Professional Pool Table Product Reviews

What is so good about them? Almost Everything. From their lowest end Quartsite table (no longer available but still found on the used market) to the Connelly Ultimate they will go feature for feature with any table out there and beat them hands down. Still American made, and despite what some people will give you for information still in business… (They were purchased and moved, at no point did they go out of business.) Connelly is at the top of our Pool Table Reviews.

Connelly starts with the finest quality woods. They offer their tables in more types of wood than their competitors, more stain and finish options, have always used a true 1” slate and now their 2 upper collection tables come standard with 1.25” backed slate! Except for very early models and a few that were made special for NAMCO, all Connelly tables come with a 4 bolt rail system. This reduces vibration making a Connelly table play more accurately than any other brand. Combine that with the Icon cushion, (a snooker cushion, 100% gum rubber (just like Olhausens Accu-Fast, developed in England) used standard on all Plateau and Pinnacle collection Connelly tables since 2005 and their “rapid rail” is the only branded rail in the industry that is actually different from any other standard rail out there and more than just a name. Their Canyon collection tables currently use a Mercury cushion which is a bit stiffer than some other cushions in the market, while a good cushion I believe they could do better but for the money it won’t be beat. They also offer one of the largest varieties of sites (often referred to as diamonds although many are not diamond shaped). Connelly frames are full body construction unless ordered as a knock down body from the factory. The frames are over sized meaning they are larger than most competitors and the slate bolts directly to the frame of the table, not a “top frame” as employed by other brands. Most Connelly frames are 2” thick and have a center beam as well as 2 cross beams. Even their hardware is superior to their competitors. All of the bolts, washers and screws used in construction are far more than what is really needed and heads above anything else on the market today.

There are some negatives with Connelly which have popped up. Dealing with the factory directly was a dreadful experience from time to time. They seem to have things in order now. More of a pain for dealers than something the end customer will ever see. We always still get what we need in the end but the service was, for a time, lax. They take a certain kind of installer to work with them, the pockets go in tough but are VERY tight, the bodies are the heaviest in the industry, the slate is the thickest and heaviest and the hardware is larger and there is more of it. This will lead some installers to claim that they do not like to work with them. Not a negative by any stretch.

The lowest end of their line is a table called the Quartsite. It’s actually an imported low end table with the Connelly name however it does employ the 4 bolt rail system. Compared to similar tables of this type notably a Brunswick Bristol or AMF Savannah it is far better built than the Bristol, constructed just a little less solid than the Savannah but the 4 bolt rail system makes it a better playing table. Its downfall is the fact that it was only available in black. Look for these to be no more than $200 to $300 used pre install. Connelly has discontinued the Quartsite from its current line. Next in the Connelly line are their laminated tables and entry level solid wood. Their base laminated table is called a Redington, it is a standard tapered body, tapered leg table with looks just like Olhausens Sheraton, Drake etc., Brunswicks Tahoe and AMF’s Tacoma models. Of all those the Redington is far and away the heaviest, best built best playing of the group. Look to find this table used in the $400–$500 range.

As for their entry level solid wood, although they are 1” bodies, Connelly’s lower end pool tables will rival anyone else’s mid-level products. Easily the best value on the market right now. Look for these tables used in the $600–$800 range. When getting into their upper level tables nobody even comes close in terms of play ability, options and overall value as Connelly tables will always come in at a lower cost than their competitors tables. These tables used start at $800 for a Catalina, $950 for a two-tone Prescott, $1000 to $1500 for most used Pinnacle tables up to the $2000–$2500 range for a Mission or strait body table.

Buying a new Connelly is a no brainer. You will get more table for your money, hands down. There is a buyer beware to buying a used Connelly. I have seen many listed used that falsely advertise what the table actually is. This is not because the seller is necessarily trying to deceive you but more a case of they go online and copy the features of the current Connelly line and apply it to their table, which in most cases do not apply.

There is an easy way of telling exactly what you are looking at in terms of Connelly features….look at the name plate. If the name plate is on the side of the rail what is called the “blind”, and is small and rectangular then you are looking at an early Connelly. May even be a 3 bolt rail, possibly Tulipwood or Poplar and the values above will be on the lower # side probably much less. If the name plate is in the head rail and is larger and rectangular then you have a middle aged Connelly. 99% chance it is a 4 bolt rail but it will only be a 1” slate and have the standard cushion rubber, not the 1.25” slate and the Icon Cushion. These fetch the low to middle values. The newest generation of Connelly tables have an oval name plate minted in brass or a brass printed plate on lower level models. These will have the 1.25” slate and the Icon Cushion and will fetch the upper end of the values. Connelly also makes a table called The Ultimate. This is not one particular table and many times I see Connelly Ultimate advertised on a table because the name plate said the Ultimate in Billiards. Most any table in their line can be made into an Ultimate. There is no truer, better playing table on the market anywhere than a Connelly Ultimate table. An Ultimate upgrade gives you a 4” thick body, 2-4” thick center beams, 3-4” thick cross beams, a 4 piece set of 2” thick slate, backed and pinned, an extra inch of width on the rails and a 5th rail bolt in every rail as well as larger pockets. The playability is unmatched. Starting used values on these are $2500.

(FULL DISCLOSURE–In Sept. 2013 we became a Connelly dealer. This review pre dates our dealership. Any changes to this review post 9-13 will be noted as such)