Pool Table Buying Advice

[sklskl]

First post,

Hi All

Love my snooker/pool and was thinking about getting a refurbished/reconditioned 7x4 excel silver pool table, it has the coin op mech on it as well as it has been an ex pub, its price is 500 with delivery and installation. just wondering if that is a fair price? as i have done quite a bit of research.

I will visit the showroom or warehouse and check it out before I buy,

Another question I have is that I will be putting it in my garage in the back garden. The garage isn't properly build as in, there are gaps between the garge door and general gaps as the ends of the roofs because it is a metal sheeted roof, so it isnt a properly build garage at the moment.

My concern is would it be ok being in there? In the winter it can get very cold, cold enough where when you breath you can see your vapour and hot enough that its really hot in summer.

Would this affect the table in anyway?

At the back of the garage small pools of water appear near the entrance when it rains but it wouldn't ever reach the front of the garage where the table would be because its big enough to not reach it.

Parents have said that ''damp'' will effect it? I always thought damp would grow from wet conditions exposed to heat without ventilation.

In this case the garage would always be airey if that makes sense.

Thank you in advance cheers

[Geoff Large]

Forget Excel and buy a winner supreme a far better table ( second hand winners on ebay start at just £200 if youre lucky ) , we had 6 excels in our club , we have sold these on and replaced with winners . the players where not too pleased with the excel tables . although in defence of them there are much worser tables out there . you are right in buying a coin-op table because if you want to sell it on ,you have two markets the home and the pub/club , if it was just home play then the home only , or club that charges by the hour ( few and far between )

Damp near a table cloth will send it mouldy so cover it well with insulated sheet of 2 inch polystyrene and a plastic cover , if the cold gets to the rubber is will send it hard .

my advice is patch the garage up and insulate with 2 inch polystyrene or insulation wool on the walls and roof .

Geoff

[sklskl]

Thank you very much for the replies,

I really like the excels they seem really stylish and ive played on them loads they respond really well and i like the feel. ive definately played on winner supremes im sure, i just cant remember where, whats the main difference>

as for the damp, a nice 2 inch thick layer of polystrene to fit on top and put the protective cover and that should be ok? i read that slate doesnt bend and warp like wood/mdf tables so that is also an advantage im right?

the guy also says hes putting in a quality hainsworth cloth, is this any good? or a marketing trick?

hes throwing in new balls 2 cues triangle cover brush chalk with the 500 price a s well delivery and installtion

[sklskl]

also just to mention he also has the following tables on ebay

excel mayfair for 50 extra

superleague imperial same price

[sklskl]

sorry for the various posts but im eager to get one. ( is there a way where u can edit posts)

ive skimmed throught the rules very quickly so apologies if i missed it but here are some links of tables which i am interested in ONLY if they are better then the excels.

This one seems reasonable with a decent price for delivery in which its probably the best ive seen for delivery and set up.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/IMPERIAL-EX-PU...3%3A1|294%3A50

This is a supreme traditional is it similar the winner?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/7-x-4-SUPREME-...3%3A1|294%3A50

your advice is much valued cheers

[Geoff Large]

I do not like the way the excel clamps down its top , the slate has to be central which is a must in any table , but it leaves very litle space to get the clamps in position , sometimes taking the top off and on a few times to align the clamps . and not all tables are level inside the main body , if slight packing of slate is required then that bloody top is off and on , where the winner is easy to just lift the top up , pack and clamp down .
also I find that the pocket openings are all over the place on an excel and some are very tight , the winner is regarded as the best table on the market , the only differance in the winner models is personal style , they all have the same slate and cushions etc .
in a wharehouse with say 10 winners and 10 excels the winners will sell out first and that is fact .
in the old days the best table on the market was the Hazel grove superleague , times have moved on these are not made anymore and winner are No1 in the market place and all have a badge on side or end with its endorsment from the GB pool authority as used by the GB team ? or words to that effect .
all pool tables will in situ take x amount each week , I get some recovers to do in some bowling alleys that have rock hard cushions , when I say to the manager they need new cushion rubber he says it will take the same money with hard rubber or soft , and I am afraid he is correct , because they still only have basic work done to them .
for what you are paying for a second hand one , have a look on ebay at a new home play winner supreme to see how much you can get a brand new one for , I think you are in for a surprise .

[perpetualboredom]

I don't think supremes are the best tables at all (unbiased opinion having owned one an playing pool at a pub and local club with several). Winners are everywhere because they're cheap, but they're cheap because the materials used are cheap. People like them because of the familiarity (and generous cut on the pockets). The best pool table I've played on was made by SAM. I'd advise finding a retailer and to go see and choose for youself tho.

[samad]

sorry for the various posts but im eager to get one. ( is there a way where u can edit posts)

ive skimmed throught the rules very quickly so apologies if i missed it .

You can edit posts after you've had a number of posts (10 i think ) good luck on buying a nice table

[sklskl]

my budget is 500 including delivery and installation, what do you guys think of the ones i have mentioned above?

so far i have the choice of


silver excel
supreme traditional
imperial
excel mayfair.

do you guys know if any decent sellers around the heathrow area, or anywhere of a decent distance as i am willing to travel a bit.

[hatterboard]

knocking a supreme because its cheap is daft having looked at the price of the SAMs.
have yer tried master billiards supplies at leeds ? dont know how much but for trade they make the magnum at 440. very similar to the supreme on the looks but never seen one close up or played on one. where ar yer situated ? ebay is ok providing yer can collect it for yersen.

[perpetualboredom]

I wasn't knocking it because it was cheap, I was just saying they're cheap for a reason, namely because they're poorly built in comparison with many other tables (thin slate, plastic legs, bouncy pockets). The table might very well be the best value for money available, but it certainly isn't the best table out there. Like everything in life, it depends what you're looking for.

[Geoff Large]

Hazel grove superleagues where the bench mark of the modern pool table , they outsold all other tables during the 70s 80s and 90s , when they stopped making them the Winner supreme became the top table that is fact , not based on the price but the endorsments and very ease of maintaining them in industrial use and abuse that people could throw at them .
just becuase the winner is priced to sell low to a mass market is good buisness , sell thousands and make a small profit per table , but a large profit overall .

They do make an upmarket model supreme table in the prince , but at the end of the day it is only cosmetic changes to the standard model , turned legs in place of angled legs and squared off cabinet , and a nice to look at cushion surround corners , all the models have the same slate and cushions , and thats what you play on .
Sam tables are overpriced both in tables and spare parts , especialy the velcro cloth kits ( Sam setex system ) and electrics . maintaining them for continuous use can be a nightmare for some operators , take most bowling alleys which have sam american 7 foot and 9 foot electronic tables , how many are in full operation when you visit these places ? how many are out of use and costing money in lost revinue .
Give me a mechanical coin mech everytime , 6 bolts and they can be changed on site and back into operation within minutes .
I have covered and maintained almost every pool table on the market from the first tables ever imported in the Reni pierre's from france and Rutiglianis from italy right upto all the modern stuff being produced today , a simple easy to maintain table is the best you can buy , and that will mean less money to pay fot it , so not realy cheap tables , just no fancy expensive rubbish attached to them to go wrong , and to bump the price up.

Apart from the odd set of consumables like coin mech's / pocket gully rails and pocket liners , the odd set of cushions and cloth kits , and thats about all you need to carry in stock to maintain a winner supreme .

The only sam table I rate is the K steel , which is a very good table , but at £4000 new it should be , you can pick up one of these for £600 to £1000 on ebay , and you will be surprised who is actualy selling them at that price .

[sklskl]

so out of the choices ive given you what would u reccomend i buy?

the winners i cant really find, i found a supreme traditional if that helps

[Geoff Large]

The supreme traditional looks ok but at that price I would expect a recover and not just cloth is good or ok , but to buy from a photo can sometimes be misleading , you should realy go and roll a few balls around and test for bounce off cushions , make sure all cushion bolts are in , lift lid to see these , make sure slate is not cracked or airline cracked and is true in flatness .
expect a few worn bits if it has been in a pub club etc .
take on board that the slate can dip in the middle on all makes of pool table , tell them you require it level to test for this , slight dip is acceptable , big dip and leave well alone .
look at the gully rails and check that they are not split , if so ask for them to be renewed , they are not expensive .
But If I was you I would wait for a more acceptable bargain ,it not uncommon for tables to go for around the £200 to£300 mark on ebay .
you can also look for second hand tables on preloved.co.uk or even advertise for one on there .

in defense of the sam tables there is a good american pool table on ebay called a sam bison at £425 , but these have the large american balls . ask if the cushions are coverd by slip inserts or clip off cushions if going for this type , slip ones are best but not all fitters can recover them .

good luck tracking a good one down .

Geoff

[sklskl]

recover meaning a new cloth?

to test for cracks will i have to lift the top and check the bottom of the slate?

for the dip in the table how do i look at that again>?

ive been looking for a couple weeks and i havent seen anything for 200-300

another problem is if a table does arise at this price, then theres problems with the delivery, as people charge about 150 for delivery and installtion.

i really like the excel,

but would the supreme traditional be better then the excel if i cant get hold of a winner.

excel silver
supreme traditional
excel mayfair
imperial

you say traditional?