How to know you're hiring a Professional Pool Table mechanic!

realkingcobra

realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
In the absence of having to take skill tests, like being and Electrician or Plummer, where training and certification is REQUIRED! I don't give a shit if someone gets PAID to work on a pool table or not, getting paid does NOT qualify as being a PROFESSIONAL!!

The ONLY thing in my book that qualifies a PROFESSIONAL TABLE MECHANIC, is their reputation in doing exceptional work, and being able to back it up with testaments from customers, NOT friends of friends, and pictures of the work they've done!!! It just sickening that these so called PROFESSIONAL TABLE MECHANICS get away with robbing customers of their hard earned dollars, thinking they hired a professional!!! That kind of shit makes everyone in this trade look bad!! That is exactly why I'm making how to videos on my YouTube channel! So potential customers at least have some kind of idea what this work is suppoe to look like that they're PAYING for!!!
 
realkingcobra said:
In the absence of having to take skill tests, like being and Electrician or Plummer, where training and certification is REQUIRED! I don't give a shit if someone gets PAID to work on a pool table or not, getting paid does NOT qualify as being a PROFESSIONAL!!

The ONLY thing in my book that qualifies a PROFESSIONAL TABLE MECHANIC, is their reputation in doing exceptional work, and being able to back it up with testaments from customers, NOT friends of friends, and pictures of the work they've done!!! It just sickening that these so called PROFESSIONAL TABLE MECHANICS get away with robbing customers of their hard earned dollars, thinking they hired a professional!!! That kind of shit makes everyone in this trade look bad!! That is exactly why I'm making how to videos on my YouTube channel! So potential customers at least have some kind of idea what this work is suppoe to look like that they're PAYING for!!!
Click to expand...
I think pictures are worth a million bucks. I like to see how the cloth is tight with no V cuts into the pockets. Also cuffs tell a story of good finesse. I do not mind saying/repeating I had exceptional work done by Bob DeTurk that someone from AZB recommended. He was associated with Pool Table 911 years ago. They posted their work on AZB. Their reputation was there. You could expect a job done correctly. Wherever Bob is today I hope he is ok.
 
Last edited:
realkingcobra said:
Nope, most home owners are just plain ignorant, because they honestly think they're hiring a Professional!!
Click to expand...
What if? What if you trained and certified mechanics. We’d know we’re getting a first class installation. Nobody wants to learn anymore how to do things right anymore. Most mechanics have 1 year of poor experience times the years they have been doing set ups.
 
Last edited:
I was just watching some YT vids from the 2022 Asian Open and noticed this work...
Screenshot from 2023-08-24 07-46-45.png

Now they did mention during the broadcast that the tables were originally set up for 4.5 corners. Almost immediately shimmed to 4.3, and very soon after down to 4.1 for the event itself.

Regardless, those faces look terribly done imo. This is an Open/pro event mind you.
 
The_JV said:
I was just watching some YT vids from the 2022 Asian Open and noticed this work...
View attachment 715284
Now they did mention during the broadcast that the tables were originally set up for 4.5 corners. Almost immediately shimmed to 4.3, and very soon after down to 4.1 for the event itself.

Regardless, those faces look terribly done imo. This is an Open/pro event mind you.
Click to expand...
probably a rushed job .. it happens
 
The_JV said:
Sure, but we're not talking about bar league...lol

$25k in prize pool

If the camera >20ft away can pick it up then I could only imagine how bad it actually was.
Click to expand...

how much time did they have to do it? ... maybe they had 60 tables and 2 hours and it wasnt their decision but had to any way. not like they had 8 hours to it right. may they were bad mechanics or maybe they are great mechanics but the situation was bs
 
xX-Wizard-Xx said:
how much time did they have to do it? ... maybe they had 60 tables and 2 hours and it wasnt their decision but had to any way. not like they had 8 hours to it right. may they were bad mechanics or maybe they are great mechanics but the situation was bs
Click to expand...
Dress it up however you like. Bottom line is, it's shitty work. This was the main table that was subjected to continued streaming. If there was one table that should have gotten extra attention, it was this one.

Note I'm not complaining about the massive stack of facing material they used. Which would make the pockets play like garbage. You can't shrink a pocket by 1/2" with facing shims and have it play well, but like you said maybe they had 60 tables so there's zero chance they could have torn the rails apart and done the work the right way.

However, expecting them to put some effort into fastening the facing stacks so they wouldn't slip out of alignment isn't being unreasonable. Would have taken a staple or two.
 
The_JV said:
Dress it up however you like. Bottom line is, it's shitty work. This was the main table that was subjected to continued streaming. If there was one table that should have gotten extra attention, it was this one.

Note I'm not complaining about the massive stack of facing material they used. Which would make the pockets play like garbage. You can't shrink a pocket by 1/2" with facing shims and have it play well, but like you said maybe they had 60 tables so there's zero chance they could have torn the rails apart and done the work the right way.

However, expecting them to put some effort into fastening the facing stacks so they wouldn't slip out of alignment isn't being unreasonable. Would have taken a staple or two.
Click to expand...
i would blame the decision makers ... its likely they hired good mechanics but it is also likely decisions were made with little time to the job properly

nobody is dressing up anything. i do know that people who dont know things make decisions where others just have to get it done...
 
realkingcobra said:
Takes the same amount of time to do it right, that it takes to do it wrong, rushed job or not. You're assuming it was a rushed job as a defense, no excuse!
Click to expand...
i dont know about that .. i can do things real fast and get things done early and not do as good a job ... or i can take time and do a real good job

its the difference between rushing a job due to time constraints or no time constraints and doing things right ... stress ect ...

also environment conditions ... maybe there were people in the way .. ect who knows ... in my opinion they shouldnt have shimmed the pockets anyway for a professional event bad decision ... its trash
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top