Combination game table recommendations (foosball, billiards, etc.)

[Anakron]

So I'm looking for recommendations on combination game tables, or where I could read or research more on. Looking through Amazon, very few of them have good reviews, and even the ones that do have very few reviews. This is a house-warming gift, and ideally, the table would have air hockey, foosball, billiards, and ping pong. Would it be possible to get a quality one for around $600?

This looks like a solid one, but unfortunately, it only has 2 games:

http://www.amazon.com/Harvard-G05204...D3Z2M0622CEZG7

Thanks!

[Syntex]

I find that its hard to have a table that has foosball and anything else because of the space that takes up where air hockey/billiards/table tennis are all using the same flat surface.

I would try ebay, not to buy but to look around at models and see some more reviews as people trying to sell the things will write a lot about it and it might be more helpful then those reviews, as for a housewarming gift I would say just get a really nice foosball table and call it good. To me it seems better to get one really nice gift then half ass it with several but thats just my opinion

[zoobernut]

Combo tables are usually not very good. Specially combo tables that include billiards. I would just get them a really nice table that is one of the things you think they will like. One good foosball table, one good pingpong table etc.

[Acturus]

Combo tables are usually not very good. Specially combo tables that include billiards. I would just get them a really nice table that is one of the things you think they will like. One good foosball table, one good pingpong table etc.

I agree with this. pingpong tables are a specific size, as are billiards/pool tables, as are table soccer tables, as are air hockey tables. And none of them are the same size.

However, if you insist on getting a combo table, I would do it one of two ways:

1. Get a primary air hocky table that combos into other things. Air hockey uses the perforated surface to float the puck around. Most combo tables that are primary table soccer or table tennis just make you slide the puck along the table, and not on the needed cushion of air.

2. Or, buy a pool table, and then buy one of the combo enhancements that are made to fit inside/on top of pool tables. Here's a table tennis enhancement. It's not cheap, but it gives you an idea of what I'm talking about.

Typically, a "good" pool table is going to be more expensive than a "good" air hocky or table tennis table (you usually want to pay to have them re-surfaced and/or re-leveled if you buy them secondhand), but at the same time, a "good" table tennis table will take up the least amount of storage space (you can usually fold them in half and store the halves verticaly on their center support).

I'm not sure what you're looking for, or what your budget is. In college, I bought a combo table that was a table soccer base off a friend for $50, but I basically threw away the other game enhancements and just used it for table soccer. There was no point to playing table tennis on a table 3/5 the size.

[Ashmada]

Combo tables are usually not very good. Specially combo tables that include billiards. I would just get them a really nice table that is one of the things you think they will like. One good foosball table, one good pingpong table etc.

This. A pool table should really do just pool.

[Callisto]

The only good combo tables are the combo dining/poker tables, lol. If you have to pick any single one I'd go with the air hockey, or if you don't want to spend the electricity on it go with the pingpong. Foosball ones are a lot of fun with company, but generate massive amounts of noise and require much more space to use.

[zoobernut]

yeah budget wise a good or worthwhile pool table is going to be leaps and bounds more expensive than the others and if your budget isn't enough for a good slate pool table and you are thinking about getting one of those particle board tables just drop the box on your toe and move on to a different table. I also suggest a pingpong or air hockey table.

[wyrmtung]

Did they express that they planned on having a game room and needed some table games? I see two potential problems if you haven't already worked it out. One, they didn't plan on having a game room and now they're saying to themselves, "crap, now we have to dedicate a room (or a lot of floor space) to a table game." Two, they did plan on a game room but wanted to pick their own stuff. Game table is like furniture and people's tastes differ.

[Norellicus]

Were it not for your mention of billiards etc I would have immediately jumped to the conclusion that you should get one of these

http://www.geekchichq.com/Co_Store/T...he_Sultan.html

[shaddix]

What's wrong with a ps3? It has table tennis

[Anakron]

Thanks for the suggestions. I went with a very solidly-built 3-in-1 (air hockey, billiards, and mini ping pong) from Sports Authority. Like Syntex mentioned, it was pretty hard to find a good foosball table that did anything else. My cousins just bought a new place, and they did mention getting a game table for their game room, so I knew it was something they wanted. A full-size pool or ping-pong table would've been pretty tight for the space they have. And they're actually not that into foosball, so hopefully they'll get plenty of uses out of this one. The thing must've weighed around 300 lbs boxed, so I'm pretty sure it'll hold up well over the years.

That's a pretty awesome table, Norellicus.

[Kerberoz]

Get a Wii.

[Anakron]

They have a Wii and PS3 already.