Scott Frost's opinion about Predator tables

garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
There is a diamond video on the construction of their tables. If I remember it doesn’t show everything but it is interesting.
Manning's has some good vids of how they're made. I've seen Pro's and ProAm's taken apart and they are very well made to say the least. IMO they give both the Pred tables the six ball.
 

realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
Do you need to remove the residue? We tried acetone and it did nothing on whatever was used so we scraped it off. Got maybe 60%.
Depends on what adhesive was used. If spray glue was used, it ALL has to be removed. If a roll on contact adhesive like FB10, Parabond 250, or RKC250, then it don't need scraped of until about 5-6 cloth replacements. Then it can be scraped off real easy.
 

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Manning's has some good vids of how they're made. I've seen Pro's and ProAm's taken apart and they are very well made to say the least. IMO they give both the Pred tables the six ball.
From what I’ve heard from a few of the most experienced and reputable table mechanics on earth, Predator is grudgingly and gradually making the needed improvements to their table design.

Why they didn’t consult with or ignored their suggestions and their expertise to make a top quality playing table from the start is hard to understand, if they really wanted to compete with Diamond. Obviously it was a decision to cut/limit costs.

Perhaps at some point in the future their tables might equal or surpass Diamond for quality, but it’s too bad and too late for those that already have one.
 
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realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
Another dumb question!

How do you remove the cloth once glued?

Heat gun to melt the glue?

I have always seen staples.

Just wondering how much trouble is the glue method?

Kd

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk
The gluing method is needed system of installing cloth on slates that have no backing to staple to, such as bar table slates. But the spray glue use is a joke, it don't hold the cloth under a tight stretch. Now let's say you have slate that has a backing to staple to, but it's made out of particle board or MDF, or even wood that has been blown out, missing big chunks, what ever the reason staples won't hold the cloth to. Do you really want to take the slates completely apart, just to replace the backing material so you can go back to stapling the cloth again? Is the backing even needed? No, it's not, if the cloth is installed correctly using my adhesive and stretch index system. Furthermore, cloth being held in place relying on staples only have the holding strength of the legs of the staples holding the cloth, whereas the glue holds a full square inch, the full thickness of the slate to hold the cloth in place.
 

WardS

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I’d like to see a YouTube video of the top brands out there being disassemble/assembled by a top table mechanic or two with their likes and dislikes about each table. If the companies are confident in their product they should have no problem donating a table for the test.
Part 2 could have opinions from top pros, they can remain anonymous, on the playability of each table.
This video would have many, many views and if a table manufacturer refused to lend a table then that should raise suspicion on its own.
Then Coco could come back and tell us what he thinks!
I had a new 7ft Diamond, when they delivered it was assembled , they just put the legs down leveled it and put on the decals. Very fast setup. Played excellent sorry I sold it when I moved.
 

WardS

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Maybe you should have looked in the middle of the table through the rack opening to see what was blocking the balls, then cleared them out! That's how the table was designed!!
I recently purchased a 7ft Shelti it’s used but in great condition. The guy who owned it before me removed the ball return and installed a wooden mechanism that runs the length of the table, works fine a little noisy but I never have balls jammed up. I dropped a piece of Toam chalk in it took a couple days but the balls pushed it to the corner pocket. It’s great for practice.
 

jasonlaus

Rep for Smorg
Silver Member
:mad:
Really? I'm pretty sure everyone knows what RKC's real name is, anyone messing with tables very much probably has his phone number, I know I do.

RKC is one of the few people knowledgeable enough to make a comment on the build quality and he gets a warning over this right at the point it seems he might speak on the question everyone is asking.

I guess there were older threads when predator just came out with the tables where he did say some of his concerns.

This rule is beyond dumb when it's dealing with a well known forum member. You know, one with his real name out there on a lot of stuff, a titan of the mechanic industry, one who readily gives out his personal phone number to help people out.

In the 3 decades I've been on various forums, I've never seen one besides AZB which puts so much stock in "real names." If you guys don't want us using screen names or alias names, then make us use real names and submit a government issued ID. Such a stupid rule for a fricking internet forum. Oh my... let me wring my hands... somebody on the internet is using a screen name! Oh the humanity!o_O
:mad:
🍻
 

jasonlaus

Rep for Smorg
Silver Member
I understand your position. Discussing different experiences, is an important aspect of the purchasing decision, for many consumers. Having those discussions in a respectful manner, is certainly welcome here.
Regards
j2
This^^^^^^is moderation. I know it will get deleted, but I appreciate you
 

jasonlaus

Rep for Smorg
Silver Member
I called the Predator 9fts junk before they even had their first tournament on them in AZ. Most everyone on AZB jumped all over me telling me I didn't know what I was talking about because Predator is this and Predator is that, and they'll design the BEST 9ft on the market, just wait and see!! Not one of those naysayers has apologized to me yet for being right!!😅🤣 bent frames, crowned slates because of bent frames! Broken slates, damaged rails....oh yeah, best built 9fts on the market alright 👍 Jason Shaw quit in the middle of a match, SVB comments about Pro's shouldn't have to play on such junk....yeah, I was wrong!!🤣😅😂
In all fairness Diamonds played terrible out of the gate but they fixed those issues. Predator should have known better and not put out a junk product.

Good to see you posting again
 

realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
In all fairness Diamonds played terrible out of the gate but they fixed those issues. Predator should have known better and not put out a junk product.

Good to see you posting again
Thank you, and yes Diamond and I butted heads a few times over playability, but like you said, we worked all those issues out because that's what we do, improve and get better, not improvise and try selling turds as sticks of gold!!😅
 

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Imo, the biggest benefit is the constant temperature and ithe effect it has on the rubber, it always plays the same.

Regulation of the moisture level in the cloth and around it further adds to the consistency goal.
Damp cloth is slow and sticky.
 

Black-Balled

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thank you, and yes Diamond and I butted heads a few times over playability, but like you said, we worked all those issues out because that's what we do, improve and get better, not improvise and try selling turds as sticks of gold!!😅
You know they thought about it a good bit and in the end, just threw some s*** on the wall to see what stuck... then they address what they see necessary or pull the plug.
 

fiftyyardline

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
That flyer is interesting. I have no problem accepting that that table is #1 for tournaments as CSI runs their state events in conjunction with several Predator events. What I do wonder about is the pocket dimensions.

I have never shot league pool on 4.25" pockets. And, in my limited experience, barbox side pockets were always the same size as the corners.

Scott, of course, may have a different argument.
All the Predator 7’ tables I have played on had corner pockets that measured very close to 4.5”. And the Predator 7’ table corner pockets definitely play easier than corner pockets on Diamond 7’ tables( pro cut - 4.5”)
 
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