Quoted from MikeS:Ive talked to several people that I trust that have played both and they prefer how the Pro plays. Its less stop and go and you don't have to mess with the lockdown button for the diverter. Here's a video from a really good player that owns the LE but says the Pro plays better. I still need to play both for myself but my early thoughts are that Pro is the way to go on this one.
Tournament players typically always prefer the pro on every title because they have less stop however there some exceptions. However when I am buying a game to keep in my collection I want it to have all the features and not be a neutered version. It would be a different story if I was just buying to keep for a few months and then sell and move onto the next title. I played both machines and preferred how the LE plays and also how it looks but because I don't have a youtube video I guess my opinion doesn't count. The pro looks like a pro and LE looks more like something you would get from JJP.
While I am not a fan of the button on the lockdown bar you have plenty of time to hit it before the ball crosses the diverter. I like being able to pick which flipper I want the ball to return to since it helps setup the next shot. It's not like the magna save on BK where you need to be very fast to hit the button before draining. Most of the time I will put the diverter in the position I want and keep it there until i feel like changing so it's really not requiring me to constantly hit the button. Plus there is plenty of time during the stop and go parts of the game when you can change the diverter if needed.
I've been collecting and playing pinball for 30 years and just because I am not in your trusted circle doesn't make mine opinion any less valid. You have no idea of my skill level and there are lots of people who are very good at pinball but are not well known because they don't participate in tournaments. I have no agenda here and was nearly just stating my opinion and hopefully people play both versions before buying to make their own educated decision.
Some people want to argue which machine is a better "bang for the buck" and typically a pro will always win in that battle because the Premium and LE's cost so much money. But saying the Pro is a better game then the Premium or LE is just silly if you ask me and the fact people keep saying it's the way to go to save a lot of money just goes to show they are talking about which is the better value.