Playcraft Sport 40-Inch Table Top Air Hockey

I bought this table as a Christmas gift for my young sons. Two things had me nervous, though: the price is awfully low for what this is (does cheap price mean cheap quality?) and the two-star review from REM reporting a defective unit blowing air the wrong way.

Being paranoid, the box came and I tested the table out long before Christmas came and when the kids weren't home. If the air hockey table I got wasn't working, I wanted plenty of time to return it and get something else.

Well, right away it was clear that the table was NOT working. But for this, I really want to thank REM. If I had just plugged this in without any prior knowledge, I might have assumed the table was just really, really weak (which for the price is a plausible possibility, yet you CAN hit the puck around successfully) or I would have returned the thing altogether. But REM said exactly what was wrong; the fan was blowing air the opposite way.

This is easy to test, of course. Right away, either your puck is doing its proper little sliding "float"--the familiar thing every air hockey table ought to do when you plunk your quarters into it--but also if you put your hand underneath where the fan's motor is, if you feel a LOT of air hitting your hand, well, that's the air that is supposed to be coming up through the little holes on the table.

I was bummed. But then I thought, "Why not just pop that motor off and see if I can turn the fan around?" And that's exactly what I did. This was easy: four screws, pop the fan guard off, turn the motor around to face the opposite way, put the guard on the other side, then screw those four screws back in. No problem, it was working perfectly. Five minute fix.

So the defective table was totally fixable, and the problem was a pretty simple one on the manufacturer's side. At the same time, I cannot endorse any product that comes to you NEEDING to be fixed. If you're remotely handy, then maybe this is a complete non-issue, though.

Two extra things: the box the table came in had clearly been returned. Someone dropped the ball (the puck?) there, then. Clearly another customer had returned this table and someone on the other end--Amazon or whoever else--didn't check it or fix anything. Maybe I even got REM's returned table, who knows? Maybe this is just one table that two customers have had to deal with, considering the other many positive reviews. Still, it's something to keep in mind before you order.

And secondarily, four screws that were supposed to have holes for them did not have the holes for them on the table. I just applied a little elbow grease and screwed them in anyway. Again, this wasn't a big deal, but it does make you realize that quality control was not priority number one. Two mistakes on one table doesn't make me want to recommend the product.

Now, once I did my fixes, I must say, it IS a cool table. The round edges by the goals are a great touch. It's a good size for little ones--not too big, not too small. The pucks are smaller, the paddles red and smaller, yet plenty big for adults. There's the number dial for keeping score, one at each goal, and a goal that leans the puck out for you when someone scores. I like it enough to NOT return it (heck, I put too much work into the table to give up on it now!). It is not yet "kid tested," though, so I promise to come back post-Christmas and perhaps update my review. Even so, there's a lot to like here. If this table had come the way it was supposed to run, I would have given this a five-star review. (Is two stars too low for a defective but fixable table? I don't know, but I just feel ANYTHING that comes defective can't get the "passing" three-star mark.)

My bottom-line advice: If this is for you and just for fun and you're at all comfortable with basic fixing, go for it. If you're getting this, like me, for someone else, like your kids, you'd be wise to just test everything first so no one's young heart gets broken. But if you don't want the trouble, then don't let the glowing reviews fool you; there are clearly quality control issues and it may not be worth the headache. Amazon makes returns easy and the box is relatively light for what it is, but heck, I'd hate to return something so huge, just to have to mailed off to another customer, as it turns out. Consider investing in something better.

I got this as a Valentine's Day present for my husband and he loved it. It arrived in perfect condition and unbelievably fast, about 2 days after I ordered it. The quality of the product is great. We don't use it on a table, but rather put it on the floor and sit down to play the game. It doesn't look cheap or gimmicky at all and is a lot of fun when we have friends over. Another big plus is that the product cost much less than it would have at other retailers including Target and Walmart (I did a lot of searching to guarantee the best deal possible). Overall we are very pleased with the purchase and would not hesitate to buy from this company again.

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Every time we have kids coming over that is the first toy they play with.Really great for the older kids.Had it for about 6 months now and is holding up really well even with little ones standing on it every now then.

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This hockey table is good if you are looking for just a fun air hockey table to use for small kids.If you have bigger kids or are expecting super high quality you will definitely want to get a bigger and higher price rink.I really like the shape of this one with the curved corners.It makes the puck wrap around the corner just like a real hockey rink, which was a selling point for me.

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We have bought this air hockey table for our 4 years old son.

First two hours two adults could not tear from the game.

Our son is excited.