Slow MDF table - Will better balls help?!

PickeringRC

Registered
Hi guys!

Just picked up a "cheap" MPD 7ft Pool table (sadly couldn't go with slate as I need to move it in order to play and put back once finished...)

Being used to my local pool hall though, it is suuuuper slow (I read that slate tables are faster but was not expecting 5, 10 or 20% speed difference, not literally double) but I guess I can learn to live with it. (any suggestions though are very welcome!)

My biggest gripe however is that I am having very little success in getting any action on the cue ball... (no issue at pool hall)

Was wandering if I would gain any speed and or cue ball action if swapping the "cheap, no brand, chinese" balls that came with the table for a set of Aramith Super Pro's?

And yes, I know the Aramith's are a much better ball all round, but will they help with these two issues at all?

Massive thanks!
Martin
 

Lawnboy77

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
No I wouldn't invest in good balls for a cheap table, and I wouldn't try to upgrade cushions, or cloth etc. etc. to try and make it play like you expect. My advice would be to get you a good table if you want something that plays like your local pool room.
 

garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi guys!

Just picked up a "cheap" MPD 7ft Pool table (sadly couldn't go with slate as I need to move it in order to play and put back once finished...)

Being used to my local pool hall though, it is suuuuper slow (I read that slate tables are faster but was not expecting 5, 10 or 20% speed difference, not literally double) but I guess I can learn to live with it. (any suggestions though are very welcome!)

My biggest gripe however is that I am having very little success in getting any action on the cue ball... (no issue at pool hall)

Was wandering if I would gain any speed and or cue ball action if swapping the "cheap, no brand, chinese" balls that came with the table for a set of Aramith Super Pro's?

And yes, I know the Aramith's are a much better ball all round, but will they help with these two issues at all?

Massive thanks!
Martin
Balls won't speed it up. Those tables are just like playing in mud.
 

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I will offer a different opinion and state that good balls on a crappy table will indeed make a difference. New, clean, and polished balls, will absolutely roll nicer and further than a dinged up, non-phenolic set, cheap set, regardless of the table they are on.

Another thing with cheap sets, even if the table is not a coin operated table, sometimes the cheap sets have a heavier CB. My apartment complex has a dirt cheap 7' table, (brand new), and it came with a (new) set of balls from a coin operated table.

I bought a $5 CB from Amazon to take to the apartment complex table, and it made a world of difference.

One thing to watch out for though on super cheap tables (like my apt complex one), is if there are any nail heads sticking out inside the pocket. If you take a nice new set of balls to a cheap table, the nail head will actually damage the nice balls. My apt complex table has the nail head problem, and that is the reason I don't take my good set of balls there to try on that table.
 

PickeringRC

Registered
Hi guys, after a lot of thought following your input, I decided to mostly follow your recommendations and limit what was spent on the table, eventually going with a single improvement, the balls.

I went with the cheapest set of Aramith balls, the Continentals, for about 40$, and, for the benefit of anyone else who finds this post due to having the same question:

It was totally worth it! I did not gain any noticeable speed, however the balls run a lot straighter and more consistently (didn't realise my original balls didn't until receiving the Aramith's).

The white ball is also a lot livelier, allowing a lot more cue ball action, which is one of the main things I wanted...

So, all in all, very pleased with the decision of picking up even the cheapest Aramith balls.
 

surffisher2a

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi guys, after a lot of thought following your input, I decided to mostly follow your recommendations and limit what was spent on the table, eventually going with a single improvement, the balls.

I went with the cheapest set of Aramith balls, the Continentals, for about 40$, and, for the benefit of anyone else who finds this post due to having the same question:

It was totally worth it! I did not gain any noticeable speed, however the balls run a lot straighter and more consistently (didn't realise my original balls didn't until receiving the Aramith's).

The white ball is also a lot livelier, allowing a lot more cue ball action, which is one of the main things I wanted...

So, all in all, very pleased with the decision of picking up even the cheapest Aramith balls.


I am guessing that your original ball set had a mismatched cue ball (probably set for a coin-op table). So it was either heavier or slightly larger than the rest of the set, which is why you had trouble with getting cue ball action.

Glad to hear your new set is much more enjoyable.
 

garczar

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi guys, after a lot of thought following your input, I decided to mostly follow your recommendations and limit what was spent on the table, eventually going with a single improvement, the balls.

I went with the cheapest set of Aramith balls, the Continentals, for about 40$, and, for the benefit of anyone else who finds this post due to having the same question:

It was totally worth it! I did not gain any noticeable speed, however the balls run a lot straighter and more consistently (didn't realise my original balls didn't until receiving the Aramith's).

The white ball is also a lot livelier, allowing a lot more cue ball action, which is one of the main things I wanted...

So, all in all, very pleased with the decision of picking up even the cheapest Aramith balls.
What are Continentals? Those the one's with the printed numbers?
 

PickeringRC

Registered
I am guessing that your original ball set had a mismatched cue ball (probably set for a coin-op table). So it was either heavier or slightly larger than the rest of the set, which is why you had trouble with getting cue ball action.

Glad to hear your new set is much more enjoyable.

It was a new table, so no mismatched balls, just with a really poor quality everything, the balls were obviously no exception!
 

PickeringRC

Registered
What are Continentals? Those the one's with the printed numbers?

Yes, the printed number Aramith's. They were about 40$ and even though they may or may not be below par on a half decent table when compared to the higher class Aramith's, I feel that the price and massive boost in playability on this MDF table make them a stunning option, still very happy with the decision
 

slowthrow

New member
Yes, the printed number Aramith's. They were about 40$ and even though they may or may not be below par on a half decent table when compared to the higher class Aramith's, I feel that the price and massive boost in playability on this MDF table make them a stunning option, still very happy with the decision
Hi, are you still enjoying that table? Any thoughts and tips after six months?
 

PickeringRC

Registered
Hi, are you still enjoying that table? Any thoughts and tips after six months?
Extremely late reply… but for the sake of anyone else searching the forum in the future…

I have enjoyed the “cheap” MDF table massively.

The cloth was not high quality, it was actually terrible, so anyone picking up something similar, beware of massive “ball burn”. In my case, the break point actually burned all the way through to the MDF, and it did so in a matter of weeks. Breaking from a piece of cloth, or even paper prevented it repeating or getting worse. The rest of the cloth has lost most of the fur, is looking ugly, but still plays ok.

Definitely worth picking up the cheapest set of Aramith balls, they do really make a difference compared to the cheap chinese that came with it. Double check how the pockets are secured, as mine had metal staples that started chipping all the balls... I was able to hammer these deeper into the plastic, and glued some small leather patches on top to prevent the balls being able to get that far.

All in all, not a high level table, but for the lack of anything better, and on a very tight budget, I loved it, got me through all of lockdown, helped my game, and enjoyed enough and for long enough to eventually go out and pick up a better, slate table.
 

PickeringRC

Registered
Fortunately not! The new table went into my new house, with a living room re-designed around fitting a permanent table, convertible to dining table...
 

PickeringRC

Registered
Made in Spain, its a mixed pool/dining table, specifically model Altea from ElBillar.es for sure a big step up, all be it far from the Diamonds of the world...
 
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