If I were to buy a fairly high end table and was willing to drop 3K or more, I'd definitely turn to an older table and give it the love it needs. That would be my preference.. I personally think making rails from particleboard and coated with plastic results in an inferior product. if that is what you desire , who am I to say how one should set their priorities.. if you love that , put your money into that.. Its your money ..
my point was there are better choices and many of the older ones appeal to me , they have real wood and those will probably retain value. The older ones that are well made, look and feel and play much nicer, in my opinion.
if one wants one that is " exactly like all the others" because they believe that playing on a table that is just the same same as they would see in a tournament, then that's a choice another person can make. That's just not a choice that I personally would favor.
I will admit I love antiques, I love to see the old hardwoods, the oak and veneer work and intricacies and uniqueness of them..
as an example I sanded all my own floors and restored them, sure I could have laid down particleboard "looks like wood" flooring and it would last ok. I just don't admire it.. I much prefer real wood furniture, and the things about me that I touch, I prefer wood to plastics.. same for the rails.
a lot of the modern rails must follow a similar process to those all too common countertops with the curved backsplash.. its a similar technique of bonding the plastic and press molding the particleboard into an object.. while it may be "commercially acceptable" to use that process, , it just doesn't have a very appealing look or feel , to me.
