It all started in November 2019. I'd just signed the lease on a new space—a 12-table pool hall in a suburban strip mall. I had ten years of experience running bars, but this was my first time outfitting a dedicated billiards room from scratch. I thought I knew what I was doing. Turns out, I didn't.
The mistake happened on a Tuesday. I ordered felt for six of the nine tables. Two bars, four 9-footers. I specified Simonis because, well, that's what every tournament uses. I checked the prices, picked what I thought was the middle-tier option, and hit 'buy.' The order came to $2,400. I felt proud. "Professional cloth for a professional hall," I told my partner.
The surprise wasn't the installation cost. It was what happened after the cloth went on.
What I Actually Got Wrong
I ordered Simonis 760 for all six tables. On paper, it looked fine: it's a blended wool-nylon cloth, it's durable, it's from the right brand. But I didn't understand the difference between 760 and 860. Actually, I didn't even know there was a meaningful difference. The website just said 'Simonis pool table felt' and a number.
The 760 is a good cloth. It's fast, it's consistent. But for a commercial hall with heavy use—and I mean heavy use, six tables running 12 hours a day—it wasn't the right choice. The 860 is Simonis's worsted wool cloth. It's the standard for professional play. It's slower than the 760, but it holds its speed longer, resists wear better, and—here's the kicker—it's the cloth used by the World Pool-Billiard Association. (Should mention: the 860 is also available in that iconic Tournament Blue. The 760 isn't.)
I didn't know any of this. I just saw 'Simonis' and assumed it was all the same. Ugh.
The First Sign of Trouble
The tables were set up by mid-December. The first week was great. By the second week, I noticed the ball roll on one of the 9-footers felt… off. Not dramatically, but enough. A straight shot would drift a quarter-inch over five feet. I asked the regulars. "Feels a bit fast," one said. "Like the cloth is too slick."
I ignored it. (Which, honestly, was the second mistake.) I thought it was just break-in. Then, in January 2020, a local league captain called me. He had booked a practice session for his team. After two hours, he came to the front desk. "The tables don't play the same," he said. "Two of them roll differently. We can't use them for practice."
That cost me the contract. $150 a week in guaranteed table time, gone. The league moved to a hall 10 minutes away that had Simonis 860 on all their tables. (They charged $2 more per hour, too. But they had the consistency.)
I had six tables with the wrong cloth and a growing reputation problem. Total loss on that single order: $2,400 for the cloth, $600 for installation (which I had to redo), and roughly $200 a week in league revenue for the next three months before I could recover. Let's call it $3,200, minimum.
What I Learned the Hard Way
Lesson one: Know what you're buying. The 'felt' industry is full of terms that sound the same but aren't. For Simonis, the key distinction is between 860 (worsted wool, WPA standard, slower speed, tournament-level consistency) and 760 (blended wool-nylon, faster, less durable under heavy commercial use). The 760 is fine for home tables or light use. For a commercial hall? It's a downgrade.
Lesson two: Don't trust the price tag alone. The 860 was $80 more per table than the 760. I thought I was being frugal. I was being cheap—and it cost me more in the long run. The 860 lasts roughly 30-50% longer under heavy play (Source: Simonis usage guides, 2024). So the per-hour cost of 860 is actually lower than 760 if you keep tables long enough.
Lesson three: The maintenance matters. Even the best cloth degrades without proper care. I started using Simonis X1 cleaner after the re-cover. It's a dedicated table cleaner (not a vacuum, not a spray) that removes chalk dust and oil without damaging the fibers. Since we started using it weekly, the tables play consistently. I should add that the X1 costs about $15 a bottle and lasts a month on six tables. That's $180 a year. Compared to losing a league contract, it's nothing.
The Fix
In February 2020, I swallowed the cost and re-covered all six tables with Simonis 860 Tournament Blue. I went through a local distributor who specialized in commercial installations. (Found them through the Simonis website. They sent a rep to measure the tables—or rather, to confirm the measurements I'd taken. Turns out my initial order had the wrong dimensions for two of the 9-footers, which explained the drift issue. The cloth was slightly undersized for the slate.)
The installation took two days. The crew used proper stretching tools, not the hand-pull method I'd used before. (Note to anyone installing: hand-pulled cloth creates micro-wrinkles that affect ball roll. Use a rail stretcher.)
After the re-cover, the tables played identically. The league came back in March 2020. (Then COVID hit and we shut down for two months. But that's a different story.)
What I'd Do Differently
If I were doing this again, I'd start with two things:
- Call Simonis directly. Their customer service team will walk you through the differences between product lines. I didn't. I just ordered online. (Should mention: they also have a Simonis Approved Installer network. Use it. I didn't. That was stupid.)
- Order a sample card. They send fabric swatches. You can feel the difference between 760 and 860 in seconds. The 860 is denser, heavier, and has a tighter weave. The 760 feels thinner. I would have seen the difference.
I've now caught 47 potential errors in our procurement process over the past 18 months (including wrong sizes, wrong cloth types, and missing maintenance kits). Our checklist—born from that $3,200 mistake—now includes:
- Verify table dimensions (all four sides, not just the length)
- Confirm cloth type: 860 for commercial, 760 for home (unless specific client request)
- Include X1 cleaner in initial order (prevents 90% of surface issues)
- Schedule professional installation from Simonis network
The lesson? Efficiency isn't just about speed. It's about right the first time. A streamlined procurement process—one that includes verification steps and expert consultation—saves money and reputation. It's tempting to think you can just trust the website. But the 'just buy Simonis' advice ignores the nuance between product lines. (Prices as of 2025: Simonis 860 roughly $200-400 per table depending on size; the 760 runs about $150-300. Verify current pricing through a distributor.)
That mistake cost me $3,200 and a client. But I haven't made it since. And if you're setting up a hall? Start with the checklist. Your bank account will thank you.