Pool Time

There are several wholesale suppliers who sell pool tables and accessories.  They have tables, which have been hand-made, outdoor pool tables and indoor pool tables in a wide variety of different styles, sizes, designs, types and prices.  At a wholesale supplier you can purchase a quality pool table at a very reasonable price.  The wholesaler is the supplier for retailers, industrial, commercial, institutional, users, to other wholesalers or any other professional business.  They are basically the middleman between the manufacturer and the retailer or seller.

When you are shopping around for pool tables to purchase, look on the Internet.  You will find retailers who sell at wholesale prices.  You will find sellers who sell at discounted prices, cheap pool tables and even used pool tables.  They sometimes sell below the wholesale price.  Wholesale suppliers sell to retailers at a low price, so they will have room for a mark-up.  So retailers then will mark-up the price and sell the pool table at a higher price in order to make a large amount of profit.  Wholesale suppliers’ business is based on volume sales.  They don’t make a lot of money when the pool tables sell; they have to sell a large number of pool tables to make a reasonable profit.  Many times furniture stores and stores specializing in the sale of sports related articles sell pool tables at retail prices, but some will sell at wholesale prices.

There are a large number of wholesale suppliers on the Internet.  When looking at several of these web sites, you are able to compare prices of the different manufacturers.  You can also find wholesalers who deal in pool table accessories.  Should you decide to place an order there will be a minimum order will be required.  Ordering in bulk will cut down the cost of shipping charges.  They will accept payment by check, money order, MasterCard, Discover, account transfers and debit cards.

Many of the websites will act as a wholesaler, but actually buy from a wholesaler and then sell at a higher price.  Their prices are not as low as a wholesaler, but not as high as a retailer.  If you are looking for pool tables, you will want to do a thorough research of the sellers before making a decision.

If you are only looking for one table, you will want to fine a wholesaler who is selling pool tables one at a time, unless you can use 10 pool tables.  By looking at the wholesale suppliers’ prices you will have a better idea of who actually has the best price on the market for the table you want.  If you decide new is not the way you want to go, you can always find a used table.  On the web or your local classified ads paper you will be able to find used pool tables.  You will have to do your homework so you will know what problems to look for and the cost of the repairs, which might need to be made to ensure you are making the best deal for yourself.

According to the history of billiard balls, billiard balls were first made of wood and then later were made from clay.  Clay billiard balls were still in use during part of the 20th century.  Ivory from the tusks of elephants were used for a period of time.  Elephants were being slaughtered for the ivory of their tusk for years, but by the middle of the 1800s, the rate of elephants being killed was huge.  Because of the demand for billiard balls it became necessary to enforce a rule.  No more than 8 balls could be made from just one elephant.  It has been said ivory made the best balls ever played.

Pool table manufacturers became desperate for a material to replace ivory in the making of billiard balls.  In the mid 1800s a pool table manufacturer offered a reward of $10,000 to anyone who could create a material good enough to make billiard balls in order to replace ivory.  This prompted a gentleman by the name of John Wesley Hyatt to create a material called celluloid.  He filed a patent on celluloid, which was the first industrial plastic.  It ended up being the first appropriate replacement for ivory in the making of billiard balls.  Celluloid was an extremely flammable material, which made the making of the balls a difficult process.  Unfortunately the celluloid was so volatile it became the first unpractical plastic.  Just imagine shooting a shot and then the ball explodes.

The balls made today are made from a combination of plastic and resin, which is resistant to cracking and chipping. These substances when heated are permanently hardened.

The colors of the billiard balls over the years have pretty much stayed the same.  The colors of the numbered balls have not changed.  Today however, you can find billiards ball of just about all designs and colors.

The one thing you will want to be aware of is the size and the weight of the cue ball before you make a purchase.  The old style bar tables would use a larger cue ball, which many people don’t like because of the limitations it has on certain kinds of intentionally movements.  If you want to draw the cue ball back, it is difficult to accomplish with the larger cue ball as is making the cue ball back up and preventing it from following the ball into the pocket like a large truck going off a cliff.  Ultimately the game is changed with the use of the larger cue balls.

Another type of cue ball you will want to be aware of is referred to as the “mud ball” because of the weight of the ball does not roll anywhere well.  As in the larger cue ball the mud ball is will follow better than it will back up or draw.

Another ball you want to be aware of is the Valley ball, which has been used in conjunction with the Valley brand bar tables.  This ball has a magnet in it.  The magnet will make the ball return to the head spot at the opposite end of the table.  The probably with this kind of ball is the magnet could off center, which will cause the ball roll crooked.

One of the favorite cue balls of most players is the red dot cue ball.  It is recognized by the small red dot on a white ball.  The newer Smart Diamond tables will return the cue ball to the proper head of the table because they can locate the red dot.

When you go shopping for a set of billiard balls, you will find the best ones are usually priced over $100, however there are a number of billiard ball sets, which will last a while for under $100.  The really high quality balls will be price around $225 - $250 for a set. For the quality sets under $100 you will want to look for the Royal Crown brand or the Action brand.  These balls are of a good quality and will give a fairly durable ball for the price.

A number of people like to grace the game room that is so common in newer homes today with a pool table, going to billiard stores and purchasing a new table, as well as pool cues and other accessories for show and sometimes even for actual use.  However, in terms of collecting, there is a trend toward the antique, even in pool tables and accessories.  Many homeowners have begun to purchase antique pool tables and castoffs from bars and game houses, where newer pool tables are being pulled in to replace older tables.  That includes pay tables that require quarters to play.

Aside from the tables themselves, antique pool sticks are commonly collected today and displayed in the game rooms of homes and offices.  Pool cues that dates back to the beginning of the game can be a great display piece, though it is a rare occasion that someone would actually use such an item to play a game.  These pool sticks can be valuable and can be kept for show or sold for profit, especially if you have a large collection of antique pool cues.

Even some billiards locations will display antique pieces, like an old pool cue, in a case, as part of the décor and design element.  At the same time, you may find that a neighborhood watering hole employs an antique pool table in the small bar for the use of its regular patrons, adding some atmosphere to the tiny location as well as creating a comfortable, aged setting for the neighborhood hangout.  Added to the design, you can include other vintage bar furnishings to complete the style.

There has always been a human desire to collect aged items, and antiques are often seen as a way to add character and value to a space.  Up until recently, there was no way to do so in a game room because this was a new kind of design and there were no antiques for such an area.  Now, with pool tables and pool cues having been around for hundreds of years in various iterations, modern pool tables have begun to range in age to what can be considered “antique”, as can the pool cues.  Therefore, you can count on the ability to use vintage items including bar stools and antique pool tables and accessories to grace the walls and counters of your game room.