Vortex or Tornado Spinner and why

[vader]

Which one of these do you guys prefer, the Vortex or the Tornado.  I'm leaning towards Oscars even though I never played Tempest in the arcades simply because people tend
to like them alot, but that can be said of the tornado also.  Just looking for some opinions
out there and I'm sure they'll be on the way....

Tim

[dweebs0r]

The SlikStik spinner wont work with your minipac encoder unfortunately.  Not really a big deal, it has its own encoder but if your were trying to keep only one cable coming from the controller than you'd have to plug both of em into a usb hub or something.

--Dweebs

[vader]

Thanks Dweeb, I'm aware of that....but hell....one more wire out the back....not  a big deal......just concerned with functionality at the moment

[dweebs0r]

I'm sure you've seen this but I've gotta give it to Kevin at Retroblast he has some great reviews.  One of them is a big spinner comparo:

 http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/roundup.html

Maybe it can answer your questions.  Overall, people seem to be happiest with the Oscar model b/c of the great spin times and feel, but for the pure retro, I'd hafta go with the Vortex spinner and a Vortex knob.

--Dweebs

[maraxle]

Personally, I needed a spinner that worked in DOS for a project I did.  The Tornado couldn't do that for me, but the Oscar ones could.  That decided it for me. 

However, an advantage of the Tornado is the tiny footprint.  In that respect, there's no comparison.

[NoOne=NBA=]

Truthfully, you won't be disappointed with either of them.
I opted for Oscar's DOT spinner because I wanted the up/down function.

[krick]

The SlikStik spinner wont work with your minipac encoder unfortunately.

Errr...  so I assume the Tornado Spinner won't work with an Opti-Pac either?

Is there some way to hack it to work with an Opti-Pac?

I'm really sold on the small footprint.

[Tailgunner]

I'd go with Oscar's simply because of the feel. The Tornado has an edge on a crowded panel where space is an issue, but if you're used to a Tempest spinner's feel the Vortex is what you'd want.

[teef two]

Whilst I've voted for the vortex I have to qualify this by saying that's the spinner I have and I have never had my hands on a Tornado spinner.

That said I am very happy with the feel of the vortex, exactly as I remember them being in the arcade.

[Lilwolf]

I voted for Vortex myself

Oscar is GREAT, and his amazing rep adds a few points making it hard to compete. 

But the real reason is construction.  I've heard that the Tornados are made with aluminum and can bend (they shouldn't, but they can) and the only advantage is a longer spin time that requires it to be perfectly aligned (and slight bending would do it).  And I have hotswappable control panels so I have the underside touch things all the time.

But I bet both would make anyone out there happy.  Oscars extra products and customer support could easily tip the scale... but the extra strength construction really puts it in Vortex's side

[Hoagie_one]

i built my own from a hard drive and a mouse

[vader]

Hoagie,

I know alot of people prefer to do that, but I don't know if my skills is up to that area yet, if I built one, it would probaly wobble like a bent rim.

Tim

[whammoed]

I went with the tornado due to its size.  Had to squeeze it onto a cocktail side panel.  Works really well for me and the kids love to give it a spin.

[shmokes]

I don't have either yet, but I'll second the Tornado due to its size.  Even if I wanted to use one of Oscar's spinners I can't because they take up so much room on the underside of the control panel -- at least twice as much as the Tornado, which only needs about two square inches, IIRC.  I plan to get a Tornado eventually.

[Hoagie_one]

Hoagie,

I know alot of people prefer to do that, but I don't know if my skills is up to that area yet, if I built one, it would probaly wobble like a bent rim.

Tim

It was surprizingly easy.  I have like 3 extra har drive bearings.  I may make a few more and sell em

[JCKnife]

Curious too if everyone gets the Tempest knob on the vortex? Obviously that would be best for tempest, but for $6 I also ordered the rubber one to try out.

I haven't recevied them yet.

[Stingray]

Six of one, half dozen of the other. I went with a Tornado because I needed the smallest one possible due to severe space limitations, but I feel 100% confident in saying that Oscar's is probably just as good if you have room on your panel for it. The Tornado performs like a dream in Tempest, which is the #1 reason why I got a spinner in the first place.

-S

[RacerX]

I went with an Oscar spinner (this was at least 2, and maybe 3 years ago so it's an older model).  It works great, and Oscar's customer service is second to none.

[clanggedin]

I went with the tornado because it was only a few $$ more than the Oscar one I want and it has amazingly long spin times. I love how it feels too.

You can't go wrong with either decision too.

[Matt Berry]

I bought the Tornado and when I received it I was surprised by how well built and solid it was. It exceeded my expectations, It is smooth, knob is great, and it feels great in your hand. It seems to spin forever. I have thought about buying the vortex or just heading down there to see them in person to see how the two compare but I haven't had the chance to do that yet. Seriously I think either one would be a wise investment. Definetly nicer then any spinner I've built.

[Mameotron]

I went with Oscar's Vortex, and was so blown away with his customer support.

[Zero_Hour]

I have a Tron spinner, with an Oscar Oprtical board since the stock Tron Board was a nightmare. Nothing feels as authentic as something authentic. That's largely why I made the choice I did. I'm quite certain that either the tornado or the vortex would be great (even superior) choices, but to have some original parts from one of my favorite games will more than make up for that.

[Kremmit]

Errr...