Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is a nice mid-level table. By mid-level I mean that it doesn't provide arcade-level size and play, but it works very well in a large family or play room. When it arrived I was pleased to see that, while it carries the "Harvard" brand name, it is built by Escalade Sports. Escalade built our now 7-year-old "Stiga" ping pong table and we have had excellent experience with the build quality and Escalade's customer service.
As other reviewers have noted, the Harvard 7-Foot Air Hockey Table is heavy. If someone actually managed to get it downstairs by themselves on a Christmas Eve I am very impressed with his/her strength. It took me, my wife, son, and two daughters to muscle it downstairs without any damage to the walls or the package, and without dragging it across the wood floors or carpet.
The packaging is outstanding and everything inside was very secure, cosmetically perfect, with zero damage. All listed parts were there. Setup was about 45 minutes with four of us working on legs (simple bolts) and panels (simple screws, good panel fit, but alignment holes are off just slightly). We turned it right-side-up very carefully, moved it into place, plugged it in, and were greeted by the last strains of the National Anthem and the voice of the announcer.
Play for two is good fun. It has a smaller feel than an arcade table, but the action is still reasonably fast-paced with only minimal-moderate tendancy for the puck to destabilize or fly off the table. Play for four (four paddles and two pucks are included) is possible as long as the players are small.
Things I like:
Inconspicuous - mostly black, with some silver accents, white playing surface, modern design, blends in well with the room, doesn't stand out
Good airflow - has very even flow across the surface, uses medium-size pucks (not as large as arcade) which glide smoothly on the air cushion
Built-in score - the score LED is built into the actual playing surface on each side and looks good
Multiple game modes - allows different lengths of play such as 5 minutes or 10 minutes
Stable - while heavy to move while in the box, once set up it is a solid table that holds up well under play but is not so heavy that it can't be repositioned in the room; has adjustable slider on the bottom and the surface is very level with no noticeable drift of the puck to one particular side which makes the play very even
Things I would like to see improved:
Alignment holes - the alignment holds for the black panels on the legs could be positioned more accurately, purely for ease and speed of installation, did not affect function in any way
Goal nets - plastic goal nets extend slightly onto the playing surface; very rarely a slow moving puck can stick under them without dropping into the return slot and registering a goal, creating the potential for your opponent to call you a cheater if you pull it out...or a good sport if you give them the point
The reason for the 4/5 stars instead of 5/5 is simply that I reserve the 5/5 for a true exceeds expectations. In this case that would have meant giving me a little bit more of the fast-action, wide-open play of a true arcade table (which I now realize would be a much larger, much more expensive table).
Overall, this is a well-built, nice looking, good playing, family room-size table that I expect will give years of fun.
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Harvard G03509W Action Arena 7-Foot Air Hockey TableTired of heading to the pub every time you want to play air hockey? Enter the Harvard Action Arena 7-foot air hockey table, which brings the same exciting, fast-paced gameplay directly into your home. Designed for four players instead of two, the Action Arena is well constructed, with sturdy 4-by-1/2-inch L-style legs, a cross bar for added stability, and a 6-1/2-inch PVC laminate apron with silver trim. More importantly, the table plays fast and fun thanks to the smooth, glossy white laminated play bed and 110-volt motor. Other features include automated puck return goals, an electronic scoring system, four striking paddles, and four pucks. The Action Arena table measures 84 by 33 by 48 inches (W x H x D).
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