Huh??
CSI dumps Diamond for Predator tables
- Thread starter skip100
- Start date
You got that right. Once Ernesto retires, all the old-school mechanics will be no longer.
Still some really good tech's around.
Yeah, but they'll still be in high demand becasue someone has to recover the tables, replace the rails move them when their purchased and if we're lucky there be more rooms and tables if the sport ever gets its ack together.
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
I just love the look of a black GC. They remind me of this:Well done a rebuilt GC or a mint GC is a better idea 8 days a week.
Next,
Fatboy
The Diamond 7’ tables used for state tournaments and Nationals have had 4.5” pockets for several years.
Have you ever watched the Reno open where they play on valleys lol svb barely aims . Just one strokes everything
slate warps?
4.5” pockets on a 7” table would be silly. Now a 7’ table might be different.
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True of the pre-2000 models, but they can't be transported and setup for tournaments like Diamonds can.Well done a rebuilt GC or a mint GC is a better idea 8 days a week.
Next,
Fatboy
The GC5's and 6's are great tables too. The basic frame layout hasn't changed in 40yrs. The D'mond ProAm is the best tournament table in terms of ease of set-up/tear-down/shipping. One of the main issues with SAM/Pred tables is that they have to be un-bolted then re-assembled at each event. Hard to get them plumb/square and then have them stay that way. D'monds are waaaaay better in this regard. You can have one assembled, leveled and ready to go in no time at all compared to about any other brand.
From what I've seen, the Predator Apex 9 ft table costs $1,000 more than a 9 ft Pro-Am. Add in the extra costs of setup, teardown, and transportation, I don't see them as being a long-term winner. I say that with the knowledge they did go to One Piece slate for their tournament tables. The Apex, from what we've all heard, is much more difficult and takes longer to set up.
I think if Valley tables did a little bit of re-engineering, and keep the price low, they could be a serious competitor to Diamond, Rasson, and Predator. But that would require new leadership with vision.
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`Valley makes tables for bars/clubs. If they had any interest in a 'pro grade' table they would have made one way before now. It would be quite simple to just make their own tighter version but apparently they have no interest in doing so.
I think people are more than jumping the gun to judge the Predator tables. Karim has done interviews talking about their issues and they have the $$$ to develop their product.
They are new and I think it is great they are jumping into it so hardcore. Of course they will have issues, just like every other manufacturer has had. The only way to make it better is to build them and make changes as needed. The internet barely existed when Diamonds came out and it took them quite a long time to get it "Right"... They started makin them in 1987 produced by Steepleton Billiards and had Superspeed Cushions on the original ones, then they switched to Championship Fleetwood and then their own cushion.
Peoples ability to get information is much much faster than the past and that helps and hurts. Public opinion amongst pool players is not IMO "fair". Once upon a time Brunswick was considered the "Best" by most, then Diamond hit the scene. Now, Diamond is "best" tournament table" and then along comes Rasson.
Now we have Predator. I think its all really great for the industry. Predator will no doubt be a player in the industry for a long time to come.
Simply making the rails bolt to the slate and reworking the pocket/ slate shelf
would change the game for them. IMO really not that much $$$$ to invest. But, like you said: they seem to not have interest. When APA switches from Valley to something else, they might change their tune.
I personally thing the Predator brand tables are here to stay. IMO They are the biggest name in pool, period.
TFT
That's why I believe the company (Valley) has stagnated. They need some leadership with a little bit of vision to get on the crest of this wave . With the current growth we have, it would behoove them to try to get a piece of that market.
And they really aren't just a bar/club market. There are many pool halls that are loaded with Valley tables. One within 10 minutes of me right now. Of course this is a hall that caters more to league players. We may not like it, and I certainly don't like it, but pool halls loaded with 9 ft tables are pretty much a thing of the past. I've learned to try to live with it.
I tend to agree. I really have no opinion on Predator tables, because I've never played on one or even seen one set up in person. But if they are built like a Sam table, we'll just have to wait and see. But basing it on finances as I pointed out above, it might be a tough road.
Yes. I've seen a mechanic do the drill-and-bolt thing to the middle of a foot-section slate to get it back down to flat. That particular table did not have pins to keep the sections aligned, so the foot section rising in the middle caused a visible line in the cloth. It also caused a lot of weird roll-offs.
Have you played on any of the Predator branded tables yet, not Kim steel.