How to Refelt a Pool Table: Simonis 860 vs. 760

The comparison I use before every refelt quote

In my role coordinating Simonis orders for a billiard supply company, I'm the person behind the quote when a table mechanic asks, “Can it get here by Friday?” I've handled more than 300 cloth orders over the last five years, and an honest share of them are rush requests. In March 2024, a venue called with 36 hours before a tournament. Their old cloth was already off the table. We found Simonis 860 Tournament Blue, arranged overnight freight, and it landed in time. That job stuck with me because it reinforced a simple point: the right cloth cannot save you if the right cloth isn't there.

This piece isn't another full refelting tutorial. It's a comparison of the two Simonis products I quote most often—860 and 760—and how whichever one you choose changes the job, the table, and the client's impression of your work.

What I'm actually comparing

Most people compare cloths by asking which one is “better.” I compare them by asking which one can survive the real conditions of the table: how many hours of play it gets, who is playing, how fast the customer wants it to feel, and whether the installer is comfortable with the material.

860 Tournament Blue is the route I recommend when the table has to look and play professional. 760 is the cloth I bring up when a customer wants a faster, slicker surface and the trade-offs are acceptable.

1. Speed and feel: the difference players notice first

The first thing a league player does after a refelt is run a hand across the cloth and then try a draw shot. Speed is what they remember, and this is where 860 and 760 feel different.

860 has a controlled, solid response. It is not a slow cloth, but it feels stable under the cue ball. Draw and follow are predictable, which is why 860 is often my default for serious pool. 760 has a slicker finish. On a clean, well-leveled table, 760 can feel fast and impressive. On a table with tired cushions or uneven slate, 760 will make those problems easier to notice.

Most buyers focus on the question “is 760 faster?” The question they should ask is, “will this table support a faster cloth?” If the answer is no, 860 is the safer route.

2. Durability, maintenance, and the callback nobody wants

I don't have hard data from a cloth-testing lab, and I won't pretend I do. Based on callbacks and repeat orders over the past five years, my sense is that 860 handles daily play better than 760. The cloth has more body, so it doesn't show shiny paths or burn marks as quickly. 760 can play beautifully, but it asks for a more careful owner.

For a bar table used eight hours a day, I would not install 760 unless the owner signs off on the shorter service life. For a home table played a few times a week, the durability gap matters less.

Cost-per-month thinking matters here. If a cloth lasts 12 months and another lasts 20, the lower upfront price is not a saving; it is a delayed invoice. I've watched room owners call after eleven months saying the surface “went dead.” That call costs them labor and downtime.

After either install, I tell clients to brush the cloth and use Simonis X1 cleaner when they need to lift chalk and body oils. The room also matters: if the table shares air with workout equipment, fine dust settles on the playing surface. That sounds like a small thing until players start asking why the cloth feels grippy.

3. Refelting: how the install changes with each cloth

If you are learning how to refelt a pool table, start here: 860 and 760 do not behave identically under tension.

860 has more body and tolerates a firm stretch. It is more forgiving for someone who is still developing a touch. 760 is thinner and faster, which means you can overstretch it more easily. An overstretched 760 can distort near the seams. With 760, consistent tension matters more than maximum tension.

The sequence is the same whether you install 860 or 760: remove the rails, strip the old cloth, clean the slate, check the seams and cushions, lay the cloth square, pull and staple the bed, trim the pockets, and reinstall the rails. The difference is in how carefully each step needs to be done.

I wish I had documented tension on every job. I did not. What I can say anecdotally is that most tension-related complaints I hear involve the thinner cloth, not 860. On a rush job, I lean 860 because it is a calmer install.

4. Customer perception: quality is part of your brand

The performance comparison gets the most attention, but first impressions are just as important. When someone walks into a room and sees a freshly refelted pool table, they don't inspect the seam tolerance first. They see the color, the texture, and how light sits on the surface. Simonis 860 Tournament Blue sends a signal: this table was treated seriously.

For a dealer or repair service, every refelt is also a rebuild of your own reputation. A customer who runs their hand across the cloth and says “this feels right” will remember who installed it. A customer who feels they were sold a compromise will blame you first, even if they asked for the cheaper option.

5. Price, availability, and why deadlines change the math

I won't quote list prices here because dealer pricing depends on volume and freight. List price is not the number that should drive the decision anyway. The total cost includes availability.

In my experience, Simonis 860 Tournament Blue is the cloth that is easiest to source quickly. That makes it our default for rush orders. 760 is a good product, but it is not always stocked in every cut and color. If you are quoting an emergency refelt, the timeline should make the decision.

When 760 is the right call

I don't want this to read as “never use 760.” I recommend it in a narrower set of cases: a home or showroom table that is structurally sound, a customer who explicitly wants a faster surface, an installer who has worked with Simonis before, and a deadline with enough lead time. In those cases, 760 is exactly the right cloth.

Which Simonis I would install by default

For commercial table refelts, league play, tournaments, and any job where the client will compare the result to another serious table, my default is Simonis 860 Tournament Blue. It performs, it installs predictably, and it is available when you need it.

For a private owner with a lightly played table who asks for speed, recommend 760 and explain the trade-offs. For a business owner asking to save money on felt, remind them that the table is not just a playing surface. It is the centerpiece of the room. The quality of the cloth becomes part of the quality of their room.

Ultimately, this comparison is not between a bad cloth and a good cloth. It is between two good cloths with different strengths. When you know how to refelt a pool table and which cloth you are putting on it, the job gets simpler. When the stakes are high, that simpler option is usually Simonis 860 Tournament Blue.