Room Owner's observation ... Simonis 860 vs Championship Tour Edition

Crash

Pool Hall Owner
Silver Member
We've had our 14 tables covered with Simonis 860 in May. We had been using Championship Tour Edition before, recovering once a year. Already the 860 is not holding up as well as the Tour Edition and that is during the slow summer months. We may not make it a year. The Simonis site purports 860HR as commercial grade. Will 860HR make a difference or should I go back to Tour Edition?
 

tsp&b

Well-known member
Silver Member
I can only give you my personal preference. I prefer to install and work with Tour Edition... but that is just my purely subjective personal opinion.

I hope this is helpful,
Todd
 

A-1 billiards

FELT WRIGHT
Silver Member
The 860 HR is a 70/30 blend just like the tour edition. I've found the 860 HR lasts every bit as long and plays better when worn than the tour edition.

I recommend to all my pool halls and clubs to go with 860 HR or 760 which are both a 70% wool 30% nylon blend. Simonis 860 is a 90% wool 10% nylon blend and not as durable as the higher nylon blends.

Jay
 

Crash

Pool Hall Owner
Silver Member
Thanks for the input here and from others who watch this site. The installer I use has a pretty good price on Simonis 860HR, $15/table more than the 860. Keeping my fingers crossed we can make it on the 860 another 9 months.
 

Crash

Pool Hall Owner
Silver Member
To bad the HR colors are limited. I need Camel for the home room

JMO, I would think for the home table 860 would be fine unless you need it to play like the tables your favorite hang-out. But for me, fortunately it comes in Simonis Green. My pool hall will always have green cloth. TV Blue just ain't right!
 
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matcase

Blondie's #1 fan
Silver Member
JMO, I would think for the home table 860 would be fine unless you need it to play like the tables your favorite hang-out. But for me, fortunately it comes in Simonis Green. My pool hall will always have green cloth. TV Blue just ain't right!

tap tap tap tap tap tap tap
 

fastone371

Certifiable
Silver Member
JMO, I would think for the home table 860 would be fine unless you need it to play like the tables your favorite hang-out. But for me, fortunately it comes in Simonis Green. My pool hall will always have green cloth. TV Blue just ain't right!

I thought about blue on my Gold Crown but in the end I went with green. The green just looks proper on Gold Crowns.
 

RackemBilliards

Player, Room Owner
Silver Member
My experience has been that the regular 860 is fine for home tables, but not durable enough for pool rooms. We've used Granito Basalt, which is more durable but a bit slower than 860. The tour edition is probably still the most durable, but the 860hr is pretty close. The tour edition also seemed to stretch more over time and be more affected by humidity in the room. I like the way 860hr plays better than the tour edition. We use the tour blue on the diamond bar tables, and the green on the 9 footers, fwiw.
 

jtompilot

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My experience has been that the regular 860 is fine for home tables, but not durable enough for pool rooms. We've used Granito Basalt, which is more durable but a bit slower than 860. The tour edition is probably still the most durable, but the 860hr is pretty close. The tour edition also seemed to stretch more over time and be more affected by humidity in the room. I like the way 860hr plays better than the tour edition. We use the tour blue on the diamond bar tables, and the green on the 9 footers, fwiw.

Thirty years ago I played in Medford, the Simonis looked a little funny. The owner at the time said "when the cloth gets worn he cleans it and flips it over". First and only time I've heard of that
 

Crash

Pool Hall Owner
Silver Member
The tour edition also seemed to stretch more over time and be more affected by humidity in the room.

As matcase said, "tap tap tap tap tap tap tap"

On another note ... I worked at a TV station in the middle '70s when chroma-key blue was used for background effects. That's why I call it TV Blue ...

From wikipedia "Blue is generally used for both weather maps and special effects because it is complementary to human skin tone." That makes it easy to put special effects on the overhead shots on ESPN when pool is on, for example, when the casino logo appears on the cloth.
 
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RackemBilliards

Player, Room Owner
Silver Member
Thirty years ago I played in Medford, the Simonis looked a little funny. The owner at the time said "when the cloth gets worn he cleans it and flips it over". First and only time I've heard of that

With good reason, haha. Simonis isn't true and playable on both sides. It would still be green, I guess, but it would definitely be "funny". Tour edition actually is, fwiw, and we used to save the ones we took off and use them to cover the Boys and Girls club tables or sell them cheap to people wanting try covering their own table.
 
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