When should you consider buying a pool table?

K

Kevin3824

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Recently I decided to buy a new Diamond Pro-Am. I'm getting ready for the delivery and was talking to a stock clerk about why I am looking for a particular type of table.
Mentioned I was putting it in my pool room and he asked if I could show him what it would look like so I found an image on the web and showed him. He then asked if I rent or own and I rent. He asked about the skill level of the people who will be playing on it. Then he said I should not be renting I should own a house. That got me to thinking. I wonder what most people use to determine the right time to buy. I practice a lot already but have been slacking off lately as my current table is in terrible condition. The new one will be setup by the end of the week. Should I have waited till after I own a house. Perhaps after I'm out of debt or maybe some other change. I am not having second thoughts I just wonder what others would think is the right time. Maybe when they practice four or five hours a day is the right time to buy.
 
I personally would love to buy a pool table, and would do it in a minute, the only thing preventing me is space or a room dedicated to playing pool, which is pretty hard with the house setup and space right now, so therefore I can't do it.

So to answer your question in the thread topic. "Whenever I can have space for it, or a room"
 
If you have the space get the table.
Unless you have a nice pool room you frequent. And like to play with others more.
Best case, do both!:thumbup:
 
1. When you have space
2. When you have the funds
3. When you have permission from your spouse (or landlord, I guess)
 
Yeah the new table will be delivered and setup this Thursday. I'm basically only asking to see if others would say they would only do it under different circumstances. I have the room. I don't need permission from my girlfriend but I have her support in it anyhow. I had asked the landlords consent when the old table was going into the basement out of curtesy. It is now and the new table will be in the living room. The weight is not a concern in my mind as it is 800 pounds spread over several feet and that's about the weight of four grown adults.
 
I would think getting out of debt before taking more on would make sense

if i didn't have enough to pay for what i was buying i would spend those extra 4 hours per day working at getting out of debt

i have always followed the rule of not buying what i could not pay cash for,never borrowing,to be in debt is
just another form of slavery

this has served me well over the years,my son is a pilot in the marines and when I last saw him
he thanked me for teaching this to him.He was surprised at the way even officers in the
finest military were not responsible in handling their finances

I would imagine that home ownership,a good job ,a wife and kids with all the necessities that go along with those responsibilities would be priorities before an expensive pool table that is going down in value by the day would come first.

Even when I was in the pool business and had a gold crown in the living room that functioned as
entertainment for the kids ,my wife thought it looked like a pool room.

We now have a Kling so she is happy that something like beauty is in her domain.Plus

I bought each table at good prices so that I actually made money on each sale,this at least
was sensible
Plus i had the ability to sell everytime i sold our house and moved,this saved me around $600 to $1000 everytime we moved to a different house(you can't do that with the diamond because it won't be worth half what you pay for it)

Just as a side,your friends will not enjoy those tight pockets,they take the fun out of the game for
people who are not full time pool players

Friendly advice
 
If it would cut down on the time and money you spend going to a pool room, you can do a cost benefit analysis. :D

The offset may be that you get more friends and may have to increase your food and booze budget because you are playing host more frequently.
 
I rent, and when I was shown my apartment, I knew immediately a table would fit. I signed the lease, bought a pool table the next week, and didn't tell the apartment managers anything. 4 year later, and I could not be happier.

I do play mostly during the daytime when the neighbors are at work, to keep the noise down. I don't want to stir the pot and have anyone complain.

My answer to the question is: As soon as you have space. Forget about buying/renting, or available funds, lol. Even if you are broke, you can get a cheap table on craigslist for free or a few hundred, and set it up yourself. Obviously its not ideal if you are a player, but its better than nothing.
 
Purchasing a Diamond Pro-Am indicates that you take this game seriously. I'm assuming it is a 7' type. I own a 9' Pro-Am and it weighs over 1,100 lbs. I think this is a wonderful purchase. While these tables are not cheap, the cost is nothing compared to home ownership. The enjoyment you get from having the table available to you anytime far outweighs whatever delays the cost outlay may set you back for positioning yourself financially for a home purchase. It may save you money in the long run because you'll be at home more often (compare the cost of a case of Heineken as opposed to buying 24 of them at the poolroom).

Good luck and enjoy. You've made a great purchase.
 
My thoughts

If you have a passion for pool then I say do it as soon as you can afford to. Life is short and none of us know how many heart beats we have left. I am not in favor of taking on debt for entertainment. But, I was raised by a Dad who never had a credit card.

I believe controlling ones finances is easily learned. Never spend more then you take in, that is how my wife and I do it. The more debt one has the less freedom one has and the more stress in our daily lives. We spend some, invest some, save some and give some back to help others.

Houses almost always cause most of us to take on debt and I believe a 15 year mortgage with a low interest rate is the way to go and owning a house is almost always better and smarter money then renting.

Many buy more automobile and electronics then they can afford and spend a lot on entertainment. We all have our priorities.
 
I do not feel that you were frivolous in spending money on a pool table. You will always be able to get a decent percentage of that back if you decide to sell it. Used Diamonds are not that easy to find. I think you would have been much worse off spending $30k on a new car, you would most definitely have taken a bigger hit if you went that way which seems to be the norm for society today. As far as home ownership goes its great but it comes with many added expenses and much more work, its a huge commitment and there is a possibility to take large loses, its not for everyone. Enjoy your new table, if you play enough you wont even have time to think about buyers remorse.
 
in my opinion these knee jerk responses prove that most people buy with emotion and
defend their actions with logic


go ahead live for today,go further in debt,cherish the dream of making it in pool
but don't expect us to think its a smart move

however if anyone would think so,this is the place

by the way i will be in houston wednesday for the tournament,pool your money and come win a really nice table from me

you will be expected to post
 
deanoc said:
in my opinion these knee jerk responses prove that most people buy with emotion and defend their actions with logic

go ahead live for today,go further in debt,cherish the dream of making it in pool but don't expect us to think its a smart move

however if anyone would think so,this is the place
Click to expand...

My answer is different.....

Everyone decides which items they want to be "frugal" on and which items they want to "splurge" on. If someone tells you they are frugal on "everything", they are lying or completely broke.

I agree that you have to be able to pay bills first, but if you have that covered, the rest is up to you........

Some women spend more on clothes in a year than the cost of a table and some nice cues. Some spend more on their car, some spend on drinks and chasing women.

The cost of a pool table is less than some people spend on a week's vacation in Hawaii......if it makes you happy go for it.

I personally might not put a table in a rented house, but if you are going to be there at least a year I dont see a problem with it. It just means you will have to pay a "moving" fee at some point in the future, not a big deal all things considered.....
 
Thank you all for your responses. I just got my confirmation for delivery and setup call. My table will arrive tomorrow. I'm very excited. I think I have made the right decision buying it. I did not go into debt to buy it I was already in debt prior. Mainly student loans. The table will gives lot of pleasure to me and my family. I have the room for it that is why I went with 7 footer 3 PC. The reason I asked in the first place was because I had a couple of people that spoke negatively and I needed to hear how others thought. I guess there will always be jealousy and haters out there.
 
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