| Talk to the pool purist or even the avid novice | | | | disfiguration. |
| and most will tell you that the question of | | | | Warping And Disfiguring In Non Slate Tables |
| whether the best pool table is a slate table or a | | | | Non slate beds are also more prone to |
| wood table isn’t a question worth asking. | | | | environmental and atmospheric conditions. Slatron |
| Anybody that has played on both variants of | | | | and wood based materials are certainly more |
| table will know the difference between a smooth | | | | prone to the damp and even to excessively low |
| running slate bed table and a less reliable wooden | | | | and high temperatures. Some of the lower quality |
| one. While other factors such as the levelling of | | | | pool tables that don’t use slate can warp |
| the table also play an important part, high quality | | | | very quickly. While slate pool tables can work out |
| slate bed tables give a true and straight roll to the | | | | to be more expensive than their non-slate |
| ball every time you play a shot. | | | | counterparts you do need to consider how long |
| Slate Beds | | | | each will last and how well they will withstand the |
| When we talk about the use of slate or other | | | | pressure of being used and of not being used. |
| materials in pool table construction, we’re | | | | Considering The Weight Of Slate |
| referring to the bed that sits under the felt and | | | | Slate is a heavy material and not only is this a |
| on top of the table construction. It is essentially | | | | consideration during the construction of a pool |
| this bed that the billiard balls will roll across when | | | | table but it may be worth considering when |
| you play your shot so it is important that it is | | | | buying too. Hardwood cross frames are usually |
| straight, flat, and level. Any deviation can lead to | | | | required in order to ensure that the pool table is |
| the ball rolling away from the true line. This | | | | able to hold the weight of the slate bed and this |
| deviation becomes even more pronounced as the | | | | can add further weight. However, while this may |
| ball rolls slower but may also be noticeable during | | | | be an issue for shipping and moving the table, it |
| hard and fast shots. | | | | shouldn’t be an issue in most home billiard |
| Consistently Straight Shots | | | | rooms. |
| Consistency is the key to a good pool or billiards | | | | Other Factors That Determine The Quality Of A |
| game. Slatron, a synthetically made material, is the | | | | Pool Table |
| most common slate replacement for pool tables. | | | | How level the table itself is will also be a factor |
| While it is more affordable than a large and flat | | | | that will determine the consistency of shots |
| slate bed it is still of considerably lower quality. Not | | | | played. A well crafted table on a level surface that |
| only do Slatron beds and beds made from other | | | | uses good quality slate will play the best shots |
| non-slate materials mean your shots will be more | | | | and it will continue to do this consistently over its |
| prone to inconsistency but they are also much | | | | life. In contrast, a poorly crafted table, one with |
| more likely to dip, warp, and generally disfigure | | | | substandard non-slate bed material, or one that is |
| over a period of time. Slate is a strong and robust | | | | not properly levelled, will inevitably lead to poor |
| material that won’t suffer the same | | | | shots and an unpredictable roll from the balls. |