How important is lighting to you?

D

Darkridder

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Is proper lighting a huge concern to you?

Does shadows from the balls distract you or shadows from the rail?

I ask cause when my table got setup i had my buddy come over and play and he quickly told me that my table wasn't the best to play on cause of the shadows from the rails and the balls. I put a LED light above it and it's much much better.

So i was curious if you ever not played cause of bad lighting.. Or if it's not a concern to you cause you've went hamb..

Thanks.
 
Darkridder said:
Is proper lighting a huge concern to you?

Does shadows from the balls distract you or shadows from the rail?

I ask cause when my table got setup i had my buddy come over and play and he quickly told me that my table wasn't the best to play on cause of the shadows from the rails and the balls. I put a LED light above it and it's much much better.

So i was curious if you ever not played cause of bad lighting.. Or if it's not a concern to you cause you've went hamb..

Thanks.
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Not that big of a deal to me unless its like dark dark. In Alaska, we had a couple of "hangover tournaments" at the Palace on New Years Day sometimes, and the gimmick was the table lights were turned off. I always thought it was kind of fun.
 
Darkridder said:
Is proper lighting a huge concern to you?

Does shadows from the balls distract you or shadows from the rail?

I ask cause when my table got setup i had my buddy come over and play and he quickly told me that my table wasn't the best to play on cause of the shadows from the rails and the balls. I put a LED light above it and it's much much better.

So i was curious if you ever not played cause of bad lighting.. Or if it's not a concern to you cause you've went hamb..

Thanks.
Click to expand...

On my practice table at home, I purposely have very dimmed lighting.
Sometimes I play in no light, with only the natural light peeking into the room.
It helps me to focus better on "shapes" of the balls when playing.
Trust me, when I play tourneys with good lighting, I can see like an eagle.
It's good training!!
 
to me its fairly important. playing in too dark or too bright of a setting strains my eyes and takes getting use to. darker surrounding with medium light is good, the main thing is for the table to be easy on the eyes. id probably rather play in a darker room than a brighter room with sun though. glare coming from a window can be a real big distraction, especially if its hot and bright. although i played on a black felt table in a bar with only a miller sign lighting it a few times, and it may have been one the toughest tables ive ever played on. cutting a ball was like :confused:
 
Chuck Fields said:
Not that big of a deal to me unless its like dark dark. In Alaska, we had a couple of "hangover tournaments" at the Palace on New Years Day sometimes, and the gimmick was the table lights were turned off. I always thought it was kind of fun.
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That sounds like a blast! I remember a type of golf tournament where we'd play "cross country"...essentially teeing off the 1st tee to the 5th green, the 3rd tee to the 6th green, etc. It was the most fun tournament because it was out of the "norm" and wasn't taken seriously! :)


measureman said:
Good lighting is very important to me.
At 68 I need all the help I can get.
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I'm a couple decades behind you and need just as much help! :p


boogeyman said:
On my practice table at home, I purposely have very dimmed lighting...
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I think this would hurt my eyes if I did it too much! :cool: ;)
 
Extremely important. My eyes suck, and the strain is far worse in low light.
 
My old, failing eyes need soft (but bright) diffused lighting. Bare 6-8 ft. flourescents are murder.
 
So far all that's being discussed is bright and dim. Quality could also mean color....florescent, soft, daylight, etc. I have spare bulbs in different colors to match the lighting of the next match table I play on.
Big difference when you go from one to the other. The shadows are different.
 
buckshotshoey said:
So far all that's being discussed is bright and dim. Quality could also mean color....florescent, soft, daylight, etc. I have spare bulbs in different colors to match the lighting of the next match table I play on.
Big difference when you go from one to the other. The shadows are different.
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See, this kind of comment lets me know what my real playing "speed" is compared to you...light-years away! (Pun intended) I'm just glad when all my bulbs are lit...and yes, I mean either way with that comment! LOL

Kidding aside, that's super smart and great commitment and attention to details that could really matter in a big match! :)
 
measureman said:
Good lighting is very important to me.
At 68 I need all the help I can get.
Click to expand...

It is VITAL for older eyes.

The trend towards darker lighting sucks. 3 low-watt bulbs just don't cut it.

This is a HUGE advantage for the punksters.


At the state tourney, I've suggested they hand out 3 higher-wattage bulbs to us seniors to use when we play. It fell on deaf ears (must be old folks running that show ;))


I read online that there are now eyedrops that help the user to immediately see better at night. I'd like a diluted solution of that stuff for pool to help us old farts compete better.

Jeff Livingston
 
boogeyman said:
On my practice table at home, I purposely have very dimmed lighting.
Sometimes I play in no light, with only the natural light peeking into the room.
It helps me to focus better on "shapes" of the balls when playing.
Trust me, when I play tourneys with good lighting, I can see like an eagle.
It's good training!!
Click to expand...

I did that for years but finally had to go brighter, just to practice well.

I figured that most of my time playing is at home so why not be most comfortable there.

Jeff Livingston
 
Very important, the brighter the better. Hate shooting a dark ball 8' away on the end rail in a shadow.
 
Too bright

BobTfromIL said:
Very important, the brighter the better. Hate shooting a dark ball 8' away on the end rail in a shadow.
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Having outstanding vision until my late fifties, a poorly lit table actually gave me an advantage over many players.

But at almost 73, it's a different story. I need adequate lighting. But just as important is not too much lighting. I have a friend who has a Diamond table at home, but built his own lights. They are too high and too bright. I have to wear a hat with a brim to fight the glare.
 
I managed a poolroom in NYC during the blackout of 2003. i can tell you first hand, lighting is pretty important, especially in those basement rooms. I would venture to say, without lighting, the game would be nothing.
 
Where I play my league's at, they have 2 crappy lights over each table. Huge shadows all over the table especially near the end rails. Shooting a cut shot on an 8 ball or 6 ball is a problem as I sometimes can't see the edge of the ball. I would play my leagues somewhere else if there was a viable option close by. I try to arrive an hour early so my eyes acclimatize to the dim light.

Al
 
Interesting topic, and one that I really have never considered. I just show up to play and accept what ever lighting they have with out giving it any thought.

A few weeks ago I played on a private table and the owner had LED lighting. There must of been like one hundred tiny lights under the hood.

It was the best pool table lighting I have experienced, I noticed the difference immediately ... you could see everything more clearly and with little to no effort.

Now when I play in a commercial setting I notice the difference in lighting...
 
Donny Lutz said:
Having outstanding vision until my late fifties, a poorly lit table actually gave me an advantage over many players.

But at almost 73, it's a different story. I need adequate lighting. But just as important is not too much lighting. I have a friend who has a Diamond table at home, but built his own lights. They are too high and too bright. I have to wear a hat with a brim to fight the glare.
Click to expand...

Pushing 73 also, seems harder and harder to find the correct lighting. Don't like it when you get down on a shot and you get a good look at light bulbs very distracting.
 
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