should check out a few things first. It would appear that there is a lot of misinformation out there. A few things I would like to clear up about the two BEST PLAYING TABLES out there.
1. All Diamond Professionals are 3 PIECE SLATE. The 9' Professionals are 1.25" thick backed Italian Slate and the 7' & 8' Professionals are 1" thick backes Brizilian Slate. The Brunswick Gold Crown IV & V use 1" thick backed Brizilian Slate ONLY
2. The Rail on a Diamond is 7" wide from the tip of the rubber to the end of the rail. The Rails on a Brunswick Gold Crown IV & the new GC V is 7.5" wide.
3. The cut of the rails on the Diamond vs. that of the Brunswick as it pertains to the ANGLE entering the pockets (both corner and side) is identical. It is the cut of the SLATE in the pockets themselves that is different. The Diamonds are cut to provide a DEEPER pocket than that of the Brunswicks (3/8" difference in the corners and 1/4" difference in the sides). This can make them play a bit different.
The National Average retail price for a 9' Gold Crown IV is around $7800 (+ cloth, installation, delivery, players package [i.e. balls, sticks, rack, chalk, ect]). The NEW Gold Crown V available in October 2007 will likely be around $8500 +++
A Diamond 9' Professional will range in price from $4700 to $7500 depending on the wood type. Add in the cloth, installation, delivery, players package and you can have a 9' Diamond Pro in your house ready to play for under $6000.
The Diamond Professional uses K-55 Profile cushions and the Brunswick Gold Crowns use K-66 Profile cushions. Both are great natural gum rubber formulated cushions. The profile is a personal pref. IMHO
So, the best advice I can give you is to READ ALOT ABOUT EACH TABLE;
http://www.brunswickbilliards.com/brunswick_collection/tables/competition/gold_crown_iv.html for the Brunswick Gold Crown
http://diamondbilliardproducts.com/The-Professional.htm for the Diamond Professional
Find a place in your town or close enough for you to drive to, and play on each on them. Then you will KNOW which one you want in your home.