Foosball players who are about to buy a foosball table can use the lists and reviews of the best foosball tables through online sources like this website. This can help you to select the best option from the hundreds of products available in the market. You can also select a product that falls within your budget. The key features and special additions will also be listed in these sites. This article covers some tips on buying a perfect foosball table for your game room.
Types of Foosball tables
There is no single type of foosball table out there. There are more than 20 types of foosball tables used by a variety of enthusiasts all around the world. It is better to know what type of foosball table you want before buying one. Some of the various types of tables in different countries are listed below.
- Italian tables
- American tables
- French tables
- German tables
- Spanish tables
Although these kinds are for the specific countries, the two main types of foosball tables in the larger context are
- Home-based table
- Commercial table
Commercial foosball table
Commercial foosball tables are the most specialized tables made for commercial use in offices, commercial game centers, etc. Some of these tables come with coin-operated mechanisms that can be used to generate profit from the operation of the table. These tables will have some extra features such as counterweighted players and high-quality levelers and other systems. The materials used in the professional table will be heavier and expensive. They are designed for excessive use.
Home-based Foosball table
As the name suggests, these are bought for causal playing in homes. These will be of lesser quality compared to commercial tables but are a great fit for casual gaming. This will cost a bit lower than the commercial ones.
Factors to be considered while buying the best foosball table
- Location of Use
Knowing the use of the foosball table will help you to choose one. You will be wasting your money if you buy a commercial table for home use that is played once in a week by two people. So, you should plan accordingly to buy either personal use table or the commercial one.
- Size of the table and Space available
You may have a dream of buying the largest table for the game. But, you have to check whether you have enough space for the table in your game room. It will be worse if you buy a table that cannot be placed in your game room. The official dimension of a foosball table is 56 x 30 x 36 inches. Apart from this, you will also need some space for the players and the movement of the rods. You should go for smaller sizes of tables if you don’t have enough space for the standard table.
- Material of the table
The material of the object decides the quality, durability, and pricing of it in all cases. The foosball tables can be made of fiberboards, solid wood, and composites. Of the three, fiberboards cost low while the other two are superior in quality and durability. It is recommended to choose composite boards over solid wood since they are both reasonable in price and have durability. However, composite boards won’t survive any accidental blows from other objects or humans.
- Avoid additional features if you are on a budget
Many foosball tables out there will have unwanted additional features as a symbol of sophistication. These can be an unwanted booster of the cost if you are on a budget. However, they can be helpful in attracting customers to play in commercial gaming centers. Looking for the necessary features in the table will help to save money.
- Thick and adjustable legs
As legs are important for everything to stand, thick legs on a foosball table should be an important factor to look for while buying one. The game can be played by kids also. Hence, a height-adjustable table will be useful for both adults and children.
- Quality of the ball; rods; and board players
The quality of foosball is important. You cannot play a good game if the ball doesn’t roll or if it is influenced by air. Look out for a quality ball. The rods are vital in the game. A solid rod can make it difficult to move. So, it should be a board with hollow rods. The next important things on a foosball board are the on-field players. There are some tables with counterweighted players that are useful to prevent blacking the ball during play. The quality and features of the players are also to be noted. There will be 3 goalies in some tables while a normal board has only 1 goalie. You can choose the board based on your own skill level and the gaming experience you expect to get.
Conclusion
If you decide to buy a foosball table, the necessary research on their types, features, quality, and pricing available in the market should be done in order to justify your money spent.