Game Tables Overview and Purchasing Tips

The early twentieth-century commentator Henry Louis Mencken once joked, “It is impossible to imagine Goethe or Beethoven being good at billiards or golf.” Even the most serious, however, often enjoy indulging in a game, and with a game table you can enjoy games in your own home.

 

Before running out to purchase a game table, however, you should be aware of the different options. Aside from choosing the exact game, you want, you will also have some other decisions to make.

 

·        Table vs. Tabletop: With many table games, including air hockey, billiards, and shuffleboard, you can purchase either a standalone game table, or a tabletop model that rests on top of a pre-existing table. The tabletop models are often several hundred dollars cheaper than standalone game tables, but they are also not full-size games, and they are often less sturdy than the standalone tables.

·        Multi-Game Table vs. Individual Game Table: Multi-game tables come with convertible tops so that you could play, for example, table tennis, air hockey, and billiards simply by removing one tabletop and adding another. These multi-game tables or tabletops are often cheaper than individual game tables, but like tabletop models, they are usually not full-size and are not high quality surfaces.

·        Size: Foosball tables are approximately three feet by one foot, but a ping-pong table is more than three times that size. Determine how much room you have for a game table remembering that you would substantial space around the game table for players to stand, move, and celebrate.

·        Cost: How much are you willing to spend? Models of most game tables start at approximately $125, but the best models sell for three to five times that amount. Consider how often you will use the game tables as well as how important it is to you to have a high-quality table.

 

Finally, ask salesmen about any extras that might come with the game table. Is there a warranty included with the table, and if so, what does it include? How easy is it to purchase replacement parts? Are assembly, delivery, and installation included? 

 

There are several brands of game tables, and several stores sell them, so ask friends and neighbors where they purchased their game table. Look for an inexpensive table, but make sure it is still a quality table. If you will regularly use a poor-quality table, it will break much sooner than a high-quality table will.