The Day I Learned Quality Has a Price (And a Consequence)
I'm a quality compliance manager for a mid-sized chain of entertainment centers. We've got 14 locations, each with 12 to 16 pool tables. That's about 200 tables total. And in Q1 of 2024, I learned a very expensive lesson about what simonis 860 tournament blue actually delivers versus what a cheaper alternative promises.
I still kick myself for not trusting my gut. But the story starts a few months earlier.
We were opening a new flagship location. The budget was tight—aren't they always?—and the procurement team found a felt supplier offering what they claimed was '95% of the quality at 60% of the price.' The sample looked fine in the office lighting. Felt like it had a decent nap. Seemed stretchy enough. I had my doubts, but the cost savings were hard to ignore. I signed off.
The First Sign of Trouble
Installation week. The crew laid the first table with the generic felt. It went on okay, but it took twice as long to stretch tight. The cloth had a weird bias—it didn't pull evenly across the slate. By the time they finished table four, one corner was already showing a slight wrinkle. Not a huge deal, but annoying.
I told myself it was a one-off. Maybe a bad batch. But deep down, I knew better. Simonis cloth has a tighter weave. Their 860 series is designed for consistent tension. I'd seen it on tables I'd inspected in older venues. The difference wasn't subtle.
Table seven was the turning point. The crew got about halfway through stretching the simonis pool table competitor's felt and it actually tore along a seam. Not a snag. A tear. That's nearly impossible with a properly woven 860 cloth.
"I knew I should have insisted on Simonis 860 for all 16 tables, but thought 'what are the odds the cheaper stuff fails?' Well, the odds caught up with me."
Tables by the Numbers: A Cost Comparison Nobody Wants
Let's do the math I wish I'd done before saying yes.
We ordered for 16 tables. The generic felt was $180 per table, so we spent $2,880 on cloth. The Simonis 860 tournament blue would have been about $320 per table—$5,120 total. A difference of $2,240. I convinced myself that saving $2,240 was responsible stewardship.
Here's what the $2,240 savings actually cost us:
- 4 tables replaced within 3 months (tears, excessive pilling, uneven play surface)
- 8 tables resurfaced at 6 months (they looked terrible, balls wouldn't roll true)
- 1 re-installation fee because the generic cloth didn't hold tension after re-stretching ($800)
- Ongoing cleaning issues—the cheaper felt attracted more dust and chalk, requiring double the frequency of simonis x1 pool table cleaner applications to stay presentable
- Customer complaints: Regular players noticed the difference in ball speed and consistency. We had 5 formal complaints about table quality in the first month. That never happened with our Simonis tables.
Total additional cost: roughly $4,600. Plus the original $2,880. So we spent about $7,480 on cloth that would have been $5,120 if we'd gone with Simonis from day one.
We paid more. Got less. And created a reputation headache.
Why does this matter? Because the total cost of ownership—including rework, customer satisfaction, and cleaning frequency—meant the generic felt was actually more expensive in every measurable way.
The Cleaning Angle Nobody Talks About
Our maintenance team uses simonis x1 pool table cleaner on the tables that have proper Simonis cloth. It works beautifully—a light spray, a quick brush, and the surface is playing-ready. On the generic felt, the X1 cleaner didn't perform as well. The fibers weren't as tightly bound, so the cleaning solution didn't wick away properly. We had to vacuum more often, use more product, and the tables still looked dingy faster.
That's not a marketing claim. That's a physical property of how the cloth is constructed. Simonis 860 is a worsted wool blend, woven with a specific thread count that creates a denser, smoother surface. The generic felt was... felt. It's a different manufacturing process entirely.
How I Fixed It (And Why I'm Still Annoyed)
After the third month of fighting with those 16 tables, I went to the operations director with the data. Cost breakdown. Complaint logs. Maintenance hours. The numbers spoke for themselves. We had the entire location re-felted with Simonis 860 tournament blue.
The installation this time took half the time. The crew didn't fight the cloth. It stretched evenly, held tension, and the tables looked professional from day one.
Total redo cost? About $5,200 for the cloth and labor. Plus the $2,880 we'd already wasted. That's $8,080 on a single location's tables when the right decision would have been $5,120.
"The vendor who lists all fees upfront—even if the total looks higher—usually costs less in the end." That's the transparency lesson I learned the hard way.
Take this with a grain of salt, but I'd argue the total cost delta isn't just the re-felt. It's the lost revenue from the three months those tables were playing poorly. It's the staff time spent managing complaints. It's the brand damage when a player leaves thinking your venue is 'okay but the tables are slow.'
Why I Stick with Simonis Now
When I specify cloth for any new location or refresh, it's Simonis and only Simonis. It's not because I'm brand-loyal for no reason. It's because I've seen the difference in a controlled environment—my own venue.
Here's what the 860 series does that the generic cloth can't:
- Consistent ball speed across the entire table surface. No dead spots.
- Superior nap direction. The cloth has a grain, and once it's set, balls track consistently.
- Easier maintenance. The simonis x1 pool table cleaner actually works as intended because the fibers don't trap chalk and dust.
- Longer lifespan. Our Simonis tables in other locations go 18-24 months before needing replacement. The generic stuff started showing wear at month three.
- Higher perceived value. Regular players know what Simonis cloth looks and plays like. They comment on it. It's a selling point for the venue.
Am I saying you can't have a good game of pool on cheap felt? No. You can play on anything. But if you're running a business that relies on repeat play—if your customers have options—the quality of your pool table felt is directly tied to their satisfaction and your revenue.
The Real Lesson for Operators
If I could go back to that budget meeting, I'd ask one question I didn't ask then: 'What's the total cost of choosing the cheaper option, including all the things that can go wrong?'
That's the transparency argument I now live by. The vendor who shows you the full price—including the value of not having to redo the work—is the one you want to buy from. Simonis's price isn't low. But it's honest. What you see is what you get: a premium cloth with predictable performance.
I'm not 100% sure the generic felt was cheaper even on the initial purchase if you factor in the extra cleaning product and labor. But I am sure that the simonis pool table cloth from the start would have saved us time, money, and headaches.
That $22,000 redo (across the whole year, with all locations factored in) could have been avoided. Simple.
So if you're in the middle of a similar decision, don't be me. Calculate the real cost. And if the numbers still point you toward the cheap option, get everything in writing—including the hidden expenses.