I need to replace some old scuffed and cloudy pinballs in a few of my machines. I was doing some searching and noticed the price for pinballs varies a lot, anywhere from $1.15 per ball up to $3.50. Are all balls equal? These won't be going into pins that use magnets. Is there anything in the description for the balls that make them better/poorer quality or have an affect on their lifespan before they need to be replaced? Is there only one universal size? Are they all made of the exact same material/plating, etc.? Recommendations? Any advice would help. Thanks!

#2 5 years ago

MSL

SantaEatsCheese

Pinside+ Pro!

Crofton, MD

5y 209K 9,666 6 85 1

Following to hear answer. The replacements I have bought all came from MARCO. They seemed just fine. I will tell you that you absolutely need to wipe the oil off of them before they go into your machine. Wipe them then wipe them some more... a 5 minute rub in a rag ought to do it.

#3 5 years ago

JEF

Jeff_PHX_AZ

Pinside member

Mesa, AZ

12y 48,150 2,055 1

Magnet games use carbon balls as they dont get magnetized real fast. Non magnet games use any pinball. Baron pinballs is a good place to buy, but noticed that Titan pinball and Metzel mods also sell pinballs as well from carbon to real shiny finished ones starting at a$1 a ball.

#4 5 years ago

JEF

Jeff_PHX_AZ

Pinside member

Mesa, AZ

12y 48,150 2,055 1

1 1/16" is common standard size

#5 5 years ago

???

MoSeS_1592

Pinside+ Frequent

Cleveland, OH

9y 57,300 774 9

Thanks for the advice.

Just curious if anyone has tried using a tumbler to re-polish old balls. I have several balls that aren't dented, pitted, or rusted, they are simply cloudy looking from so much use. Would a basic tumbler and some metal polish bring the shine back? Is it worth the time to try this or does it just make more sense to buy new balls every so often and pitch the old ones?

#6 5 years ago

LTS

lancestorm

Pinside member

Cincinnati, OH

12y 68,300 1,251 2

Ball Baron for new works for me in the past.

#7 5 years ago

QUY

FatPanda

Pinside member

7y 141K 7,178 32

OP
Quoted from MoSeS_1592:
Thanks for the advice.
Just curious if anyone has tried using a tumbler to re-polish old balls. I have several balls that aren't dented, pitted, or rusted, they are simply cloudy looking from so much use. Would a basic tumbler and some metal polish bring the shine back? Is it worth the time to try this or does it just make more sense to buy new balls every so often and pitch the old ones?

If you have a tumbler, give it a go! I buy my balls from ballbaron.com He has super shiny chrome balls that are great for games without magnets, and the carbon steel ones last a long time before getting magnetized or pitted.

#8 5 years ago

KJB

dudah

Pinside+ Frequent

Algonquin, IL

11y 101K 2,986 10

PBL used to have great ones! $1 for normal, I think $1.50 for extra shiny.
According to their blog they'll be back in stock in April.

#9 5 years ago

MAT

The_Director

Carolina Pinball Repair

11y 94,450 3,769 9 2

Last batch I got from Marcos were really bad. I'm not sure if they switched manufacturers or what, but they were gross after 3 months of location use. I'd been ordering there for years for balls. I've recent purchased the super shinys from Titan and Pinball Wizard and they look really nice out of the box, hope they hold up well after several months. Will try to remember to report back.

#10 5 years ago

???

MoSeS_1592

Pinside+ Frequent

Cleveland, OH

9y 57,300 774 9

Quoted from FatPanda:
I buy my balls from ballbaron.com He has super shiny chrome balls that are great for games without magnets, and the carbon steel ones last a long time before getting magnetized or pitted.

The games I have do not use magnets so the chrome are fine. I noticed ballbaron sells the standard chrome and "Ninja" chrome (super shiny). Just curious has anyone compared the two? I'm probably going to go with the Ninja's but I am still curious if its worth the extra $ and if it really makes much difference after 20+ games of use.

Also, with carbon steel vs chrome, I know the biggest issue in deciding which to use is magnetism, but if we are talking about games that do not use magnets does one type of metal hold up longer than the other (i.e. ability to hold shine, more resistant to pitting, moisture resistance, etc.?)

I know I'm overthinking this, they are just pinballs

#11 5 years ago

QUY

FatPanda

Pinside member

7y 141K 7,178 32

OP
Quoted from MoSeS_1592:
The games I have do not use magnets so the chrome are fine. I noticed ballbaron sells the standard chrome and "Ninja" chrome (super shiny). Just curious has anyone compared the two? I'm probably going to go with the Ninja's but I am still curious if its worth the extra $ and if it really makes much difference after 20+ games of use.
Also, with carbon steel vs chrome, I know the biggest issue in deciding which to use is magnetism, but if we are talking about games that do not use magnets does one type of metal hold up longer than the other (i.e. ability to hold shine, more resistant to pitting, moisture resistance, etc.?)
I know I'm overthinking this, they are just pinballs

I can't say definitely if one lasts longer over the other. I have both and use them as magnets would dictate. I have an inkling that the ninja chromes last longer, but that could be due to the fact that the games with magnets in them often are more "rough" on the balls. idk. I check my balls (insert joke here) every time I take off the glass, and if I feel they're bad, I'll replace the lot for that game. They're not terribly expensive.

#12 5 years ago

QUY

FatPanda

Pinside member

7y 141K 7,178 32

Saw in another thread that for tumbling pinballs, it will get them shiny, but it won't work out deep scratches or divots.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/tumblers-and-walnut-media

#13 5 years ago

???

MoSeS_1592

Pinside+ Frequent

Cleveland, OH

9y 57,300 774 9

Thanks!

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