They look stupid to me. They would be a waste of my monies, but people love the modding and it ain't my monies so get to it.

It comes down to the specific custom shooter rod in question. I have the Stern JP shoter rod and think it is fantastic - looks great, feels great. I also had the Stern custom rod on my Aerosmith and Sparky's head was just not right - felt terrible to grab and plunge with.

I agree with Drac - depends on the particular shooter. I like the official Stern Stormtrooper shooter for Stern Star Wars, for example. And my One Ring shooter for LOTR. Plus others. But many, no - usually if too large, or too odd in shape.

I've seen a few cool looking ones. Most don't really grab me, though. Some are downright goofy or hinder the actual usage of the shooter rod.

Personally, I haven't wanted any enough to actually buy one.

I made a weird skull for my Metallica. It was a fun project, and I think it looks pretty cool, but if I'm utterly honest it doesn't feel great in the hand. If it wasn't something I did myself that thematically matched my custom painted Sparky I think it'd take it off. As it is I live with it, but I'm not sure it's a great idea in general. I wouldn't ever make more, or buy someone else's like that.

Just awful, one of the worst “mods” in pinball, and in a bottomless sea of alligator clips and plastic garbage that’s really saying something.

A mod should be - at the absolute least - unobtrusive to game play. These shooter knobs generally feel TERRIBLE in the players’ hand, and the added weight and girth completely ruin the feel a player has when plunging a ball. Not to mention, they appear to be disease vectors to me, with all these unnatural nooks and crannies that attract dirt, filth, dead skin etc and appear to be difficult to clean.

The fact that most of them look absolutely moronic, resembling sex toys purchased in an adult store in Lilliputia, is simply the cherry on a total shit sundae.

Some of them are tolerable (I can think of very few - maybe Stern’s official game of thrones knob, or the 3rd party funhouse steeplechase knobs a customer asked me to install) but by and large they are a complete aberration and a sign of how off the rails “pinball modding” has become.

“Do no harm” should be the number 1 rule in pinball modding, and when I’m grappling with a giant, clumsy 3D Incredible Hulk head when I’m simply trying to plunge a ball, clearly that rule has been violated.

like everything, some are good, some are bad
I have one on my spiderman, and I like it, but I have not seen any good ones for other games in my collection

I only like the ones I purchase .

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I tend to favor the factory ones or at least ones that the orientation doesn't matter. Some look ok when sitting pretty for a picture but there's nothing to keep them from rotating sideways or upside down. I do like shooter rods better than launch buttons but that's a different topic.

I think they look absolutely insanely stupid. Very few exceptions can be had, but I find them just an eye sore on the average.

I only like 2 of them. The JP2 amber knob is cool. Mando Razor Crest control knob will be cool I think.

My wife bought one for my Tommy, British flag motif, But the hole for the rod was drilled askew. now it looks like the shaft is bent

Love them and put them on all my games. Each to their own though. My game my choice. Your game your choice, it’s not a big deal.

But why do you want to grab somebody's face to plunge a ball?
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Pinball, anyone??

meh.

Levi pretty well summed my feelings up on them. Most mods people slap on their machines look like a 16 year old went shopping for car mods in the automotive aisle of Walmart and bought everything they could slap on their '91 Geo Metro.

It's totally dependent on the design for me. I like ones that feel most like an actual knob while looking cool. I absolutely hate the coin or keychain or other oddly shaped flat piece glued to a rod style. Most of the random doll heads glued to a rod are strange, but some are ok. Depends on the shape. The Jackie head would drive me nuts. I had a Deadpool one that was basically round that I didn't mind.

I like most of the Stern ones, especially the lit ones are really cool. The AIQ, JP, and STh ones are great. I have the BK one that came with my machine and that one is a little overboard. I would have never bought it myself, but since it came with the machine it's alright. I have no real interest in the TMNT one...again, just shaped too different for my tastes.

I do love the look of the Modfather round colored ones. Been thinking of grabbing a couple. I like how he uses colors matched to the cabinets. Cool stuff.

No thanks

Agreed.

Distributor had one on a demo game.
Had no idea what it was but unplayable to me.
No thanks.

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I like most of them. I really like the amber shooter rod for the new Jurassic Park and I made a diamond shooter rod for Congo.

No thanks. Keep it factory, smooth, and symmetrical.

You don't, you just look at it and complain aboot the fan noise

Mine also broke, so I decided to "fix it" with a diamond door pull knob. I drilled it out and attached it with epoxy. I like the idea of using door pull knobs as they are products designed with a similar size and function as a shooter knob.

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I think they can be a nice add on if they fit the same basic form and feel as a standard shooter rod. I really don't like the ones that are oversized or oddly shaped, as that interferes with functionality. The only one I have every purchased was the Aztec Coin for JJPOTC, which is the same size and shape as the standard one, and the orientation doesn't matter if it spins. Some people like that big sawed-in-half plastic pistol shooter rod, but I think something like that is just too awkward to be practical.

The only ones I like are these

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I dig them. Except the TMNT one; the handle sticking out looks like a bad idea for passing by.

I bought a few cheap colored knobs from Marcos. However I wasn’t able to unscrew my old standard knob in order to replace it. I basically ruined my plunger shaft trying to unscrew the knob. I tried this on POTC Stern. I have some other newer Sterns I’d like to change out too. Are you supposed to able to unscrew them or are you supposed to purchase the replacement plunger as well? Anybody have experience?

I would never think to try to disconnect a knob from a shooter rod. They just aren’t built that way.

My poll answer also equally applies to toppers and playfield figurines.

Most I don’t really care for however, I did like the Led Zeppelin one so I picked that up. I’m leaving Metallica with the original knob and Halloween comes with what looks like a high quality knife handle so no complaints there. I think they’re cool If made well and really tie in the theme without being awkward.

I love the Lior shooter knob on GNR.
Most of my other machines have stock shooters.
It can get out of control, but they're easily removed like most other mods. I don't expect them to add to the value of the machine but I also don't plan to sell.

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TNA $86.95 plus shipping sorry nope

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Here are some of my favorites. I prefer the Candy Apple Shooters where I match the cabinet colors to the game to my shooters that I make. They come in 3 sizes, small , medium and large. Medium to be the most requested size. The Character Head shooters are also very popular , and probably 50/50 by customers choices. As I agree some heads are oddly shaped or to big, some actually work quite well. The deadpool heads work well, not to big, smooth to the hand and has good color and captures the obvious theme of the game. Some shooters that tend to not work well in my opinion , are ones that stick out to far. Stern's TMNT ninja sword handle , comes to mind. I remember my factory gun handle on my Batman Forever caught my hip everytime I walked by it. Many choices...to each there own. www.modfatherpinball.com

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I look at them the same way as toppers -- a few of them are cool, a lot of them aren't, and if a machine I buy has one on it then fine, but I don't actively seek them out. You can still get a good feel off the ones that are ball/knob shaped (eg. amber egg on JP2), but the face-shaped or other elaborately designed ones, not so much.

That one was really big too. It just felt weird.

That’s what she said

I would guess most tourney players hate em. And most casual home guys like em. Like me

Where's a good adult store in Liliputia? Been looking for new shooter rods.

Prefer just this.

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You fuckin' weirdo!!!!

If I can make it myself on the cheep than I love them !

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Not a huge deal in the end, but i'd rather the rod be easy to use than play to the aesthetics of the game. Not very many after market shooter rods check both boxes.