This may sound dumb, but does pool equipment tend to go on sale, say, around Christmas time? I've not been into the sport for that long so I wouldn't know, but have been considering upgrading but would wait if there'll be a decent sale.
I'm not really sure, but I did get a really good buy on ebay last year a couple of days after Christmas. I honestly believe that a lot of people had tied up money at Christmas and that is why I got it cheap.