Rhino Play Air-powered 7.5 ft Hockey Table Review

Overall Rating

Price.
Excellent playing surface.
Quiet.
Near arcade quality.

Assembly was difficult, and instructions not clear.
Heavy - requires at least 3 strong adults to move it.

We purchased the Rhino Air Hockey Table from Costco in October 2005. Currently, Costco is offering a manufacturer's rebate, so the cost is approximately $289. Forget about transporting this beast home in your car or small SUV. A full size pick-up or van is needed, as well as several strong adults for assistance, as the table weighs in at nearly 300 pounds.

Once the box was in the house and laid flat, it opened easily. All of the components were individually boxed and affixed to the underside of the table. The table is assembled in the upside down position and it is here that the purchaser can first see the construction. I was impressed that plywood was used for the base, and this was well braced by fiberboard. Dual fans are used by the unit, which places this table above most consumer grade versions. Though at first they appeared to be undersized, the fans performed quite well. Additionally, they are reasonably quiet - another plus for home use. Also, the wiring appeared well secured.

Unfortunately, the directions leave much to be desired, and the boxed components do not correspond to the lettering in the book. Figures are small and the details are not very specific. For example, in order to mount the motor fans, small blocks which were used to secure the contents in the box had to be removed.

Assembly was rather arduous, taking at least the entire afternoon for a single person. The fit/finish were flawless though. I was surprised by the low-end quality of the screws. The heads were rather small (heads/threads) and stripped easily. Also, pilot holes were absent, making it difficult to screw them in.

The assembly in this position requires mounting the fan motors, the table skirt, the legs, and the puck return.

Once the table was assembled, it had to be inverted to the upright position. This is not a task for the undersized or faint of heart, and requires four strong individuals. Essentially, the table has to be flipped in the air onto all four legs simultaneously.

At this stage, all that is left to do is to level the table, mount the scoreboard (easy - plug in the wires into sockets and 2 screws), snap in the nets (if desired) and clean the surface.

Fortunately, our table required no leveling and was ready to play. The buttons/switches are heavy duty, and I suspect will last a long time. A nice feature was a little slide drawer on one end for the paddles/pucks. The table surface is well made and a pleasing blue color (I like this better than the white which shows scratches, dirt, etc.)

Unlike the other reviewer our table played fantastically! Action was extremely fast and precise. The pucks are a bit heavy for their diameter, and as a result would move with so much momentum that they would fly off occasionally. Lighter/larger pucks would be better. Importantly, no dead/slow spots were experienced. We were pleased that the table was so quiet and very stable.

Apart from showing the scores, the scoreboard plays cheers intermittently. The default game lasts 15 minutes, and it appears that one can play by time only? I haven't figured out if there is a way to reduce the game time or play up to a set score.

To summarize - This table offers near-arcade quality, and blows away any of the tables that one might purchase from Dick's, Sport's Authority, or MC etc. The price point is fantastic, and this table rivals those costing 3 - 4 times the price, or even more! Assembly is a big drawback, though the quality of the table isn't compromised.