Dynamo Air Hockey

[bkenobi]

I'm looking at picking up a Dynamo Hot Flash (I think) air hockey table.  Just wondering if anyone has any strong opinions about this model or Dynamo in general?  I'd like to get an idea if $75 is a steal or a rip off too.  Thanks!

[whammoed]

That is a steal.  They are over $3k new.  I have a photon and love it.  Be prepared, they are heavy.

[bkenobi]

Yeah, I looked around and saw that some are VERY expensive.  I wasn't sure if Dynamo did as some other companies have and made cheap knock off tables for the home crowd.  From the picture, it looks like it's got a coin mech, so it can't be that bad even if it's economy!

If not for the 8-9" of snow that fell on the guy last night, I'd probably go down this morning to pick it up!  Btw, is there a site that lists dimensions for these?  I'd like to know if it will fit in my Ranger or if I should borrow my dad's F250.  The tailgate is so much higher on his so I'd rather use mine.

[whammoed]

Dynamo does make a cheap "home" version table but the Hot Flash is not one of them.  They also make home versions of their coin op models that are exactly the same except no coin door.
http://www.valley-dynamo.com/dynamo/hotflash2.asp
That link is for the Hot Flash 2 which is an 8 foot table.  Not sure if the original came in 7foot, 8foot, or both?

[bkenobi]

Good to know.  It looks like this one is an 8' table and it definitely has a coin door so it must have been a commercial version.  Now I just have to figure out dimensions of the legs relative to the table to see if I can squeeze it in my pickup.  Thanks for the info!

[bkenobi]

I just heard back from the guy selling the table.  Apparently, someone spilled a drink on it at one point and bulged the wood underneath.  He took the laminate off, sanded it, and glued it back down.  He said that and the holes need some redrilling to clean them.  Is this likely to be a huge PITA that my wife will kill me over, or something minor that I can fix?  I've never worked on an air hockey table, so I'm not sure what I would be getting into here.  I know a new playfield would cost close to $1000 + shipping from Texas.

[HaRuMaN]

Hmm.  That sounds like a deal breaker to me.  That table will probably never be right again.

[bkenobi]

Yeah, as much as I want a nice Dynamo table, I would be up ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- creek in terms of WAF if I brought a junk table home.  I've seen other Dynamos pop up from time to time (obviously at a higher price), so I'll just have to wait till something better comes up.

BTW, are the Easton or Harvard tables any good?  I know they aren't commercial quality, but are they good enough to not worry about damaging through robust play?

[whammoed]

Still not a bad deal if everything else is in good shape.  Would be worth it to someone I think.  I bought mine new four years ago because I couldn't find any used ones, so I'm a bit crazy.

[bkenobi]

It's a bit of a drive to get down to the guy (~1 hour without traffic, ~1.5-2 hours with...each way).  Plus, we just had a nasty snow that people around hear don't deal with very well.  I'm sure something else will come along, so I'm not too worried.  Thanks!