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Buying Advice & FAQs
At Hexen Hub we believe a pool table is more than a source of entertainment, it is a piece of furniture than can enhance your room, provide a great investment opportunity and most importantly bring the family thousands of hours of enjoyment.
We also understand that buying one is a big undertaking. There are multiple sizes, styles, and quality levels available. You can plan what table to buy by knowing your budget, measuring the room you’ll put the table in, and considering what type of table is best for you.
This simple Buying Guide was created to help you make a more informed decision about your future purchase and essentially get the most out of your pool table.
Frequently Asked Questions
American or British pool. What’s the difference?
You may not be aware but the game of pool played in America is different from the one play here in Britain. American pool is played with larger balls and as a result requires a bigger table with wider pockets. You also use a cue with a larger tip (13mm). By contrast British pool is played with smaller balls, a smaller table with narrower pockets and a cue with a smaller tip (9mm).
The table surface is also different. The fabric on a British table is usually wool based and has a “nap” i.e. a slightly hairy texture. This slows the ball as it rolls making for a slower game overall. The American table surface on the other hand is woven and has no nap. This smoother surface has less drag on the ball making for a faster game.
There are other more subtle differences such as the curvature of the pockets which effect how easy it is to pot balls from certain angles. Both games are fun, challenging and equally popular so it is purely a matter of personal preference.
Do I have enough room for a pool table?
Ensuring you have enough cueing room around your pool table is an important consideration to make sure you get the best possible playing experience. All tables sold on our website are Full Size American Style Pool Tables - available in four sizes 6FT, 7FT, 8FT and 9FT. Please refer to product description pages for exact measurements for each size and model.
When considering room space requirement it’s important not to forget the importance of length of the cues. Pool and snooker cues average around 57–59 inches (140–150 cm) in length. Common way of working around space limitations is to use so called junior cues, which are available in 48", 52" and 54" lengths.
Our pool tables are supplied with 146 cm (57 inch) cues as standard, but should you want longer or shorter cues, the recommended room size changes accordingly. If there is the odd tight spot in your particular room, this is quite normal and we do provide half size cues in these circumstances. Please refer to the guide below to determine the minimum space requirements needed for a particular table and cue combination.
| Using 48" Cue | Using 54" Cue | Using 57" Cue | |
| 7' American Pool Table | 179 x 139 inches 14.9 x 11.6 feet 4.55 x 3.53 m |
191 x 151 inches 15.9 x 12.6 feet 4.86 x 3.84 m |
197 x 157 inches 16.4 x 13.1 feet 5.01.3.99 m |
| 8' American Pool Table | 188 x 144 inches 15.65 x 12 feet 4.78 x 3.66 m |
200 x 156 inches 16.65 x 13 feet 5.08 x 3.97 m |
206 x 162 inches 17.15 x 3.5 feet 5.24 x 4.12 m |
| 9' American Pool Table | 200 x 149 inches 16.65 x 12.4 feet 5.08 x 3.79 m |
212 x 161 inches 17.65 x 13.4 feet 5.39 x 4.09 m |
218 x 167 inches 18.15 x 13.9 feet 5.54 x 4.25 m |
What is the difference between a Slate Bed and a Wood Bed Pool Table?
A Slate Bed Pool Table is the type of table that you would find and play on in most pubs, clubs, hotels or other commercial premises. As the name suggests, the playing surface for a Slate Bed Pool table is an actual levelled piece of slate that is covered with the playing surface cloth. There are two most common types of slate bed types, single piece often found in smaller sized tables and sectional slate that’s comes in multiple pieces in order to facilitate handling and transporting more effectively.
Wood Bed Pool Tables have an MDF wood bed that is covered with the playing surface cloth. The wood bed is less costly to produce than the piece of slate used on Slate Bed Tables, therefore making them more affordable to you. They are also much lighter than their Slate Bed counterparts.
Wood Bed Tables are designed as a fun table for home play, and given their relatively light weight they are easy to move around the house, this type of table generally weigh around 200kg.
The playing surface of a Wood Bed Pool Table is not of the same standard as a Slate Bed Pool Table and would not be recommended for professional use. Unlike a slate bed, the bed of a Wood Bed Pool Table is more susceptible to moisture and temperature. The evenness of the playing surface of a Wood Bed Table, as any MDF surface would be, will be affected by adverse moisture and or significant changes in room temperature over time (especially conditions in conservatories where room temperature can change significantly through the day and night).
We have a great range of Pool Tables, from non-slate tables right through to professional standard slate bed tables in various sizes. With over 10 years’ experience in selling different types of pool tables within the EU markets and hundreds of satisfied customers from Germany, Poland, Czech Republic and Italy, we currently have a limited choice of Slate Bed Tables available in the United Kingdom. This is mainly down to the transportation costs and weight restrictions as all our slate range products are made to order and require experienced team of fitters for installation, which we currently don’t have present on permanent basis in the UK.
On the other hand we very much like new challenges and if you are keen to own one of our Slate Bed equipped Pool Tables, why not contact our team who will be more than happy to listen to your needs and provide you with tailor made solution to meet your requirements.
What is the difference between a Standard and a Premium Cloth quality?
Our tables are available in a variety of cloth colour finishes, the different variations available can be seen when you click on any of the individual tables on our site.
We are currently offering two types of cloth quality with our Pool Tables. Standard quality available in five colours – Green, Red, Blue, Navy and Black or Premium, which is available in all standard cloth colours as well as Brown, Beige and Purple. Cost of an upgrade is set at £49 on top of the price of any size pool table.
We would recommend going for an upgrade if the Pool Table is likely to be heavy used in commercial environment as it will ensure cloth's durability and quality of play. Generally heavier weight cloths (gram per metre) have fabrics, which are more capable to cope with the heavier use. Premium cloth we currently offer as an upgrade consists of 80% wool and 20% and has 580g/m weight per meter of fabric. Main advantages include high durability, longevity with higher dirt resistance. It also guarantees conditions for a faster paced games and it's highly recommended for a frequent - commercial environment usage.
Standard cloth has lower weight per meter of fabric 300 g/m and consist of 90% wool and 10% nylon. It's perfectly suitable for casual, mainly home use.
How much will it cost to have my Pool Table Delivered?
Our standard delivery charge is set at £50 per pool table and usually takes approximately 3-5 working days to reach your address once it’s dispatched from our depot. Whilst we reserve up to 14 working days for processing, handling and manufacturing, from our past experience all our standard build Pool Tables should be ready for dispatch from our site within 10 working days. Please note extra delivery charges apply in Scotland and Cornwall.
Pool Tables are delivered directly from our warehouse based in Poland by our own delivery vehicles unless otherwise advised. We will contact you to arrange a convenient date and time prior to delivery with full tracking info provided. Due to the nature and size we reserve up to 14 working days for the Pool Table to arrive at your house, but will endeavour to dispatch and deliver within 10 days. We always try to deliver our products as fast as possible and will notify you should the item delivery time be delayed.
If you have limited access for delivery of the item please advise us when you order so that we can let the delivery team know as they may need to bring special equipment for steps/rough paths etc. They will not deliver if they can't get proper access and this may result in re-delivery charges. You will be expected to dispose of the pallet or recycle it yourself.
How much will it cost to have my Pool Table Assembled?
Our MDF BED Pool Tables are delivered flat packed and require assembly. Professional Home Installation Service is available from £60 to all UK Mainland addresses, based on ground floor location. Assembly itself will take around 2 hours to complete.
Please note due to the complexity of SLATE BED Pool Table’s Installation, we highly recommend Assembly Service by our experienced, professional team of fitters. They would position the pool table, level it and leave it ready for play. Assembly takes usually between 3 – 5 hours to complete and costs £100.
All installation fees are payable in Cash to our Fitting Crew upon Assembly completion.
What accessories do I get if I buy a Pool Table?
All of our Pool Tables come with a set of full size American style Spots n’ Stripes Pool Balls with 57,2 mm (2 1/4”) in diameter, 2 Cues (146 cm / 57 inch), a Triangle, 2 Chalks, Rail Brush.