Topic: Tornado Table Identification

[EcoliUVA]

Hello gentlemen,

My wife and I have just bought a house, and intend to turn our dining room into a "pub" room, which will include one of my favorite pastimes from college - foosball!  I played upwards of three or four times per week (6 or 7 years ago) on what I believe to be a Tournament Soccer "Quarter Million Dollar" table from the 70's.  It was solidly built (much better than a number of tables I've played on), but my perception of what is "good" in a foosball table is apparently off.  Having been lead to the Tornado and Shelti tables for quality (with the former being more common), I found a few on craigslist and would like some help identifying a couple of them:

Table 1: http://blacksburg.craigslist.org/tag/4003474888.html
Table 2: http://charlotte.craigslist.org/spo/3978041480.html

The first one appears to say "sport" but I'm not 100% certain.  When I google "Tornado Sport," I find a page indicating that is uses a "Two Man Goalie System." No idea what that means, but there are definitely 3 men in the picture, so perhaps it's something else?

From cursory research, it seems that some of the lower end/older Tornado tables do not have counterbalanced men.  I'd really like to know if either of these do.  Though I got pretty good at it, it was always a pain to have to balance upside down for singles, haha.  If a table does not have counterbalanced men, is it acceptable/possible to install men that are?

As a bonus, any idea what this Shelti is? http://charlotte.craigslist.org/spo/3957545064.html  Doesn't look as robust as their current offerings.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

[Chaggy31]

That shelti table is garbage. The table 1 tornado is like a whirlwind, thinner walls, crap berings, low end table. Table 2 is called the cherry mahogany tornado coin op. Nice looking table. Better quality! Heavier,better bearings, better resale value. Offer $600 to start, see if he bites. Don't go no more than $700. You can always do upgrades to the tables also. Handles, low profile bearings and clear side strips to name a few.  Good Luck!

[alaskan thunder]

That shelti table is garbage. The table 1 tornado is like a whirlwind, thinner walls, crap berings, low end table. Table 2 is called the cherry mahogany tornado coin op. Nice looking table. Better quality! Heavier,better bearings, better resale value. Offer $600 to start, see if he bites. Don't go no more than $700. You can always do upgrades to the tables also. Handles, low profile bearings and clear side strips to name a few.  Good Luck!

I agree with everything but your pricing. $600 is way too much for that. I would offer $450 and maybe pay $500. You will need to drop at least another $100 to get it up to spec with sidestrips, handles and some new balls. Thats without buying new men or bearings. There are lots of Tornado Coin-Op tables in that area. I just bought one for $150. It was rough but after a few hours and $100 in new parts I resold it for $500. And it was newer than that table.

[bbtuna]

to start with, forget all the other tables and focus on a Tornado coin op...read this below, you can take all the table prices on there down another $100-$200 because its been a while since I updated it

the cherry table in general (I don't know about the specific one you are looking at) is a really good table...I have one and its near 10 years old already and like new still (I take care of it) and I have averaged over an hour a day over the 10 years

I don't know what your budget is but most people who come on here don't want to spend much but occasionally there is someone who isn't concerned about spending real money to get a table that will last a lifetime and bring you great job and pride when it arrives at your home...what I mean is, if you can, buy brand new (well, tournament used) coin op...the tables are like new and it will save you $150...the table Tornado is making right now is one of the best, top 2-3 for sure, they have ever made.  Some think it is the best....for sure great table.  You get them from Charles MacIntosh at Tornado.com (he is the largest distributor in the country for Tornado but despite his web address, he is not Tornado company)....he is a player promoter and has been around the game 40 years and selling Tornado over 30...he is honest and trustworthy

feel free to contact me anytime if you would like personal help finding a table...use my email or call.  I don't charge anything and don't get anything, I just do it because I love the game and it is my way of giving back and supporting the game.  I will take as much time as you need and no question is too small or dumb and you can ask the same thing a dozen times….well, you get the idea.  I am bbtuna on here but my name is Charles.  Tables are sort of my thing…I know a few things about the game as well if you have questions about that.

Last thought, I recommend the coin op even if you are casual and never plan to play in local, regional, or national tournaments….good is good….its been a very long time since I read my post so I probably covered all this in there, sorry for doubling up, I am up late and excited about World Championship playing this weekend and I was up to 1am watching it streaming video

Anyway, here is my link, good luck

http://foosball.com/forum/index.php?topic=2704.0

Regards,
bbtuna, tuna, Charles, !$%$!...