Why I don't like Diamond Barboxes

S

Suplex

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Speed.

I do like everything else about them, the tighter pockets, the lively cushions, but the speed, imo is too fast. Also must say, Love 9 foot Diamonds. Your stroke just does not translate from a 9 footer to the bar box. Any pool game just ends up being who can hit the softest will be the winner. It just doesn't seem like pool "babying" the ball around, and it is just not fun. I'd much rather play on a valley with fresh mercury ultra cloth, I can keep the same stroke and do what I know I can do with the cue ball. By all means tighten the pockets on a valley or has any one tried mercury ultra on a Diamond BB? curious as to how it would play. Anyways, just my 2cents.
 
I'm not sure of the condition of the tables you have been playing on, but the Diamond barboxes I play on and the Diamond 9 footers I play on are the same speed. Same brand new Simonis 760. The only reason I would see for "powering" the cue ball around is on a slow Valley table or for stroke shots.

I've played on Valley tables with Simonis 760 with Aramith Pro Cup balls and a valley cue ball. It was miserable. High speed putt putt.
 
DAVE_M said:
I'm not sure of the condition of the tables you have been playing on, but the Diamond barboxes I play on and the Diamond 9 footers I play on are the same speed. Same brand new Simonis 760. The only reason I would see for "powering" the cue ball around is on a slow Valley table or for stroke shots.

I've played on Valley tables with Simonis 760 with Aramith Pro Cup balls and a valley cue ball. It was miserable. High speed putt putt.
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760 is to fast
860 is better but it's still to fast
 
I love barboxes...I really do....... But If I have to stroke the ball on a barbox the same way I have to on a 9 footer just to get whitey to move........ I just assume go waste my time being a gardener....
 
real bartram said:
760 is to fast
860 is better but it's still to fast
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I agree. It is humid down here in Louisiana, but 760 still gets the ball rolling.
However, I have become accustomed to 760 on a Diamond BB.

To the OP; I've played on one Valley table in the past year. It had 5 1/2" pockets, heavy backed/napped cloth, and a Valley cue ball. Everything rolled slow, but with English that cue ball zipped around like it was on speed. That's why I stick to my Diamond barboxes.
 
DAVE_M said:
I'm not sure of the condition of the tables you have been playing on, but the Diamond barboxes I play on and the Diamond 9 footers I play on are the same speed. Same brand new Simonis 760. The only reason I would see for "powering" the cue ball around is on a slow Valley table or for stroke shots.

I've played on Valley tables with Simonis 760 with Aramith Pro Cup balls and a valley cue ball. It was miserable. High speed putt putt.
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Dave are you sure you got the Simonis right?

I agree with Bartram, definitely 860.
 
Runnintable said:
Dave are you sure you got the Simonis right?

I agree with Bartram, definitely 860.
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Yessir

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real bartram said:
760 is to fast
860 is better but it's still to fast
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I agree. 760 and even 860 is too fast for the bar boxes IMO also. I have the Champion Tournament on mine and in dry conditions it's way too fast to play right. Johnnyt
 
860 is fine when it's not stretched too tightly. Especially on the rails. When stretched too tightly, it's like playing a pin-ball machine.
 
Why I don'tlike Diamond barboxes

I do not like diamond tables. Period. The pockets are cut too narrow and in my opinion that takes away from the enjoyment of the game for the average to above average player. Sure, pros can deal with them, but for the rest of us, i see no enjoyment in a challenge that changes the way a game was designed to be played. Speed is also rediculous on those tables and again, only pro speed sense/stroke works well on these tables. yes i am an older (60) player, but I love the game, do still compete, and those tables take the joy out of the game for me--my own personal thoughts.
 
I love Diamonds. I love that you can actually move the cue ball around on the 860. I love that someone can't hit the middle diamond and make a ball in a pocket still.
 
mikemosconi said:
I do not like diamond tables. Period. The pockets are cut too narrow and in my opinion that takes away from the enjoyment of the game for the average to above average player. Sure, pros can deal with them, but for the rest of us, i see no enjoyment in a challenge that changes the way a game was designed to be played. Speed is also rediculous on those tables and again, only pro speed sense/stroke works well on these tables. yes i am an older (60) player, but I love the game, do still compete, and those tables take the joy out of the game for me--my own personal thoughts.
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Just play on one with 'league-cut' pockets, then. Those are larger than the 'pro-cut' 4.5" pockets.
 
I prefer championship cloth myself, it's a decent speed cloth and it is extremely durable. Made in the USA and it's like 100 bucks to cover the table yourself (barbox).
 
Really?

I love diamond BB with fast cloth. The rails are very springy. You end up bunting alot with little strokes. I runout like water on them. Control whitey andjust keep shooting.
Only 10 days to SBE!
 
Try not to be so picky. We, the bar box players are the Marines of the billiard world. To me, every bar box is different and has it's own personality regardless of the brand. We overcome, we adapt. In any one tournament we might move from a Shelti, to a Diamond, to a Valley and all the time with a beer in each hand (and a song in our hearts).
MARINE - GO PLAY POOL !!!
...SIR, YES SIR !!!
 
Some diamond barboxes have the artemis cushions that are on the 9' tables which make them too fast in my opinion. The 760 cloth also is too fast for this table.

I know what you mean but I think you might be playing on one of the older revisions. The new tables play much more reasonable.
 
Post

bigchiefnd said:
I prefer championship cloth myself, it's a decent speed cloth and it is extremely durable. Made in the USA and it's like 100 bucks to cover the table yourself (barbox).
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-

Where did you learn that championship cloth is made in USA?

Championship cloth is made in Santiago, Mexico.




Rob.M
 
I agree they are a bit fast for bar tables. I even thought the 9fter's at Derby played faster this year but I'm not totally convinced about that either as I don't play on them enough.


Gary
 
takeitdown said:
I love diamond BB with fast cloth. The rails are very springy. You end up bunting alot with little strokes. I runout like water on them. Control whitey andjust keep shooting.
Only 10 days to SBE!
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There are two kinds of Diamond BB. The old one which has the "red lable" on the short rail, which has the typical "springy" rails. They changed it in 2010 with the "blue label" with better, less "springy" rails that are more approriate for a barbox.

The problem, is the places that have the red label are not gonna change it out anytime soon, and thus the only blue labels are gonna be from a bar/pool room ordering a table after 2010. But the blue label barbox plays lights out, and is the NUTS :) A red label still beats the hell out of a valley, but it's not blue lable.. because as mentioned, you have to "bunt" the ball on certain shots, or that cue ball has a mind of it's own :)
 
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