I am looking to purchase my first table. Thanks to way too much reading here I have decided on an 8' Olhausen Santa Ana with the Stratford legs or Augusta, this will come down to which one my wife decides she likes the looks of best. The price on the standard table with standard finishes, delivery, installation, and set up package I am guessing should be around 3K, which will take some negotiation as my local dealer is asking 4K. What I am not sure of is how much to pay for all the extras and what extras to get.
Felt: must people around here talk about the Simonis 860, the dealer I went to talked a lot about the Accu-Guard. What is the difference in the felts and which should I go with?
Table cover: I need a cover that will allow a solid surface to be used a table; the one the dealer talked to us about was a basic fitted vinyl with foam inserts to bring the level up. They wanted $300 for this.
Cue sticks: I know that the basic wood sticks come in my package but is it worth upgrading these or getting a different stick? I know nothing about them at the time, except straight is better.
Pocket: The shield looks to almost be plastic even though I know it is leather, does this wear in so as not to look so bad? The fringe seems to look better but I think the dog might like this too much.
Cue Rack: How much should the matching cue rack be for this table and is it worth it?
Wood: My wife loved the natural cherry wood but again this upgrade was almost $700, seems really step to me. Is this about right?
Are there any other upgrades or accessories that I should be looking at?
Thanks for all the help,
Ryan