RESIN TABLE COMPARISON

A common question we get is: What is the difference between Abacus resin tables and the other ones out there? What makes ours so special? Why should I spend the extra on an Abacus table? The answer is that there are many differences, and some of them are quite big differences as well.

In the video, I show one of our resin tables that has been in the showroom for about a year, alongside another resin table that we bought from a different workshop about 12 months ago. So, each table is the same age. I’ll talk you through their major differences, both in appearance and what happened to them over the last 12 months.

DIFFERENCE 1: THE OAK

The first difference with the Abacus resin table is the oak. This is pippy oak, a really characterful pippy oak. You can see the level of character, the interesting shapes, curves, and colours in the river and the character through the top. It’s breathtaking. There’s something going on everywhere. On the other hand, the table from the other workshop is quite bland. The pippiness in the Abacus top is everywhere. In this other top, there are one or two small areas here and there. The river’s got quite straight edges with the occasional feature. It’s night and day. There’s a big difference between how interesting and beautiful the oak is.

DIFFERENCE 2: THE RIVER

The second difference is the river itself and the patterning of the river. In the Abacus table, you’ve got a very interesting river pattern with swirls and depth all the way through. It’s mesmerising. Every time I look at it, I see something new. It’s a beautiful table. When you look at the table from the other workshop, again, it’s quite bland. The river’s got some kind of flow in it, with bits that are deeper than others and some bits that are quite blocky in colour, with bits of glitter here and there. It’s night and day again. It’s a completely different style.

DIFFERENCE 3: QUALITY OF RESIN WORK

The third difference is the quality of the resin work. It’s probably easier to look at the other workshop table first. If you look along this river, there’s overspill of the resin onto the wood everywhere. The wood is discoloured in sections all along it because there’s not been much care and attention put into it. It’s very difficult to avoid that. But if you look at the Abacus table, it’s absolutely perfect. You won’t see any overspill anywhere along it. It’s a precision clean line. The care and attention to detail that’s gone into our table versus the other is on another level altogether.

DIFFERENCE 4: FULLY ENCASED IN RESIN

Our table is completely encased in a thin, clear coat of resin, whereas the other workshop table just has resin in the middle. There are important reasons and effects of working this way. The reason people don’t encase the whole table in resin is, firstly, it’s an expensive process. Resin isn’t cheap, so it’s a cost-saving measure. Secondly, it is very difficult to encase a table in resin and do a high-quality job. As you put clear resin over wood, it draws out all the air, resulting in air bubbles everywhere. Most tables from other workshops that are completely encased in resin have bubbles everywhere. With our tables, we use a process of degassing the wood first so that you won’t see any air bubbles across our tables.

DIFFERENCE 5: CERAMIC COATING

We not only encased our table in resin, but we also put a hard ceramic coating over it to make the surface more functional. The consequences of not doing so are evident in two ways, and this is what’s happened to the two tables over the last year. The wood on the other workshop table now looks quite pale, and when I run my hand over it, it’s rough in patches. Our table, in contrast, is still glassy smooth, smoother than glass, with a beautiful brand-new feel.

The second, more serious issue is that the other workshop table is now starting to twist and deform out of shape. One corner has dipped down, and another corner is bending upwards. This is because the oak breathes at different rates to the resin, pulling away and losing its shape. This table is essentially a disposable item now.

COST & VALUE

The cost of the table from the other workshop is less than the cost of our table brand-new. There is no argument that our tables are more expensive, but this other table can’t be repaired and is a disposable item. It needs to be discarded. Those are the differences. They’re significant. There’s a cost difference, but you get long-term value, enjoyment, and unparalleled beauty. We will not compromise by making anything in a cheap way. We will only make the very best thing that can be made.