mini review - home poker table (from E-bay)

[dimperdoo]

income5's basic home/portable poker table
Price: approx. $220; but they do offer more deluxe (including "casino quality") up to $550 and more...

Manufacturer of this table is unknown - could well be income5

Features: no-pill felt play surface, vinyl rail (seamless,) finished underside, banquet-style square tubing folding legs, crosspiece footrest (bracing,) very nice (near professional) quality
Dimensions: 66"x41"x30"high

My experience with the buy through E-bay:
I purchased this table from E-bay seller income5 (infamous for birdcages) whom I was referred to here in the Chiptalk forum. Being somewhat concerned because of talk about quality issues with E-bay tables, I was hesitant. Finally, I pulled the trigger, exercising the buy it now option.

The cost was a total of $218.95. Shipping was $95 of that. I immediately recieved confirmation from income5, and shortly a notification the item had shipped complete with tracking #s.
I purchased on Friday March 24, and recieved the table on Thursday March 30 - one day later than the UPS tracking estimate.



Assembly: It did not arrive fully assembled. But, all I had to do was screw one legset on. (the other was already in place) This, of course proved the theory, "if there are only 2 ways to attach an assembly, the first time you attach it - it will be wrong" Even still, within 20 minutes, we were looking at a fully assembled, fully functional poker table.





All in all, I have to express that I am completely satisfied with everything about this transaction. Communication was immediate, and complete. income5 shipped the table promptly, and it arrived unmarred in protective packaging. I have bought, and sold on E-bay. ilyu2 and myself have been e-bay members for several years now. We've bought small items ranging from jewelry to computers, and parts. And we've also bought bigger things including a Harley Davidson motorcycle, as well as a retired Crown Victoria police car. Suffice it to say, we both know what to expect, and have had bad experiences as well. I cannot imagine an E-bay transaction going any smoother than this.

In less than one week, I went from pulling the trigger on this E-bay poker table to fully assembled and playing a trial game with the family.


Construction: One of the reasons I chose this table was the fact that the underside is shown photographically. I clearly saw the table was represented as having a finished underside. I do not prefer banquet table-style legs. This table does feature them. I do not see this as a drawback, however, as the table needs to be convenient to stow. Moreover, the legs were clearly shown (photographically) to be constructed of square tubing (which is stronger than round.) I was also impressed by the crosspiece at footrest level. This crosspiece is manufactured of plywood, and covered by the same vinyl as the rail on top, and the same felt as the play surface on bottom.

Plywood is used for the flat surface of the table (not MDF) It does not sag at all. In fact the whole table is incredibly stable with the crosspiece in place. When I attached the one legset (one was already installed) with the provided screws, the resistance I felt confirmed good solid wood. I get the impression you could nearly sit or stand on the table (I would not risk it) It is, however, very stable.

The vinyl of the rail may not be "whisper vinyl" But, it is very nice. Also, it is seamless.
The play surface is felt. It's the "non pill" type. One day I will change it out with speed cloth.
The rail has been attached with a series of screws from the underside. It looks as though removing these few screws would permit resurfacing the table.

At this point, we have probably played about 4 to 5 hours of poker on this table. In my opinion, the cushion is a bit excessive. Chip cutting has to be done while keeping in mind the ease of compressing the surface and thereby cutting the next stack wrong by 1 or 2 chips. This is not so much a drawback, as a personal preference issue. Once you get used to it, it would not bother you. As far as card delivery, I find that plastic cards are easily delivered to the distant end. Paper cards require a bit more care to deal out. The felt surface does have a litttle resistance, but has yet to turn a card up on the way out. i fully intend to get my use out of this surface, and then resurface with speed cloth. At that point I will probably change the padding in favor of less padding.

In summary; The table arrived promptly, well packed, and as described. The description was thorough, and we are all very satisfied with it. Overall, it has met every expectation. The surface is something I will probably change eventually. However, we will certainly use it as it is. It is extremely durable/stable - while still being portable.

Interstingly, I do not continue to see the precise model I purchased in income5's E-bay store.