vegas12
Well-known member
Can anyone give me an idea how difficult/expensive it is to maintain a bubble Chexx hockey game if it is on a route?
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Depends on the use.
If it's a busy spot you're going to be spending a lot on repairs.
The main problem is the gear boxes. They don't last long.
The players also can break if you're in a rough location - usually
the sticks (especially the long stick players in the 2 corners)
and sometimes the player snaps off the rod holding it to the
gearbox.
Again, this is if you're in a real busy, rough location.
The worse problem off all is the ridiculous rates that ICE
charges on their shipping.
Gear boxes on Super Chexx games last about 30-45 minutes on route. I had one running for awhile at our location (I always loved bubble hockey) but I quickly saw why these games are rarely found on location anymore. I replaced a bunch of parts and cleaned the hell out of it before putting it on location, yet it still broke down constantly. Gearboxes broke regularly, the collars holding gearboxes to the shafts would jiggle loose, etc. And every time you have to get under the "ice" its a real hassle. Also my hands have never been greasier than after doing the most basic repair on a bubble hockey machine.
After spending more time down than up, I finally sold the machine and moved on. Players did like it, but I think one of the biggest drawbacks is that slamming the shafts causes so much wear and tear, and worst of all- its basically free. Unlike pinball, where a player has to start a game before they can constantly slam the flippers, anyone can walk up to a bubble hockey machine and slam the shafts repeatedly. (Kids do this far more often than you even might expect). I would highly advise against operating a bubble hockey machine. It might not be terrible in a home setting, but IMHO that machine does not hold up well enough to justify the hassles of constant repairs.
I just found their parts page - that gear box look ridiculously under built... do they make them that way so that they break as the weak link - to protect other more expensive parts? Or just made cheap?