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SlimZim
Guest
Which table is better as far as quality, craftsmanship and playability?
I'll take GC I and II over Diamond.
But, I'll take Diamond over III and IV.
The I and II's frame is proven sturdier than the III.
The IV, I was told by a very skilled mechanic, has a weak frame too. He said he'd take Diamond.
The slates on I and II are pinned and doweled.
GC III's play like crap. The rails make a thunky sound.
Diamonds are great table. But they are tough to play on as the pockets are really tight and the angle of the shims on the end rail are pretty flat.
GC tables all have very wide pockets. They will have to shimmed right down to 4 1/2 or 4 9/16 to play like a pro table.
But, I'll take Diamond over III and IV.
The I and II's frame is proven sturdier than the III.
The IV, I was told by a very skilled mechanic, has a weak frame too. He said he'd take Diamond.
The slates on I and II are pinned and doweled.
GC III's play like crap. The rails make a thunky sound.
Diamonds are great table. But they are tough to play on as the pockets are really tight and the angle of the shims on the end rail are pretty flat.
GC tables all have very wide pockets. They will have to shimmed right down to 4 1/2 or 4 9/16 to play like a pro table.
S
SlimZim
Guest
I've owned a Diamond pro for about 6 months now. It was one of the tables used at the US Open in VA. The table does play tough because of the tight pockets, but you get used to them after a while. You'll rarely ever see a ball hit with a lot of pace go in unless it hits the pocket clean! It does make you cuss when you miss but If nothing else it really makes you bear down and concentrate on hitting the center of the POCKET OPENING! Not only that, but when I play on a valley barbox or most any other table the pockets seem like 5 gallon buckets. I would recommend the Diamond Pro to anyone, although I haven't had much experience playing on Gold Crowns I through IV.
One thing I failed to mention was that the new Diamonds are now equipped with the best cushions in the world imo. The German-made Artemis cushions. The new GC's and the old Diamond come with rubbers made in Taiwan. From my experience and a friend who manages a pool room, those cushions get hard after a few months of use.SlimZim said:
If the Diamond tables' rails were as sleek as the GC's, it'd be a perfect table. The Dmnd's rails are a little bulkier than the GC's. The GC's sleek, low lying top rails are absolutely perfect for shooting pool. It makes you see the pockets better and is easier on your cue when you power the balls as the cue doesn't slam on the top of the rails.
pooltablemech
Banned
I hear the different on the banking. I hear that the Diamonds bank truer.........but I am not sure, just going by what some good players have said. But Anyway................I like the Frames better on the GC 4s..........they seem more solid than Diamonds. If the GC4s would steal the feet off the Diamonds, Use the 30mm slates, and put that extra bolt in each rail........Then that's the perfect table.......lol. Call'em GOLD DIAMOND 4!
I really like the Diamond tables that were made about 3 or 4 years ago. They play as good as any table I've played on. I've been playing on some new Diamond tables, though, and the only thing I don't like about them is shooting the cb off the rail. The rubber on the rail seems to be raised a little which results in giving you less cb to play with. The older Diamonds don't have that problem. I don't know what happened when they built the new tables but it certainly is noticeable to me.
As for the GC's, I tend to agree with one of the other posters. The new IV's seem to have some dead spots in the rails. I've always enjoyed playing on the older II's though. There are a lot of variables with a table too. For instance the cloth (is it old or new, in good condition or not and type [Champion, Stephens or Simonis], the rubber (if it's an old table, the rubber might not be very good), and most importantly, who the last person was that tuned the table up (re-felted, surfaced, etc.). In other words, there are a lot of things to consider when purchasing or playing on a table. A run-down Gold Crown II isn't as good a table as a well-kept Diamond and vice versa.
As for the GC's, I tend to agree with one of the other posters. The new IV's seem to have some dead spots in the rails. I've always enjoyed playing on the older II's though. There are a lot of variables with a table too. For instance the cloth (is it old or new, in good condition or not and type [Champion, Stephens or Simonis], the rubber (if it's an old table, the rubber might not be very good), and most importantly, who the last person was that tuned the table up (re-felted, surfaced, etc.). In other words, there are a lot of things to consider when purchasing or playing on a table. A run-down Gold Crown II isn't as good a table as a well-kept Diamond and vice versa.
pooltablemech
Banned
Bruswick finally fixed the bad corner casting setups. They use to have the bad lead inserts in the rails to bolt the castings to, which in time would pull out. Now they have a better way of doing it, with two bolts that actually hold to replace the ole lead joke. My main complaint with Diamond is the pockets. They seem to be too small and don't reach the bottom of the slates right, and the side pockets hit the side of the skirts. So whedn you shoot a ball in there you hear a loud THUD!!!! And the fact that you have to take them out to recover the rails.
Just not as easy to recover as the GC's. And if you have had to put the pockets in the Diamonds you know what I am talking about.
Just not as easy to recover as the GC's. And if you have had to put the pockets in the Diamonds you know what I am talking about.
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