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How to Buy The Best Arcade Style Air Hockey Table for Your Home Game Room
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Do you love the game of air hockey? The sound of pucks bouncing off the table edge, the slap of a mallet, the rattle and clink of a successful shot on goal? If so, then you know that there's nothing quite like playing a game on an arcade style air hockey table. These tables are built for serious players, and they provide an incredibly realistic and satisfying gaming experience. If you're looking at buying a high quality arcade style or commercial air hockey table, this is the guide for you. Here, we'll dive deep about arcade style air hockey tables and why you might want to buy one. We'll also provide some tips on how to choose the right table for your home game room. So without further ado, let's get started!
Looking for bubble hockey? We've got you covered! Check out our guide to buying a bubble hockey table for your game room.
Most people reading this site are already probably familiar with what an air hockey table is. Eponymous with arcades, pool halls, amusement centers and home game rooms, air hockey is a game that's been enjoyed by many people since it's introduction in 1972.
At its core, an air hockey table is a large, smooth playing surface that features two open slots at either end that players shoot small plastic discs (pucks) through in order to score points. The most unique feature of an air hockey table is the perforated play field that when combined with a powerful motor and fan system, creates a cushion of air that the puck floats on top of.
Most air hockey tables are built for two players, but some are built to allow four or more players to play at once.
Colin is the chief pixel pusher at Kineticist. He's a lifetime gamer who became enamored with pinball after taking in a family copy of the 1979 classic Joker Poker (the EM version). Since then he's bought, sold and repaired many machines, competed in all kinds of tournaments, and contributes to This Week in Pinball, the New England Pinball League, and Pin-Masters of New England. Previously, Colin spent over a decade working in marketing for agencies and tech startups. He also started and ran a music blog, happy hour website, and wrote a regular craft beer review column for Central Track in Dallas. Once aspired to be an artsy film director.
Air hockey is a very simple game to learn to play, and can be enjoyed by players at all skill levels. If you're already familiar with games like tennis, pong, hockey, soccer, ping pong, and more, then you probably have a grasp of the rules.
Two people play against each other and try to score goals hitting flat plastic discs (pucks) with a hand-held mallet into the scoring area at the opposite end. The table has raised edges so the puck can bounce off and the surface is very smooth, with a forced air system which creates a cushion of air, helping the puck move smoothly across the play surface, almost like a hockey puck on ice.
While there are many variations to the rules of the game, an officially sanctioned match usually comprises a best of 5 format, with each set comprising 7 games. Players win a game by being the first to score 7 points (goals) on their opponent.
Generally speaking, if you're looking for an arcade style air hockey table for your game room, then you're probably looking for an air hockey table that's full, regulation size (8'), has even airflow, a flat surface, strong bulit-in blower motor, and generally a higher build quality air hockey table then something you could purchase on a site like Amazon or Wayfair.
If you're a competitive air hockey player, you may also be looking for a specific air hockey manufacturer or model, like the ones authorized by the United States Air Hockey Association (USAA), typically produced by Brunswick, Dynamo, and Gold Standard.
Otherwise, you may be looking for an arcade style hockey table for the visual flair, light show, or other unique features (like a sloped play surface, electronic scoring, sound effects) that make the game more fun to play or that add style and energy to your game room lineup.
Arcade style air hockey tables will also be a much larger investment then a more casual model, running anywhere from $2,500 at the low end to nearly $12,000 or more for a 4-way table.
There are a lot of options to consider when trying to evaluate the best air hockey tables for your game room.
First, it's probably most important to decide if you want a regulation model authorized by the United States Air Hockey Association. While still arcade quality, these tables tend to be more utilitarian than some of the other arcade style options that you might consider. But, if you buy a USAA authorized air hockey table, you'll be guaranteed a consistent, repeatable, and high quality play experience that you can use to practice your skills for competitive play.
Current (as of 2020) authorized competitive air hockey tables include the following games:
If you're willing to branch outside the constraints of the authorized table list, you start to get a lot more options. Of course you'll find some more creative offerings from Dynamo (under their master Valley Dynamo brand) and Gold Standard. But, you'll also come across quality air hockey tables from arcade industry powerhouses like ICE Games, WIK, Bandai Namco Arcade, Barron Games, Sega Amusements, Kalkomat, Great American and others.
With these tables, you'll often find features such as:
You'll certainly pay a premium for a quality arcade style air hockey table for your game room, however the upgraded materials, build quality, and manufacturer reputation is generally worth the cost for players who want the best experience with minimal headaches.
A basic competition worthy air hockey table like the Gold Standard Home Pro Elite will set you back roughly $2,500 and that's before any applicable taxes or shipping fees.
Something a little more stylish like the 8' Dynamo Fire Storm Home Air Hockey table can run about $7,500. There are of course other tables that sell for much more than that.
Of course if you can find a used table on a site like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or through a local games vendor, you may be able to knock off a few thousand dollars on that sticker price, depending on the condition of the machine.
Most arcade style air hockey tables come in either 7' or 8' versions. Stick with the 8' if you want an authentic, competition level experience.
Depending on the specific model you buy, an 8' table may have the following dimensions (measurements based off the Valley Dynamo Fire Storm Air Hockey Table):
A 7' table will have measurements close to these (based off the Great American Power Air Hockey Coin-Op Side Score Game)
Like most high quality arcade and game room machines, with proper maintenance and care, an arcade style air hockey table can last for many, many years.
Of course if you plan on holding onto your air hockey table for years (or even decades) you may need to replace or tune up certain parts over time (like electronic components or the blower motor).
Otherwise, with regular use and irregular cleaning, your air hockey table may only last a few years before the gameplay experience starts to degrade.
For an arcade or commercial quality machine, your best bet is to buy from an established game room distributor like Betson (primarily a commercial vendor, but will do home sales), Game Room Guys, Maine Home Recreation, or your own local distributor.
There are a lot of quality air hockey manufacturers to choose from when deciding to buy an arcade style table. It's important to be selective when choosing the brand of air hockey table you buy, as you want to be sure the quality and craftsmanship is up to your likely high expectations.
Some of the top air hockey table brands include:
Really when you start looking at arcade style air hockey tables, you're looking mostly for build quality. Look for solid construction, and high quality parts and construction. You'll also want to make sure the blower motor is strong and that the airflow creates a smooth, consistent play experience.
Beyond that, it's really up to personal preference! If you want cool colors and LED lights, there's a table for you! If you want something themed after a favorite video game character or comic book hero, there's a table for you! If you want something with a unique playfield design, or something that can operate outdoors, there's a table for you too!
Pretty much anywhere you might consider buying your arcade or commercial level air hockey table, you can get some air hockey pucks. Plus, you can find quality air hockey pucks on sites like Amazon or Ebay too.
For the most part, stick with pucks that are authorized by the USAA to ensure you're getting the highest quality product. Currently, the USAA sanctions three different types of pucks.
All the pucks above are 3 1/4" in diameter and made from high quality fiberglass and are heavier than most other pucks on the market, which you want when you're using a higher quality table.
Air hockey pucks are an important part of the game, and it's important to use the right ones with your arcade style air hockey table. This ensures a smooth, consistent play experience.
You can acquire air hockey mallets almost everywhere you would think to buy an arcade or commercial level air hockey table, just like with your pucks. In addition, Amazon and Ebay are both good sources for excellent air hockey mallets.
While the USAA isn't as specific with their mallet recommendations as they are with their pucks, they do advocate that mallets have the following features:
For an easy purchase, we recommend sticking with the Gold Standard brand of air hockey accessories. This would be a good pick for most people:
When it comes to arcade style air hockey tables, there are a lot of factors to consider when making your purchase. This guide has aimed to cover the most important aspects of buying an air hockey table and provide some quality brands and models for you to choose from. No matter what your needs or wants may be, we're sure you'll be able to find the perfect arcade style air hockey table for your home game room. Thanks for reading!
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