cloth

[archalf1471]

Guys, advice or opinion please. Has anyone heard of VSP (I think) ultra-fine cloth? Supplied by absolute snooker?

One of the clubs in our league is having a table recovered with this next week, and I was asked about it. I had to be honest and say I had never heard of it

[KeithinFrance]

Never heard of it either, mate.

[Geoff Large]

VSP ? well I will have a stab at what the V and P stands for maybe the S is snooker ?

I think it is Velocity Pro Billiard cloth , in my opinion no where near the quality of Strachan or Hainsworth Branded Billiard cloth . Never fitted it but have removed it to recover in the above Brands .

Please let us know how the cloth plays . and what type is fitted i.e if its 100% wool as in Strachan or a slight Man made fibre mix as in Hainsworth Smart , or a 50/50 wool man made fibre mix . or even 100% man made fibre . is it Branded with a iron on transfer or sewn in brand on edge ?

You know it amazes me why some clubs try the cheaper Brands just to save a few quid , a recover price can range from £295 to over £400 in club use cloth ( not no 10 Strachan or hainsworth Match ) the price will vary because of differant aspects .

1, cheapness of cloth and materials Being used
2, Travel expense to a site
3, extra work like leveling a badly fitted table in with a recover or nets and leathers as Extra's.
4, Skill and experience of the person doing the work ( you will not get an Experienced time served Billiards Fitter working for the same rate as a Pool table Fitter )

You get what you pay for . choose number 4 and you Should not get No 1 involved with the Quote .

[archalf1471]

Geoff many thanks. i dont know all the details. one of their team asked me about it last week and showed me a bit of paperwork etc for the company. he has been sent a lovely little corner brush and bump ( cold iron) presumably as part of the deal.

The bit i found weird was and I think I remember rightly that the cloth was or is guarunteed for 50,000 brushes......I must have made a mistake there as that is well over the normal lifespan of a cloth which I take as 2-3 years with regular usage.

Judging by the lack of response I guess very few others have heard of it?

Also think he said it was about £550 installed for one table which for my money is about £150 more than most covers I have seen recently

[Geoff Large]

Well without seeing the cloth , I cannot comment too specific on its value or quality .

it is well known in the trade that Strachan no 10 is the cloth as used on TV by the proffesional players , in some tournements Hainsworth Match is the prefered cloth , not much to choose between the two its all down to player choice , but as a fitter Hainsworth Match is much easier to fit than Strachan no10 .

Both these cloths are expensive to buy , fitting should be charged at the same rate no matter what cloth used , as for the VSP cloth being priced at a simular rate for these high end cloths without any well known tournement useing it in the UK , I am thinking someone has used a sales pitch of saying VSP is of compareable value and quality and inflated the price to match these high end Brands and included free table wipe blocker ( bump ) . plus dangled a carrot in a under cush Brush as a freebee .

I perfer a evo stick glue spreader to get under the cushion to tease out any muck and fluff under there with first tooth of the spreader , then use the long bristle ends of the table brush to get the dust out . ( no need for under cush brush )

if it is £550 total job quote maybe its a RERUBBER / Level and Nets and leathers is included in that £550 quote ? if so I would be interested to see if they use Northern rubber or chinese Rubber .

as in the saying ....Once bitten = Twice shy .

[Asi]

How about Riley 88 ? comparing to both brand mentioned above

[Geoff Large]

How about Riley 88 ? comparing to both brand mentioned above

Riley 88 or any Riley branded cloth is not as good as Hainsworth or Strachan , it is ok for wear in Fact very good at wear , but tends to fluff up and shed if not maintained , you have to brush and Iron more for it to play any where near acceptable .
but most high end players would know the speed of ball roll ( pace from a normal slow shot :snooker: ) that it was not a good cloth to play on .
I am not sure but I think one of the Brands mentioned produces the cloth for the riley brand , but they are not going to manufacture a Brand that is of as good as their Branded cloth , that would be cutting their own throats if you know what I mean

[Asi]

Riley 88 or any Riley branded cloth is not as good as Hainsworth or Strachan , it is ok for wear in Fact very good at wear , but tends to fluff up and shed if not maintained , you have to brush and Iron more for it to play any where near acceptable .
but most high end players would know the speed of ball roll ( pace from a normal slow shot :snooker: ) that it was not a good cloth to play on .
I am not sure but I think one of the Brands mentioned produces the cloth for the riley brand , but they are not going to manufacture a Brand that is of as good as their Branded cloth , that would be cutting their own throats if you know what I mean

Many thanks. my table is fitted with Riley 88 and your description of the cloth is very accurate.