Topic: Is there such thing as a BAD coin-op table?

[mceagle555]

I've found a guy selling a used coin-op table in "good" shape for $250. He seems like an honest guy (I've worked eBay for 8 years and can tell things about people) and doesn't know the brand of the table. I am getting a picture of the table from him this week.

If it is a Tornado, that is a no-brainer, but what are other brands of coin-ops? Are all coin-ops good, or should I stay away from certain ones?

[wildcard]

Yeah, a tornado that has been vended where it hasn't been taken care of (ie: drinks spilled on and in the table, nicks and scratches on the playing surface, etc) could be bad, so make sure you can see the table before you hand over any cash. Place a ball in each of the 4 corners and in front of each goal, and 3 balls between the 5bars--one at each wall and one centered on the logo. If they all roll in approx the same direction then you can probably correct by leveling, but if they all roll differently in wobbly arcs/circles then you may have surface warping and should avoid it like the plague. Ask him to open the table so you can see the inside, you can look under the upper cabinet to see if there is any leakage under the side strips and warping from moisture damage and also on the inner ramps (ramps aren't easily damaged, but you can see if there was a lot of moisture spillage so they are good indicators). If it's a tornado for $250, expect to replace some or most parts, but it could still be a great investment because they were built so solidly. As long as the cabinet and surface are fine, then it is worth rebuilding since new parts will make it play more like new. (duh!  )  Anything else for $250 and you are paying too dang much.

You may find coin-op ts tables (there were greentops, bluetops, and browntops) or coin-op dynamo tables and if you had to make a choice only between them I'd say go for the dynamo but only as a last resort, you still want to go tornado if at all possible.

[bbtuna]

there is no absolute answer to this question...Tornado is almost always good but there are some extreme situations where you might want to pass or consider the maintenance involved to bring it back to standard

there is nothing magical about the table type "coin-op"  - in theory it should be a more durable table since it was made to be used in a public situation but "more durable" is a relative term

"more durable" than what?  there are many reasons I won't go into now but I wouldn't buy anything but Tornado for now...I am not a Tornado homey I am a practical realist and until someone can prove they can build a better product, Tornado, even with its flaws, is far and away the best built table available especially considering the money*

I think it is easy to say, historically, no table has as consistantly built such a durable table and although there are some who would argue, I think most around the world, regardless of their table preference, would list Tornado first as the best build table available - however, tons and tons will argue Tornado isn't the best play because they have grown up on tables which have lots and lots of natural ball control and when they play on Tornado they have a hard time adjusting but more and more are seeing the Tornado value

If you want to throw your money away and don't care if what you buy is a disposable table, then there are lots of options but I don't deal in that area

if you want to buy a table for under $300 good luck...

save your money, by a used Tornado** coin-op and
you will save yourself money in the end,
you will not be disappointed,
you will not have to buy again regardless of your future interest in foosball,
you will have the best resale available if you decide to sell it in the future,
and with basic care, you will have a table that will literally last a life-time

bbtuna

*I think if you like the play style and can afford the price tag, the top of the line Bonzini are tables proven to last a life-time as well but they are not often available used and new Bonzinie start out more than a $1000 higher than a new Tornado

**I have high hopes for the Warrior table but as much as I like the design theory and I know it will be the main table used on the IFP tour for sometime but the first version they have out isn't rugged enough for me to recommend to people especially casual players...however, as soon as it is, I will be giving it a hardy thumbs up...for playability it appears to be the future of American foosball and the newest Tornado changes seem to be drawing the 2 tables closer and closer in play style...right now, Tornado has the build quality edge by a fair margin from all accounts

[bandojohn]

If it is a Tornado and you need parts I have them.  I lost two tables this year to a burst pipe but all hardware from the tables are fine - men, bumpers, rods, coin mech etc.