Simonis 860 Pool Table Felt: 7 Years of Buying Mistakes

I've Wasted $3,700 on Simonis Cloth Mistakes. Let Me Help You Avoid That.

I've been ordering Simonis pool table felt for manufacturers, dealers, and repair services since 2018. In seven years, I've personally made—and documented—nine significant ordering mistakes, totaling roughly $3,700 in wasted budget and bruised client relationships. Now I maintain our team's pre-order checklist. This article is that checklist, in narrative form.

Here's the thing: if you search "pool table felt simonis 860," you'll find plenty of pages saying it's the best cloth money can buy. Is it? Sometimes. Depends entirely on what you're covering and who's playing on it.

There's no universal answer. I'll walk you through the three scenarios I see daily and what I'd order in each.

Scenario 1: Tournament Tables and Commercial Installations

If the table will host league play, tournaments, or any competitive event, order the Simonis 860 in Tournament Blue. Period. Done.

The 860 is the tournament standard for reasons I learned the expensive way. In September 2022, I ordered 760 for a venue's main table to "save the client money." The cloth went down on a Tuesday. By Thursday, league players were complaining about slower ball speed and inconsistent rolls. By Saturday, we replaced it with 860 at our own cost—$890 including labor plus a 1-week delay. Straight to the trash.

I didn't fully understand why 860 played so differently until a $3,200 order came back wrong. The fabric's worsted wool weave is denser, which translates to faster, truer ball movement. The 760 is a lighter cloth covering the same surface. Fine for low-stakes play. Not for competitive tables.

Another lesson from that period: Tournament Blue is a specific color, not just "blue." The Pantone color matching system sets a tolerance of Delta E under 2 for brand-critical colors; above 4 and the difference is visible to most people. We'd been sending printed color chips to clients—one customer flagged a mismatch. I even have the email:

"The cloth doesn't match the chip. It's not even close."

The cloth was exactly right. The chip was a bad print. (Oh, and we now send physical cloth samples instead of printed chips. Obvious in hindsight.)

Scenario 2: Home Basements and Casual Play

For residential tables where the heaviest usage is Saturday game night, the Simonis 760 is the smarter pick. It's slightly more forgiving, a touch slower, and honestly feels closer to what recreational players grew up on.

But—no wait, let me correct that. If the homeowner plays seriously, if they're in a league or host regular money games, they want 860. My rule of thumb after roughly 200 orders: ask about weekly hours. Over 10 hours a week of play? Go 860. Under that? The 760 does the job and generally keeps doing it longer.

I can only speak to my own context—domestic B2B, mid-range order volumes, typical commercial and residential tables. If you're dealing with luxury antiques or international orders, there are probably variables I'm not aware of. But for the standard customer, that rule has held up.

My biggest mistake in this zone happened in my first year, 2018. I pushed 860 to everyone because the margin was better. "You'll love the speed," I'd say, to a dad who played two hours a week with his kids. I got a reputation as "the guy who pushes expensive stuff." Lost two dealer accounts before learning that recommendations without context are just sales pitches.

I should add: asking the weekly-hours question takes thirty seconds. It's saved us from 47 potential errors in the past 18 months—not all of them cost-related.

Scenario 3: The Older Table That Shouldn't Get New Cloth

Here's the unpopular take: sometimes the best cloth decision is to order nothing, until the table itself is fixed.

In March 2023, a repair client asked me to supply 860 for a 10ft table they were restoring. I knew the slates had leveling issues. I remember thinking, "what are the odds the customer notices? They just want new felt." The odds caught up with me.

The customer noticed immediately. The 860 didn't hide the flaws—it amplified them. Because the cloth plays truer than cheaper felt, every dip in the slate affected ball roll, and the player felt it on every shot. $600 of Simonis cloth reinstalled over properly leveled slates two weeks later. $600 wasted, credibility damaged. That's when I learned: cloth is the final layer, not the fix.

The second time we saw this pattern (July 2023), we refused to sell cloth until the leveling was verified. We lost a quick sale but kept a customer. That trade-off is worth it.

So Which Scenario Are You In?

By now you might be guessing where you fit. Let me help you confirm:

• Hosting league play, tournaments, or serious money games? → Simonis 860 Tournament Blue. Non-negotiable.
• Home table, casual play, under 10 hours weekly? → Simonis 760. Smart buy.
• Table with visible structure issues, sagging slates, dead cushions? → Fix the table first. Then buy cloth.

Three buckets. Covers maybe 90% of the orders I handle. If you're on the fence between 760 and 860, go 860 if the buyer gets annoyed by slow tables. Go 760 if they mostly play for fun.

The Installation Reality: This Is a Workout

Okay. Real talk about something nobody mentions in the specs: installing pool table felt is physically demanding.

You spend hours bent over the table, holding a position that's essentially a static bent over barbell row—spine neutral, hips back, core braced—while your arms make slow, precise stretching movements not unlike painfully careful dumbbell tricep kickbacks. If you've done either movement, you know how that feels after 20 minutes. Installation takes three hours.

Why does this matter for a buying guide? Because I've watched people destroy $400 of Simonis 860 in 20 minutes with bad installation. Someone who's exhausted makes mistakes: uneven tension, crooked staples, wrinkles in the worst places. We didn't have a formal installation process in 2019, and those mistakes cost us.

The third time we dealt with a wrinkle complaint, I finally wrote the installation checklist. Should have done it after the first. Now our protocol includes: warm the room (cloth stretches more evenly), two installers working opposite sides, staple spacing marked in advance, and a mandatory 10-minute break before the final tension pass.

What Is a Snooker Table? (Questions Every Dealer Gets)

If you're a dealer or repair technician, customers ask this. Here's your answer: a snooker table is the full-size table used for snooker—12 feet long compared to a standard 9-foot American pool table—with narrower pockets, smaller balls, and far tighter positional tolerances. The cloth has to support a different kind of precision game.

Simonis makes cloth specifically for snooker tables, and the same general guidance applies: tournament-standard play gets the denser 860 weave; recreational tables can use the lighter option. One caution: snooker tables have roughly 33% more playing surface than a 9-foot pool table, so they see more cloth wear in the baulk area and around the pockets. Inspect the bed before recommending a grade. I want to say we've done about 60 snooker installations since 2020, though don't quote me on the exact count—I'd need to check the ledgers.

Cleaning and Maintenance: Learn From My Vacuum Mistake

April 2021. I told a customer they could vacuum their new 860. I meant "with a brush attachment, carefully." They used a vacuum with a spinning beater bar.

The beater bar churned fine dust up through the nap and left tracks that no brushing could fully erase. The customer described it this way:

"It looks like someone drew lines on my felt."

I learned to say the words "never use a motorized beater bar" every single time.

The maintenance routine I now recommend for every Simonis table:

• Brush weekly in the direction of the cloth nap, using a soft brush
• Spot-clean with Simonis X1 cleaner—test in a discreet corner first
• Never vacuum with a motorized head; a bare suction attachment is acceptable

X1 is formulated for worsted wool cloth. It's the only cleaner I'll recommend for Simonis felt because I've seen general-purpose upholstery cleaners leave residue that changes ball speed. (Mental note: I really should write a standalone cleaning guide—this question comes up weekly.)

Let's Talk Price Without the Games

Simonis is not the cheapest cloth. As of January 2025, a 9-foot table wrap with professional installation typically runs in the $3,100–$3,300 range. Verify current pricing with your distributor; rates change.

Here's the pricing stance I've adopted, and it cost me a few uncomfortable conversations to get here: the price on the quote should be the final price. I've learned to ask "what's NOT included" before "what's the price," because the vendor who lists all fees upfront—even when the total looks high—usually costs less than the one who tags on delivery, installation surcharges, and old-cloth removal later.

When we quote a Simonis installation, it's one number: cloth, labor, cleanup. Done.

The Pre-Order Checklist (Steal It)

If you're a dealer, repair service, or table shop building your own checklist, you can start with mine:

1. Table structure sound? Slates level. Cushion rubber alive. Frame stable.
2. Usage intensity? Tournament, recreational, or in-between?
3. Environment? Humidity swings affect worsted wool. Basement tables differ from pool-hall tables.
4. Installation crew ready? Two installers. Warm room. Right tools. Clean hands.
5. Maintenance plan communicated? Brushing direction. X1 for spots. No beater-bar vacuums.

That's it. Five questions. Run a job through these and you'll catch most of the expensive mistakes before they happen.