Web Treasure Hunter is reader-supported. Some links may be affiliate links. We may earn a small commission if you purchase a product or take an action via these links.
Air Hockey has been a staple in arcades for over 30 years. Unfortunately, the arcades of yesteryear can be difficult to find at times. Sure, there’s plenty of other places where air hockey is available, but what’s better than having one for your family to play in the comfort of your home. These are popular items for any game room or basement. Unfortunately, picking the right table can be difficult when presented with the wide range of options.
We have looked at some of the more popular options of air hockey tables that will work best in almost any home. We stayed away from the tournament-grade tables as they are often cumbersome and exceedingly expensive. The air hockey table we feel works best for homes is the Hall of Games Edgewood 84” table. It provides near-tournament level quality at a much more affordable price. If you are looking for the best budget air hockey table without sacrificing too much quality, the Triumph Lumen-X offers a solid and illuminating (ahem) experience without forcing you to break into your savings. Read below to learn more about which air hockey tables work best for home use.
Edgewood 84" |
Triumph Lumen-X |
Atomic 7.5’ |
ESPN Sports | |
| Honors | Best in Class | Best Value | ||
| The Good | Strong and sturdy. High-quality materials with long life-span. Exceptionally smooth gameplay. Elegant design that fits almost anywhere. | Strong cost to value ratio. Does good at simulating arcade experience. Lighting and music make the experience more entertaining. | ScoreLinx App is a unique experience. Air flow does a great job of providing a smooth gaming experience. High-quality materials used in construction. | Very heavy and solid air hockey table. Balanced cost/quality. Safety is paramount. Good, but not great air flow. Informative instructions and easy assembly. |
| The Bad | Assembly can be difficult with poor instructions. | Common problems for a budget table. Electronics can be temperamental. Red pucks can disappear in low or mid lighting. Pucks are lightweight and can fly off table more than normal. | App has some usability problems. Very heavy unit. A helper will be necessary during assembly. | Pucks can fly off table easily. Air flow is good, but not great. It lifts pucks fine, but pushers barely move. |
| Overall | An excellent air hockey table that can used in a variety of situations. Looks and quality are top-notch. | A good value buy. Can’t compete with the higher quality models but works well when compared to other low-cost options. | A popular and solid air hockey table. The App has some ups and downs, but provides many features not found elsewhere. | A mid-grade air hockey table that performs like a mid-grade air hockey table. Above average in many areas, but not excellent in any. More of a style choice (ESPN brand) |
| Our Rating | 8.8 | 7.6 | 8.2 | 7.8 |
| Check Price | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
The Hall of Games Edgewood Air Hockey Table is an elegant and well-made table that can easily be confused with a tournament-level device. The product comes with a digital LED scorer as well as a timer that has arcade sound effects. This will help to monitor the action while having a great arcade-style experience. The table has an air-powered and friction-reducing play area for you to enjoy fast-paced games. The Edgewood air hockey table has hidden leg levers to maintain a perfectly level playing surface.
The Hall of Games table comes with many great features such as solid legs made from wood grain PVC laminate and metal crossbars that provides for more stability while playing. It has a high-quality blower fan that’s powered by a 120V AC UL certified motor for even and maximum airflow. The accessories provided with the product include 4 pucks and 4 premium pushers. The table comes in an ideal size for your home or game room. The 76” x 37” playing surface provides plenty of room to game without being too bulky.
The air hockey table is ideal for every age group starting from 5 years to over 15 years. The primary material of the table is metal while the playing surface is made of manufactured wood. It includes a scoreboard and comes in dimensions of 84″ x 44″ X 32″. An adult should assemble the hockey table for better safety. One of the main sticking points with this model is that it can be difficult to assemble. The screw holes are difficult to find and the instructions are less than helpful. Assuming you can power through the assembly, you will find the Hall of Games Edgewood Air Hockey Table is one of the better offerings you’ll find without jumping up in price to the tournament-grade tables.
The Triumph Lumen-X Lazer is an enticing offering. If you are searching for an interactive and immersive air hockey table, this might be one to consider. The table itself fully illuminates and features LED lighting in the rails with different effects. The lighting does a good job at simulating the feeling of playing air hockey in an arcade. Furthermore, the Lumen-X comes with 3 pucks, one of which also lights up to increase visibility in low-light environments. Therefore, you will be able to dim the lights and play on the table as if you are in an arcade. Additionally, this 6-foot air hockey table comes with in-game music to further simulate the feel of an arcade.
The performance that the air hockey table offers is a solid and sturdy experience. It features dual motor blowers which means you are going to be able to get even and consistent puck travel during the course of the gameplay. Unfortunately, the blower’s power is a little less than desired. It would be nice to have a stronger motor to make the gameplay a little smoother. The surface material is made up of PVC which does a good job at compensating for the strength of the airflow, by providing a semi-slick surface for the puck to easily glide across. An electronic scoreboard is available to help with keeping score, but as is often the case, the electronics can be a bit fickle from time to time.
The table offers a good amount of durability considering it is built on top of 12mm thick legs with (4) 2.5-inch leg levers to ensure that your experience is always even. The table comes in black with blue accents and the lights are bright blue along with the strikers. The stylish appearance works in most basements or game room-style environments. Overall, the Triump Lumen-X 6’ Air Hockey Table is an option that offers a lot of style but is lacking in substance in some parts. This is an affordable option, but it isn’t a super-high quality model.
Are you checking out different air hockey tables? If so, the Atomic 7.5′ Contour Air Powered Hockey Table is likely right up your alley. It features built-in ScoreLinx mobile app integration which makes it easy to showcase the score in real-time as you play. You simply download the mobile application and place your phone or tablet into the built-in phone mount. This will allow you to see the score, get in-game sound effects, real-time animations, and more. It makes the entire experience much more immersive than ever before. The application even gives you the freedom to record your own voice commands which can help you have a lot of fun with tailoring the experience you get.
The table itself is also high-quality. It is backed with a 100% satisfaction guarantee and a 90-day limited warranty. The table is a fairly standard offering and it features a very stylish design that really looks great in a game room. It is 7.5′ and air powered. Therefore, it is plenty large enough to provide a comfortable air hockey playing experience. The table is made up of high-quality and sturdy materials that should offer long-lasting appeal. The table features a black and orange aesthetic that stands out and it has very sturdy and high-quality feet which ensure the table remains in-place even during intense gaming sessions.
Overall, this is a table that offers innovation that you don’t get with a lot of air hockey tables available and pushes the industry forward. If you are looking for an immersive and highly digital and connected experience, this is a great table to consider. It offers everything you would want and expect in a standard air hockey table. However, you are able to tailor your experience with the integrated mobile app technology which makes it a must-have for air hockey enthusiasts.
Air hockey can keep kids engaged for hours. The ESPN 7’ Air Hockey table is a mid-range, high-quality gaming table that does a good job at keeping your family entertained. This is a classic game, commonly found in arcades of yesteryear, with a table suitable for any basement. It comes with all the necessary accessories that you need for air hockey without worrying about needing to buy additional components.
This table has a smoothly sliding puck, high gloss playing surface, and oversized leg levelers that offer a top-notch playing experience. Moreover, the attractive LED overhead scorer gives the table a modern look and works well at keeping score. Some lower quality models commonly offer an automatic scoring system that just plain doesn’t work well. The ESPN air hockey table’s scoring system does a good job at accurately keeping score without constant fussing.
It also comes with a built-in blower fan that ensures maximum airflow throughout the table while playing. The electronic scoreboard not only shows the scores but also produces sound effects of people cheering whenever someone puts the puck in the opponent’s pocket. It also has push-button controls so that you can reset the scores and change player names easily.
The table is exceptionally durable and should last for years. It has steel-covered playfield aprons, top rails, and leg panel support made out of high-quality materials. There are protective caps on all corners that not only make it safe for kids to play without injuring themselves but also make the table look sleek. It also has built-in cup holders so that your kids can keep water bottles on them while playing.
There are some minor issues such as a tendency for the pucks to fly off the table. Additionally, the air flow could be stronger as it can easily lift the pucks, but unlike a tournament model, it doesn’t slightly lift the pushers when left standing.
Overall, this is a solid air hockey table that lasts the test of time and can provide many hours of enjoyment. Moreover, as this is a mid-grade model, don’t expect to pay a fortune like one would expect with a tournament-grade model. It also comes with an installation manual that should help you set everything up relatively easily. The manual is laid out well and constructed in an easy-to-understand manner.
What better way to increase the thrills and excitement of your home gaming room than with the introduction of an air hockey table. Air hockey is an activity with plenty of benefits for your home and health. This challenging game allows for healthy competition between people of all ages and skill levels. While engaging in fun and burning calories, participants also improve hand-eye coordination and enjoy a healthy boost of adrenaline and other natural “feel-good” chemicals.
But to make the most of your air hockey practice you will want to have access to a quality air hockey table. Making the best choice for your specific home is the first step in enjoying all the benefits of this fun activity. So, let’s take a look at some of the most important considerations for choosing the right home air hockey table for you. As you will see there are options to suit everyone.
What to Consider Before BuyingThere are air hockey tables of all shapes and sizes. There is even a specially designed “boomerang” air hockey table that allows competitors to play shoulder to shoulder. This orientation is also better suited to certain locations with limited space.
While the “official size” hockey table is always a good option as the standard dimensions will allow for the development of improved skills, there are plenty of other options available in a wide range of sizes. The most important thing to consider will be the dimensions of the room in which you will store and use your air hockey table. An Official-sized air hockey table features an interior playing field that measures 84” x 48“. The dimensions of the table itself can extend beyond this. Then you will need to allow for a minimum of 40” of clearance on all sides to allow for player mobility.
To choose the right size it is important to measure the amount of room you have to work with. Furthermore, smaller air hockey tables can deliver as much fun and excitement as a full-sized table and are every bit as durable and top-quality. So, be sure to consider all your options.
You will need to look for the very best materials if you hope to make an investment that will last for many years. Air hockey is a fast-paced sport with plenty of energy being transferred from player to puck, and from the puck to the frame of the table. Unless you have purchased quality, you can expect your air hockey table to begin failing as time goes by.
Rink Walls — a regulation size/weight air hockey puck is over 40 grams. This may not seem especially heavy, but these pucks can reach a top speed of well over 80 mph in an average competition. The velocity of the puck will be constantly absorbed by the rink walls. Lower quality rink walls are made of laminate and thin aluminum rails and will quickly begin deteriorating under the strain of an exciting hockey match.
If you want your table to last, make sure the rink walls are constructed of solid aluminum rails and thick vinyl shielding. This will also allow your game to flow better with a neat and uniform rebound unaffected by the attrition of the game.
For best performance look for solid aluminum rails and thick nylon walls that allow the puck to rebound easily. Top-quality aluminum and nylon construction allows rink walls to receive the full velocity of the puck for many years without becoming damaged.
Motor with a UL Seal of Approval — for the game to function properly, the puck must ride smoothly on a cushion of air. This is made possible by a motorized blower or dual-motor blower housed below the table. The very best air hockey tables will carry the UL Seal of Approval.
Plenum Chamber — the plenum chamber is a hollow between the blowers and the airflow system that connects to the playing field above. This plenum chamber allows for a uniform air cushion upon which the air cushion rides. If you are looking for an air hockey table that meets regulation standards for size and puck weight, this is an essential element to a good game.
Legs and Frame — air hockey tables are not meant to be load-bearing constructions, but due to the exciting nature of the game and the perfect height of the table, it is almost certain someone will lean or sit on the table at some point. To ensure that your table doesn’t flake out when this happens, make sure you have purchased a quality construction.
Most air hockey tables are made of MDF Wood (Multi-Density Fiberboard). This is strong to a certain extent, but cheaper air hockey tables will apply thinner MDF boards to creating legs and frames. Look for the thickest sturdiest options you can find. Furthermore, make sure that the legs are sturdy, strong, and connected with steel plates and bolts to the rest of the frame.
Extras — you will find plenty of bells and whistles on the market. Once you have established that the aforementioned essentials are present and of good quality, you can select these extras as you see the need. Choose electronic scoreboards that use AC current are better than the battery-operated options and last longer. There are some tables that include an overhead light which greatly improves visibility.
Q: How Do I Clean My Air Hockey Table?
A: Keeping your table clean is important to avoid obstructions in airflow and early deterioration. Unless otherwise instructed in the manufacturer’s manual, avoid using soaps and cleaning agents on the playing field itself. Gently wipe the surface with a slightly damp microfiber cloth. Keep a sheet or dust cloth over the table when it is not in use.
Q: Should I Move the Air Hockey Table Myself?
A: A good air hockey table is pretty heavy. These are also precision gaming stations and can suffer if they are bumped, banged or dinged. Always get help in relocating your air hockey table to avoid damaging the table or injuring your back.
Q: Is Assembly Required?
A: Depending on where you purchase your air hockey table, some assembly will be required. For best results, get an experienced technician to do this task for you or at least someone with intermediate DIY skills and possibly a toolbox. Remember that the components of the table can be especially heavy and assembly should be a two-person job.
