I go with the plastic ones.

It's not on your list, but I like the metal ones Pinball Life sells.

They're smaller than the legs, so they are invisible once installed. They do not cover existing damage, but they're excellent if you've redecaled a cabinet, or if you're good at art and touch-up a damaged cabinet. They're designed to be held in place with 2 screws, so I doubt you'd ever remove them for any reason that I can think of.

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=2711

Yeah there was a thread mentioning this the other day...the large plastic ones that cover damage Like Rum-z said, people were saying will actually cause damage just the same.

The metal ones that Stern uses and Pinballlife sells are more for brand new or restored cabinets IMO.

I found a set on ebay of what first looked like Stern's but they aren't. The ebay ones are thicker and cut different at the top. They have a very nice shine and look good too. They completely keep the leg off the side of the cabinet. I remove a set of Stern's and replaced them with the better protector IMHO. You can find them on ebay. They came from the pin protector.

Leg1.jpeg Leg2.jpeg

Do I need leg protectors for a NIB Stern or does it come with the metal ones? I purchased the plastic ones, but after reading this post it looks like I should not use them. Advice please.

The new Sterns come with the same thing as the metal ones (don't stick out from the legs) except they are now plastic. To me the new plastic ones are great. They came with my ACDC Premium. The reason I like the plastic better than metal is they don't scratch the painted legs on the premium.

hmmm interesting..but I cant find them on Ebay.. can you share a link?

To clarify.. these are the same size as the non-visible metal ones PBL sells? Another hmmmmm...they sound perfect if they still dont allow the leg to touch the decals even if you tighten them down..(i would probably put felt in between also)

If these are the "PinCab" protectors do NOT use them.. they will wrinkle the decal and dent the wood. I only use these to cover existing damage.

Yes, yes, and wouldn't hurt to put in felt too. I used felt on ACDC LE along with the metal protectors to keep the backside of those beautiful legs from getting scratched up and potentially rust in the future.

I put felt between the metal leg protectos and the legs to prevent this problem.

How about the new plastic version Stern is using now? These came on my AC/DC Premium, but I have not seen them for sale anywhere. Seems like the best option since they are not visible (like the metal ones) yet are made of plastic so they won't tear up the paint on the legs.

First I was using the plastic ones, that was a BIG mistake. I have a new Tron and it was causing damage to the decal!! OH $HIT!! MY NIB GAME!! The new Stern plastic protectors still let the leg pivot and over time will damage the cabinet and decal. Stern isn't using the metal protectors anymore, priced right off the game I'm guessing. If you've got a older Bally/Williams do what I do, run the plastic protectors to cover wear. If you've got a newer game that has no visible damage you better put the metal protectors on. If you re-decal a game you better put the metal one on ASAP!! Search Bally Williams Stern Pinball Decal Protectors

ebay.com link: itm

Any evidence of this? I have heard nothing but good things about the new Stern plastic protectors. The best of both worlds...legs don't touch the cabinet and the plastic protector will be less likely to scratch the insides of the legs.

After further thought...I don't see anyway it could ever cause decal damage as the decals are cut away and don't even touch the protectors.

I have the metal protectors screwed in and then use the regular plastic protectors as the next layer. That way you get the separation to avoid damage and extra coverage if you already have some.

STOP!!!! That's what I did!! The plastic protectors over the top of the metal ones cause damage to the DECAL!!!! Do yourself a big favor and don't do what shadow e is doing unless you want damaged decals!! No offensive Shadow E, I did what you did and was pissed when I took the plastic protectors off. Go metal and you'll never have a problem again.

So is there a difference between the metal ones in the eBay link and the ones Pinball Life sells? 32 bucks is a little steep for a set. Especially since Pinball Life has them for 18.

Also, are the Pinguatd plastic protectors the same as the poncab protectors? Will they both do damage?

I ordered a metal set from PBL when my Tron was coming as I didnt think it would have them, and it did have the "low profile"plastic ones, anyone wants to buy them just pm me, are they for sale anywhere? I dont know what to charge....

Their is a difference that's why I posted the pics. The ebay version is thicker and cut so their is a nice gap between the cabinet and the leg. Ebay version is thicker steel without a doubt and Zink plated. Stern/pinball life are un-finished steel that need paint. Will they rust is the question?? I don't know that one. The Stern one's are very thin. IMO

Chris Hutchins uses the PBL / old stern protectors so that is good enough for me. If you remove the decal or strike the decal at the outside of the metal protector then add the felt then the leg you should be good to go.

If the eBay ones were the same price or cheaper I would get them but the original design does the job and its covered so who really cares how shiny they are. If the thickness of the PBL ones was not thick enough then that would be an issue but they are fine IMHO.

I put a set of the Pin-protectors on RobT AFM and liked them a lot ! No need to paint them because they are plated,that means less work for me !

I've got a few sets for sale: 2 sets of black (one used, but very nice), one clear, and two clear but less transparent.

$17.50 each set + $4.00 shipping - Used set for $15.00

Scott

IMG_3998.JPG

My avengers LE and acdc premium both came with metal protectors installed by stern so I assume that all the new games have them. Knowing stern though pros may not have them. Will have to ask my buddy that just got a nib tron pro.

I decided to add the plastic pinbit protectors on top of the metal ones just because I like the way they look and I have them on all my other games already. The yellow plastic protectors on my acdc premium red legs really makes the game pop.

I just checked both my games and neither have decal damage caused by adding the plastic protectors over the metal ones. The only thing I can think of is people are either tightening the legs too tight which is causing the plastic to dig into decal or they are legs are too loose causing them to run when nudging/shaking the table. Or maybe they are using a different brand?

Plastic protectors are really not needed but if you already bought them and like the way they look then I wouldn't worry about using them unless you really bang the shit out of your games.

I would also highly recommend paying $3 for a set of nylon washers for the bolts for a nib game, especially if legs are chrome or powder coated. The factory stern bolts are very sharp at the top and on my acdc I initially forgot to put them on when I set up the game and the bolts tore into the paint job. On my hulk I put the nylon bolts on day 1 and no wear.

If your gonna use plastic protectors and the nylon washers I would recommend swapping the factory bolts for the extended length bolts at pinball life. They are only like $4 for a set of 8 and the ends are not sharp and line up better with the leg holes. They are also a tad longer to make up for the space the washer and protectors take up.

The factory balls that come with the stern games kinda suck too. Would recommend the premium balls from Marco. They cost me $7 for a tube of 5 and were the best balls in that price range I have seen. The pinballlife premium balls for a $1.5 are not bad either but out of the 10-15 I have bought from them a few had minor pits where as the Marco balls were all perfect. The silver jets are tad shinier but very expensive.

While I'm at it I like to add the $5 tournament button to fill the hole in the game and the $10 on a ball ejector protector. My next nib game (Metallica LE) I will prob also get Mylar for the shooting lane as I've noticed the balls can sometimes knick the wood if they eject right on the groove in the shooter lane. Not very noticeable now but after a few thousand games a can see where this would start to really get worn.

Imo stern should just include these items when you buy a nib game as it would probably add about $5 to their overhead to include better bolts,balls,nylon washers, tourney button and eject protector but they dont. however If your gonna spend 5-7k on a nib game it's probably worth spending an extra $30 to protect the cosmetics. If you ever decide to sell your game you will prob be able to recoup the money in your selling price (and then some) as most people will pay a little more for games that have minimal wear.

So when did you get your AC/DC Premium? Yours is the first I have seen claiming to come with metal cabinet protectors. Mine along with many others on here came with plastic cabinet protectors. They look just like the metal ones, except they are made of balck plastic.

X-Men LE come with metal and AC/DC was released before it. I'm guessing earlier run / launch AC/DC come with metal and later runs come with plastic.

Why just use the fabric leg protectors

Because by themselves they don't protect decalled games.

I think people are getting confused here...and maybe I am also.

There are PinCab Protectors. These are large (can be seen around the tops of the mounted legs) and made of plastic. These seem fine to use on painted or silk screened cabinets. That are not recommended for cabinets with decals. If they are used on a decaled cabinet they have a tenancy to wiggle and cause the decals to wrinkle around the legs. One of the advantages of these is that they do cover up any previous leg damage that a naked leg may have caused to a cabinet.

After Transformers Stern started including smaller metal protectors that are already mounted to the cabinet. These plates are small and keep the leg from actually touching the cabinet when mounted. They can't be seen because they are quite a bit smaller than the actual leg. Stern also cuts the cabinet decals short on the corners of the cabinets so these protectors don't even touch the decals. I have never seen any damage that these protectors have caused.

I guess Stern has since changed this same smaller protector to plastic. Many have said they think this is a good move. They believe that this smaller protector being plastic will prevent the legs from getting scratched on the inside where the protector touches the legs. I have heard someone mention that their smaller style plastic protector did crack, but I heard many after that say they didn't have that issue.

My main point is that when people are mentioning plastic protectors (meaning the small plastic protectors) others are assuming they mean the larger, oversized PinCab Protectors when they are actually 2 different things.

It seems to me that cabinet protection is a bit subjective, but also has certain guidelines. You shouldn't use a PinCab Protectors on a game with decals. If you have a painted or screen printed cabnet with existing damage around the legs...a PinCab Protector is probably your best choice. If you have a decaled, new or very nice cabinet...you should probably use the new, smaller size protector that actually mounts to the cabinet. The choice of metal (durability) or plastic (may prevent the protector from scratching the insides of the legs) is up to you.

The question I do have is about using the new smaller style protectors on a decaled machine that the decal hasn't been cut away from the protector (like the Monster Bash pictured). Would this cause any wrinkling? Or does it not cause an issue because the actual protector is mounted to the cabinet and therefore not allowing any wiggle room as far as protector to cabinet goes?

The new small metal and plastic protectors Stern has been using on new releases to keep the legs from contacting the cabinet are by far the best protection IMO. You can also get the metal protectors from PBL or ebay as mentioned above in this thread.

Paypal sent.

So let's say you have an LOTR and want to add protectors. Do you install the new small metal protectors like from PBL, or do you go with PinCab protectors? I did the latter but wonder if I should have done the former instead.

You should have went with the PBL metals IMO on the LOTR, if there was no damage you were trying to cover.

I have a set of the PBL, they're to thin. I asked Pinprotection to cut me some the size of Pincab Protectors in metal chrome look. Standing by to hear back.

I've got new decals on a machine so I'm going with the metal ones. Don't you guys get nervous drilling into the machine though?

I agree with Rum-Z if there is no wear or damage there to hide go with the small metal protectors to prevent future wear the legs don't touch the cab. If there is wear/marks from big pincab protectors that were there before you may want to cover it up with felt and the big plastic pincab protectors for aesthetic purposes.

Yes and that is probably a good thing. It is very important to take your time and double and triple check before you drill that your drill spots are in exactly the right spot.

Sorry for the dumb question, but is it hard to line it up? Is this one of those things that if it's a millimeter off or something I'm screwed?

The easiest way would probably be to go ahead and mount the protector with just the leg bolts. Then it will be lined up right where it should be. Drill or hammer in a small pilot hole if you feel that would be easier than the provided screws cutting through and making the holes.

I've been mounting them the way Dug Freez describes with great results.

That makes sense and seem full proof as it gets. Thanks for the help. I'm a bit paranoid when it comes to doing anything that is permanent to the machine.

Ouch....

I installed pincab protectors on my BBB and it wrinkled the cabinet decal a bit... I should sue them! You try to protect your investment..and it does the opposite.

Luckily it's not too bad..but that probably cost me 3k!

There is no damage to hide, and I've only had them on a couple of weeks. So has anyone been able to get the new small plastic protectors Stern is making? If there's no way to get them I'll go with the small metal ones.

Next question..any way to fix a slightly wrinkled decal caused by the evil pincab 'protector'?