thanks for being an inspiration for your table and congratulations on your choice.
I had been breaking my head on wich table to choose to. being from europe its hard to have the same options. all the local dealers have the european tables. clash, gabriels, k-steel, etc.. i could get a brunswick or a diamond from another country (holland or germany) but then the transport costs would be huge and i was on a tight budget. I
i took 4 months to try and find one of each table and then REALLY look at it. i had never seen a table from underneath and it gives you a good idea on how the table is constructed. had my head set on a clash table but i couldnt find a good deal untill i found a diamond table in holland for sale.
even if tables like clash, gabriels arent bad tables, diamond is just unbeatable. if u spend over 2k some even 6-8k on a tabke, i can't image you being happy with plastic or steel parts etc. a diamond consists of leather and oak. thats what i call quality material.
the only thing i didnt like about the diamond was there overal look. they looked... 1980's and not 2010's. Hence why i took the diamond and then made it look like a 2010 table!
i had 0 experience and i put the table together without plans (as the plans from diamond website werent like my table... maybe mine was older..). some basic logic and some muscles is all thats needed. i'm glad this forum convinced me to get a diamond and i'm happy you did too. you will love it !! the flush pockets, the deep shelfs (you can fit MANY balls in one pocket), the WOOD quality (ever piece on the table is FULL oak, exept the feet wich is to big to be made of one part of oak.) its heavy, its strong, its good, its the best table in the world.
i'm glad i found a dutch top female player who had imported one and sold it for no money just because she saw how much i wanted this table to make the dreamproject. she never thought of selling it as she spend alot of $ to have it, untill a rich friend of there with deep pockets came buy. He offered them lots of money, but she felt bad to sell her "baby" to one who just wants it because he can aford it and its cool. she didnt sell it to him but sold it to me for half the price. I had been talking about my idea etc and she told me i could get the table for the budget i had.
Rented a big car (table mechanic transport and installation was over my budget), drove to holland with my father in law, put it in the trunck, drove back to belgium, installed it in the basement of a woodworkers friend and started working.
ps i didnt take the diamond light, but i used this 8feet long light:
http://www.loontjens.com/popup_image.php?pID=445
to add to the 2010 look i wanted on the diamond and the black compliments the table.
(light = not available in the states i think :s several have asked me, and the shop selling them wont ship them to the states as the risk to break it during the transport is to big. also it weights 40pounds, so transport cost alone would be higher then the price of the light. got a good deal on it, as it was the last one bough before the prices of inox etc increased and payed 400$ instead of 700€
Thewizaard: the gabriels signature pro is a VERY nice table. it was my first choice infact, but the pictures from the website do the table more justice then it did in real life... the sides go straight down instead of in an angle like on diamond. on several shots I had my knee knocked against the blinds and that hurts. the pockets look like some kind of plastic. looks cheap. The table is also very low (might been the setup, but still they are known to be low tables, wich isnt handy for a tall guy like me). very nice colours and stains, but it aint a diamond
http://www.loontjens.com/index.php?cPath=14_17 is the website of the guy selling the diamonds from the states. they have good second hand tables too if you are on a budget.( Diamond Pro 9 ft (3x) €2.375,00 / piece)
they are the once installing the table in the eurotour so they know what they are doing. i still think there shop is not cheap, but as they are the only option you have.. they can pritty much ask anything. but maybe thats just me, because i was on a budget and honestly... a USED diamond with new cloth on, plays just as jam up as a new one. a scratch here or there aint worth 4 k.
my 2c if you are on a budget. wait untill a private guys sells a diamond (check in holland, etc..), used tables are SO hard to sell, and the suply is higher then the demand, you can get them cheaper then what they are worth. (payed mine 1600), then rent a truck and get it yourself (payed 160 to rent the truck and 40 in gas, where the shop had asked me over 500) you could take the tunnel with the truck... cheaper then shipping it to your door, wich will cost you a TON. The installation is so easy, you can do it yourself. i had the table with the slate all mounted, so the table mechanic only had to level it and install the cloth. mounting the rails etc you can do it yourself (costed me 250 for the simonis + mechanic incl as i would mount everything myself) where a shop would have asked 250to assemble + fitting the cloth +200 for the simonis). anything you can do yourself you do it better
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Anyway I hope to contribute from now on.
The big problem I had was that Diamond offers a Over sized 8 on their website but discontinued it a few months back. That really threw a wrench into my plans, so I decided to go with the big Diamond and do a little work to a staircase handrail that is slightly in the way of just a few shots. Once I ordered the 4.5 x 9 everything felt right after all I have been kicking peoples arse on one for years.
