I think you should go to some local pool halls (not bars) in your areas and play on commercial tables. But, you want to find a "player's" room, where the equipment is well mainainted for a true representation. Commercial tables are like tanks compared to home tables. They weigh twice as much. The slate is thicker. The frame is thicker. This all translates into a better experience playing. There are less tiny vibrations that rob the ball of energy, and the balls roll further. The rails where you rest your hand are also much wider, so you can bridge better when shooting off the rail. The drop pockets are deeper, so they can hold 10 balls instead of 6 balls. The cloth is usually simonis, which is dead smooth and not nappy like most home table cloth. A lot of little things, that add up to a more enjoyable playing experience. All that comes with a commercial price however. A new Gold Crown is about $10,000 installed. A new Diamond is about $7000 installed (Diamond doesn't sell through dealers so there is no/less middleman markup). What makes the used market so attractive for both tables, is you can get them in your house for 3k range and have a table basically as good as a brand new one, for 1/3rd the price. It might just have some scratches or cosmetic blemish on it. But with new cloth and rubber cushions, it will play exactly like the brand new ones from the factory, even if its 50 years old. (some nuances here, but not relevant for this broad overview).
If you decide to keep your own table, a new set of balls will go a long way to making the table play better. The new balls roll nicer, and bounce better, and draw better. Right now, there is no better value than this set:
https://www.amazon.com/Dynasphere-D...=tungsten+billiard+ball&qid=1607472033&sr=8-5 Its $56 with free shipping. A bunch of member here bought them (me included) and all rave about them. They are as good as the $300 balls from the Aramith brand. If you want more traditional colors, the same brand has a set for about $30 more. This is a super cheap and simple upgrade that you will immediately notice the difference, compared to the balls you have now, upon the first time you strike the new set.
The other thing you can do is replace the cloth. Simonis is #1. Figure on paying a mechanic about $400 to $500 to install it. There is no other cloth that compare to it.
The last thing is replace the rubber cushions on your table. Usually the home model tables use inferior rubber (compared to commercial tables) and it dries up over the years, becoming very hard. Figure maybe $300 to install them.
So now you have a few options:
1) get balls only for $56 and get immediate benefits, with zero effort, except clicking "buy now" on amazon.
2) Get balls, plus refurbish your existing table. Maybe $800 for everything. Plus the headache of finding and bringing the mechanic in, etc.
3) Get a used commercial table. $3000 for one with new cushions and simonis cloth installed. This comes with the headache of finding one, getting it installed, and also removing and selling/relocation to brother's house the old table.
4) Get new commercial table for 6k to 10k.
New home model table is no better than what you have now and will usually be more expensive than a used commercial table anyway. So that's not even an option IMO.
Good luck!
Oh, I'm not a table mechanic, just a player that loves pool and is picky about tables