Topic: Advice for replacing players

[Six wing]

Hey guys,

I have an old sportcraft $250,000 table.  The guys need replacing, but I'd like to upgrade to a better product(I might eventually rebuild the table, but I'm starting here).

Right now, I'm debating between using Shelti or Tornado guys.  Can anyone tell me about the differences in play?  I'm familiar with Tornado, Sportcraft and Fireball(Fireball is my favorite but their guys are pretty spendy).  How do Shelti and Tornado guys differ?

[johnwallan]

I think the shelti figures are a bit wider and have really good texture and edges making for a more defensive and easier controlled game... great for beginners.  I've heard, difficult for pin shots, I also think they are tougher and longer lasting design than toenado.  Great price too.

You know... all around my city... there is crap tables in the corners of restaurants, each poisoning the sport through there build quality and disrepair...so with this said I would also consider boring out warrior players to your bar diameter.  From what I am seeing the company is injecting life into the sport through quite good tables at low entry level prices and significant tournaments.  This should purge some of the dead table wood from the low end and even used market and harmonize the player base a bit more.   So this puts value on being familiar with the figures and table style.  Given you likely have banked corners... well its a good fit.   

fyi... fireball is 16mm .. you likely need 5/8"...sureshot figures may be required

Jim sells a few figures here, and  if I were you I would buy samples and place them on your center forward and try em out.  Each has their own articulation and may not please you.  I have done the same, and favor... hmmm not sure...  on retrofits Fireball for fun shots, warrior for price and competition.  Let me know where you find the fireball figures in north america and I'll buy you a set of warriors.

[kman22]

On Ebay right now.
Supposedly they fit the 5/8th but I would hazard its a tight fit.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Full-Set-of-26-Warrior-Red-and-Blue-Pro-Foosball-men-Fits-any-5-8-rod-/161410663164?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2594d342fc

@$25 + shipping its a pretty good deal.

[johnwallan]

right on.. no drilling req'd!

[Six wing]

Is "warrior" different from both "shelti" and Fireball?  I'm sorry, Portland, which used to be a haven for foos back in the day(so I'm told), has precious little foos anywhere.  There are a few locations around town with decent Tornado tables, and one dive bar that has a good Fireball table, and that's it as far as I can find.  It's sad.  So I'm not up to speed on brands.

The part two to this is that the slop in the players seems to be coming from the screws fitting loosely in the rod holes.  The screws seem to be in proper condition, and they're only threaded beyond the hole.  Do I need new screws, new rods(also in decent shape), or should I be using pins?

[kman22]

Warrior players need pins. They are different from shelti and fireball. Check out warrior foosball .com to see images.

[johnwallan]

Sometimes people load (oversized) figures such as 16mm on 5/8" bars... it is a small difference but can lead to slop problems and broken figures. 

Using a micrometer you can figure out your exact bar OD dimension and pin hole OD dimension.  Sample some roll pins and figures to match.  Note roll pins are a bit compressed in the bar hole, leading to a more snug fit.  Sometimes the locknut and fastener setup can get real sloppy as the bar hole or fastener wears.

As an example,  on the table I'm retrofitting now, it was loaded with 16 mm men on 5/8" bars using locknut and fastener.  This minor tolerance mismatch created a loose man prone to breaking, the locknut wore the figure loose, and the men could not be tightened.  After some measurements and successfully loading a shelti man and tornado roll pin, I know 5/8" will work very well on this table.