Diamond pro-am 9ft vs Predator Apex
- Thread starter jimstone
- Start date
Baded on what ive seen so far, I believe time will tell that the Predator tables will NOT hold their value as well as the Diamond.
I have heard from one of the pro players that is sponsored by Predator when I asked him which table he preferred and he did respond to the question right away this was his response "Hey sorry for the late response.. I must have missed it, I still prefer Diamonds to be honest!" then I sent this message back "No Problem. I figured since you are sponsored by Predator you didn't want to respond in a bad way if they were not on par with Diamond
" then this reply came in "That’s true too."!
Diamond or GC. The Predator is not a bad table, but it needs to be priced like 2,000 cheaper new to be worth getting over the others. Kinda like what Huyandai had issues with their higher end cars, sure they were OK, but at the price of a Lexus or Acura, why pick some lower quality new copy that does not have any cost savings.
From the prices I have seen, the Diamonds and Predator tables are same price, although I may have been looking at used tables.
How much is shipping for you to get one ...?
I thought both were about 9grand? Regardless buy the Diamond. No brainer here.
dendweller
Well-known member
Assuming you're talking about home use I'd save the 2 grand.
On the other hand, if you play on diamonds when you go out or are likely to want to sell the table down the line, then the diamond may make sense.
Good morning, thanks for all the helpful replies. I was quoted for shipping around 1600 bucks on the Diamond. I dont live close to a Diamond distributor. Ive heard that predator apex tables are more difficult to set up than Diamonds. Im not sure how that would affect setup fees with a comparison between table prices.
Not only are the Predators more expensive to set up, they are far more difficult to get right.
Don't fall for the marketing, do your homework. Diamonds, Rassons, and Gold Crowns are all far superior to the Predator tables.
I know you didn't mention it but have you looked at the Rasson tables?
Those are also fantastic. Speaking from first hand experience.
cant go wrong with the diamond that is proven
Why skimp on quality for home use? I don't understand the rationale. If the OP really wants a Diamond but the Predator is attractive because of the price difference, every time he looks at the table he will be thinking, "This is nice but I should have gotten the Diamond."
Life is too short to settle. If the Diamond is within budget, spend the extra $2K. Much like the early Gold Crowns, the Diamond is built to last a lifetime. The jury is still out on the Predator (SAM) table but from everything we've seen thus far, it doesn't look like they will not stand the test of time.
dendweller
Well-known member
To each his own, I don't by lexus, settle for toyota.
If I thought the predator plays well I'd try it. As I said, if you have a reason for wanting a Diamond that's different. If you just want a pool table I think maybe a predator would fit that bill.
Have a friend with a diamond (probably from around 2006 or so). It's a nice table but I don't think it's a nice as my gc4.
With Toyota, you know what you're getting. Not so much with a Predator table. IMO, $9K-$10K is a pretty sizable amount to take a flyer on. If he's dissatisfied, he's stuck with a table that's now worth 25% what he paid. Diamonds are proven quality and hold their value.
Agreed, they are nice but to me, they have no soul. I'm a Gold Crown man too.
Same here. You could get a completely restored to new Gold Crown 3 for $6000. Not a hard decision
As much as I love a well sorted Gold Crown, Diamond still takes the price to holding value. It's a non issue if it's your forever table.
I like the Rasson as well, they are very similar to Diamonds, but the balls make a really satisfying sound when they hot the back of the pocket. The Predator 7 foot tables I played on were nice enough but seemed cheaply made and made a weird tiny sound when they hit the pocket. I don't get the feeling from the Predator tables that they will last long. Also, I am not sure how the light under the table works, but I am assuming they need to be plugged in to switch the light on. This seems like it could potentially be a logistical nightmare for rooms, if they want the light to work as well.
dendweller
Well-known member
Good point, like I said to him, if you're likely to resell get the diamond.