Entry-level pool table options

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inycepoo

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Hey all, first time poster here. So I'm a C+ player going off to grad school, thinking about investing in a table to ease the academic grind. Apt should be big enough for at least an 8-footer.

What I'm looking for is a table that plays well, won't break the bank, and potentially be resold after 5 years when I move out. So I don't want anything high-end awesome I'd be heartbroken to part with. Right now I only care about having level slate, frills or table style don't matter.

I'm only familiar with mainstream Olhausens, Brunswicks, and Diamonds. What are some recommendations from y'all I should consider? Is there anything out there worth having for <$2000? I know above $2000 it's easy to get a good Olhausen but looking to go lower if possible. Thanks!

P.S. I'll be in CT btw, looks like that matters
 
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$2000 is what a friend of mine paid for a used Gold Crown, have it moved, and re-clothed by Blatt Billiards.
 
In my area, I can regularly find 8' Olhausens on Craigslist for $600-1000. I also see a lot of 7' barboxes in the range of $400-1000.
 
I have bought two Gold Crown III's and both were $1000......plenty of GC around near that price....get one put new rails/cloth on for another 750$ or so (YMMV) and you would have a very good table which you could then sell for the original cost....

~Perk
 
Perk said:
I have bought two Gold Crown III's and both were $1000......plenty of GC around near that price....get one put new rails/cloth on for another 750$ or so (YMMV) and you would have a very good table which you could then sell for the original cost....

~Perk
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Thanks for this, Perk! Great news. Where do I find these? Online? Showroom? Super noob here, sorry
 
inycepoo said:
Thanks for this, Perk! Great news. Where do I find these? Online? Showroom? Super noob here, sorry
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Depending on your location, deals like this only come up once in a great while.. Gold Crown tables are highly sought after, and they don't usually stick around long. Craigslist is your best bet for finding a table.
 
Do the Gold Crown. As stated in other posts, Olhausens and bar boxes sell cheap, and resell even cheaper. Plus the playability of Gold Crown and Diamonds cannot be beat. Doamknd would be my first recommendation but probably out of the budget.

Which one would you want here?
 

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I like the GC suggestion, but if you are looking for 8' unit, it may be harder to find. I would certainly check the classifieds etc.

I would also try to find out the top table mechanics in the area you are moving into. They often either have some tables or know who is trying to get rid of one, and you need someone to move and set up your table anyway.

By the way, while a used GC will be better, there is nothing wrong with a good quality used furniture table, and it may well be that you are only going to find an 8' table in that style. Again, a good mechanic will be key here.

Finally, since you confess to being a noob, make sure that your size calculations are based on real information (which can be easily searched on this site) and not what some billiard store puts on some website. An apartment that fits an 8' table is pretty rare, but maybe not in Connecticut.

Gideon
 
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Also, being that youre a strapping young college man, you have to ask, "which table is better for nookie??"
 
inycepoo said:
Hey all, first time poster here. So I'm a C+ player going off to grad school, thinking about investing in a table to ease the academic grind. Apt should be big enough for at least an 8-footer.

What I'm looking for is a table that plays well, won't break the bank, and potentially be resold after 5 years when I move out. So I don't want anything high-end awesome I'd be heartbroken to part with. Right now I only care about having level slate, frills or table style don't matter.

I'm only familiar with mainstream Olhausens, Brunswicks, and Diamonds. What are some recommendations from y'all I should consider? Is there anything out there worth having for <$2000? I know above $2000 it's easy to get a good Olhausen but looking to go lower if possible. Thanks!

P.S. I'll be in CT btw, looks like that matters
Click to expand...

I would look on Craig's list. I am in the Chicago area, which is a good market for Craigs list, but you can find a very solid table for well under your budget if you have a little patience. I have seen many solid tables for around $500 that would fit your requirements.
 
inycepoo said:
Hey all, first time poster here. So I'm a C+ player going off to grad school, thinking about investing in a table to ease the academic grind. Apt should be big enough for at least an 8-footer.

What I'm looking for is a table that plays well, won't break the bank, and potentially be resold after 5 years when I move out. So I don't want anything high-end awesome I'd be heartbroken to part with. Right now I only care about having level slate, frills or table style don't matter.

I'm only familiar with mainstream Olhausens, Brunswicks, and Diamonds. What are some recommendations from y'all I should consider? Is there anything out there worth having for <$2000? I know above $2000 it's easy to get a good Olhausen but looking to go lower if possible. Thanks!

P.S. I'll be in CT btw, looks like that matters
Click to expand...

You must have a big apartment.
8 foot table needs about 18 foot by 14 foot open space.
 
I would suggest a Valley bar table...7 footer.
It comes with the cloth already on it...just put the legs back on and level it.
The cost should be low enough that you can just leave it if you can't find a buyer when you're done.

The cost of setting up a table with three piece slate is about the same for a cheap table or a top of the line one.....new cloth and labor can be pricey.
 
GideonF said:
By the way, while a used GC will be better, there is nothing wrong with a good quality used furniture table, and it may well be that you are only going to find an 8' table in that style. Again, a good mechanic will be key here.

Finally, since you confess to being a noob, make sure that your size calculations are based on real information (which can be easily searched on this site) and not what some billiard store puts on some website. An apartment that fits an 8' table is pretty rare, but maybe not in Connecticut.

Gideon
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measureman said:
You must have a big apartment.
8 foot table needs about 18 foot by 14 foot open space.
Click to expand...

I'm looking at a place that claims to have a 20x15 living room, so we'll see how it turns out and if putting a table in the center will still allow for a TV. Might be squished but it'd be worth it :grin-square: Just wanted to ask you pros first what the options are at this point.

I think I'll settle for a furniture table as well, would be great to double it as a table to use.
 
pt109 said:
I would suggest a Valley bar table...7 footer.
It comes with the cloth already on it...just put the legs back on and level it.
The cost should be low enough that you can just leave it if you can't find a buyer when you're done.

The cost of setting up a table with three piece slate is about the same for a cheap table or a top of the line one.....new cloth and labor can be pricey.
Click to expand...

Really don't want a bar table, they're ugly and it messes with my game when I show up to league on 9-footers. Plus there's plenty of average quality 7-footers on campus already to use to punish myself with tough position drills.

Yeah I know doing the cloth and rails will be expensive since I want 4.5-in pockets and 860 cloth. Hence trying to keep the table itself as cheap as possible. As long as the slate is level and I can put nice rails on it, the rest I don't care!
 
inycepoo said:
I'm looking at a place that claims to have a 20x15 living room, so we'll see how it turns out and if putting a table in the center will still allow for a TV. Might be squished but it'd be worth it :grin-square: Just wanted to ask you pros first what the options are at this point.

I think I'll settle for a furniture table as well, would be great to double it as a table to use.
Click to expand...

Make sure you actually see the place and bring a tape measure. I've looked at many condos that listed dimensions that failed to mention things like posts or measured to the largest part of the room and ignored irregular parts of the room. They also like to measure into the centre of the wall!

There are a very few pool tables that were specifically designed to double as dining tables. Unless you luck upon one of them, you may find that even a furniture table is awkward as a table. The rail skirts can get in the way of the chairs (especially if you happen to have knees, lol), and the table is the wrong height for most chairs.

Gideon
 
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