Gold Crown, what to look for
- Thread starter EL'nino
- Start date
EL'nino said:
<One good indication of good treatment is if all the hardware is there.
<It may seem obvious but are the slates uncracked.
<Look at the hardwood backing of the slates, you can get an idea of how many times it has been recovered by staple holes present in the wood.
<If possible bounce a ball by hand into the rails every inch all the way around the table; in older tables sometimes the rails crystalize and become hard and unresponsive; no big deal as new rails are pretty cheap.
<If your inexperienced, you buy the table, and you want playablity spend the money on a good table mechanic to set up your table the right way the first time, you will never regret it if the mechanic has lots of experience.
Another thing to watch out for is a table that has been badly maintained. Check all the pockets to ensure they are held on with only machine screws. On a GC if you see any nails holding them in it's a sign of sloppy table mechnics, and the nail heads will scratch that nice new set of Aramith balls you buy (You are buying a new set of balls right?). You'll probably want to budget to replace the pockets too on a used GC, as they wear the most of any part except the cloth.
As mentioned above the rail rubber is critical. Note that although it is relatively cheap to buy replacement rubber fitting it properly requires an expert table mechanic. Get the best quality rubber you can afford, ideally Artemis. Getting cheap stuff will always come back to haunt you in the end.
As mentioned above the rail rubber is critical. Note that although it is relatively cheap to buy replacement rubber fitting it properly requires an expert table mechanic. Get the best quality rubber you can afford, ideally Artemis. Getting cheap stuff will always come back to haunt you in the end.