Review on GoSports Mid-Size: Durable And Portable Sports Equipment For Active Lifestyles by Philip Brianne

Decided to wait a couple months to review this table, and the bottom line is I am very satisfied and have spent many happy hours playing pool with family and friends, or just practicing.I used to be a pretty good barroom player (not a shark by any means, but good enough to pay for my beer many nights -- other nights, I'd be buying someone else's beer), and this is a good approximation of your average bar table. Sure, it's not a slate table, but it's surprisingly level and sturdy for an MDF table that's a fraction of the cost and hassle.Delivery: I see lots of people complaining about damage during delivery, but my delivery experience was awesome. I paid the $20 to have it delivered to my basement, and everything went off without a hitch. When I opened the box, I didn't observe any damage. There's a hairline crack in the plastic of one pocket, but I didn't even notice until a couple days later.Accessories: Yes, you're going to want to replace the cues as soon as possible, and the brush is the type meant for cleaning under the rails, not the whole table. However, the balls are just fine, and I've had no problems with cracking or chipping. The rack is a standard plastic rack; any pool player will be familiar with it. I saw someone complain about the quality of the chalk. Really? The chalk? It's chalk. It's fine. Buy a set of four house cues that go from 18 to 21 ounces, they're easy to find right here on Revain. Also get a real brush to maintain the felt. I should also note that the table doesn't come with head or foot spots -- these are cheap, you just have to do a bit of measuring to set them up right.Sturdiness and leveling: At 170lbs, the table feels really solid and sturdy. Give it a shove to test, and it'll give the slightest little bit -- not enough to move the balls. As for it being level? I'm amazed. The wife and I got the big level, all set to adjust the feet and. the darn thing was level no matter where we measured. We got a smaller level, and started placing it all over the table. Level everywhere out of the box. I consider this a tribute to not only the table, but to my basement floor. Checked a couple times since, still all level. One note: it's in a room with a dehumidifier that runs automatically 24/7. I'm hoping that helps keep the surface from eventually warping.Playability: This is what really counts, right? Like I said in the tag for this review, to me, it plays just like an average bar table. The felt was a tad slow at first, but regular play and brushing fixed that. The rails bounce like they should, and the balls comes off them as you'd expect. My favorite "show off" shots are balls frozen against the rails -- I LOVE walking a ball all the long way down a rail to a corner pocket (tip: actual bar tables often have a groove worn under the rail that makes this easier), or banking a ball frozen on the far rail back to a near corner. Both shots can consistently be made on this table. Shots to the side pockets require a more gentle touch, just like on a "real" table. However, since this table can't be refelted, I don't want burn marks all over it, let alone a dreaded tear -- therefore I don't allow jump or masse' shots, which might bug some players.Bottom line: This was intended as a starter table to see how often the wife and I would use it, and we've been enjoying the heck out of it. My daughter plays in an APA league, and she's had fun with it when she visits, too. It honestly exceeded my expectations, and I'm very happy we chose this table. The wife is already talking about upgrading to a slate table some day, but in the meantime, we get to play all the pool we want on a very nice table.