The Best Pool Table Lighting of 2023, See Our Picks

Pool Table Lighting

TL;DR – This is the Best Pool Table Lighting of 2023

Best Vintage Style Pool Table Lighting: Capulina Tiffany Chandelier

Modern Vintage Billiard Table Lighting: Wellmet Vintage Pool Table Light Pendant

Top Classic Pool Hall Style Lighting: The Springdale FTH10021

Personalized Game Room Lighting: Bourbon Street Acrylic Pool Table Light

Best Modern Game Room Style: 59” Wellmet Billiard Light

Retro Style Pool Table Lighting: Wellmet Vintage Retro Pendant

The best pool table lighting provides an even source of light to enhance the playing experience and is designed to focus solely on the table, not to light up the room. 

To make the most of your skills on the pool table, you need proper lighting. Shadow casts from poor lighting could hamper your game, especially if the room is also poorly lit. 

Before you purchase any pool table lighting, there are some things to consider, like the size of your table, lampshades, size of lighting, brightness, and cost. 

There are a lot of options to choose from. From ornamental to minimalist designs, there is something for every billiard lover. 

We thoroughly reviewed and chose the best lighting for every situation and table placement,  considering these concerns. 

Before You Buy Your Pool Table Lighting…

Consider the color you want, your budget, and your desired pattern. You should also consider if your preferences would suit your billiard space.

You should also know how to find the right size for your pool table lights. First, you need to know how wide and long your table’s surface is. This will help you determine how large your light fixture should be. Anything from 48-68 inches should provide adequate lighting for full-size tables.

You can also consider single or multi-shade lights, but generally, single-shade lights that give a clear and bright view of your pool table are all you need. 

You can next decide on the type of bulbs to use. Incandescent, LED, or CFL bulbs are recommended, but we prefer LEDs.

When deciding on the design, you often have to choose between Tiffany or stained-glass style and classic designs for your pool table.

 Anything more extra and it will get very distracting.

 

The 6 Best Pool Table Lighting Options Based on Design and Function

The 28-inches wide chandelier is elegant and decorative yet, functional. If you are willing to splurge and need something to complement an overall vintage-style game room, it is the choicest.

Made of real stained glass, the Tiffany-style lighting is pretty heavy and will require professional installation. While it does sound like plastic when hit, it is not plastic. The sound is a result of air purposely allowed between glass pieces.

Its dragonfly design pattern is dazzling and doesn’t let distracting light seep through. 

It contains three pieces of lamp shades and weighs 13lbs. It comes with a 60-inch long, sturdy, and adjustable chain for hanging the chandelier from the ceiling. So you can adjust the height and avoid hitting the light with your cue stick after each shot. 

You can use different types of bulbs, including LED or CFL bulbs or even incandescent bulbs. But note that different bulbs are reflected differently by the chandelier. Edison LED bulbs are recommended.

While this Tiffany Lampshade emits beautiful and colorful light for the room, it shines pure, unaffected light on the pool table. 

There is an impressive refund policy that allows you to return the item within 90 days or request an exchange if any faults or defects are detected.

It is easy to assemble and delivers value for money. It works great as a pool table lighting but can be used for other purposes, over the dining area or even in the kitchen.

If you want modern-looking vintage-style pool table lighting, we recommend the Wellmet 3-light pendant. It also features a tiffany-style build with warm amber tones. Its multicolored palette adds a refined touch to your décor alongside its black frame finish.

You will get enough lighting for your pool table with fixtures for three bulbs. Bulbs are not included in the package but require 60W E26 bulbs. Hence, you can buy LED or CFL bulbs or incandescent bulbs separately.

The lampshade does not entirely cover the fixtures for the bulbs. Therefore, they shine brightly on the pool table and still provide enough light for the room. The white finish on the inside allows light to reflect perfectly on the pool table.

It has dimensions 12.1 x 18.6 x 43.4 and weighs 19.84lbs. Its long chain is 4 feet long and is adjustable. It often arrives as a 2.95-foot long chain, but additional chain lengths can be added for optimum distance from the playing surface. 

It is typically recommended for 7 to 8 foot long tables.

Pros

What we loved the most was its dimmable feature. You can adjust the lighting as needed, at any time. Note that it must be hardwired to a wall switch, and an electrician can easily fix that.

Cons

The downsides we noticed are that assembling is a bit difficult, and it is not made of glass; it looks more like plastic. These, though, do not affect its brightness.

This Springdale pool table lighting option with four light fixtures is the sturdiest choice on this list and is one of Dale Tiffany’s products. It is made of handblown art glass with an antique bronze finish.

It is specifically designed for pool tables and even features multicolored drawings of cue balls and sticks. It definitely adds personality to your billiard room and we love how it gives the feel of being in a real pool hall.

It also features a tiffany-style build and weighs 27.7 pounds with product dimensions of 19 x 43.75 x 62 inches. The 48 inch chain is adjustable, but you need to manually remove the links to shorten it.

Asides from the fragile glass part, it offers brilliant lighting, and its classic design befits any standard pool table. This fixture is compatible with both E26 and E27 bulbs.

It is also direct wired but can be attached to a plug.

Cons

The parts made of glass can easily get broken, so you’ll need to handle it carefully so it doesn’t crack during installation.

We loved Bourbon Street’s innovation with this pool table light. This acrylic pool table light is affordable and customized to suit each person’s needs. It is 44 inches wide and will illuminate any 7-, 8-, or 9-feet pool table.

For customization, you just provide a color scheme, main text, and subtext after placing an order. You can also request a script and choose how you want your text to appear. 

The lamp comes with two 3-feet long sections of hanging chain and 4-feet long power cords for the hard wiring.

It is made of acrylic, which doesn’t shatter, and graphics are printed on it digitally. It has fixtures for four light bulbs. LED/CFL bulbs are recommended but do not come with the package. You can use up to 400W bulbs.

They are perfect for 8 feet tables and do not cast any shadows. The personalized touch makes it possible to create patterns that would perfectly fit your space.

It is easy to install and uses everyday bulbs you can find around, making them easy to switch out.

Bourbon Street offers excellent customer service, with each attendant paying keen attention to detail so that your lamp comes out as expected.  

The hanging chain is adjustable. 

Cons

You have to take out the chains to shorten their length. 

But for us, at this time, this is our favorite customized pool lighting option.

Best Modern Game Room Style – 59” Wellmet Billiard Light

Billiard Balls Pool Table Lighting Overhead

Unlike the Wellmet vintage pool pendant, this was solely designed for pool tables. It is 59 inches long, which allows for better light distribution across large pool tables, and features a minimalist design. 

Its matte metal shade with cue ball décor just above the three downturned conical lampshades housing the bulb holders is the perfect complement for rooms with minimal décor.

The lamp shade is made from premium metal with anti-rust properties, making it a durable option. Overall, the lamp setup weighs 28.59lb and is 59 inches long, 14 inches deep, and 13.62 inches high.

While it is recommended for 7-, 8-, and 9- feet pool tables, it is best suited to the former two. It is a three-light fixture requiring E26 bulbs that you must acquire separately. The lamp shades have ready-made ceramic bulb holders for fitting the bulbs.

Being hardwired, it is safer and more secure. Its attached mounting hardware is sturdy. Since it hangs from two chains on each end instead of one single center chain, it offers better weight distribution and is reasonably easy to install.

The cue balls on the rod atop the funnel-like lamp shades are not meant to be detached for play. They are also smaller than normal cue balls.

It is one of the easiest lights to assemble on the list. They don’t cast shadows on the pool table, even with the spacing between the lampshades. 

The lighting is also adjustable if you find compatible, standard dimmers. The dimmers do not come with the package.

This is another conical shade design retro pendant with an even more minimalist design than the previous 59-inch Wellmet pendant. 

The most obvious difference is the absence of the beam housing the decorative cue balls, although its width is the same.

It is durable and sturdy since it is made from high-quality forged iron. It weighs 19.84lb with product dimensions 59.05 x 14.17 x 13.62 inches.

The three matte lampshades housing the bulb holders are attached to a simple rod hanging from two separate chains equal centimeters apart from each other and the other edges. Each chain is 35.43 inches long and is adjustable.

While the exterior is black, the interior of the lamp shades is white for better reflection. Like every other option on this list of best pool table lighting, it is compatible with 60W E26 bulbs that can be incandescent, LED, or CFL. They cast no shadows on the pool table so you can see all balls and holes.

Cons

If used with dimmable bulbs, you will have to install a dimmable switch, and neither of these comes with the package.

It is a quality piece and looks classy. The only downside to it is the end caps for the rod that looks cheap, although they fit just fine.

If you have some electrical knowledge, it is pretty easy to fix. If not, you can get an electrician to help install it.

Wrap Up

We have seen various design options for pool table lighting and their pros and cons. Depending on what design you favor, you can make a reasonably informed decision based on this basic guide. 

Remember that a well-lit room does not necessarily provide the best lighting conditions for your pool table.

All the pool table lighting on this list must be hardwired into your ceiling. Thus, it would help if you got a professional to do the job for you. 

Ensure that it is properly placed, not too much to the left or to the right or too high or low, neither should the bulbs be too dim or bright.

All the best with deciding! It’s time to go shopping!

Leave a Comment