Brunswick Billiards Gold Crown V American Pool Table
August 3, 2008
How do you determine the best pool table in the world..?
Well performance has to be a major factor, especially in a professional environment. The table can’t be any less accurate than any competing pool table and must be as easy as possible to play on. And finally, should any part of the table’s set up require modifying quickly, say during a tournament, that a billiard table technician can do so quickly and efficiently. In which case…the new Gold Crown V has to be the best pool table in the world!
You see the Gold Crown American pool table has been the professional billiard player’s table of choice since its first incarnation in the early 1960’s. It’s why Matchroom Sports and the WPBA (Ladies Pool Association) are happy to work exclusively with Brunswick. The Gold Crown V uses Brunswick’s SuperSpeed cushions which have been proven to be the most accurate in an independent test by the University of Wisconsin. But the Gold Crown has wider and heavier rails which not only provides a more natural hand position, but adds a little more response than other Brunswick tables using this cushion type.
What that all means in simple terms, is that when you play a shot, you know exactly where the cue ball and the object ball are going to stop. Kick and bank shots off the rails are much easier because all Brunswick’s rails are consistent due to the totally unique way that the rubber is attached to the rail, so unlike other tables…angles can be predicted with high accuracy, making shot play far easier and more precise.
Quick question…
If you bought a car, but noticed that the wheels were pointing in different directions…you’d send it back because it would never work properly, no matter how good the rest of the car looked wouldn’t you?
Well, people ask What’s the difference with a real Gold Crown and this copy that I’ve been offered?
In the same way that a car’s wheels are the most important component in keeping the car driving correctly, on a pool table, it’s the frame. Now most, if not all the copy Gold Crown tables I’ve seen have a maximum 1″ or 1¼” thick plywood frame, that is set vertically. Now that’s OK, but plywood doesn’t bind like hardwood and all these copies are only bolted together.
A Gold Crown on the other hand is pre-assembled in the factory and flush finished with each joint numbered and matched. So, when the fitters get the table on site, they have to really hammer the frame together, matching the numbers to ensure the most precise finish possible. Not only that, but the frame is initially set with dowels that are as tight as possible. The bolts are used to secure everything meaning that the surface for the slates to sit on is perfectly flat.
Bear in mind too, that this frame is 3½” thick and constructed from poplar wood as Brunswick have tested this to be the best for this set up. Now, you can play an ok game of pool on a copy table, but cold winters, hot summers, high and low humidity and the weight of the slates will very soon have the frame moving and twisting, not only putting the table out of level, but possibly even causing the slates to drop, and that’s expensive!
Brunswick were also the first company to introduce flush fitting corner castings. Now this may not sound much of an innovation, but normal competition style pool tables have the metal corner plates set about ¼” higher than the rail and then they fix a rubber pocket on top of the plate. So, if you have to play the cue ball from out of the mouth of the pocket, you will have to play about ½” higher than on the new Gold Crown series. Quite obviously, this imposes limitations on the type of shot you can make, but on the Gold Crown V…that’s not an issue.
Now I guess that we can’t fully claim the Gold Crown V as the best American pool table in the world if it only comes in one finish option…actually, there’s a whole range of different options…
- Mahogany High Pressure Laminate with brushed nickel castings and trim
- Matte Black High Pressure Laminate with brushed nickel castings and trim
- Mahogany High Pressure Laminate with bronze castings and trim
- Tourno Edition, Mahogany High Pressure Laminate with brushed nickel castings and trim
Each of the first three options shown above are available in 8ft Pro and 9ft sizes, and the Tournament Edition is available in 9ft only with tighter World Championship pockets.
All in all, there really is no better performing American style pool table available in the world today and we thoroughly recommend the Brunswick Gold Crown V.
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