Topic: Fireball vs Tornado question posed

[BradLaurine]

This question is very fair and I feel it is worth sharing from a Facebook question.

"So Brad why would a Fooser purchase a Fireball Coin-Op when they can get a Tornado T3000 coin-op for the same price?"

Brad's answer: "Thank you for the question Ed. I can simply state that the Fireball Table Coin Op is superior in almost all aspects but that would too simple. If I list 10 facts, would that satisfy the question? Nope, if I list 20 facts would that be enough? Nope, it is all about emotion. We are emotional... Buying a Tornado table is about buying emotionally. Fireball is the mistress that isn't worth leaving your wife over...YET. Until you get use to the idea that your wife (table) is an old, clumsy, slow, breaks down, wears out and is hard to deal with, you aren't going to buy another wife."
For the rest of my answer please go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fireball-Table-Soccer/125092610906983

BTW, you can't find a new Coin Op for anything near $1299.00... or at least I can't.  It is still not apples to apples.

Brad Laurine

[doshounds]

Brad,

Got rid of my wife (not a table) for being hard to deal with.   

[Buckshot]

Brad, you hit the nail on the head, buying a Tornado is an emotional decision. For a lot of players who like Tornado but haven't had the chance to play on a Fireball yet, they're like the fly who spends his entire life trapped in a bottle of vinegar, he thinks it's the sweetest place in the world.

 I've played on Tornado tables and never cared for them. I've played on pretty much every kind of table available in the US. My Fireball is the best table I've ever played on.

[foozkillah]

"Wife-buying?" ? "Wife-replacement?" .... Interesting concept there, BRAD! LOLz !! ...
;
so... there must be some upgrade kit for the wife (or hubby for the lady players) that's available...
;
on Craig's List or eBay, perhaps?
;
 

[Comfort Player]

Aren't all wifes coin-op ? 

Coming up on two year and still loving my Fireball.

[Old Meister]

I'm not going out on a limb here, I say it with complete confidence, you buy a Fireball table because it IS THE FUTURE! Dennis and Brad can take it (US foosball) over from Tornado as long as they keep growing in the direction that they are doing now.  They already have a fun, playable table that supports most styles of foosball and they listen and give feedback to the whole of the foosball community. They also look at every opportunity to expand the game even if it means helping competitor companies. The world foosball community really likes this table and that brings about the scenario that a "norm" is possible. And then we can step beyond all of that with my hope that one day we can bring our own rods(I'd still use Fireball rods) and men to tournaments and play with our preferred set-ups. I feel that this is our future and Tornado is so rigid that it will fade as soon as that becomes a reality. Anyway, where is Tornado going? Same old same old and they are backing off from international play. If you don't grow you go,, ::)I really hope to see Fireball tournament schedules grow and someday some of those tournaments allow a special tournament where custom rod set-ups are allowed.

[crazy8]

why would a Fooser purchase a Fireball Coin-Op

Because:
1) there is a place to play on this table, on a regular basis and a player wants to exceed their current ability
2) there are tournaments in the immediate area on this table and a player wants to be completely prepared
3) no-place in the area has a pro-style table, of any brand, and someone want to learn quality, pro-style foosball and this is an option

Paul

[Old Meister]

If I had to point out one glaring bad thing about Fireball it is, THEY WERE YEARS TOO LATE IN GETTING HERE!  Tornado kept turning off the old TS players so there is a very small window of time left to entice them back.

[crazy8]

Plus, Tornado games are so slow they put us old guys asleep.   

[Nosorog]

For the old school players: did the 3 man goalies ever turn you off and presently do you have any preference?

[crazy8]

It was a long time before I stopped slamming the goalie rod into the wall - but, now that I'm used to it, I like the 3-man goalie.  Again, my perspective is from the slow, but powerful Tornado-style game where the ball spends as much time stopped as it does moving; where the ball is only advanced when there is a definite, planned purpose.  My objective in goal is to control the ball as soon as possible, set-up and sit motionless while scoping the defense, then either shooting on goal or passing to the forward 3-bar - whether singles or doubles.

This is a big change from when I played on Dynamo and Tournament Soccer and my objective was to shooting the ball as soon as possible.  But, it wasn't the change in table that changed my approach, it was a will to compete at a higher-level; to advance from a bar-style game to pro-style game.

Now that I think about it - refraining from banging the walls was something necessary on all the rods, not just the goalie.

The biggest adjustment with the 3-man goalie is leaning to cover the holes at either end of the goal to prevent slop.  Since the goalie's center man doesn't reach as far, a key skill is to always, always, always, no matter where the ball is on the table, always be ready to tilt the goalie backwards and stop the slop.  This skill is probably worth one or two points a game - every game.  Of course in order to do this, you have to learn to move the two goalie rods independantly of each other.  In other words - stop moving them as though, together, they make an impenetrable wall - because they don't.

This is just my opinion.  Feel free to disagree and/or ignore as you wish.

Paul

 

[Old Meister]

I wouldn't miss the 3 man goalie one little bit. Our first Fireball tournament in the NW had one man goalie rods. I felt right at home. I never did get into that tapping back and forth to set up a 2 man shot from the goalie wing men so they have little or no purpose for me.

[FOOZUL]

Old Meister, great posts agree with you 100%...The rest of the world is one man goalie, why should we suffer from one manufacture's decision (back in the day) to save production cost and produce 100% flat ramp-less playfield with 3 goalies. I don't blame the players who got used to it I blame the manufacturer for creating this mess. I wish Fireball never went to 3 men goalie rout in the US, well for sales Brad knew what he was doing. The New Warrior better be one man goalie ... As a rec player, still have 10x more fun on one man goalie tables.

[Nosorog]

I first started playing in Kosovo in 2000, was on a Deutscher Meister, we were just beginners, one day a local Albanian played us and he did a simple shot from the two-man and we were all stunned by it.  Then we found another place on camp with an Italian table, think the name was Chiodi, it had a glass top and the goalie was set a bit back so you couldn't flip it 360 degrees, but it cut down the angles very well.  After the army I went to school in Madison, Wi, and when I saw a Tornado my first thought and question I asked was "why the 3-man goalie?"  I remember being highly unimpressed when the wingmen would deflect the ball into the goal. 

Anyway, I think the 3 man goalie is one thing that keeps casual players from the 70s from enter local dyps or playing when they see a table in a bar.