Topic: Fireball Review!

[bbtuna]

Anges, are you talking to me?  do you mean more on the FB or more tables in general? or are you talking about something else all together

[Comfort Player]

bbtuna,

  Thank you for your review.  It is nice to have an affordable option for a quality table for the casual player on the market in addition to professional versions.

Sounds like the new kid in town is worth heavy consideration ( even if he does look like Ceasar )   

[Old Meister]

Alright BB, now you have to give this table a bit of time, granted, to assess just how playable it is. It's not a Tornado, not a TS. But do you see why I say that there will be some new and interesting styles of play on this table. Something about the liveliness of the ball coupled with the grab on the ball, once someone who plays on the edge get's the feel, well interesting things are going to happen.

[tagger]

Thank you all for this very informative forum.
I purchased the Fireball Coin op in Oct 2011. I am a beginner level player that purchased a table for recreational play and very unlikely to play tournaments. I had little experience with USA tables  so this was somewhat of a blind purchase based on technical info and reviews on this forum. For the past six months I have certainly enjoyed playing on my table and have had no problems with it at all.

Recently I spectated at a Tornado sponsored tournament and played on a Tornado tournament table with a Fireball ball. The major differences I noticed immediately were

1. The rods on the new tornado appeared lighter and smoother than that of my Fireball. More of a difference as opposed to the Tornado being better. However long term the Tornado Rods become marred and the bearings wear out. This is  never really a problem with Fireball rods... which will remain straight and have bearings with a very long life ( and easy change out when needed).

2. Definitely less control on the Tornado...much harder to catch balls . Just feels easier to play on the Fireball. Handles are more comfortable on Fireball.

3. Tornado requires a lot more power to move the ball. I am sure that fatigue will factor in if playing for long  periods.

4. The Tornado surface feels a lot more slippery than the Fireball and seems to contribute to the lack of control. I was told that Tornado doesn’t have a urethane coating on top of the Mylar surface. Fireball puts the Urethane coating on that reacts well to the urethane ball.

5. I found it a lot easier to do bank shots on the Fireball.

6. Sound of scoring a goal is almost whimpy on the Tornado compared to a very satisfying "dunk" on the Fireball.

7. Tornado coin op is lighter than Fireball coin op. At this weight I would not think it is perceptible...but it is even to me!

8 Lighting on the Fireball with a custom Fooslight was far superior  to the light set up at the tournament. i  have no shadows with my set up ( cost about $100) .

9. Fireball has  upmarket scoring system using magnetic balls as opposed to Tornado's boring  numbered cubes.

So I am probably bias and have a lot more playing time on Fireball compared to the Tornado but the differences above certainly stood out  as very obvious to me.

8. The other feature that sets the Fireball apart is the customer service provided by Brad Laurine. I have said it before and I will say it again. It is rare to find this level of customer service unless you shop at Nordstrom or Costco! He is always available via email or phone to answer any questions or concerns . He has a genuine passion for the game and believes in the product he sells. No hard sell but he can provide you with every minute technical detail you may ( or may not ) care for.

Please feel to contact me if I can answer any further questions on this topic.