The game of shuffleboard is growing in popularity, and as a result, more companies are entering the Shuffleboard Table market. You can now find cheaper models or knock-off versions of competing models on shopping sites like Amazon.com; we've listed a few of these brands above as well. Tables in this category are made from cheaper, softer woods. They are also often manufactured overseas and shipped to the United States. This allows for a table to be sold at a much lower price, but as the old adage goes, "You get what you pay for."

Unlike these manufactured shuffleboards, at McClure Tables, we don't use a cost-cutting pricing model. That's because we're a small craft shop. We build and sell direct-to-consumer with no middlemen or distributors. We only use the best materials in every price range. Whether you buy a table at our entry-level price of $5,895 or spend up to $28,000, the cabinet, legs, and playboard are all still made from locally harvested Hard Maple.

For comparison purposes, we'll look at the features of an entry-level model. We'll also give you a much more detailed side-by-side comparison of a knock-off table and our original version.

Sizes: 9, 12 14, and 16-foot 

Price Range: $1,395-$2,295

Playboard: The Woodbridge has a 15" wide playboard, 1.75" thick, made of China Birchwood.

Playboard Finish: 10 layers of polyurethane finish with no warranty.

Cabinet Construction: Particle Board with PVC simulated wood grain plastic shelf paper. The only solid wood used on the entire table is the top trim at the horse collar.

Customizations: None

12' Lexington

Price Range: See above real time pricing

Playboard:  Hard Maple  18" wide playboard, which is a full 2" thick (no thick plastic poured epoxy top) and made of North American Hard Maple

Playboard Finish: Lifetime Warranty Traditional Piano Polyester Finish (10 times harder than polymer poured resins)

Cabinet Construction: All McClure Tables cabinets, legs, and component parts are made from Solid wood; no veneer or micro-laminated cabinets. 

Customizations: Not offered on this model, it is built in stock to compete with Chinese tables

Trust us, when you look at the details, there is a world of difference. Mostly in the materials used McClure Veneto is made using Hard Rock Maple or Black American Cherry 

PLAYCRAFT also makes a knock of this version 

What they say: Solid 3” thick 20” wide Canada Maple butcher block with poured polymer top.

The truth: The plastic polymer top is 1/4" thick, so their actual playboard is 2.75" thick, not 3". These manufacturers either do not say what wood they use for the playboard, or they claim it is maple when, in fact, they are all imported, and it is Chinese Birch at best. 

What we say: Hard Maple 20″ wide playboard, full 3″ thick (no thick plastic poured epoxy top), made of North American Hard Maple.

The truth: Our playboards are made from 100% North American Hard Maple sourced from neighboring counties to our Michigan woodshop. Our playboards are a full 3" thick, and we don't use that cheap plastic polymer.

What they say: Pour polymer top.

The truth: This is a thick, plastic epoxy poured over your playboard, which means you're essentially playing on plastic. The polymer wears down easily and can damage boards, and it tends to warp boards. Virtually every shuffleboard manufacturer that uses poured epoxy doesn't even bother with a premium hardwood playboard because the endgame is played on plastic, not the actual wood.

MCCLURE

What we say: Lifetime Warranty Traditional Piano Polyester Finish (10 times harder than polymer poured resins)

The truth: Years ago, we searched for a better way to finish playboards. We now source a high-quality piano polyester finish. This is the same material used on fine musical instruments to keep them in good condition for years. It's thinner and wears much better than the plastic polymer. We are so confident in the quality of this finish that we offer a lifetime warranty, even for commercial use.

PLAYCRAFT & Presidential both are probable made in the same factory in China

What they say: Select hardwood construction

The truth: The cabinets on this type of shuffleboard are not made with the same hardwood used at a local craft shop. They use particle boards and softwoods like China birch or Rubberwood because they are easy to sand and machine. At McClure Tables, the hand sanding on each of our hard maple cabinets alone takes up to 4 hours. With softer factory- and imported-woods, sanding time can be cut in half.  This is one way they can produce a lower-cost option by cutting corners in cabinet construction. Again, you still run into the issue of shipping overseas and the stress on the wood.

"One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how we go halfway across the world to get our labor resources for 10 cents on the dollar, then we also use the cheapest materials we can find to produce stuff that looks like something that it's not." -Todd McClure (founder)

MCCLURE

What we say: All McClure Tables cabinets, legs, and component parts are handmade from the same hard maple wood as the playboards.

The truth: We don't cut corners when it comes to the cabinet. We use the same North American hard maple wood that makes up your playboard, and all of our designs are hand-crafted in our woodshop.

PLAYCRAFT

What they say: 12, 14, and 16 feet

Presidential They only offer a 12 foot size

The truth: Because these tables are mass-produced, your choices are limited.

MCCLURE

What we say: 14, 16, 18, 20, and 22 foot

The truth: We handcraft every one of our tables, so we can create different sizes when our customers want them.]

PLAYCRAFT

What they say: Espresso or Chestnut Wood Color

The truth: That's about it. You can choose 2 wood stain colors. They do offer some add-ons like sweeps and pucks.

MCCLURE

What we say: Lights, Scoreboards, Score Beads, Cabinets, Wood Type & Finish, and add a logo to any model

The truth: We handcraft every one of our tables and can customize every aspect of them. You can choose from many different colors and add-on selections. You can even send us a logo or family crest, and we'll get it on your playboard.

We received a phone call one day from a customer named Kevin about purchasing climate adjusters for a shuffleboard table he had purchased on Amazon from a company in China. From his descriptions, he was having serious issues with a crooked second table playboard, to which we had to inform him that climate adjusters just won’t fix, unfortunately. We suggested that he returned the table if he could and seek a replacement from the manufacturer. Thanks to the great customer service Amazon offers, they promptly covered the costs to return the table and Kevin received a replacement shuffleboard. To his surprise, he had further issues with this new replacement and Kevin made the decision to send us a follow-up email to inquire about purchasing a McClure shuffleboard table.

A short time after receiving his brand new McClure Patriot table, Kevin reached out with another email to express his love and satisfaction with the shuffleboard table he received. He no longer had any issues as we met his needs, it complimented the room he placed it in, and most importantly, it played just the way he wanted it to. An experience we believe every customer should experience when purchasing a shuffleboard table and what we strive for.