Thoughts on 860 Simonis

[14oneman]

Can one of you guys explain to me why playing straight pool would affect your cloth preference? Do people like having a faster or slower cloth for straight pool?

Well for me, Straight Pool is a game of finesse, so a fast cloth, that plays consistantly, is prefered, and from my experience, 760 fills that need.

 

[Dartman]

Can one of you guys explain to me why playing straight pool would affect your cloth preference? Do people like having a faster or slower cloth for straight pool?

I have Simonis 860 on my home table, and play a mix of 8 ball, 9 ball and straight pool. I never really thought in terms of what cloth was best for which game.

I love the way my 860 plays, but, to be honest, it shows a bit more wear than I'd expect after two years. Maybe I'll go with 860 HR next time.

Some people have stated that the championship tour edition 3030 plays like the 860, but wears a little better/lasts a little longer. Would anyone here argue for me trying that cloth out next, or stick with 860 or 860 HR?

(by the way, it's all fairly academic at this point--My wife would kill me if I spent the cash right now.)

A few things to consider (generally speaking) -
9 ball requires more accurate position play then 14.1 or 8 ball.
860 (compared to 760) was designed for slower ball roll to allow for easier and
better accuracy in playing cueball position.

In 8 ball and 14.1 there's less emphasis on perfect position play but typically longer
shots so the speed of 760 gets the OB to the hole faster. This is where the speed helps.

In the early days 14.1 and 760 was the norm. 860 was developed when 9 ball
became more popular. Consider that when the pros play it's almost always on 860.

FYI -
Tour Edition 3030 and 860HR are both faster then 860.
The revamped 860HR is designed for commercial applications to minimize ball friction marks.
With a quality install and good maintenance your cloth will look better longer but any cloth
will show wear after 2 years.

As an aside to JohnnyT - we're testing a new cloth that may be good for
your situation but it's going to be about 2 months before the test is complete.
I'll let you know if it works out.

 

[Gerry]

A few things to consider (generally speaking) -
9 ball requires more accurate position play then 14.1 or 8 ball.
860 (compared to 760) was designed for slower ball roll to allow for easier and
better accuracy in playing cueball position.

In 8 ball and 14.1 there's less emphasis on perfect position play but typically longer
shots so the speed of 760 gets the OB to the hole faster. This is where the speed helps.

In the early days 14.1 and 760 was the norm. 860 was developed when 9 ball
became more popular. Consider that when the pros play it's almost always on 860.

[/I]

I'm not trying to start anything, but, I think you might be exactly backwards in your thinking here. 14.1 played well, takes VERY accurate position. 9ball or rotation games are much more "area" position games. I"m no 8ball guru,but that game falls on the 14.1 side played well....like a pattern game. 1pocket needs a real fast tight table IMO.

BTW I have 860 on my table in the basement, with humidity control. In winter I dont use the dehumidifyer and it stays at about 45%. In the summer it runs full time to stay around 55%. I can run it lower, but I might be a little strange....I like slower tables....it lets your stroke outta the box!!!
G.

 

[Johnnyt]

A few things to consider (generally speaking) -
9 ball requires more accurate position play then 14.1 or 8 ball.
860 (compared to 760) was designed for slower ball roll to allow for easier and
better accuracy in playing cueball position.

In 8 ball and 14.1 there's less emphasis on perfect position play but typically longer
shots so the speed of 760 gets the OB to the hole faster. This is where the speed helps.

In the early days 14.1 and 760 was the norm. 860 was developed when 9 ball
became more popular. Consider that when the pros play it's almost always on 860.

FYI -
Tour Edition 3030 and 860HR are both faster then 860.
The revamped 860HR is designed for commercial applications to minimize ball friction marks.
With a quality install and good maintenance your cloth will look better longer but any cloth
will show wear after 2 years.

As an aside to JohnnyT - we're testing a new cloth that may be good for
your situation but it's going to be about 2 months before the test is complete.
I'll let you know if it works out.

Thank you for the heads up on the testing of the new cloth. I can wait until you give me the go ahead. Johnnyt

 

[Dartman]

I'm not trying to start anything, but, I think you might be exactly backwards in your thinking here. 14.1 played well, takes VERY accurate position. 9ball or rotation games are much more "area" position games. I"m no 8ball guru,but that game falls on the 14.1 side played well....like a pattern game. 1pocket needs a real fast tight table IMO.
.

You're entitled to your opinion.

Any game played well requires looking ahead for a pattern.
Assuming you pop the rack in 14.1 you have 14 remaining OBs to pick from, usually in close proximity.
In 8 ball you have 7. In 9 ball there's 1 (the next ball in the rotation).

You typically have less cueball movement in 14.1 and 8 ball in the early to mid stages
of each rack so very accurate po is not as critical as it would be in 9 ball. How many shots
in 14.1 require 3 or more rails to get position for the next shot as may be needed in 9 ball.

The point however, is that altho 860 is inherently fast it's slower then 760 and allows a
good player to have better cueball control which is more critical in 9 ball.