Use Felt from Craft Store on a Pool Table?
3/12/2010 6:05:38 AM
Use Felt from Craft Store on a Pool Table?
I'm looking for some reasonably priced pool table felt for an 8' slate pool table.
Some people have told me to go to "JoAnns Fabric" (a local fabric store) because its cheaper than a billiard supplies outlet.
Is this a good idea or not?
Use Felt from Craft Store on a Pool Table?
Replies & Comments
Mitch Alsup on 3/14/2010 10:26:37 AM
Clothe for pool tables comes in a variety of speeds, from dead slow (felt) to sickenly fast (Simonis 300). Not surprisingly, the cloth you use will change the playing characteristics of the table you play upon.
A cheap cloth may not wear as long as a cloth designed for use on a pool table. In particular the cheaper felts are easily damaged by massé shots and jump shots, while the more appropriate clothes designed for pool tables will withstand this abuse significantly better. It has been stated, and I restate here wihtout proof, that a good cloth, like Simonis or equivalent billiards cloth, will last about 3X longer than the cheaper felts. So, since these tend to cost about 3X more you end up saving on table mechanics fees.
I, personally, prefer a cloth that is on the fast side; as it is easier to add power when you find yourself on a slow table, than to add delicasy when you find yourself on a fast table.
Fox523 on 3/18/2010 6:59:01 AM
Anything you pick up at a fabric store will be a great disappointment. Pool or Billiard table cloth is not "felt" - it is specially designed to be strong, heat resistant and have an accurate playing surface.
http://www.seyberts.com/catalog/Pool_Table_Cloth-94-1.html
The "Championship" cloth is the strong, fuzzy, slow cloth most often found on bar tables. It is very durable, hard to destroy and quite inexpensive. It is great for bars and homes with clumsy children. For a little extra, Championship makes a type of cloth which is not only durable - but stain-resistant.
The "Simonis" is faster, smoother and more accurate - and the choice of serious players.
Simonis 860 is currently used in most tournaments. Simonis 760 is an older cloth and is even smoother/faster. You don't have to hit the ball very hard to have it move all over a 9-foot table. Don't worry about the Simonis 300. It is for Carom Billiards (3-cushion Billiards)
quickshot on 3/18/2010 7:10:00 AMYou will get what you pay for especially if you buy the wrong material. Takes Fox's advice and do it right. Trying to save a few dollars in the beginning will cost you more in the long run. Especially in playability. There are some things you just don't cheap out on .
bjf1280 on 3/18/2010 8:32:20 PM
How do you feel about the Champion Teflon Invitational?
The Championship Invitational is slow, soft, fuzzy, heavy cloth. Most pool tournaments are held on Simonis 860 (Champion's Tour Edition is similar) which is considerably smoother and faster. But for durability, the Invitational will excel, and it will play just fine - even if it is pretty slow. (Some players find position play easier on a slower cloth)
One of the annoying bits: the cloth may have a tendency to "pill" right after it is installed. It will make little fuzzballs when you first brush it. It is annoying - but when the cloth is broken in, and it has been brushed a few times the pills will go away.
The Teflon is really not necessary if you make sure folks don't use the table as a coaster or drink over it. A suitable table cover will keep any pet/child cloth damage to a minimum when you are not around.
Thanks for the info.
RayMills on 7/19/2021 6:16:05 AMI recovered my outdoor Global 8-foot coin-op last week with $15 worth of WalMart's craft department cloth. The label said it was 97% polyester, 3% spandex. At that price I was willing to make an experiment with it, especially because it so much easier to re-cloth 1-piece slates. I don't shoot jump shots anyway, and I'm simultaneously doing the Stimpmeter tests to see how quick it will stay.
So far I've achieved a 7.1-second return lag, or a speed rating of 113! My goal was 100, which would have been a time of 6.6666 seconds. (7-foot table is 6.2 seconds, 9-footer is 7 seconds, 10-footer is 7.5 seconds)
I've received advice that the wonderful stretchiness of this cloth is going to be undermined by changes in humidity, especially outdoors. The research for north of Seattle says it is always about 80% humidity here.
Use Felt from Craft Store on a Pool Table?
- Title: Use Felt from Craft Store on a Pool Table?
- Author: bjf1280
- Published: 3/12/2010 6:05:38 AM
