I've been ordering Simonis pool table cloth for table manufacturers, dealers, and repair shops since 2018. In that time, I've personally made (and documented) 11 significant mistakes, totaling roughly $6,800 in wasted budget. Now I maintain our team's ordering checklist, and honestly, most of what's on it came from getting burned the hard way.
If you're looking for a straight answer on which Simonis pool felt to buy, I get it. That's the question everyone wants answered. But here's the thing: there's no single right answer. It depends on what the table is used for, how often it gets played, and whether you can afford a shutdown when something goes wrong. So let me break it down by the scenarios I actually see in the field.
Scenario A: Tournament, League, or Serious Play
This is the easiest recommendation I can make. Get 860 Tournament Blue and don't overthink it.
The 860 is Simonis' tournament-grade worsted wool cloth — the stuff you see on pro tables. In my first year, I tried to be clever and spec'd a "good enough" cloth for a local league's tables to save the client money. The result came back: players complained about slow roll, the league rep called my boss, and we ended up re-clothing all six tables anyway. $1,350 in fabric plus labor, straight to the trash. That's when I learned: if the table matters, the cloth isn't where you cut corners.
Players who are serious usually want Tournament Blue specifically. It's not just a color — it's the recognized standard for televised and tournament play. The contrast against the object balls is part of why it's so widely used. You can get 860 in other colors, but Tournament Blue is the one that says "this is a real table."
One installation note: 860 is a worsted cloth, which means it has a directional nap. When we install it, we brush it in one direction and the balls roll noticeably faster that way. If you're covering multiple tables that need to play identically, make sure the nap direction is consistent across all of them. We messed this up on a two-table order in 2022, and the clients said one table played "fast" and the other felt "slow." Same cloth, same install team, opposite nap direction. That was a $600 lesson in paying attention during install.
Scenario B: Home Tables, Rec Rooms, and Light Bar Play
If the table is in someone's basement or a bar where the main event isn't serious pool, 760 is the better call.
Here's the thing about 760 versus 860 that most people don't realize: 760 isn't "worse" — it's just different. It's a slightly heavier, more durable weave that handles casual abuse better. Kids, drinks near the table (against your advice, but it happens), the occasional guy leaning on the cloth while waiting for his turn — 760 takes that kind of punishment and still plays well.
I once ordered 860 for a bar with three tables because the owner insisted he wanted "tournament quality." Six months later, someone dropped a glass and the damage spread worse than it would have on 760. Re-covering all three tables cost $1,900. That's on me — I should have asked whether the bar actually hosted tournaments instead of just agreeing with what the owner wanted to hear. (Note to self: ask about real usage, not preferences.)
But — and this part is important — if a "home" table belongs to someone who practices daily and plays in weekend tournaments, defer to Scenario A. The "home use" label only works if the play is actually casual. I've met retired guys who care more about their home table speed than most league players. Judge the usage, not the location.
Scenario C: Maintaining What's Already on the Table
Here's the scenario people forget until it's too late: the cloth is already installed, already broken in, and playing fine. The problem is stains, chalk dust buildup, and a slow surface.
Don't rip it off and re-cover. That's the nuclear option, and I've seen shops jump to it because they didn't know anything else. Before you re-cloth, try the Simonis X1 cleaner. I was skeptical when we first stocked it in 2020 — a cleaning product for cloth? Sounded like a gimmick. Then I used it on a table that had six months of league play and chalk buildup. The speed came back noticeably. That table played well for another year before it actually needed re-covering.
The cost math is hard to argue with: one bottle of X1 cleaner runs about $25. A full re-cover runs $200 to $600 depending on table size and labor. If regular cleaning extends cloth life by even six months, it pays for itself many times over. I should have done this math sooner — would have saved a client $480 in 2022 when I told them to re-cover a table that just needed a proper cleaning.
What Size Cloth Do You Actually Need?
Okay, let's cover the practical question that trips up more people than it should: what is the size of a standard pool table?
The answer is "it depends," but here's the practical breakdown:
- 7-foot table (bar box): common in bars and smaller rec rooms. Playing surface is roughly 39" x 78".
- 8-foot table (home standard): the most common home size in North America. Playing surface is about 44" x 88".
- 9-foot table (tournament size): what you'll see on pro tours and in serious clubs. Playing surface is about 50" x 100".
Simonis cloth is sold as a single piece that gets trimmed during installation, and the product listings usually say which table sizes each piece fits. But here's the mistake I made twice in 2019: I assumed "8-foot" meant the same thing to every manufacturer. It doesn't. Different brands' "standard" 8-foot tables can vary by a couple of inches. Always measure the actual playing surface — not the table's overall length — before ordering. I wasted $320 on a piece that didn't fit because I trusted the label instead of the tape measure. (I really should have known better.)
And if you're ordering for multiple tables, measure each one. In 2021, a client had three "identical" 9-foot tables from different years of the same brand. The oldest one was 1.5 inches off on the long side. Caught it because we measured after the first table. Close call.
Which Scenario Are You In?
Here's a quick way to figure out where you fit:
- Will anyone complain if the table plays slow? If yes — league, tournament, serious regulars — go 860. If it's a casual space, 760 is fine and more forgiving.
- Can you afford a re-cover in 18 months? If not, prioritize durability. That pushes you toward 760 for high-traffic casual tables.
- Is the current cloth worn, or just dirty? If it's only dirty and slow, try the X1 cleaner first. Rips, worn spots, or five-plus years on the table — re-covering is the honest answer.
- Is the table used for league or tournament play? Then you're in Scenario A territory, no matter where the table lives.
Bottom Line: Pay for Certainty
If I've learned one thing in seven years of ordering cloth, it's this: the cheapest option is only cheap if it works the first time. When you're dealing with a deadline — a tournament date, a league season start, an event that can't slip — the certainty of having the right cloth, in the right size, at the right time is worth paying for.
In March 2024, we paid $400 extra for rush ordering and guaranteed delivery on a 9-foot 860 Tournament Blue for a regional event. Had two hours to make the call. Normally I'd get multiple quotes, but there was no time — we went with a trusted vendor and paid the premium. The alternative was missing a $15,000 weekend event. Easy call. That $400 bought us certainty, not just speed.
And even after approving that rush fee, I kept second-guessing myself. What if the vendor screwed up the order? Didn't relax until the cloth arrived, on time, in one piece, the right color and size. That's exactly the feeling you're buying when you choose a reliable supplier with a guaranteed date: the ability to sleep at night.
I've been burned by "probably on time" promises from cut-rate suppliers, too. After the third late delivery in 2020 (which cost us a client), we changed our policy: for any deadline-sensitive job, we buy from suppliers who commit to a guaranteed date, and we build that cost into the quote. Customers don't blink when you explain it covers their event date. But they do blink when you call them a week before their tournament to say the cloth is stuck in transit.
So don't treat cloth like a commodity. Treat it like the performance surface it is. Get the right grade, measure the actual table, clean what can be cleaned, and pay for certainty when you need it. That's the whole playbook — born from seven years of mistakes, so you don't have to make your own.