i spoke to the founder of diamond tables today, and i found out a few specs that caught my attention. the pockets are not 4 and a quarter inches, they are 4 and a half inches, they are cut so that the openings and the throat of the pocket match up, a little over my head, but the jist is they are 4 and a half inches in front. also, the slate is one inch thick and one piece, for easy fast set up. and the ball return is lined with acoustic dampening material of sorts and it's gravity pulled, so it's ultra quiet and fast. boy, it's some solid well thought out table!