Mizerak Donovan II 8’ Billiard Table

This is my first real review and it's fairly long. I wanted to help others that could have the same issues I had....First let me say, I love this table. It is amazing, however, I need to mention a couple of things regarding the assembly...The slate is very heavy, which actually is a good thing, however, make sure you have a couple of people nearby to lift it safely. You also are going to need a strong screwdriver or crowbar and hammer to get the slate out of it's packing crate. Careful when sliding the slate out so you don't damage it. I had a few guys around and 2 people were able to carry the slate pieces. I would say each piece weighs between 150-200 pounds and there are 3 of them.Basic frame assembly went well. All the bolts matched perfectly and it was very steady. There are some guide holes on the wood that did not line up with the end plates though. If you use the guide holes it sticks up over the top of the frame and since the slate goes on top of this, you can't do it. Just make your own holes. Not difficult at all, but I just wanted to mention it.Once assembled, the frame was very easy to level with a 36" level.The slate comes next. It actually lined up very well. I highly recommend drilling guide holes. This will make screwing down the slate much easier. The plates went together so evenly that I did not have to use any of the shims :)After the slate is attached, you then have to cover the seams and the 4 middle countersunk holes. The compound they give you is very difficult to work with. Mainly when it comes to sanding. It is more like a resin or epoxy then a joint compound. Be careful when applying it, because it dries very hard and is very difficult to sand. I even used an electric sander and it took a very long time to smooth it out. Other people have recommended using Water Putty. I didn't do this, but you may find that much easier to work with.I had an issue using water to clean the slate. it got very gritty, so I waited until it was dry and used a dry cloth instead. This seemed to work much better.Once the slate was dry I used a pool ball to level the table. This worked extremely well. Not only did it make the table very level, it also helped me locate any high spots that still needed sanding. Just roll the ball slowly on the slate and make adjustments wherever needed.The next thing you do is attach the felt. Since I have done this before, I knew it wasn't as scary as it looked. I did have one huge issue though, the spray glue tip clogged on me several times. Be cautious of this. I was able to get it going again, but when you are trying to glue something down quickly, this gets very scary. All in all the felt attached very well.After the slate is down you have to build the frame. This is done upside down. Be careful about scratching the top of the frame. I recommend putting a towel under all the chrome pieces as they are assembled to avoid scratching them.Once the frame is built, you have to turn it over, fully assembled, and place it over the pool table. I recommend 4 guys to do this. The assembled frame is the size of the pool table itself and is a bit heavy.The last thing I want to mention is attaching the frame. Since the felt is on the table it is covering the mounting holes. The instructions NEVER mention this and show the assembly as if no felt was attached. I called the support line and asked if I should make guide holes. They said they weren't needed. I was going to just put it on without them, but when I got back to the cellar, my brother had already made them. I told him they said it wasn't needed and hoped that it would work anyway. Truth is, I recommend making them. When you place the frame over the table, it doesn't exactly line up. Without the holes, I never could have seen where the bolts go and I did have to adjust it. Since the holes were there I was able to stick a Phillips screwdriver in the hole and push it to the side. Once I did this, the holes lined up fine. I made sure all sides had screws started before I tightened it down.In the end, this table is incredible!!!!! I love it! It is perfectly level and plays like any professional table! Everyone who has tried it has said the same thing. Once the assembly issues are dealt with, you end up with a very sharp looking, awesome table at an amazing price.Sorry this review is so long, but I wanted to help others with the issues I had. Once again, I highly recommend this table, just keep in mind these assembly issues. If you have any issues or questions, feel free to respond to this review and I will get back to you if I can be of any help. Have a great day and enjoy this wonderful pool table!!!!!

Product came in good shape, slate unbroken. My wife and I were able to carry pieces upstairs (slate is in 3 pieces, each very heavy) and assemble slowly over the course of a week. It was not nearly as difficult as some reviews have said and it looks great, is level and so far the felt seems fine. Just follow the directions carefully. A great value. Just make sure you place the slate correctly on the table. The slate has a colored semi circle that was marked on it before being cut into 3 pieces. If you line up the slate so that the semi circle lines connect it will fit together great (we had one piece 180 degree off and then noticed the line and switched that piece).

If you are deciding between the Slatron vs Slate version, do yourself a huge favor, get the slate version. The price difference varies depending on when you buy it, but even if it is a little more than you like to spend, just bite the bullet and buy the slate version. I actually had experience playing on both. First the slatron with the original felt was really horrible. The balls were rolling zig zag all the time, the table make this bad board-like grumbling sound every time the ball rolls, then the felt started fuzzing up really badly after 1 month of use (maybe 10-20 games usage a week). Then when I had to buy another one for another place, I bought the slate version. But this time, I bought a more quality felt (Championship Invitational for <$100), the combination of slate and better felt was a world of difference compared to the original slatron. The balls at least roll straight and it's quiet as it rolls. I know these are pretty standard and expected when you play on a pool table, but unfortunately you couldn't even get these basic features on the slatron version. So just go for the slate version, and you won't regret it.

We purchased this billiards table for our office so employees can use it on their down-time/breaks as a stress-reliever.The billiards table itself is getting a lot of use and the reason why I picked it was because of the good reviews (beit only a few) and it was within our budget. Shipping was free with my Amazon Prime and it was also shipped and sold by Amazon so I could trust that I could contact them directly if I encountered any issues with the product.DELIVERY:The delivery process was good. It arrived earlier than expected. The delivery company CEVA called me ahead of time to confirm the delivery date and actual location for the delivery. However, when the delivery personnel arrived, they had stacked boxes on top of the longest-part of the billiards table which is clearly marked in large letters on both ends of the box: "Do not stack freight on top of this carton during shipping" which they overlooked. This lead to one of the top-rails broken in half (see photos).PRE-ASSEMBLY:It took three of us (2 females, one male) to assemble this item over a month. This was partly due to the fact that we could assemble it only a few hours at a time during work hours, AND (the biggie) because we had to wait for the replacement part that was damaged in shipping.I called Amazon upon immediately discovering the damaged part but they were no help at all since you would need to box everything back up in its original packaging and try to ship it back to them. (Really??) But to their credit, they did offer to discount the price which I accepted since the part that was broken might be salvagable. I called the manufacturer as well and they were AWESOME! Escalade Sports is the manufacturing company and they were so easy to work with! I told them what happened. They asked for the part number and my info, and said a replacement part was on the way! Happy ending, right? Not yet. It took ES three tries shipping the same part to me before I finally received one that wasn't damaged. The damaged rail is over 8-feet long and the skinniest part was the area that kept breaking in two. ES tried to ship the replacement part: first as-is with standard packaging; second, via FedEx with more beefed-up packaging, and finally, via freight truck so that it would lay flat on a truck bed. Before this, each time we received the damaged part, I would call them and they were happy to ship out a new one, no questions asked! So if you find that you've received any part of your table damaged, be sure to notify Amazon and then contact the manufacturer. There is a 90-day warranty on the product.ASSEMBLY:Directions were understandable and everything was in its own plastic bag and labeled clearly. You'll definitely need a power-drill and a smaller power-drill to get things assembled quickly.The slatron was quite heavy but we managed to get it on. We also didn't need to use the shims that came with the table as our floor and the table were all level.Be sure to be in a ventilated area when you start to put the felt on using the spray adhesive. We are in a work environment so the smell of the fumes went everywhere and we got a little loopy.USE:Once we got everything set up we tested it out and it worked great! We purchased red chalk for the cue sticks since the felt on the table was red. The table also came with a brush which doesn't work as well as a lint brush since the felt tends to ball up everywhere on the table within the first few weeks of use.It's a hefty piece and so far has held up with lots of daily use--we've had it for three months now. If you plan to use this as a "showcase" piece you might be better off spending more money but for your average everyday run-of-the-mill billiards table this is a great buy!I gave it 4 stars for quality, speedy initial delivery, and great customer service from Escalade Sports. -1 Star for what a pain it was to assemble and wait for a replacement part.

Horrible experience. Delivery was late and the woman who calls about the time is very rude. Then when delivered it wasn't as described and instead of being taken downstairs it was left in the garage.We then had to haul the weight downstairs ourselves. Boxes were damaged. Most of the main table parts were past damaged.Spent hours on phone with Amazon. Only one helpful employee named Adele actually called us back as she said she would every day to follow up. The lead we spoke to promised to contact the manufacturer first thing in morning and call us. She never did and instead we had to do it. Those parts were exchanged damaged.So all in all had to put together a damaged table or wait 6 weeks fora replacement and take time off work and have pieces sitting around until then.Will Never order anything from Amazon ever again. Table does look nice. Felt is actually more of a Burgundy and not bright red as we thought.Goes together fairly easily and plays well.Might have been a higher rating if this experience wasn't so bad.

I am writing this review and hoping this can help other players have a better understanding this table plus a easier installation.Being the first Canadian people to I have to say I love my table. If you want to play pool table for fun this is the table for you.I ordered this table when it was on sale with a price of CAD$1006. It says "we don't ship to your default address" which I don't quite understand.I live in Toronto area and I ordered this table from Amazon Canada site. The second day I got up and found out the price went up to 1299$. What a good entry point!It was supposed to be delivered on Tuesday by 8PM. But nobody showed up Tuesday and Wednesday. I sent an email to Amazon to complain. They replied back "it was delayed because of bad weather"They put on a request to get a shipping refund because of this late shipping and delivery. I was surprised because I am an Amazon prime and didn't pay anything for shipping. Amazon confirmedthat I don't have to worry and will get a refund of 227CAD$. I love Amazon.note1: if your table arrives late call or email Amazon to get a refund for late shipping/delivery.my table finally arrived on that Friday at 6PM. The packages were dirty. it looked like it was pulled from wreckage. The longest box was open on one side because the rails are very long.The shipping guy passed me 2 parts first which were not even in any boxes.note2: When you open the longest box you should open the package on the side. if you slide the parts out of box which may damage the parts.The table base installation was easy. I found some small damages on the parts since they are not major I wouldn't bother to replace them.I am not handy but I was able to do it without any issue. I did spend a mount of time figuring out where the best location in my basement was.note3: You'd better do a planning before your installation. i.e. Do you need a pool table light. I do have spot/flood lights in my basement. But no lights are right above the table. It is little dark.Then the most chanlleging task comes. The slate is 0.75 inch thick and its width is wider than my garage door. it weighs about 50-60 kgs. I am a small Chinese with 170cm/70kgs and my wife is 50kgs.my wife and I was able to carry one slate on an open floor and walk 5-8 meters without any issue.But it was almost not possible for us to move from garage to basement.I bought a hand truck from Canadian tire when it was on sale for 40 bucks. Guess what, my wife and I were able to move 3 pieces one by one in 20 minutes without even sweeting.note4: Hand truck may help.I do have one 6 inch level before I purchased this table. I bought a 48 inch level to level this table. My floor is not level at all so I spent tons of time doing leveling.The 4 legs are adjustable which is easier for leveling. I put on 3 slates and found my table was not square. So I had to level again. The level showed the table was perfect leveled. But when I rolled the ball on the table the balls were not going straight all the time.I did level again. I was able to go under the metal beam and lift one leg a little bit up using my shoulder and adjusted the legs. I spent all most 6-8 hours on this leveling.Finally, I gave up. I am not a professional. I don't care too much.I was very careful when I applied the grouts. I decided to use a very small amount at the beginning which was an great idea. The compound was not thick after it dried it shrunk a bit. it made the surface not good looking.I put on the table and rolled the ball. it was OK. Then I made another stupid decision to reapply this compound. I applied a lot more and much thicker. it was almost impossible to sand it. I bought sanding blocks/sponges.it didn't do any help. I figured out i can use utility knife to cut extra compound. After I cut 95% extra compound i found still impossible to sand the rest. The seam portion looked ugly. I almost decided to buy a sander.I tried putting some water on the compound before I went to sleep. What a miracle! I was able to remove the extra compound using one finger. It is washable. What a turn around! I was able to wash the extra compound in 20 minutes.note5: compound is washable. Sanding blocks/sander are not required. Putty knife is not neccessary either. In stead, you can use one your shims.The table spray portion was easy. You'd better have 2 persons to stretch out the table cloth, . I did on my own. The table cloth was not stretched enough. My table cloth was kind of slow. I am not sure it was because of this.I was about to install the rails then I found one corner cap was broken. I called Escalade and waited 20-30 minutes before it went through. Their customer service looked very busy, I was asked by the lady which part and my address. She gave me the feeling thatthey are very busy and don't want to spend too much time.The corner cap is the piece looks shining in the picture but it is made of plastic which makes it cheap. I wonder why they don't make a metal one.While I was waiting for my corner cap I was trying to figure out if i can put rails on the table seperately instead of asking help. It says in the instructions that 4 persons are required.Eventually, I figured out I can do it on myself. you need to do in this order: predrill on side and end rails for corner caps and corner posts installation --dig holes on table cloth--attach 2 side aprons to 2 side rails--put on and secure to table using bolts and nuts--put on 2 end rails without attaching end aprons and secure them-- attach 4 corner caps and put on screws-- attach corner posts both ends and at the same time slide end aprons into corner posts.Instruction doesn't say "cut holes on table cloth" in stead, it says"thread it". I found that is very difficult.Note 5: you can put on rails on your own. But It would be easier and better for 4 persons to do it.my corner cap arrived after 4 days. I installed and started having fun playing on my shining table. One thing not good about this table is when the ball gets into the basket it generates a bit loud noise.It took me 25-30 hours to install this table. But that was part of fun. Please don't give your fun to anyone else by getting my professional installer.Life is fun you should enjoy it. it's all about your attitude.

Assembly was challenging but the instructions were decent. Table plays quite well, it was worth the price.