With regards to the Chinese made table, I will be doing some web pages about the table in the coming weeks and months. The table is not a knockoff in that it does not outright copy any particular table completely nor does it intentionally try to violate any copyright items. The manufacturers who do make knockoffs here in China are all lacking in some key area of material or build quality that results in the tables looking good but playing like crap. This table is different.
China makes ok quality knockoffs of Bonzini and Garlando but it is Malaysia that make the best Tornado knockoff. I have not seen even a crummy Tornado knockoff here in China yet. They may exist but no one here knows Tornado anyway so demand for a Tornado knockoff does not exist here. More foreigners here come from Europe than from North America which explains why the focus is more on Bonzini and Garlando.
Back to the better made Chinese table. I am not the producer of the table but we do distribute them here in Shanghai. All statements made here are strictly my opinion and should not be relied on in any way. I am not looking to sell any tables outside of China and do not want to be sued by anyone. I just want to let people know my opinion about the table.
If your main intention is to always and only play in Tornado tournaments you should buy a Tornado. Same goes for Bonzini, Garlando, etc. If you want a table that allows you to play any of the popular styles of play, you want it strong and well made, and you want it at a good price - the Chinese table is clearly the best value tournament quality table available today, period. Legend MAY be in the mix too but I have yet to try one out. The other tables to consider as well would be Tecball and the latest Garlando. I have never tried either but have heard good things about them.
The Chinese table features many of the best in class features from the best tables around the world. It is still lacking in a few key areas that will hopefully be addressed in the future.
It features: better than Tornado cabinet, legs and playing surface. Better designed tread on the man. Better for banking. Only one goalie so less slop goes in. It is better for all the most popular shots around the world (Euro toe, Snake, and Pull shots). It needs improvement in the ball, rods, serving hole area and ball return chute.
The table is roughly the same dimensions but sturdier than a Tornado because the legs slide into the cabinet and are bolted with Allen keys at 4 positions. Tornado side deflection when pushed is about 3-4 mm; the China table is maybe 1-2 mm (just my estimate). It feels really solid and heavy.
The table surface is slightly grippier than Tornado. There are side corners which means only one man on the goalie rod so no slop goes in off the outside goalie men. Side return strip and corner ramps are under the table surface which will help in table life and banking is much better than on Tornado as the ball does not jump up when banked.
It comes in 1" and 1.5" side thicknesses. We only purchase the 1.5" model and passing and banking off the wall is solid and predictable.
The men are closer to Shelti men than Tornado men in design in that they are slightly wider at the foot and have a superior tread to Tornado. They are counterbalanced and fixed in place by spiral pins which are superior to Tornado's simpler cylindrical pins. The German Players 4 Players group have just requested changes in the toe design which the producer willingly did. A concept that Tornado would do well to learn from.
The current rods are not as good as Tornado because they are not machine grinded and tempered but I have been assured that this can be done if requested although it will add slightly to the cost. We are requesting it for the tables I will be ordering for the National Training Centre here in China. As well, the rods feel lighter which may be due to the quality of steel used or due to the size of the hole drilled into the centre of the rod. I am not sure which. I prefer the current Tornado rod and hope that the rods will be improved.
The handles are made of strong rubber to offer better quality control than the sometimes off-centre drilled wooden handles and they are more sanitary as well in that bacteria on wood is not as easily cleaned as is rubber. I often do not use a wrap on the handles whereas I always did on Tornado. On the first models produced the hole in the handle was not drilled deep enough so the rod did not extend far enough and the end of the handle bent a little too much. This has been fixed apparently in the ones shipping now along with a slightly longer rod to accommodate the extra depth drilled into the handle.
The handles are slightly thinner than the current Tornado handle. To my mind it is more similar to the Tornado handle of 10 year ago. The current plastic Tornado handle from the reports I have read is stiff and slick. It requires a wrap all the time, the handle on this table does not. I suspect the handle on the Chinese table will not last as long as the current plastic Tornado handle does.
The serving hole is just simply too wide and has too deep a groove so serving is BAD. Hopefully this will be fixed. I changed my serve and all is ok, but I still hope they fix the serving hole. The balls are ok for beginners and perfectly round but not textured. Instead, I use imported Tornado balls and apparently new better balls will be available soon. The ball return on the coin-op is also not great as balls occasionally jump out of the ball return chute and require the table top to be opened. This is fixable by increasing the chute side wall height inside the table but since not many coin ops are sold it has not been a priority for them. Also, it is only a big problem if you shoot at pro level speeds. Again, I hope and expect they will fix this.
For the U.S. players: nothing is as close to the table you aspire to play on as the actual table itself. I.E. if you only ever aspire to play on Tornado it is not a Tornado. The Chinese table is its own table with its own characteristics.
China's federation (Chinese Table Soccer Federation) has just been approved by the national Sports government so there will be a lot of tournaments starting soon in China. I would say that the Chinese made table is as close to a Tornado as a Shelti is if you have ever played on it. The Chinese table is not a copy of a Tornado, a Shelti, or a Legend but all four tables are definitely in the same family. The Chinese table is half the price of a Tornado and in a lot of respects it is a better designed and built table than is either the Tornado or the Shelti.
If you read the U.S. bulletin boards, Tornado continues to have quality control problems most recently with the inconsistencies of the nylon men and have just relocated production to Mexico which may help pricing but is unlikely to help quality control.
Personally, I still prefer playing on the Tornado because my goals are to play in tournaments on the Tornado. In Asia I can do this in Japan, Dubai (UAE), Singapore and Malaysia. In fact, I still have my Tornado here in my apartment that I love (even with its design weaknesses). But the Chinese table is a better table in design and playability for people who do not have that as their focus. For the growth that is about to happen in China the Chinese made table is definitely the one for us to choose.
With the grippier surface and tread design, the Euro front toe is more controllable which means higher scoring percentages. Europeans do not like the Tornado at all, but they love the Chinese table. Frederico plays on a Tornado because of the money available and the chance to play so many great players. He does not play on Tornado because he likes the table itself. Pull shooters require a slight change in setup to counteract the extra grippiness (similar to moving to a Shelti or a Warrior table). The snake shot on it once gotten used to, is downright scary because of the control that is possible. Even I can walk around my snake if I want to. With no side return strip , banking is really improved which opens up the other shots on the 2 bar as well. Europeans love the table, North Americans love the table. If the Chinese table had better rods and a million dollar tour behind it, there would be no stopping it.
The Chinese made table is now the table of choice for Players4Players the dominant group of players in Germany. They call it the "Fireball" there.
It is a great table but I have no clue how available it will be in the U.S. Many Chinese made tables are available there but they all fall into the poorly designed, cheaply made category. We will see if a serious marketing effort takes place there. The fact that it is not a recognized I.T.S.F. table will also hurt its international demand.
I will bring some tables back with me when I move back to North America and I hope you all get a chance to try them out. Email me if you want to see some photos.
Regards,
Fred
fred_gower@yahoo.ca
How are you guys doin?
your too kind.