Pinball rookie.

jj mann

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Was wondering what manufactuer of Pinball machines is the most reliable? I am looking at one made by Williams called Police Force. Is this a decent one? One other question. Does anyone know what these are worth?
 
http://www.pinballrebel.com/game/pins/police_force/police_force_pinball.htm

I have seen this machine be played on an episode of " Corner Gas" ( A Canadian show) It's on the WGN on cable/satellite. I never played it.

http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=1841

I dont know if you have check these sites yet, so I thought I'd post'em for ya just in case. By the way nice collection of arcade machines you have.

For a price check look here--http://www.xmission.com/~daina/pinlist_info.html Hope all this helps you?

Williams has a good reputation with reliability, as they made some great arcade games as well as pinballs! I been reading about some issues with Data East games here that may have me staying clear of there machines, but I like alot of there themes. All makes and models will have there flaws. It also comes down to how things are cared for, make sure before you purchase to look behind the backglass at the boards and under the playfield, also make sure you play it for awhile to see if you actually like playing the game. Keep in mind there are hundreds to thousands of different titles out there to choose check all titles that interest you and that are in your budget as well obviously. Good luck, and please chime in on your decision.
 
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Thanks for the info. I want to get a pin but they seem to go for alot more than I am used to paying for my arcades.
 
Thanks for the info. I want to get a pin but they seem to go for alot more than I am used to paying for my arcades.

Ya I hear ya there as far as price, I never thought they were that much money. But this police force can be found for cheaper then others pins. Good to have a pinball machine to mix in your gameroom with arcade machines. Also Steve Ritchie designed this one as well so you know it has good fast ball flow which is important in pinball (my opinion). Let us know if you get it.
 
It's really hard to identify what manufacturer was more reliable as it can vary big time from game to game. People generally will say that Bally or Williams are more reliable, but that comes from the fact that they're easier to service because they basically owned the industry through the solid state years and it's very easy to find replacement parts for the machines. As a result, the machines are usually kept running well over times.

However, I own Bally, Williams, Data East, and Stern machines from several different periods of time and I haven't found any to be any more problematic than any other. It's just easiest to find parts for the Bally/Williams machines when needed.
 
I hear that Data east are the hardest mainline brands to find parts for.
 
I hear that Data east are the hardest mainline brands to find parts for.

I haven't had much problem at all finding DE parts. I found any/every part for Lethal weapon 3. Also, many parts on DE games are compatible with DE, Sega, and Stern.

As far as manufacturer, it really doesn't matter. A game that is 20 years old will have problems regardless of the maker. Sorry, but a game being Williams doesn't magically mean it will be in perfect shape after all that time without tender loving care.

Pick a game that you like, has a pleasing theme, and is in decent shape. If you meet all three of those requirements, the brand name does not matter.
 
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