Re: Where do I buy a table???? Used and which one Author Bruce Nardoci Date: 1998/10/29 (revised 4/99) Forum: rec.sport.table-soccer messager@juno.com wrote: > > I want to buy my son a table. what and where??? For anyone who's considering buying a foosball table for the first time, but is wondering what type of table to buy, the below is a response I gave to someone who e-mailed me for advice for buying a table for his young son. Hope the info in it provides some things to think about when buying a table... "The differences (even apparently subtle ones) from one brand of table to the next can have a significant effect on a player's ability to play as they normally would. Once a new player becomes fairly proficient, they'll naturally want to test their skills against the best players they can find (which will usually only happen at a foosball tournament). However, if they play on one type of table, and tournaments are on another type of table, they'll be at a frustrating disadvantage because the different table will affect their ability to do shots/passes/etc as well as they can on the table they normally play on, causing them to lose to players they really are better than. Normally, if the new player intends to become serious about playing foosball, I'd recommend that they only play on the same tables the major tournaments in their area are held on. However, since you're talking about a 6 year old, you may just want a table to have fun on in your basement. If that's the case, I'd recommend buying the cheapest full size table you can find from a reputable dealer (such as Sears) that'll be around for a few years in case you need to buy some replacement parts (broken men, worn out balls, etc). I don't know which of the cheaper tables are the best without looking at them - I've seen a few, and some were much better quality than others, but I can't remember which was which now - I mainly pay attention to the top-of-the-line table brands. If you do think he'll want to become a serious player, buy a home model version of the table in your area that tournaments are held on (for example, Bonzini). It's more expensive than the Sears etc type tables, but they are very good quality and will last for many years, and if he ever wants to play in a tournament he'll at least be able to play up to his full ability. Another reason you might want to buy a home model tournament table is that it would be much easier to sell it for a good price if he decides he doesn't like foosball, since it's know to be good quality, and other serious foosball people who play in tournaments like to buy them to practice on at home, whereas they wouldn't buy a non-Tournament table to practice on for the reasons I mentioned above. If you buy a Sears (or whatever) table for fun now, and he later decides to become a serious player, he will have essentially wasted a lot of practice time on the Sears table, since only the most basic skills he learned on the Sears table will be applicable to the Tournament table - he'll have to relearn many of his shots/passes to get them to work effectively on the tournament Table. I'm not trying to be a shill for the major tournament type tables, but the realities of playing in the USA mean you need to play only on the tournament type Tables if you want to play at your full capabilities in tournaments against the top players. Hope this helps."