Finally able to get a table - HELP me pick one!

H

HomerJay20

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello All,

I am finally moving into a house (Cleveland OH area) that has enough room in the basement for a pool table. The practical space for the table is 26' x 12', but there is a 14' opening to the space with a small pillar at 5'. I'm thinking 7' table 5' away from all walls except I would cheat it toward the opening creating two tight short cue spots: the pillar & the wall that starts 14' down. This way you can get around the table for a majority of shots with a regular 58" cue.

Would anyone consider upsizing to an 8'? I would love one, but I am prioritizing using a regular cue for most shots.

My dream table is a 7' Diamond Pro Am, but my budget is 2k max 3k. If one of those is in my range - please let me know:thumbup:. Otherwise, we have a very reputable Brunswick dealer named Danny Veghs in town so I am currently looking at a Brunswick Allenton (Contender series) & Brunswick Glenwood (Authentic line & might be slightly outside my price range).

Are those good choices? Should I find an Olhausen dealership somewhere, even if it might not be as reputable as Danny Veghs? Since I want to join an APA bar box league, should I get a Valley?

So much to think about, but you have no idea how how freaking excited I am to finally get a table in where I live!!!

Thanks in advance for everyone's thoughts!
 
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Ive been trying to justify to Mrs Dan that our house is feeling a little cramped just so I can upsize to get a table. We have a 3 bedroom home but its long and skinny, no table for me. Only one room in my house where I could fit a table currently and it is occupied by our bed. :(

If I were you, Id get a valley 7ft table and have it redone to tighten up the pockets a bit. I considered that in my basement but decided I wanted a 9ft table since we play on them exclusively.

Post pics when you have everything set up!

Congratulations again!
 
If you are not pressed about it, wait to find the table you want...might be a couple of years (or months!), but a quality pool table will last decades.

IMO, you don't want to compromise quality just to get one in there, unless you think it is a good idea and can afford to buy one now and then the dream when it is found.

And don't forget a quality installer! I believe Club Billiards- a poster here- is in your area. Josh is his name and he might have the hook-up on a table for you too.
 
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Just a thought...I had a pole in my basement keeping me from putting in a table. I hired a contractor to remove the pole and sister in another i-beam. By subing out the job to a contractor, I became the main contractor/home owner. This ment that I didnt have to get professional drawings done. All I had to do was was submit hand drawings to the county when I applied for a permit....they did the structural engineering for me...saved a lot of money. The job cost about a grand and the county inspecter certified the job. I now have a gold crown III with no short sticks needed.
As to what table to get, I would get the kind of table you play on the most in your pool rooms. Diamonds play very different than gold crowns. And they both play different than gandys. Valleys play very easy compared to diamonds....pockets and rails.
Good luck
You will love having a table at home ( as long as the wife doesnt use it for laundry or storage...lol.
 
You should call Josh Ebert, I'm sure he knows where some tables are. Find him in the Mechanic section's directory.
 
HomerJay20 said:
Hello All,

I am finally moving into a house (Cleveland OH area) ...
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First and foremost, I would think about moving to a city with a real football team...like Indianapolis. Then you could get to visit Betmores basement and get some ideas there. From there I would suggest making the short trip south to visit Diamond.

Unfortunately I have the feeling you will be staying in Cleveland. In that case, I would have to suggest an AMF or some other Sears brand...you know, something to match those pukey orange and brown colors of Cleveland.
 
Used SearchTempest to check that area Craig's List stuff. Several tables available including what looked to be some nice older Brunswicks.
 
Gunn_Slinger said:
Just a thought...I had a pole in my basement keeping me from putting in a table. I hired a contractor to remove the pole and sister in another i-beam. By subing out the job to a contractor, I became the main contractor/home owner. This ment that I didnt have to get professional drawings done. All I had to do was was submit hand drawings to the county when I applied for a permit....they did the structural engineering for me...saved a lot of money. The job cost about a grand and the county inspecter certified the job. I now have a gold crown III with no short sticks needed.
As to what table to get, I would get the kind of table you play on the most in your pool rooms. Diamonds play very different than gold crowns. And they both play different than gandys. Valleys play very easy compared to diamonds....pockets and rails.
Good luck
You will love having a table at home ( as long as the wife doesnt use it for laundry or storage...lol.
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I never thought about this. Taking out the pillar would open up a 14' by 19' space that could accommodate an 8' maybe even 9' table. This might be an option for the distant future, but we just bought the place and I'm positive my wife will say no for now.

Here's the thing, I have my 2k to 3k budget approved by the wife now and I think I have to seize the opportunity. If I don't, new furniture, daycare, school, medical bills, car repairs... etc. will eat that money up quickly and I may never see it again.

I think I have to find the best value 7' to keep me happy for at least the next 10 years before I get the green light to knock stuff down.
 
jason said:
First and foremost, I would think about moving to a city with a real football team...like Indianapolis. Then you could get to visit Betmores basement and get some ideas there. From there I would suggest making the short trip south to visit Diamond.

Unfortunately I have the feeling you will be staying in Cleveland. In that case, I would have to suggest an AMF or some other Sears brand...you know, something to match those pukey orange and brown colors of Cleveland.
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Ouch! Let me think of a comeback slam where Cleveland is better than Indy ........
........
........
........
........
I got nothing :embarrassed2:
 
Another option

Since you're considering a Valley because of APA, you could contact the APA LO in that area. They could put you in touch with the vendor that supplies tables to the locations in that area. Vendors sometimes have used tables sitting in storage that they are willing to sell at a reasonable price.

If you can find one with good slate you're in business. You can always get new rails (Ridgeback Rails (866)-210-3030 is a good option). This should bring you in well under your alloted budget, leaving money for other things to make the wife happy.

Also, I think you do have something that Indy doesn't have. You have a river that can be set on fire. That's cool.
 
Wait and save and get what you want.You will have years of enjoyment with a pool table.I've had 3 tables in my adult life and enjoyed every bit of it!:thumbup:
 
I was just down at Steel City Billiards in Pittsburgh and the owner was saying that he wanted to sell the couple of Valleys coin ops he had in his place. Do believe they are 8 foot tables but I am not 100 percent sure. They have a facebook page for contact information and I think they are listed in the for sale section of this forum.

The nice thing about those Valley tables are they are easy to maintain and with the savings from the initial investment, it would allow you to spend some money for the ridgeback rails and whatever type of cloth you decide.

Just a thought if you had to have a table now.
 
HomerJay,

I'm also from Cleveland. I also bought a new table from Danny Vegh 3 years ago. I don't have anything bad to say about Danny Vegh....but if I had to do it all over again...here is what I would do.

Be patient....and buy "next to new" or used. 2 or 3K will get you just about anything you want. In fact the money you save from not buying new will pay for a top notch mechanic to do the setup/new cloth.

Decide what size table is best for you. If you only play on barboxes...buy a barbox. If you want a bigger table....make sure your space will properly accomodate the size of the table. I know Brunswick has a tool on their website that tells you the suggested room dimensions for all sizes of tables.

Craigslist and the classified's here on AZ ......usually have a steady stream of tables. After you determine what brand and size of table...you could even put an ad on AZ ....titled "looking to buy".

Good luck in your search,

John
 
HomerJay20 said:
I never thought about this. Taking out the pillar would open up a 14' by 19' space that could accommodate an 8' maybe even 9' table. This might be an option for the distant future, but we just bought the place and I'm positive my wife will say no for now.

Here's the thing, I have my 2k to 3k budget approved by the wife now and I think I have to seize the opportunity. If I don't, new furniture, daycare, school, medical bills, car repairs... etc. will eat that money up quickly and I may never see it again.

I think I have to find the best value 7' to keep me happy for at least the next 10 years before I get the green light to knock stuff down.
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Yeah, take a look and see if someone qualified can move the pole and put in support beams. Even if you have to spend half your table budget on having the pole moved and support beam put in, get a cheap 8' or 9' in there for now.... or whatever you can for now for short money! Then, now that you have the room, save up for the table you really want since you now have the space for it. Having a great 7' table and having a few spots that need a short stick is worse than having a temporary lower grade table but knowing you can upgrade to a full size table with no obstuctions later. Just my opinion of course. :)
 
If you play a good amount of pool and are serious about it, most players won't be happy using a short cue in one place on the table. I know I wouldn't put one in that I had to use a short cue on. JMO.
 
HomerJay20 said:
I never thought about this. Taking out the pillar would open up a 14' by 19' space that could accommodate an 8' maybe even 9' table. This might be an option for the distant future, but we just bought the place and I'm positive [my wife will say no for now.

Here's the thing, I have my 2k to 3k budget approved by the wife now ]and I think I have to seize the opportunity. If I don't, new furniture, daycare, school, medical bills, car repairs... etc. will eat that money up quickly and I may never see it again.

I think I have to find the best value 7' to keep me happy for at least the next 10 years before I get the green light to knock stuff down.
Click to expand...

good god man who wear's the pant's in your houshold? never mind same as at my castle. try for the nine footer but if not definetly the eight.
 
Always try to get a 9 footer so you won't regret.
I bought my 8 footer 4 years ago due to the space limit in my basement. I was happy for a while until I played some 9 footers at friends house. I now wish I could have bought a different house that has a bigger basement for a 9 footer. hope it's not too late for ya...:cool:

decent dennis said:
good god man who wear's the pant's in your houshold? never mind same as at my castle. try for the nine footer but if not definetly the eight.
Click to expand...
 
Underclocked said:
Used SearchTempest to check that area Craig's List stuff. Several tables available including what looked to be some nice older Brunswicks.
Click to expand...

:thumbup: AWESOME tip THANKS!!! I never knew SearchTempest existed. I've been manually checking different Craigslists and this tool has opened ones that I didn't think about.
 
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