Topic: Brunswick Tables and Men

[Craig]

Hi all, I am doing some research for making my own table and saw some Brunswick tables at a dealer.  They said that Brunswick used to be part of Tornado and made some similar tables. Is it true that the rods are the same and the men play the same? The men are obviously different in that they are grey and black instead of yellow and black and have human heads. The feet look the same and have many other similarities but I wanted to make sure that they were just as good as a tornado.

Anyone have any experience with Brunswick?  When I try to find info on the web I find nothing. Tornado dealers don't seem to know either.  I am hoping they are balanced, same sturdy plastic, and have the same feet.  I like the look much better.

Thanks,
Craig

[John M]

Hey Craig,

I have played on a couple of Brunswick tables and I can assure you that they are NOT the same as tornado men...they are a much harder plastic and actually feel kinda cheap to play with. Ultimately it will be hard to progress your game with more difficault shots using the brunswick men.

If you are making a table you probably should just buy some new tornado men...I cant imagine them costing that much more than Brunswick men....and in the long run I think you will be much happier.

[GeneT]

I am not totally sure, but I think Brunswick bought Tornado a few years back, they are the parent company.   Big things were suppose to happen.  Still waiting.     

[bbtuna]

Brunswick owned Tornado for quite a few years and just sold it last year to Champion Shuffuleboard

http://www.championshuffleboard.com/

so depending on the year, a Brunswick table may have "borrowed" elements from Tornado

[Tyler Foos]

Actually, Brunswick PWNED them for a while (just trying to use it in a sentence)!

Take care, Tuna................................Tyler

[Craig]

Thanks for the input.  I called Brunswick and spoke with someone in customer service. He said they intend to keep making foosball tables and says they are having some trouble with supply. I asked specifically about the design of the men and he said that they did take the tornado man and changed it to include a more realistic face in order to differentiate the brands when they still owned tornado.  He said the only difference is the head and the colors (gray instead of yellow). He was also kind enough to take the time to send me a sample man to make sure they fit the tornado rod.

I would love to hear from someone on this board who has seen and/or played with these men. Seems like they are not very common though.

[Craig]

Hello all. I received a man from brunswick and here is what it looks like. They have another man that looks more like a robot.
http://picasaweb.google.com/mjcmbk/Foosball#5453042282333651010
(I am affraid I am not too up to speed on embeding pics)

I can see that the foot is similar but not entirely the same (different amount of cross hatching). They are both balanced. The brunswick man's foot is a bit sharper on the bottom.

Has anyone played on or own a table with these men?

Thanks,
Craig