Determining the relative speed of different cloths?

newcuer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
How does one determine the relative speed of different cloths?

Is it by wool vs nylon %?
 
How does one determine the relative speed of different cloths?

Is it by wool vs nylon %?
You see how long it takes a ball to stop rolling or alternatively, see how far a ball starting at a precise low speed (like from a ramp) travels before stopping. On a "fast" cloth the ball takes a long time to stop rolling and travels a long way for a given starting speed.

I think the two large factors in setting the "speed" of the cloth are how thick it is and how tightly it is stretched when installed. The stretching part is sort of separate from the content. I think the wool/nylon/other content is not as directly related to speed as the thickness.

You may get better answers in the "Ask a Mechanic" forum.
 
Another factor is climate. The same cloth will likely play faster in Arizona than Florida.
 
How does one determine the relative speed of different cloths?

Is it by wool vs nylon %?

I shop for cloth by weight and tightness of weave.
A good weight for a pool cloth is 21 or 22 ounces.....per square yard.

As a snooker player, I played on 26 ounce...the British were playing on much heavier...
...35 oz. to 38 oz. in tournaments....40 to 42 oz. in clubs.

A knot in billiard cloth is when a thread crosses another thread...the more knots per inch
denotes the better cloth...(a lot of sellers don’t know the knot count...needs research)
 
How does one determine the relative speed of different cloths?

Is it by wool vs nylon %?
The more nylon the faster. 760 is 70/30 wool-to-nylon and 860 is 90/10(iirc). 860HR is same blend as 760 but has 860 thread-count/weave. IMO 860HR is the NUTS. Great cloth.
 
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I know there are many factors here but is 760 very noticeably faster than 860?

JohhnyO what is SEC?
 
I know there are many factors here but is 760 very noticeably faster than 860?

JohhnyO what is SEC?
Yes. 760 is REALLY fast. The reason they came out with 860 was because 760 is/was too fast for most games. I haven't been in a room that had 760 on a table in a long time. I think the 860HR is just right. A little quicker than 860 but not too much. It also hides ball marks a lot better.
 
The more nylon the faster. 760 is 70/30 wool-to-nylon and 860 is 90/10(iirc). 860HR is same blend as 760 but has 860 thread-count/weave. IMO 860HR is the NUTS. Great cloth.

That info is available on the Simonis website:

860 90% wool/10% nylon ; ± 410 g/m²

760 70% wool/30% nylon ; ± 355 g/m²

They also state that HR is between 860 and 760 in speed.
 
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Yes. 760 is REALLY fast. The reason they came out with 860 was because 760 is/was too fast for most games. I haven't been in a room that had 760 on a table in a long time. I think the 860HR is just right. A little quicker than 860 but not too much. It also hides ball marks a lot better.
John Schmidt's 434 was on 760. It was also about a mile from an ocean.
 
Bob, 860 HR is not the same composition as 860!!!

860 HR
High Resistant
70% wool/30% nylon ; ± 410 g/m²
Widths : 165 and 198 cm
A true hybrid, the weight of 860 and the composition of 760. It offers the best compromise between the ball control and the speed of your cloth.
(https://www.iwansimonis.com/en/page/21-pool-cloth)
HR uses the cloth blend of 760 with the count/weave of 860. IMO HR is the best all-around pool cloth out there.
 
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