Thread title: "can you help me pick my new cloth?"
Ask Johnny Archer -- he'll help you "pick" at it all day long.
J/K! Lint-picking funniness aside, I'd go with the posters that are recommending that you cover your table with the same cloth you expect to encounter "in the wild." You didn't mention whether you play league or not, but if you do, you'll want to pick a cloth you "expect to find" in your average playing establishment. It's hard to make a recommendation here, because every area, every place, is different. Some will go with Simonis straight out of the chute, simply because of the perception of being "the best." Others will go with a more durable cloth than Simonis, such as the Milliken product
(which has a kind of ScotchGuard treatment applied to it -- causes liquids spilled on it to "bead" instead of soaking in, etc.). Others will go with the Mali product (which is quite good, and yet inexpensive), others will go with the cheapest they can get their hands on. You may even find the occasional table with nap cloth on it -- and that raises its own issues with brushing maintenance to ensure the nap is going in the proper direction, etc.
Only you can answer this. If you play mainly in a pool hall, check out what cloth they use on their tables. I don't go with the idea of "use nap cloth if you want to improve your power stroke," or "go with Simonis because it will improve your 'touch'," etc., because these recommendations also have their downfall. I'd try to get used to the type of cloth that you're most likely to encounter in situations
that count (i.e. league or money matches).
Hope this is somewhat helpful,
-Sean