I remember the day I got the call. It was a Tuesday afternoon in early 2023, and our VP of Operations was on the line. "The felt on the break table in the break room looks terrible," she said. "There are these weird burn marks, and the ball doesn't roll straight anymore. Can you fix it?"
For context, we have three pool tables in our office—one in the main break room, one in the executive lounge, and one in the basement game room. They get daily use. When I took over ordering supplies in 2020, I figured: felt is felt, right? It's just a fuzzy blanket for a table. Why pay a premium?
That initial assumption cost us.
The First Mistake: Chasing the Lowest Price
Back in 2021, during our annual vendor review, I was under pressure to cut costs. Finance wanted a 5% reduction across our entertainment supplies budget. So, when it came time to refelt one of the tables, I found a company offering a "commercial-grade" felt for about $175 installed.
I compared that with the Simonis quote—roughly $320 for the 860 cloth alone, plus installation. The choice was a no-brainer. I saved the company $145 on that one table. Or so I thought.
Within six months, the cheap felt started pilling. It looked like a worn-out sweater. The ball speed slowed noticeably. By the tenth month, one of the seams had started lifting after a particularly enthusiastic game of 8-ball. My VP wasn't happy. "Are we sure it needs replacing?" she asked. Actually, no—I was sure. It needed fixing, and it needed it fast.
The $175 felt turned into an $80 re-stretch attempt (which failed), and then a full replacement that same year with the Simonis 860. The total cost of that "cheap" felt was $175 (initial) + $80 (repair attempt) + $320 (Simonis cloth) + installation = roughly $575.
Applying the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Mindset
The whole experience was a wake-up call. I went back and forth between just accepting the loss and formalizing a new purchasing policy. Ultimately, I decided to create a simple TCO framework for our vendor relationships. It wasn't just about the price on the invoice anymore. It was about:
- The initial price: What it costs to buy and install the product.
- The hidden costs: Downtime when the table is unusable, employee complaints, the time I spent researching repair options, and the cost of the failed repair attempt.
- The lifespan cost: A cheap felt lasting 10 months vs. a Simonis 860 lasting 3-5 years or more with proper care.
- The user experience cost: Slower, less accurate play on bad felt vs. the consistent roll of a professional grade cloth.
Looking back, I should have done this math from the start. But given what I knew then—that felt was just felt—my choice was reasonable from a pure budget perspective. Now I know better.
Why Simonis Cloth Changes the Equation
The Simonis 860 cloth we put on that table was—well, a game-changer. The difference was immediate. The roll was straighter, the ball speed was more consistent, and the dust and chalk buildup seemed to wipe off more easily with a cleaner, like the Simonis X1.
The installation was also a lesson. The cheap felt guy took about 2 hours and said he was done. The certified Simonis installer took 4 hours, carefully brushing and stretching the cloth for a perfect fit. Their setup fee was higher, but the result was a table that played like a professional tournament table. It's still going strong today.
According to the industry standard (and a quick check on BallAndPocket.com for installation times), a quality install on a 7-foot table with Simonis 860 typically runs $200-$300 for labor, but it's a one-time cost for a 3+ year lifespan.
Don't get me wrong—I'm not saying every vendor with a higher price is better. But I learned to look past the headline number. I now calculate a rough TCO before reviewing any quote. For felt, that meant comparing the cheap $175 product against a high-end Simonis product not just on price, but on lifespan, performance, and replacement frequency. The Simonis cloth was cheaper in the long run.
The Aftermath: A New Policy
That experience prompted me to write a new internal protocol for 'high use' recreational assets. For equipment that gets daily use (like our pool tables), we now prioritize quality. We've standardized on Simonis 860 cloth and the X1 cleaner for maintenance.
I should add that we also use the Simonis 760 for one table that gets less use—it's a good middle ground, but the 860 is our go-to for high traffic areas.
If I could redo that decision, I'd invest in better specifications upfront. But I'm a lot smarter now about how to buy for longevity. The key is knowing what costs to really worry about. A $145 saving that costs you a year of complaints and a re-do is no saving at all.
So, if you're setting up a pool table for your office, game room, or club, do yourself a favor and calculate the real cost of your felt. The price of Simonis cloth isn't small, but the value of not having to replace it for years—and having a better game every single day—is worth it.