Topic: Help me buy my Tornado table

[rradjabi]

I stumbled across an add for a Tornado Cyclone II for $300. I'm going to go check out the table this weekend before buying it, but I'm pretty sure I want to buy it (unless  there's some major problem with the table). The one odd thing he mentioned about the table is that it has the ball returns on the ends of the table, not at the center.

Can you tell me what to look for when checking out the table? I'm rather familiar with the standard Tornado that you find in a pool hall, but I don't think I can distinguish a '98 from an '02, as I've seen some of you able to do. Should I ask him to tell me the serial number before I go to look at it?

[rradjabi]

Hey guys, could I get someone to help me out please? I need some advice!

[pigbat]

I believe all cyclone's have the center ball return.

[rradjabi]

So I bought this table. I'm not sure how old it is. It has an older Tornado logo in the center (it looks like the logo a ways don on this page: http://tornadofoosb.powweb.com/store/page8.html). The men are counter-ballanced, and the rods are hollow. It doesn't have the nice leg levelers. Also, the table has that dark grey marble finish on the cabinet, and there is no emblem specifying the model of the table.

The strange part about the table is that the goals hold onto the balls. There is no ball return mechanism, the balls just sit in the goal. Has anyone ever seen that?

Aside from that, the table plays like a coin-op, and i got it for 300, so i'm happy.

[Daniel]

Yea I have one these tables it plays very nice.  I have had this table for over 10 years.

[rradjabi]

I love the table. It plays perfectly. The rods are a little bit dirty and border-line rusty in some places, but I used some silicon spray on them and they're great.

I still don't understand why the goal is so incomplete. It's a bit of a pain to have to stick my hand in the goal box to retrieve the ball.