Download our free pool table buyer's guide
Aramith Fusion 7' Dining Pool Table Review
As part of our blog we are continuing to review some of the best selling and most unique game tables available today. One of the most unique tables in the world is the Fusion Table by Aramith. The Belgian Aramith brand is the largest and best know maker of billiard balls in the world. Aramith was recently purchased by Iwan Simonis, a 300 year old company and one of the largest manufacturer's of pocket billiard table fabric in the world. With this type of corporate pedigree, we expect big things from the Fusion Dining Pool Table! The Fusion Table is available in 7' only with half a dozen wood finish options, powder coated steel, and stainless steel cabinet styles. What makes the Fusion Table truly unique is the patented leg riser system that allows the table to rise from 30" dining height up to 33" (regulation American Billiards table height) making it a true hybrid dining and billiard table in one.
Style
The Fusion Table by Aramith was the first steel frame ultra modern style table to hit the US market almost a decade ago. The design was almost indistinguishable from a high end modern dining table and did not look like anything on the market at that time. The very clean minimalist modern lines are beautifully proportioned with the legs pushed all the way out to the corners of the table. The lack of visible pool table pockets and very little depth to the play surface look cleaner overall than similar tables that have entered the market over the years. Very chic wood finish options like Wenge (Dark Chocolate), Grey Oak, and Walnut fit beautifully into the modern high rise apartments and contemporary homes in Northern Virginia, Maryland, and DC. The one piece steel frame blends seamlessly into the rails of the pool table when the dining top is removed, wrapping the steel frame over the rail edge as a final touch. Despite many knock offs and modern competitors, the Aramith Fusion Table is still the best looking metal frame dining style pool table money can buy.
Score: A
Construction
In order to look the way the Fusion Table does some very unique engineering comes into play. The slate play surface is one piece 3/4" slate instead of the typical 1" three piece slate you see on modern high end pool tables. To push the legs out to the corners of the table almost 300 pounds of steel are used to construct the frame as lighter materials would bend or wobble under the weight of the slate play surface. The wood rails and dining top are actually veneered manufactured wood or HDF (High Density Fiberboard). This is typical of most modern dining furniture but very rare on slate pool tables over $3,000. Another odd bit is that all of the hardware is designed to be put together with an allen wrench, just like you would a dining table from IKEA! The main issue we have with the Fusion Tables construction is that without 1" three piece slate you cannot truly get the play surface flat, and the light weight 22mm slate on the already generally light 7' table size does not help. Over all, the Fusion Table is very well constructed for a high end steel frame dining table but leaves much to be desired as compared to industry standard pool table construction in this price range.
Score: B-
Value
When trying to determine the relative value of the Fusion Table you run into a problem: do you compare this to other modern style 7' pool tables or try and figure out what it would cost to get both a high-end modern dining table in addition to a high end modern pool table for your home? Very few tables give you the true combination, and all of the major manufacturer's offerings are priced similarly to the Aramith Fusion Table (MSRP $7,995). The fact is you can get a better playing 7' three piece slate table for less than half the price of the Fusion Table. Throw in a high quality dining conversion top for around $1,000 and you are still way less than the hybrid style Fusion. The problem is, nothing can substitute for the 30" dining height and low profile cabinet that allows you to put any standard dining room chairs around the Fusion. Typical pool tables sit too high and do not have ample room to tuck your legs under the table when you attempt to use them while dining. No other manufacturer has designed a way to "raise" the play surface up to the more comfortable (and regulation) pool table playing height of 33". So to be fair, you really are getting two things in one, making the Fusion Table a good value if you were going to spring for a $2,500 plus modern steel frame dining table and still wanted to add an ultra modern 7' pool table at over $5,000.
Score: B
Conclusion
Conclusion
The Aramith Fusion Dining Pool Table is definitely not for everyone and is very controversial among specialty retailers around the country. Putting aside the taste specific modern style, most pool table buyers will be happier with a better playing three piece slate table in solid wood for under $4,000. Most high end dining set customers will not want to spend close to $8,000 and not even get dining chairs. If you only have room for one or the other though, the Fusion Table truly stands alone as the Worlds only table that works both as a regulation 7' pool table and a gorgeous modern dining table. What sets the Fusion Table apart is to some degree it's exclusivity and "wow" factor. High end apartment buildings and corporate headquarters while disguised as a conference table are the natural habitat for the Fusion. When we demonstrate the Fusion Pool Table leg risers in our Maryland Showrooms it never fails to drop jaws in amazement. Despite some complaints about the odd ball construction, this table is still engineered to last for decades with heavy duty steel and diamond honed slate. Our final recommendation would be to use the Fusion primarily as a dining table and sometimes as a pool table to impress your friends, not the other way around. With these stunning lines and modern materials you will spend more time admiring your Fusion Table than you will playing on it anyway!
Final Verdict: B+
Comments
Leave a comment