Olhausen Americana Pool Table Review

This is another in our continuing series of product reviews created in an effort to educate everyone about some of the most popular and unique home game room products available.  Today we take a look at the Americana Pool Table by Olhausen Billiards.  The Americana is Olhausen Billiards best selling recreational pool table and is the all time best selling Made in the USA pool table in Maryland, Virginia, and DC.


Styling: 

The Americana is a very traditional style pool table featuring the trademark Olhausen Americana Series double arching base frame, similar to our best selling Olhausen Grace Pool Table.  The Americana has a very simple routing in the cabinet and rail along with "spoon" style carved leg.  The Americana is unique in the Olhausen product line because it is one of very few "mass produced" pool table models, as opposed to the majority of Olhausen tables all custom built to order.  The only option for the Americana Pool table is size, either 7' or home 8' length.  The table is built from North American Fruitwood with Maple Top Rails and is available in the best selling Traditional Mahogany wood finish only.  This finish is semi-gloss with a muted red undertone that works with almost any traditional decor.  As the pool table tends to be the statement piece in any room, you will see Americana Pool Tables mixed with very traditional furniture or very modern furniture in different settings.  Either way the proportion and design just "work" no matter what.

Engineering:

Olhausen is world renowned for their pool table design and engineering.  The Americana is certainly on the value end of the Olhausen line, but it still retains most engineering features of much higher dollar pool tables.  The uni-frame solid hardwood cabinet is factory squared and flattened, making this one of the easiest tables to level.  The same 1" Backed diamond honed and matched three piece slate play surface featured on all Olhausen pool tables is used on the Americana.  The top rails are built with solid North American Maple rail caps for added durability and density, providing a better rebound than similar priced tables.  One the down side there are some cost cutting measures taken with the Americana.  Rather than a full solid maple cabinet Olhausen has opted to use fruitwood, a very nice looking but less expensive hardwood.  Fruitwood pairs well with the Maple top rails as the grain patterns are virtually identical, but it is not as dense or durable as full maple construction would be.  Another difference is the cushion rubber.  The tournament quality Accu-Fast cushion is replaced with a scaled back Americana Cushion rubber that carries a 5 year warranty rather than a lifetime warranty.  I spoke with the cushion manufacturer at length and they claim the only difference is slightly less "control fabric" vulcanized onto the rubber.  The compound is the same but it is not as heavily reinforced, hence the 5 year warranty.  We have never had a bad set of American Pool Table rubber at any Robbies Billiards Maryland shop so I think this may be more of a branding stratagem than a real world difference in quality.