Another Satisfied Customer: The Connelly Azteca Pool Table

     Back in December of 2010 we sold a brand new Connelly Azteca pool table to a wonderful family in Wyoming. They chose to have that pool table built out of hickory wood with an oil finish on it. Along with their accessories, they also had a drawer added, fringe pockets and brick color cloth.
     After weeks of us bugging them we got some great pictures of the pool table out of them and an even better testimonial. Thanks for being such great customers and supporting our company!

“We LOVE the table!!! It is a perfect match in our room.  Thank you again for such a great business experience.  The table is all that you said it would be.”  The Paull Family – Wyoming- New Connelly Azteca Pool Table

Here is how it came out:

Researching and Writing About the History of Billiards

     I recently submitted an article to Ezine about the history of billiards. Some of the things that I found out were extremely interesting. I'm not talking about the actual game or even the evolution, however, that was fun also. There are so many different side stories that make mention to billiards throughout history.
     Between 1300 and 1400 the game was first played outside like today's croquet games. This is believed to be the first form of billiards.    
     In the 1400's it is mentioned that King Louis XI had the first indoor pool table.
     While in the 16th century, Mary Stuart, the queen of Scotland between 1542 and 1567 was known to have her body wrapped in her billiard table cloth. Later that century, the English poet, Edmund Spenser, mentions billiards in his work, Mother Hubberd’s Tale.
      The 1600's was a period of widespread popularity giving way to the very first cue use and equipment advances. Even Shakespeare made mention of billiards during this time in Antony and Cleopatra.
      In the 18th century, there were advances in cloth material by replacing cotton with wool.
     The most influential time has to be the 1800's since this was the century that spawned all the modern technologies of billiards. The modern cue and cue tip were introduced. Slate replaced wooden playing surfaces and the vulcanization of rubber gave way to the cushion. Really the modern table was invented.
     I also touch briefly on small impacts in the 20th and 21st century while ending the article with some speculative thoughts about the future of the sport.
     Stay tuned as it will be posted all over the Internet for your reading pleasure! You can check out some other articles of mine by clicking here.

Recover | World of Leisure Pool Table

     When we hear World of Leisure we sometimes cringe. They haven't put out a decent pool table in years. One of the worst out there. However, they did make some, long ago, in the USA that turned out to be fairly decent tables. So, when we got to our job we were expecting the worst and hoping for the best.
     Turns out the clients had a very nice medium oak WOL table. The construction was great and the slate was phenomenal. They only hired us for cloth installation and ended up choosing black. Great choice on an oak table. They also setup, leveled, and waxed the table themselves. The extra cost in having us do it was not in their budget. We say it all the time. Don't try this at home. It never turns out great.
     To our suprise they did fairly decent with it. There were bad spots on the level and the wax job was done with candle wax. Please dont ever use candle wax! Beeswax is the way to go. There wasn't much we could do for the level at that point considering it really needed some Big Break love. We did fix the wax job for them though since it wasn't completely un-dented in the center screws area.
     Overall, the table came out beautiful and the customers were extremely pleased. We also did some retips for two cues and did some shaft work for them on those. Again, came out great and they loved them. Thanks guys!

The Connelly Azteca Pool Table In Granby Part 2

     There's nothing like walking out the door at 5:15am in -20 degree temperatures. First off, any exposed skin will likely be frost bitten within minutes. Nevertheless, we had to get to Granby, Colorado to move a Connelly Azteca for a customer of ours.
     Being at the shop to clean out the truck's back and bed was the worst. Winter gear coat, base layers, two pairs of gloves, and a balaclava and beanie on yet still cold enough to break through it all. After we loaded up all of the tools and materials we needed we set out. The drive is typically only 2 hours or so from the shop, however, we planned it to be about 3 or so considering the conditions.
     We only made one stop on the way up there to throw the truck into 4wd and to see if we could get the windshield washed off. The roads were amazing. CDOT we thank you! Phenomenal driving conditions considering the weather we had just had and were having. Anyhow, the stop was short. Threw some water on the windshield but that didn't last. In about 5 seconds it froze. Actually made the situation worst. Nevertheless, we fixed it and continued on.
     Berthoud Pass wasn't all to bad at this point. The road up was great and the road down leading into Winter Park was a little worst but overall in great condition. Can't thank CDOT enough for their efforts on the roads.
     By the time we arrived to the pickup house in Granby, it was probably 9:00am. Up there we were showing a still -20 degree reading. The house we went into was vacant and there was no heat, but let me tell you. Outside was -20. Inside was probably somewhere in the 40's. It was as we stepped into a warmer.
     The dismantle of the pool table went smooth. We decided to pick up pace to keep as warm as possible. Wrapped and loaded it all up and were ready to get to the next house with it in about 30 minutes.
     The next house wasn't too far away. We were able to back up in the driveway and take the pool table in through the front door. It was going in the basement that had just enough space in the main area to hold this beautiful heirloom. The walk down was tricky with the frame but we managed to negotiate it without a problem. We were afraid that the slate was going to sweat so bad due to the really extreme temp change it was enduring, and it did, but not to a point that slowed down the setup. After placement we proceeded with recovering the table in a brown color cloth. The client was extremely excited and happy with the color. The Azteca was a light oak and the brown color really popped on the table. Running through an easy level and finishing off the table we finally headed out of there around 11:30am or so. Not too bad in those conditions. We are still efficient even when our boogers froze to our nose as soon as you walked outside.
     Leaving Granby it was hovering around the -5 temp (which, believe it or not, felt great comparatively). Roads were even better at this point so the drive back was just fine. We made better time back than imagined. Overall, this turned out to be a decent mountain job. We also got some nice snowy mountain views. The customer was happy and really excited about his pool table. Great day in Colorado! There are a couple pictures below.

Latest Customer Testimonial: The Connelly Prescott Pool Table

“Hi guys.  I am attaching a couple pictures of the pool table again.  It is absolutely stunning.  We are so glad that we upgraded the felt.  We get a lot of compliments of it. Thanks again for all of your help.  You guys were awesome!!

 We will definitely send anyone we know in need of a pool table your way.”

Thanks

Tammy

The Connelly Azteca Pool Table In Granby Part 1

     We are suppose to head out to Granby a little later today to move and recover a Connelly Azteca pool table. This trip would entail us getting over Berthoud Pass in this artic cold weather. With it already snowy and ice packed on the roads, is it worth it? Do we reschedule? Is a high of -4,in Denver and -10 in Granby, for the day worth risking a long drive through the mountains over a nasty mountain pass? Probably not and we shall see how the day plays out. As of 5:20am on February the 1st 2011 there is no closure of Berthoud Pass but the online cameras show the roads are snowy and ice packed. This could mean trouble. Lots of trouble. Too much trouble for even the 4wd truck we use that typically will get us through anything. I think a reschedule is in order. Nobody should be outside today with temperatures like this. Esspecially to move a pool table.
     As of 8:00am we have cancelled this job to Granby. Albeit, we now have an irritated and upset customer. We can't resonably be expected to move a 900 pound pool table in temperatures that dip into -25 with wind chills and a snowy mountain city. This just isn't safe for the customers table nor our technicians.
    It's now half past 8 in the morning and this job has been rescheduled for tomorrow. We are leaving around 6am tomorrow to trek out to Granby and move this pool table. Part 2 will have more tomorrow.

Pool Table Resale Value

     Resale value is something to keep in mind when buying, or owning, a pool table. In a great deal of ways, a pool table can be related to a car in most cases. As soon as you drive that new car off the lot it depreciates in value tremendously. Same is true for your table. However, just because it depreciates doesn't necessarily mean it's worthless after you buy it.

     It’s important to mention that there are differences between the qualities of each particular brand. Generally, you can distinguish them in two categories: mass manufactured and domestic heirloom. Now, typically a mass manufactured table is a less quality cheap price product while a domestic heirloom would be a customized solid wood product.
     Brand recognition does play a factor in the resale value at the domestic heirloom level. Most of the time, however, the more common the name the more common the table meaning the less you can get for it in the long run. This is only due to “popular” styles flooding the market. Something a little more brand recognized will still depreciate a great deal, but you are still going to get more than half your money back even with a “common” model.

     The mass manufactured, or “import”, table typically depreciates by over 80% after the initial installation. Usually these models will need more work done on them before a realistic resale is proposed. On average, you can expect no more than $500 in the resale of one of these billiard tables.

     When people go out to buy a used pool table, they trust the brand names over the others by huge margins. These tables are built to last. In most cases, the only thing they will need to pay for besides the table is the professional moving cost and maybe new pool table cloth.