If you are committed to having your man cave not only be a great place to chill out with mates and relax at the home bar then consider what other entertainment you can offer your guests.
With the standard tropes of sinking a few cocktails with the football on whilst lounging on big luxurious leather seats is all well and good there comes a time when you need to have some competitive gaming fun as well.
To turn your man cave into the truly awesome location you know it can be there is nothing like a bit of competitive sporting action to spice proceedings up.
Hence, you should look no further than the classic air-hockey table to fulfil that gaming experience you and your mates are craving from your man cave.
Add some proper top-level entertainment to accompany those leather theater seat recliners, neon signs the home bar and your generally decked out man cave and take it to the next level.
Fast-paced drama coupled with hair-trigger reflexes are what’s required to be the undisputed air hockey champion of your man cave and with its easy to pick up and play –but difficult to master nature– this is a game you will come back to again-and-again.
Much like foosball tables and billiards tables, there is quite a bit of variation on both price and function and that’s where this buyers guide comes in to help you make the best-informed choice on purchasing an air-hockey table for your man cave.
Air-Hockey is a Timeless Past-time That is Fun for Family and Friends
For this guide, we will not be looking at the lowest price models available because it stands to reason that if you are buying an air-hockey table as one of the centrepieces for your man cave you need something that doesn’t just look great but also has the best features.
You need to be sure you have a substantial and well-made table that will stand up to the bashing it’s likely to get as competitive pressure heats up!
So bearing in that in mind, it makes sense to be looking slightly more upmarket for quality and solid craftsmanship and this guide reflects that.
We’ve picked out the tables that offer something really special looks-wise but also have superior durability and will continue to entertain you and probably your offspring for years to come!
There are some cheaper tables available but the quality on display here is what makes all the air-hockey tables showcased here the ones that finally made the cut and indeed worthy of your consideration!
So without further ado lets load up those pucks and get into it!
The Best Air-Hockey Tables Available to Buy for your Man Cave
Gold Standard Games Home Pro Elite Air-Hockey Table Review
The Gold Standard Games Home Pro Elite Air Hockey Table really is, as it’s tag-line suggests a table for champions.
Featuring a really smart off blue and black colour scheme this full size professional Air-Hockey table is a fantastic choice for those looking to jump straight into the world of air hockey in the comfort of their home whilst maintaining that professional and high-quality experience.
Simply put this is one of the highest quality air hockey tables you can purchase at this price point.
This is a mode of air hockey table that is also well known and endorsed within the professional air hockey community.
That includes 11-time USAA World Champion Danny Hynes and the 10-time USAA World champion.
Tim Weissman as well as Mark Robbins, the 2-time USAA World Champ himself and the actual designer of this excellent Gold Standard air hockey table also endorse this beautiful table so you know it’s got some real pedigree behind it.
Bring the Arcade to your Man Cave
The Gold Standard Home Pro Elite Air Hockey model seen here features a design ethic to bring the best characteristics out of this table that it possibly can with a solid, low-profile, pro-style aluminium rails for the smoothest most predictable bounce.
This is a table that really does deliver that pro-level action you expect from the very best premium tables on the market and whilst not cheap, for what you are getting here it’s still a great bargain.
- Special wear-resistant laminate top for years of durability
- Electronic scoring with sound option
- Solid, low-profile, professional-style aluminium rails provide superior bounce and bankability
- Centerline and face-off circle for competitive play
- Created by Air Hockey Champion Mark Robbins
- Brand New Modern Design
- Competitive play quality in an affordable home table
- Available with or without side graphics
- Weight 270lbs
- Dimensions 85 ½ x 45 ½ x 31″H
- 12″ apron height; 3 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ solid-core polymer legs
The Brunswick 7ft Air Hockey Table Windchill Review
The Brunswick Air-Hockey table from Wind Chill is a great mid-range table that will serve you and your mates for years to come.
The smart matte contemporary styled edges offset with the white table offer a great monochrome styling to complement the dual abacus scorers and pro dimensions.
The Brunswick is a seven-foot professional sized Air-Hockey table so keep that in mind when ordering (along with the other tables reviewed here,) as you don’t want to find that your man cave is not up to the task of hosting an Air-Hockey table like this!
Having a pro-sized table means this is great for adults to play on. Despite this being a table with pro dimensions and a fantastic length for those that want to practice for competition level play the Brunswick isn’t itself up to competition rating so keep that in mind.
At this price point and for a recreation upper mid-level Air-Hockey experience this is a hell of a difficult table to beat on quality and price though and if you are not too fussed about having a competition rated Air-Hockey table then this is a great option to go for on a budget.
This is, therefore, a perfect Air-Hockey table at this price-point and for as a centrepiece in any game room or man cave and will serve you well for years to come.
Construction quality:
The Brunswick weighs in at 149lbs, which indicates straight away that this is as sturdy and solidly constructed table that will sit firmly in place once in the desired location and will feature little to no rocking motion from even the most frantic moments of play.
This also means that you won’t have to worry about the Brunswick Air-Hockey table failing on you any time soon with its tough laminate surface that will happily take a beating for quite some time before showing any wear and tear.
There are better air hockey tables out there but in my opinion, you’d be hard-pressed to find one not featured on this review at this type of competitive price point.
The Atomic Top Shelf 7.5′ Air Hockey Table Review
The Top Shelf Atomic Air Hockey Table is a beautiful and imposing Air-Hockey table in equal measure that catches the eye in more ways than one with it’s LED lighting system and whopping 230lbs weight.
That for some reference is more weight than the average fully sized adult male comes in at. In fact, there are WWE wrestlers that weigh in at less than this!
Being that heavy means that this is a table that will need at least two people to move.
So keep that in mind when purchasing this Air-Hockey table and making that potentially arduous journey to your man cave. That goes for any of the tables on this review.
This thing is certainly a beast!
Whilst a table this size can be unwieldy to manage it also means that this is an air-hockey table that can take a beating and keep on trucking.
Some might be surprised how frantic and competitive an air-hockey table match can get and having a sturdy table that can take the weight of people leaning over for stretched shots looking to score is an important consideration when making a purchase.
Lights, lights and more lights!
One of the most obvious things that strikes you first about the Atomic Air Hockey Table is the LED lighting that adorns the edges of the PVC-laminated MDF playing surface.
The LED lighting also features in the pucks and pushers that come with the table.
On top of the fantastic action and gameplay of the Atomic table, the LED Lumen-X technology really adds a sense of excitement and spectacle to each match.
Turning the lights down low is an excellent experience. Given that this is an upper mid-range air-hockey table that is more interested in a fun experience over a competitively ranked one the marriage with this particular table is a great one.
The LED’s have white, blue, green and red lighting effects that comes with a number of different light beats.
It all adds to the excitement and atmosphere of your air-hockey match experience.
LED lights run along the edge of the table and emit green, blue, and red light effects, and they’re paired with fast, high-tempo music that raises your adrenaline levels and makes the game even more intense.
Features:
- Dimensions: 90 x 49 x 31.2 inches
- Shipping weight: 230lbs
- Materials: PVC-laminated MDF (playing surface)
- 120V motor
- ESS scoring system
- LED Lumen-X technology
- LED pushers
- Hexagonal LED puck
- ordinary round pucks
- Manufactured by: Escalade Sports
The Valley-Dynamo 8ft Pro Style Air Hockey Table Review
Now we’re getting into some rarified air.
The Valley-Dynamo Pro Hockey table is an absolute beast and represents the pinnacle of air hockey at home.
This professional behemoth is impressive in every way imaginable, from the construction, size and pro finish.
You will be hard-pressed to ever find a finer quality air hockey table than the Valley-Dynamo and that reality is certainly reflected in the price.
Yep, this is no cheap table and unless you’re super serious about only plumping for buying the best in class you can probably get away with one of the cheaper models on the list here.
But if you are determined to purchase a fully-fledged professional table which will be the envy of all your friends and you have the cash to burn (and the size to accommodate) then you will certainly be happy with your purchase.
This is an investment but one that will last for decades if looked after properly.
Features:
- Air Hockey Table Dimensions: 99.5in Length x 51.5in Width x 31in H / Weight: 435 lbs.
- Playing Surface Dimensions: 93in Length x 45in Width
- Features: Single Patented Dyna-Blast Blower
- Electronic Scoring Unit with Side Mounted LED Display
- Highly sturdy legs coupled with sturdy leg levellers
- 3-1/8in Aluminum Tournament Tested Rails
- Includes (2) Mallets and (2) 3.25in Pucks
American Heritage Monarch AeroMaxx Series Air-Hockey Table with Arched Scorer
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The American Heritage Monarch series comes with a fancy name but lives up to the hype and then some.
This air hockey table is nothing short of drop-dead gorgeous and will instantly spin heads.
From its starburst printed design on the playing surfaces to its unique arched scoring system, this is an air-hockey table that blows it out of the water when it comes to sleek and sexy aesthetics.
One look at this table is enough to elicit a great response from your guests and playing on it is an even finer experience still.
With its beautiful classic cheery wood finished design with white and silver accents, this table not only looks the part but also plays the part to a professional level.
Featuring a fantastic gaming surface and a rock-solid design there have been no shortcuts taken with the construction and implementation of this fantastic table.
Features:
- Includes 4 Goalies and 4 Pucks.
- Regulation Size Field.
- Patented Overhead Arch Scoreboard.
- 2 additional manual scoring systems.
- Beautiful Starburst Design Printed on Playing Surface.
- Refined Chrome Accenting.
- Blower: Axial AC Fan, 115 VAC, 60 HZ, 81 W, 0.77A
- Playing field dimensions are 76 in. L x 40 in. W.
- Assembly is Required. 48 in. W x 84 in. Dx 32 in.
Things to consider when buying an Air Hockey Table:
Buying a decent air hockey table is an investment and as they are priced as such it’s important to make sure that you are well informed before making a costly purchasing mistake you may regret.
Read on so you can avoid the most common mistakes:
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Delivery and Assembly:
Since air hockey tables are large items it’s imperative that you make sure to have enough room in your games room, man cave or wherever you are going to be putting it.
Also, you’d be surprised how many times people find out that something doesn’t fit exactly where they wanted it to.
Either that or that they didn’t take in to account how to get the item from the delivery truck and actually to the place they wanted it.
Maybe your house has an unusual layout from the front or back door with sharp angles that will make moving something the size of an Air-Hockey table a problem.
Perhaps your man cave or games room is located down some narrow winding stairs proving the same issue.
Always, make sure to measure out the space it’s going to go in and give extra leeway on all sides. Also, remember that fitting an air hockey table in a room is not the only consideration.
You are going to need a generous amount of room for people to actually playing.
As mentioned previously, always check the route from the delivery spot. This helps to avoid any annoying issues with it not fitting or scraping up walls on the way through.
Almost all air-hockey tables will come without the legs attached. This saves on the delivery room and should come with the tools necessary to put everything together on your end.
This should not be a complicated process. That said, always make sure that it comes with the correct tools or you already have them readily available.