Bottom line: If you own a Simonis table cloth—especially 860 or 760—the Simonis X1 cleaner is a no-brainer investment. The cheaper alternatives will cost you more in the long run.
I'm a procurement manager for a 12-person entertainment venue. I manage a $35,000 annual maintenance budget, and I've tracked every penny we've spent on our four pool tables over the past six years. I've negotiated with eight different suppliers, and I've documented every order in our cost tracking system. Take it from someone who's been burned by the 'cheaper' option more than once: the math on table maintenance is simple, but the real numbers are hidden in plain sight.
Let me break down why I'm saying this, starting with the numbers that matter.
The Immediate Reality Check
The Simonis X1 cleaner is $24.99 for a 16oz bottle (pricing as of January 2025). A generic, no-name 'pool table felt cleaner' from Amazon is $12.99. The math seems obvious: save $12 and get the same job done, right? That's what I thought in Q2 2023. I was wrong.
Here's what actually happened. We switched to the generic cleaner for three months. In that time, we had to replace the cloth on two of our tables—six months earlier than our projected replacement cycle. The cost of replacing a Simonis 860 cloth (installed): $450 per table. Two tables: $900. The 'savings' of $12 a bottle? A drop in the bucket. The total cost of ownership (TCO) of that decision was a disaster.
What I Tracked in Our Procurement System
After that fiasco, I created a simple cost tracker. Over the next 18 months, I logged every cleaning session—frequency, product used, and any issues. The data was loud and clear.
- Simonis X1: Applied weekly. No cloth degradation issues. Cloth replacement at 24 months (standard).
- Generic Brand: Applied weekly. Noticeable fuzzing after 6 months. First replacement at 18 months.
That 6-month difference in cloth lifespan isn't a coincidence. The Simonis X1 is formulated specifically for the wool-nylon blend of Simonis cloth. It's designed to lift dirt without breaking down the fibers. The generics...well, they're formulated for carpet. Or maybe felt. Or maybe 'furniture.' The label doesn't say.
The most frustrating part? The generic cleaner's label says 'safe for all pool table felt.' You'd think that's a guarantee, but it's marketing, not chemistry. The reality is that 'all felt' is a meaningless term when your cloth is a precisely engineered blend of 70% worsted wool and 30% nylon (Simonis 860). The chemical composition of a cleaner matters.
The Hidden Costs You're Not Seeing
When I first started in this role, I assumed maintenance meant replacing cloth when it wore out. I didn't realize that how you clean it dramatically affects when it wears out. This isn't a 'keep it clean vs. dirty' equation. It's a 'keep it clean with the right chemicals vs. the wrong ones.'
Let me give you a real example from my tracking spreadsheet.
"In Q2 2023, I audited our spending across all four tables. I had a line item: 'Cloth Replacement' at $1,800 (4 tables). I had another line item: 'Cleaner' at $150 (12 bottles of generic). I initially thought we were saving $46 a year by not buying the Simonis X1. But when I recalculated the replacement cost per table per year, it told a different story."
Here's the corrected math, which I now use for every procurement decision:
With Simonis X1:
- Cleaner cost: $24.99/bottle × 4 bottles/year = $99.96
- Cloth replacement: $450/table every 24 months = $225/year per table
- Total per table per year: $324.96
With Generic Cleaner:
- Cleaner cost: $12.99/bottle × 4 bottles/year = $51.96
- Cloth replacement: $450/table every 18 months = $300/year per table
- Total per table per year: $351.96
That's a $27 difference—per table, per year. For four tables, that's $108 more per year with the cheaper cleaner. The $12 savings on the bottle? Actually cost us $27 in the long run. The numbers said the generic was cheaper. My gut said something felt off. I should have trusted my gut.
When 'Cheaper' Actually Works (And When It Doesn't)
There's a difference between being cost-conscious and being cheap. I've learned that the hard way.
For example, we buy our pool chalk in bulk from a local supplier rather than paying retail. That's cost-conscious; the chalk is functionally identical, and the only difference is the packaging. We save about $40 a year on that. That's a win.
But the cleaner is a different animal. The chalk touches the cue tip, not the cloth. The cleaner touches the cloth directly. And Simonis cloth is the most sensitive element in our operation. It's the thing our customers interact with the most—the roll of the ball, the speed of the shot, the very feel of the game. The cloth is the game.
Think of it this way: You wouldn't use generic engine oil in a high-performance car just because it's cheaper. The same logic applies here. The Simonis cloth is the 'high-performance engine' of your table. The X1 cleaner is the 'synthetic oil' designed for that engine.
A Quick Check on Your Own Setup
If you've ever thought, "I'll just use a damp cloth and some dish soap," please stop. Here's why: Dish soap is a surfactant designed to cut grease. It leaves a residue. That residue changes the friction of the cloth, affecting ball speed and roll. A 'clean' cloth with soap residue plays slower than a properly maintained cloth. I've tested this—literally tracked ball speed before and after cleaning with dish soap vs. X1. The difference was measurable: about 10% slower roll with the dish soap cloth. It's a game-changer for serious players.
The One Thing I'd Do Differently
Looking back, I should have built the Simonis X1 cost into our annual budget from day one. At the time, I was trying to squeeze every penny from our operating costs, and the $12 savings per bottle seemed like a good idea. If I could redo that decision, I'd just add the extra $48 to our annual cleaning line item and move on. But given what I knew then—zero experience with table maintenance—my choice was understandable. It was also wrong.
The reality is that $48 is a rounding error in a $35,000 maintenance budget. But the $900 in unplanned cloth replacements? That's a line item that gets noticed. That's a conversation with the owner. That's a lesson I won't forget.
What About Other 'Premium' Cleaners?
I've tested two other branded cleaners (names withheld, as I'm not here to attack competitors). One was slightly cheaper than X1, the other slightly more expensive. Neither performed as well on our Simonis cloth. The cheaper one left a slight tackiness. The more expensive one was essentially the same formula as the generic—just with a premium label and a higher price tag. The X1, frankly, is the only one that's consistently delivered a clean, fast, residue-free surface.
My recommendation is simple: If you've invested in a Simonis table cloth—and you should have, because it's the industry standard for a reason—invest in the cleaner designed for it. The math works in your favor when you look at the total cost, not just the upfront price. I've made the spreadsheet so you don't have to.