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Playfield Protectors Good or Bad

Vimtoman

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Joined
Sep 29, 2018
Messages
1,472
Location
Wales
Looking for advice on these plastic playfield protectors.
Are they worth putting in?

Do they play fast or slow.
Do they wear fast or slow
Do they get dirt underneath.
 
I got a couple. Play fine for me.Not telling anyone they are fitted they can't tell the difference.
I've also put wax on them and that worked out ok. Didn't notice the ball skidding about.
Can't see the dust trapping on mine but they are not to everyone's taste.
Can be a royal pain to install but you certainly get good practice at stripping your playfield down.

Ask @Neil McRae about my Bm66
 
Not a fan.

Games do not play the same, which is no surprise as it's a completely different material.

But, they do offer great protection.
 
Assuming you're thinking about TAF, it will help with mansion wear and the ball drop off the ramp that a Cliffy won't protect against (unless he does an extended switch slot protector).

I have one on my TAF, fitted by the guy that restored it after he'd fitted a brand new playfield. I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to fit one myself in the same position, simply because I actually enjoy cleaning and waxing the playfield, and how much faster that makes the game. But - it's there, it keeps the playfield mint, so *shrug*.

If you're not putting in a new playfield, or the playfield you have got isn't near enough mint, then I wouldn't even consider it.
 
Ok Thanks guy's looks like I'm not putting one on .:)
Thought I'd ask before I get the time to strip all down.
Works getting in the way :)
 
It's a good option if you can't clearcoat the playfield - for whatever reason - or you have many raised/sunken inserts that affect ball flow, that you again cannot easily fix.

But I honestly can't disagree with any of the above comments on them.
 
Good option if your motivation is
  • Smoothing out dished inserts
  • Preserving an old Playfield from wear
  • Making the game quieter
I have one on my paragon for the above reasons
 
Good option if your motivation is
  • Smoothing out dished inserts
  • Preserving an old Playfield from wear
  • Making the game quieter
I have one on my paragon for the above reasons

Ditto. No need to protect a playfield in the home environment. However if your pf has some slightly raised inserts etc.., it can smooth those out.
All in my opinion of course
 
The TAF has one insert poking up . The right lightning bolt in the middle of the playfield.
 
If it’s just that one insert it might be worth trying to flatten it. Heat from the underside for a short while with a heat gun or hairdryer to soften the glue. Then either cover the insert from the top and hammer it flat or press it with a deep throated G clamp. ?
 
Would that not crack the clear? and melt the insert :)
It's just the top tip so i probably leave it.
When I get round to stripping the old mylar off I may just put some new mylar back on.
 
Heat gun - yeah probably would. Hairdryer safer but also may not actually achieve heat. You have to be very careful with inserts, hence why I used a playfield protector. F14 is notorious for raised inserts on the chevron inserts. Too many of them for me to comfortably deal with at this moment.
 
Have bought games with them already fitted.
Have fitted them myself.
They do play differently.
They don’t bother me.

If you have a nice condition classic that you would like to keep that way and yet still play the crap out of it: then I’d recommend a playfield protector. Otherwise probably not.
 
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I had retired my Paragon from shows as incremental playfield damage was present after two days of intensive play. Because of this, I began taking diamond plate games like The Shadow and Fish Tales to events.

But now Paragon has a playfield protector on, I happily took her to Blackpool for NLP.

I have bought a playfield protector for my Genie too, as I anticipate taking her to shows as well.
 
Both of the pins are not pristine but then again not knackered.
Anyone have any pictures of what they look like on the playfield.
Showing lanes and stuff.
TAF and TZ
 
A few on here have made their own which can be neatly fitted onto a depopulated pf with less areas for dust ingress. Checkout nedrueds Gold Ball shop log for a great example.

I'm tempted for my Rocket III for some of the reasons stated above, particularly to deal with sunken/cupped inserts and make it uber shiny, but saying that I was really happy with how it looked and played at Pinfest so maybe not.
 
Would that not crack the clear? and melt the insert :)
It's just the top tip so i probably leave it.
When I get round to stripping the old mylar off I may just put some new mylar back on.

In a word. No.
Depends how ham fisted you are. I’ve done it many times without causing any damage
 
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