Read previous posts on this this subject but most concerned cabinets with decals. I'm going to re-paint several early Bally SS cabinets in the next couple months. I've used the foam type that adhered to the leg but after being installed for over 8 years, I had to use a prybar to get them to release from the cabinet. Looking for something that a year or two from installation the cabinet will still look fresh when the legs are removed.
Quoted from TractorDoc:I've been steered towards the metal type that hide behind the leg.
I do like them better than the plastic ones -- they would work well on a nicely painted cabinet.
Wouldn't a metal protector defeat the purpose?
Definitely use the metal ones. They are the only ones that actually protect, thats why all new games now come with them installed.
P.s. that felt will do nothing but maybe cause decal wrinkling.
Don't use anything but the metal ones that come with ALL NEW GAMES from stern, JJP, Spooky. There's really no other good option, and most others will cause damage, including felt, plastic, rubber and all other other home made solutions, don't cheap out on a nice game... That's why all the big manufacturers the metal ones as TractorDoc suggests.
I generally use felt protectors on stenciled cabs, and the metal protectors for cabs with decals or screen printing.
I've seen people use the larger plastic ones to help cover up leg damage.
Imo these are the best, while pricey they are thicker & use 4 screws to attach .
These are from Mantis
https://mantispinball.com/product/misc-leg-protector-hidden/
Understand what types of protectors are used for which types of cabinets. People already mixing painted (stenciled), silkscreened, and decaled cabinets together in this thread. If the game is painted, it means stenciled, and refers to no game made after approximately 1984.
Felt protectors provide more than sufficient protection for all stenciled cabinet styles.
Quoted from Spitfiren8:Definitely use the metal ones. They are the only ones that actually protect, thats why all new games now come with them installed.
P.s. that felt will do nothing but maybe cause decal wrinkling.
Mata Hari is a painted/stenciled cab, no decals
Quoted from pinballkyle:Don't use anything but the metal ones that come with ALL NEW GAMES from stern, JJP, Spooky. There's really no other good option, and most others will cause damage, including felt, plastic, rubber and all other other home made solutions, don't cheap out on a nice game... That's why all the big manufacturers the metal ones as tractordoc suggests.
BTW... stern moved to plastic versions of the original metal standoffs 
The metal standoffs keep the leg edges off the cabinet. The felt pads are great to prevent contact damage, but won't really provide the spacing to prevent edge wear over time. If the game is handled gently, probably won't matter.
The Mantis protectors excel at this verse the Marco ones because the Mantis ones are almost twice as thick.
Quoted from flynnibus:The metal standoffs keep the leg edges off the cabinet. The felt pads are great to prevent contact damage, but won't really provide the spacing to prevent edge wear over time. If the game is handled gently, probably won't matter.
The Mantis protectors excel at this verse the Marco ones because the Mantis ones are almost twice as thick.
I originally was going to get metal, but I don't like the idea of screwing a plate over the corners that I just fixed and painted. Which I think is the same thing OP is thinking by asking if metal would defeat the purpose.
Then I saw these and got the idea for the felt since I already had some.
Quoted from moto_cat:Imo these are the best, while pricey they are thicker & use 4 screws to attach .
These are from Mantis
https://mantispinball.com/product/misc-leg-protector-hidden/
Cool never seen these ones before, might order a set and see how they compare to the ones on a couple of my Sterns and those from pinball life.
Quoted from mrm_4:I originally was going to get metal, but I don't like the idea of screwing a plate over the corners that I just fixed and painted.
Point is they are permanent and never to be removed... like the leg plates inside the cabinet 
I get the idea people don't like 'non-removable' changes, but this isn't a mod/tweak... this is re-engineering the cabinet to be better. So it's a perm fix
Trust me, it feels weird cutting the decals you just installed too.. but the point is this is 'underpinning' work that never will be removed.
Quoted from tomdrum:I don't like idea of screwing metal plates in a freshly stenciled cabinet. The ones mrm_4 pointed out from Marco look good.
Don't use them if you don't screw them in... then the damage will just be in a smaller spot than if the legs did it. They should be screwed in to prevent movement.
These are cabinet upgrades... should be permanent.
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