How do Brunswick Pool Tables rank today?

philly said:
I like a Gold Crown. Nothing beats the sound of a ball hitting the pocket of a GC. It seems as though Brunswick has purposely ceded the market to Diamond though as Brunswick has thrown their marketing money at other sports and pastimes while Diamond is heavily promoting themselves.
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I'm with you Philly! Yes it is true Brunswick is just giving the pool table market to Diamond. I'm not taking anything away from Diamond as they do make a very nice product, but Diamond is barely a blip on the screen in relation to Brunswick as a company. The pool table market to Brunswick is probably more than anything an annoyance these days, only being kept around for sentimental reasons. Brunswick is a multi-billion dollar corporation due to their huge market share in the boating world. Their boating and boating accessories are countless 1000's times more profitable than their pool division ever could be - even if pool were to become more popular than ever before.
 
Bob Jewett said:
The Gold Crown design was crap. Crap from the start and only slightly better now. Of course now the rails suffer from infant mortality. Horrible misfeatures that could only have been put in by a non-player. Like, as one example, drop pockets that only hold 3 balls or you risk rejection. And gummy pocket liners that interfere with bridging and leave crap on your cue.

People got attached to GCs because it was what they learned on, but it was never a good table design.

Maybe they got better pocket liners. The standard pocket liners for non-return GC3 tables are shallow/small enough that if there are three balls in the pocket, there is a good chance that a hard shot will reject the ball. I've also seen a ball rejected when only one ball was already in the pocket as it sits centered in the drain hole and can push back on the new ball hard enough to send it back onto the table.

A story about the latter... Around 1979 I was playing Tony Annigoni (of Playing Off the Rail fame and noted tournament promoter) on a GC (probably 2?). Whenever he had a fast shot into a pocket, he would make sure there were exactly two balls in the pocket. I thought it was craziness at the time, but it was a smart move learned from hard experience.

Other misfeatures of the GCs:
Metal parts on the rails to leave oxide streaks on your pants.
Prominent name plate and score wheels to take flesh off your knuckles in case you try to keep your cue level at the wrong time.
No slate pins (GC3)
Lousy ball storage that allows balls from my side (1 pocket) to move through to my opponent's side (ball return table).
Pocket liners and metal surrounds that screw with your bridge
Diamonds you can't see when you are down on the shot due to the curved rails. I think the curved rails were a "feature" to roll cigarettes onto the floor away from the cloth.
Lousy rack hanger. (A local room has added their own.)

The Diamond design appears to have taken all of these crappy points into consideration and fixed them.
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Come on Bob, tell us what you really think.
One of the minor reasons I don't play pool. The only tables close to me are GC's. Hate having to take the dings out of my shafts.
If I were to trade out my Verhoeven for a pool table I'd have to thing hard about a nice old T-Rail. Just think, I'd have a dream table and maybe just maybe the neighbors would stop by once in a while to play.
 
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Bob Jewett said:
Metal parts on the rails to leave oxide streaks on your pants.
Prominent name plate and score wheels to take flesh off your knuckles in case you try to keep your cue level at the wrong time.


While honestly Bob I do love GC's and they always have been my table of choice, I too have absolutely HATED those counters since day one.
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Bob Jewett said:
The Gold Crown design was crap. Crap from the start and only slightly better now. Of course now the rails suffer from infant mortality. Horrible misfeatures that could only have been put in by a non-player. Like, as one example, drop pockets that only hold 3 balls or you risk rejection. And gummy pocket liners that interfere with bridging and leave crap on your cue.

People got attached to GCs because it was what they learned on, but it was never a good table design.
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But, how do you really feel?:)

What is your opinion of the previous generation, Anniversary, Centennial, etc?

Dale(who thinks it's been all downhill since they stopped using #3 pockets)
 
pdcue said:
But, how do you really feel?:)

What is your opinion of the previous generation, Anniversary, Centennial, etc?

Dale(who thinks it's been all downhill since they stopped using #3 pockets)
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I'm not old enough :p to have played much on those. Just go through my list of complaints and cross off the ones that don't apply.
 
Tables

Chuck Fields said:
10k for the GC vs about 6-7k IIRC for the Diamond, suggested retail of course.
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Also I know the Diamonds are made 100% in the USA and was told by a table mechanic that for a good while now the Brunswick are all made in China. Just my opinion but that alone gives my vote to Diamond.
 
Diamonds, if I'm not mistaken, have a lip in the slate right in front of the pocket so a very slow pocket speed roll will hang. How do I know? It cost me a bunch of money on a 5 ball on a 9 ball break and run raffle. Any truth to this and if so why?
 
philly said:
Diamonds, if I'm not mistaken, have a lip in the slate right in front of the pocket so a very slow pocket speed roll will hang. How do I know? It cost me a bunch of money on a 5 ball on a 9 ball break and run raffle. Any truth to this and if so why?
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Nope, not a standard feature, just a strange anomaly on that table. Possible slate issue or it could have been chalk/etc under the cloth.
 
I own a GC, I play on GC at the pool hall.
I can play on any solid 9" table with good cushions and cloth and enjoy it, but I love a good GC.
 
Deeper

philly said:
Diamonds, if I'm not mistaken, have a lip in the slate right in front of the pocket so a very slow pocket speed roll will hang. How do I know? It cost me a bunch of money on a 5 ball on a 9 ball break and run raffle. Any truth to this and if so why?
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The slate ( shelf ) is cut deeper on a Diamond. which will prevent a lot of balls from falling in making it a more challenging table.
 
philly said:
Diamonds, if I'm not mistaken, have a lip in the slate right in front of the pocket so a very slow pocket speed roll will hang. How do I know? It cost me a bunch of money on a 5 ball on a 9 ball break and run raffle. Any truth to this and if so why?
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I think that the way slate is ground, it would be pretty hard to leave a lip. I'd suspect the cloth installation or maintenance.
 
franko said:
The slate ( shelf ) is cut deeper on a Diamond. which will prevent a lot of balls from falling in making it a more challenging table.
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Yes that is the way it was explained to me when my 5 ball hung. Sorry I did not explain it correctly. I usually play on double shimmed GC's and that 5 goes in. It was a progressive break and run and it was up to $45 a ball. Can't complain after sinking 4 balls but if I made the 5, the table was very inviting. I'd really have to step on my own d*ck to not get out. Oh well. :(
 
philly said:
Diamonds, if I'm not mistaken, have a lip in the slate right in front of the pocket so a very slow pocket speed roll will hang. How do I know? It cost me a bunch of money on a 5 ball on a 9 ball break and run raffle. Any truth to this and if so why?
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Don't know about the table you were playing on but on one Diamond table at the room I play at this was a distinct issue on one of the pockets.

Soooo, a few days ago tables were being recovered and my curiosity drove me to check out the bare slates. Running my hand around the slate in front of the several pockets, what I discovered on a few of the pockets was a very slight build up of cloth fuzz. IMO, enough to cause a ball to hang or even back up a hair on a very slow speed shot.

Apparently, the last table installer used a spray adhesive to install those little strips of cloth along the inside rim of the pockets and on some of the pockets there was some over spray of the adhesive onto the playing surface in front of the pocket. I think a little more care, or wipe down with a solvent, would cure the issue. IOWs, I don't think it's the table, it's the cloth installer.

Lou Figueroa
 
Bob Jewett said:
The Gold Crown design was crap. Crap from the start and only slightly better now. Of course now the rails suffer from infant mortality. Horrible misfeatures that could only have been put in by a non-player. Like, as one example, drop pockets that only hold 3 balls or you risk rejection. And gummy pocket liners that interfere with bridging and leave crap on your cue.

People got attached to GCs because it was what they learned on, but it was never a good table design.
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I just delivered and set up a GC1 rebuild in Oakland THAT would make you cry it plays so good:thumbup:
 
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