Premiums might be hard to find now that Stern stopped making them. We have a Pro and really enjoy it

Your friends told you wrong because the pro doesn't shoot any better than the premium. The premium is also has some really nice features over the pro. You get 2 spinners, killer light show, the rising cross, and the hammer which is pretty cool.

The pro is a great game also but if money isnt an object i would buy the premium.

Premium ALL the way. Without question. Some games aren't much different Pro vs Premium. MET is one game that is drastically different. And it shoots perfectly! The hammer/coffin lock is bad ass! People will try to tell you that the hammer blocks your view and you can't see Sparky, blah blah blah. They're wrong!

Spot on! ^^^

Had an le for 5 years and definitely recommend the premium over pro.

Lightning/Illumination is much nicer on PREM but can be added as a mod on a PRO. The hammer is great, I would miss it.

i just went through this exact scenario myself . After asking members here ,i purchased a premium and no regrets at all!
I was lucky enough to get a new in box premium 10 days ago.
The extras on the premium are great! The hammer, rising cross,spinners and extra lighting are a nice upgrade.The hammer itself is just an Awesome feature ! Don’t know why people complain about the hammer so much?
To add my machine build date was oct 8 2018 so I’m assuming this is towards the last of the run? If this helps at all
Good Luck!

Had an LE for 3 years........ sold it and bought a pro. Dont miss it in the least. This coming from a Premium buyer.

The biggest difference with the premium is the hammer and lighting.

The lighting is better, the hammer is not.

Total lightshow mod matches the premium lighting, so not a big deal.

Eliminating the hammer is an option only available on the pro.

Be prepared to pay less if you choose the better version, but either one is still fun.

BOOOO!!!! lol

Pre is the way to go, the light show alone is worth it.

The hammer is a cool toy, but slows down play and flow. For some it blocks view of the playfield, and allegedly the base sticks out further making sparky harder to hit from the right.

The rising cross, and RGB GI (lightshow) on the premium/LE can both be added to the pro using Time Bandits total lightshow board.

Earlier runs were made with a wood backbox vs metal if that matters to you.

If money is not a problem go premium if it is get the pro they both play very similar but the premium has some nice fancy features like the hammer, rising cross, and spinners .

there were 2 different Premiums to choose from correct?

I have a met premium. I understand the complaints about the hammer, but the spinners and extra lighting is what did it for me. The hammer can sometimes get in the way, but the other features far outweigh that being an issue for me. either way you go, you will continue to love the game.

Yes lighting makes the Premium worth it to some-love the color changing RGB

Yes the hammer kills the flow and also is too big and obstructive-sometimes less is more

Pimped out Pro is way to go-imo

The spinner's can be added on to the pro's, but the way they tie into the game is by tapping on the pick-targets. If you're a purist, this might not be for you...

Premium all the way for me.

What he said. I've got the most pimped out Pro you can but regret not getting the Premium.

The hammer kept me from making the right choice. Buyers remorse here...

Yes and certain runs had issues with playfields and some runs had issues with cabinets splitting. If you do buy a used one make sure and add mylar to try and protect certain defective clear coat in shooter lane, etc. and add metal corner re-enforcement brackets for cabinet, or try and find an original one from first couple runs.

Back when the pro was only 4500 with shaker it was a no brainer imo. Add the total lightshow that gives it a premium lighting plus some enhancement. But now that prices are much more it may be better getting a modded used premium or a very modded pro. Excellent pin and my favorite stern in any form.

Have had an LE since day one. Never ever one time did I think the hammer was in the way or blocking anything.

I could live with a pro, but I don't have to.

I've owned both, and currently own the premium....in my mind the premium is better, but not by much.....does the hammer block sparky? yea kinda, but not for taller adults....my kids say it does, but their 4' tall....they are both really great games....u can't go wrong with either decision...

If you can find a pro led cheap like low 4000's then that is the way to go imo. Best game for the $$ period. Avoid heavily modded sold for premium prices. Might as well get a premium instead. Premium of course has extra features so it's a point on whether you think they are worth the extra money. I don't care for the hammer much or the rising cross. I can easily live without those. Spinners and light show add a lot to gameplay so I do miss not having those on my pro. You can add those in but looks like a bit of a pain to do so. Plus, added spinners cannot be integrated into the software since they are omitted in pro code. You can tie them to a pick target but that changes gameplay in an unwelcomed way imo.

I own both, but would keep the Premium if I had to give one up.

I bought the Pro for the art and think it’s the best Pro overall.

For me 100% pro.

I think the missing spinners are the only thing I care about. It’s stupid that Stern didn’t put spinners in the pro such a cheap part to skimp on. Likely Stern wanted to steer people to the more expensive premium model.

I don’t care about the snake or hammer.

Met pro is just perfect imo one of the best pro pins.

The hammer kicks ass. I love how the snake can hold a ball during multi-ball too.

Yep, once the fix was in place and she worked properly I never had an issue with the functionality or did it ever seem in the way. Spinners and lighting that come stock its just a better game. The pro is fine but to say "go pro" like its a better playing version is horse puckey, now I have no idea what puckey is but I've always deeply believed in it.

I don't think there is a better Pro all round out there than MET, so it s great. That being said, there is really no reason to talk you away from a Prem since you mentioned you are a Prem buyer in general.

Good gravy. 30 post in and it's nothing but hammer, hammer, hammer. That's not even the game changer in my opinion. To me it is the active snake jaw that makes the biggest difference. The hammer activates 2 times with most games and 3 if I'm having a really good game. The snake jaw and how it integrates into the game is more relevant than the hammer.

And the total light show matching the prem/LE light is not true as it doesn't control the color changing inserts. You may say no biggie but that's more impactful to gameplay than the GI changing.

Pro is great but if money isn't the deciding factor I would 100% go Prem.

I’ve had an LE from day one, but if I was buying today I’d get a pro. Only things I’d miss are the spinners and moving snake jaw, which makes it easier to register hits and holds a ball during add-a-ball 2x time.

All-time classic game either way.

The Hammer is the best ball lock in Pinball period.

Well that has to be it in most cases, either not enough money so an attempt to justify the pro purchase or lots of money and they can't justify the extras for the extra money. I mean I prefer the pro in SW and GOT so I can understand it when you just dislike the extras or kinda hate upper playfeild (me) but in Met the Pre/LE is clearly the better version, The Hammer? I had a Monster Pre for a year and never an issue, this is like pinsiders claiming TWD pro is better than the Pre. Crap.

I wouldn't trade my TWD pro for an LE/premium, unless it was to sell and buy another pro.

Pro is pretty awesome. I love my game and yeah the premium has the added features but really it's minor. Not like the prem has a whole new added lower playfield or something extensive.

Prem all day long.

Hammer lock rules.
Snake Jaw rules.
Spinners are necessary.
Rising gravemarker is cool.
Color changing GI effects are the best Lyman/Stern has ever done.
Color changes on some of the inserts are helpful to know what modes/goals are active.

Pro is still a great game, but seems way more lifeless and sterile.

I have the pro and added Pin stadium. It is fantastic. If money is no object, then of course premium is the way to go. But the pro is no slouch.

I have a Pinball Refinery Pro and the light show is kick ass! I've never had the opportunity to play a premium but I'm guessing the light show can't be that much different from the Refinery edition. I'm sure people may tell me I'm wrong but I love my MET Pro! You should get in touch with Steve at MI Pinball Refinery before pulling the trigger on a Premium, you can't go wrong with him, awesome guy!

I always buy the premium/LE, but MET was the exception. I simply don't care for the hammer. I think it's ugly as f**k. The moving snake jaw is cool on the premium, but that mech tends to be more problematic than the one on the pro. I added the total lightshow and spinners with the sound caller add-on to my pro, and I think it's the perfect game. Unfortunately, Lyman's most recent code update broke the spinner sounds, but I'm hoping TimeBandit will come up with a fix for this in the future.

I had my choice, and chose Pro and would do so again today.

The difference to me is about speed. I like really fast games. To me, the hammer and snake jaw slow things down a bit. I know some othss who feel the same as me and got the Pro. I don't so much care about light shows, I care more about how a game plays, so that didn't factor for me.

That isn't knocking anyone who likes the Prem more. If you're into looks and cool mechs, I would agree it wins. For the specific game play I like, it's pro all day.

If I were given one for free I'd still choose the pro. I'm not a fan of the hammer anyway. The only thing I really like on the premium is the spinners and the rising cross. Gameplay is mildly different between the two. I will take the safe shoot at the right side of the coffin on a pro knowing it can bounce into the snake and eject back to my flipper. The snakes jaw is closed mostly on the premium so that shot is off the table. Play both and see how you feel but the hammer is a big negative to my tastes. I bought a pro and spent the difference on a ridiculous pile of mods. (Color DMD is a must for this game)

Sold the pro, bought the premium.

The hammer is almost the reason i didnt buy a pro because i heard people talking negatively about it. I then had a few people who i trust contact me through email and tell me not to listen to that garbage about the hammer. Im glad i took their advice because the premium model is well worth the upgrade and the hammer is actually BAD ASS, especially with a shaker motor.

Premium all Day long : i would miss the best lock toy in pinball , The Hammer !!!!

Really Spencer?

Most of the hammer’s appeal to me is its resemblance to Pushead’s drawing in the Justice inlay card. I spent many hours re-reading every word of those lyrics & credits as a metalhead teen. I can see how it’s kind of a WTF mech to non-fans.

Metallica Pro is easily one of the best Pros available, so if price is the deciding factor get the Pro. Having said that the Premium is even better, so if price isn't the deciding factor get the Premium. I honestly don't get the speed argument for the Pro. You have a few hammer drops with the Premium, but that's canceled by the number of times the ball is going not go into the snake's jaw as it's closed half of the time. At best the speed is a wash. I totally agree that speed is important, but Metallica is never a slow game. If you value speed above all else, do you also disable Sparky? That animation is much longer then the hammer.

Both are fantastic. Personally, I have a Pro, and like it better than the Premium. I didn’t like the hammer, and I didn’t like the light show enough to switch. I have a couple of friends with Premiums, and I am very happy with my Pro.

However, MET is a great game in all forms. So there is no wrong decision. Anyone that says they regret a Pro over a Premium is still playing MET tonight