Which billiard table should you buy? All 13 TSports models compared
- Michael Lindelman
- Aug 21
- 9 min read
Thirteen tables, from AED 4,000 to AED 20,000. This page explains what actually separates them, including the parts that are not flattering to the cheaper models - and the part that surprises most people, which is how much of the range is identical.
What is the same on every full-size table
Before the differences, the things that do not change as you move up the range:
A natural stone bed. Every full-size TSports table is built on natural stone - three-piece 25mm slate on most models, and three-piece 60mm natural marble on the 9-WT, the 9-6 SM and the LT. Not MDF, not one-piece, not a thinner stone on the cheaper models. This is the component that decides whether a table rolls true in ten years, and the AED 6,900 table has as much of it as the AED 16,000 one.
The frame. Solid maple frame, legs and cushion bodies across the range. Only the LT differs, using heavy-duty steel by design.
The cushions. K55 rubber on every table except the 9-6 SM, which uses steel block cushions because it is built for a different game.
The accessories. Two cues, a set of balls, chalk, a triangle, an extension cue and a cue wall mount - included with every table.
Delivery, installation and warranty. Our own team delivers and installs, and every table carries a 1-year limited warranty against manufacturing defects. Delivery cost depends on your location.
That is unusual, and it is worth saying plainly: the cheapest full-size table in this range is not built on a cheaper bed. If you are comparing us with a table elsewhere at a similar price, that is the first question to ask about it.
Slate or marble - does it matter?
Three of our tables use a marble bed rather than slate, and it is a fair question which is better. The honest answer is that the choice between them matters far less than most buyers expect - and far less than the choice between stone and MDF.
Both are natural stone, cut and ground flat, and neither is affected by humidity. In the UAE that single property is what separates either of them from a wood-composite bed by a wide margin.
The thicknesses are not interchangeable, and there is a reason for that:
Slate beds are 25mm. Slate is fine-grained and splits naturally into flat sheets, which makes it straightforward to machine to a true surface. It is the international tournament standard.
Marble beds are 60mm. Marble is denser and more brittle in thin sections, so a marble bed has to be made considerably thicker to be safe and stable. This is why you will not find a 25mm marble bed, and why 60mm slate would be pointless weight.
What that means in practice:
Weight. A 60mm marble bed is roughly double the mass of a 25mm slate bed. It is exceptionally stable once installed, and it is a heavier, slower job to move.
Playing feel. With cloth fitted and the bed properly levelled, the difference between well-finished slate and well-finished marble is small - much smaller than the difference between two cloth grades. Anyone claiming they can tell blindfolded is overselling.
Standards. Slate is what professional tournaments specify. If formal competition compliance matters to you, buy slate.
The takeaway: if a table has a properly levelled natural stone bed of either type, you have the thing that matters. If it has MDF, you do not.
So what are you paying more for?
Three things, in order of how much they change the game:
1. Cloth grade - the biggest real difference
Cloth is what you feel on every shot, and it is the main reason the price climbs.
Moorj 500 - a solid, durable all-rounder. Consistent roll, good life. Fitted to the 8-4 and 9-4.
CPBA MG-700 - a clear step up in speed and consistency, and it holds that consistency longer under regular play.
CPBA TN-999 and CPBA Competition - the top tier. Premium cloths for players who notice the difference and venues where the table never rests. They are different characters rather than one being simply better than the other.
The honest version: on the AED 6,900 table you will want to recover sooner than on the AED 12,000 one. Recovering costs AED 1,400 to AED 2,000, which is worth factoring into the comparison.
2. Build for constant use
A table in a café, club or hotel is played on more in a month than a home table sees in a year. The commercial models are built with that in mind - heavier construction, finishes that survive being knocked, and cloth that copes. In a family game room, most of that is money you will never cash in.
3. Design
Past a point, you are buying furniture. The X "Avant" and the LT "Industrial" are the clearest examples: both play beautifully, and both cost what they cost because of how they look in a room, not because they roll truer than the 9-WT.
The range at a glance
Model | Size | Bed | Cloth | Price |
186 "3-in-1 Convertible" | Compact | 18mm MDF | Grey cloth | AED 4,000 |
8-4 "Home" | 8ft | 25mm slate | Moorj 500 | AED 6,900 |
9-4 "Starter" | 9ft | 25mm slate | Moorj 500 | AED 7,200 |
9-4M "Onyx" | 9ft | 25mm slate | CPBA MG-700 | AED 8,500 |
9-WT "Pure" | 9ft | 60mm marble | CPBA TN-999 | AED 8,700 |
9-6 SM "Dragon" | 9ft | 60mm marble | CPBA TN-999 | AED 8,800 |
9-6-1 "Classic" | 9ft | 25mm slate | CPBA MG-700 | AED 9,000 |
9-6-2 "Imperial" | 9ft | 25mm slate | CPBA Competition | AED 10,100 |
8-5 "Azure" | 8ft | 25mm slate | CPBA MG-700 | AED 11,500 |
8-3 "Pro" | 8ft | 25mm slate | CPBA TN-999 | AED 12,000 |
9-6-2G "Imperial Grey" | 9ft | 25mm slate | CPBA Competition | AED 12,500 |
X "Avant" | 8ft | 25mm slate | CPBA Competition | AED 16,000 |
LT "Industrial" | 8ft | 60mm marble | CPBA Competition | AED 20,000 |
Every table, and who it is for
186 "3-in-1 Convertible" - AED 4,000
Pool, table tennis and a flat dining top in one frame, on oak-veneer MDF legs with two steel beams underneath.
Bed: 186 x 93cm playfield, 18mm MDF with melamine on both sides. The only table here without a stone bed.
Best for: apartments, majlis annexes and any room that cannot give up its floor space to a single-purpose table.
The honest downside: this is a multi-use furniture piece, not a playing table. The playfield is smaller than a real 8ft, and MDF does not behave like stone. If anyone in the house plays properly, they will outgrow it. We go through the trade-offs in full in are 3-in-1 game tables actually any good?
8-4 "Home" - AED 6,900 - our best seller
8ft, 44" x 88" playing field, 2630 x 1450 x 840mm overall. Three-piece 25mm slate, maple frame, K55 cushions, Moorj 500 cloth.
Best for: the standard villa game room. This is the table most families should buy, and the one we sell most of.
The honest downside: Moorj 500 is a good cloth, not a premium one - under heavy play it will show wear before a CPBA cloth would. An 8ft table also plays shorter than a 9ft, which most players consider easier and some consider less satisfying.
9-4 "Starter" - AED 7,200
Professional 9ft, 2540 x 1270mm field, 2830 x 1550 x 840mm overall. Same slate bed, frame, cushions and cloth as the 8-4.
Best for: anyone who wants full competition length for AED 300 more than the 8ft.
The honest downside: it needs the room. A 9ft table wants roughly 5.8 x 4.5 metres clear. If you do not have that, the 8-4 is the better table - check your room first.
9-4M "Onyx" - AED 8,500
9ft, three-piece 25mm slate, CPBA MG-700 cloth in blue, curved legs, lustrous black finish.
Best for: the first real step up in cloth, in a table that looks like a centrepiece rather than furniture.
The honest downside: you pay AED 1,300 over the 9-4 for the cloth and the styling. The play difference is real but it is the cloth doing the work, not the bed.
9-WT "Pure" - AED 8,700
9ft, three-piece 60mm natural marble bed, CPBA TN-999 cloth, genuine leather drop pockets, clean minimalist lines.
Best for: our pick for the best table in the range on merit. A 60mm marble bed, premium cloth and leather pockets at under AED 9,000, in a design that disappears into a modern interior instead of dominating it.
The honest downside: the minimalism is the point, and it is not for everyone. The marble bed also makes it one of the heavier tables here, which matters if you expect to move house.
9-6 SM "Dragon" - AED 8,800
9ft, three-piece 60mm natural marble bed, steel block cushions, CPBA TN-999 cloth, easy-access levelling points. Built specifically for Chinese 8-ball.
Best for: serious players. Chinese 8-ball uses tighter, snooker-style pocket geometry and it is a genuinely harder game - see snooker table vs pool table.
The honest downside: that tightness cuts both ways. Casual guests will find it unforgiving, and balls that would drop on an American pool table will rattle out.
9-6-1 "Classic" - AED 9,000
9ft, three-piece 25mm slate, solid maple, CPBA MG-700, traditional proportions.
Best for: rooms with a classic or traditional interior, where a minimalist table would look out of place.
The honest downside: on cloth grade it sits below the 9-WT at AED 300 more. You are buying the look.
9-6-2 "Imperial" - AED 10,100
9ft, three-piece 25mm slate, solid maple, CPBA Competition cloth, commercial-grade construction.
Best for: cafés, clubs, hotels, offices and anywhere the table is played daily. This is our entry point for commercial duty.
The honest downside: in a home that sees a game a week, most of the premium over the 9-WT is durability you will never use.
8-5 "Azure" - AED 11,500
8ft, three-piece 25mm slate, sleek wooden finish, CPBA MG-700 in vibrant light blue.
Best for: a striking centrepiece in an 8ft footprint, when colour and finish matter as much as play.
The honest downside: this is the clearest "you are paying for the look" table in the range. AED 11,500 for an 8ft on MG-700 only makes sense if the finish is what you want.
8-3 "Pro" - AED 12,000
8ft, three-piece 25mm slate, CPBA TN-999, K55 cushions, split leg levellers for fine adjustment.
Best for: players who want competition-standard setup in an 8ft footprint, and venues that need to re-level quickly and precisely.
The honest downside: AED 12,000 for an 8ft is a lot next to the 9-WT at AED 8,700. The levellers and the finish are the difference.
9-6-2G "Imperial Grey" - AED 12,500
9ft, three-piece 25mm slate, solid maple, CPBA Competition, wood-grain finish with metallic accents.
Best for: premium venues and homes that want commercial durability without an industrial look.
The honest downside: mechanically very close to the 9-6-2 at AED 2,400 less. The finish is the difference.
X "Avant" - AED 16,000
8ft, three-piece 25mm slate, sculptural solid-wood X-shaped legs, CPBA Competition cloth, warm natural wood grain.
Best for: an open-plan living space where the table has to work as furniture first and still play properly.
The honest downside: the most expensive square metre of playing surface in the range. Bought for the design, and it should be.
LT "Industrial" - AED 20,000
Heavy-duty steel frame with reinforced internal support, solid steel legs with integrated levelling, steel rail system with K55 cushions, three-piece 60mm natural marble bed, CPBA Competition cloth, leather drop pockets.
Best for: high-traffic commercial venues, and interiors built around an industrial aesthetic. The only table here not built on wood, and the most durable thing we sell.
The honest downside: it is uncompromising in look as well as build. In a classic or soft-furnished room it will fight everything around it, and steel plus 60mm marble makes it by far the heaviest table in the range.
How to choose, in three questions
1. How big is the room? This decides more than budget does. A 9ft table needs about 5.8 x 4.5 metres clear; an 8ft needs about 5.5 x 4.3. Measure before anything else - our room size guide has the numbers by table size.
2. Who plays, and how often? Occasional family games: the 8-4 or 9-4 is genuinely enough, and the money saved covers a recover in a few years. Someone who plays properly: go to a CPBA cloth. Daily commercial play: start at the 9-6-2.
3. Does the table have to look like something? If yes, say so early. The 9-WT, 9-6-1, 8-5, X and LT are five very different answers at five different prices, and all of them play well.
What we would tell a friend
Best value: the 8-4 "Home" at AED 6,900. Slate bed, real playing field, and you can put the saving toward a better cloth later.
Best table on merit: the 9-WT "Pure" at AED 8,700. A 60mm marble bed, premium cloth, leather pockets, full 9ft, under nine thousand.
Best for serious players: the 9-6 SM "Dragon" at AED 8,800, if you want the harder game.
Best for a venue: the 9-6-2 "Imperial" at AED 10,100.
Best-looking: subjective, but the X "Avant" wins most arguments in our showroom.
Come and play on them
All of these are set up in our Dubai showroom, and the fastest way to decide is to hit twenty balls on three of them. Call 04 422 9454, WhatsApp 055 918 4887, or browse the full billiard range.
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