I have played Met premium it’s great but I prefer the pro of Met and TWD. I could have premium of both but prefer the pro.

We can agree to disagree-but at least we all agree that Metallica KICKS ASS!

I don't think you can go wrong with either choice as both are great games. I own a pro and love it. It has been in my collection the longest and it is still my favorite game. That being said I did enjoy the premium a lot as well. If it was only a few hundred more, I would have gone with the premium. The hammer does get in the way, but the lock feature is so cool I would get over the size of the hammer. The discussion about the hammer magnet board also makes me a little leery, but it wouldn't stop me from getting it. Price was the only reason I went with a pro and I don't regret it at all. If price doesn't bother you get the premium.

That's all there is to it really. Even if you have the money to swing, saving $2000 is significant.

For me price has nothing to do with it. I had three LE's-let them go and bought a Pro. To me the Hammer is just too big and ugly & clunky. I also did not care for the interruption with flow. Yes Sparky slows the flow as well-that is enough for me. The first couple runs had issues with hammer lock but Stern fixed it thereafter. I will admit that I really like the color changing RGB, as for spinners and snake jaw-meh. If it was not for the Hammer-I would own an LE.

TWD - Prem
MET - Prem
IMDN - Pro

/lock thread.

IMDN Pro over IMDN Premium? I dont think so!

Everyone has hit the reasons to get a Pro vs. Premium correctly. One thing that I want to add that is not really addressed is:

- Each toy represents a significance to Metallica's Music Career:
Snake: Black Album
Crosses: Master of Puppets Album
HAMMER: ...And Justice for All Album (CD insert booklet has the exact hammer... but has been updated for the Bassist Robert Trujillo).
Lady Justice (not a bash toy, but cool mode for the ...And Justice for All Album).
Sparky: ??? ... I guess it fits Ride the Lightning Album
Coffin: Death Magnetic Album

To me, PREMIUM fits the bill for total Metallica tribute that a die hard fan LOVES!!!

Just another perspective to think of it. PREMIUM all the way here!!!!

This again....Premium for the win end of story...mic drop etc.

Get the one you like is the correct answer. If you don’t like the hammer then pro. If you like the hammer then Premium. The money argument is laughable at best because most add so many mods they spend more than what a premium costs. Only mod you need for a premium is color DMD... maybe mirror blades and a sub and let it rip. Speaker light kit looks nice too but not expensive.

That's debatable. I put a stupid amount of mods into my pro and every single one of them would be a in a premium if I'd gone that route. Also, swapping insert lights to ones liking is much easier on a pro with its classic sockets rather than boards.
Same answer every says, whatever feels better to you.

The money argument is only laughable if you actually buy mods. Everything I have purchased for my pro I would have purchased for the premium as well (cliffys, sparkey airball plastic, etc.).

Inspired from this thread I am getting a MET Prem! I only played MET Pro on location a couple times couple years back but remember liking it and called my local dist Nick from Big Toys and he says it's favorite game and he will see if he can find one. He ends up hooking me up with his dist who has 1 left..............Melissa from Cointaker who I have read good things about on here and she was great to talk to! Once again Nick hooks me up with the best deal for me- passing on himself making $ - only asking that I keep spreading their name - amazing dude and place to deal with!!

So thanks to the OP, all those that posted here, Nick & Melissa!!

Great choice !

I put a coin again
I miss this game. Had a pro and on the fence between pro or premium now.
I read that snake gets a different behavior between pro and premium. What did it do on prem? Thanks

Jaw opens and closes. Hit jaw (or lit snake insert) to open, go inside for snake letter. During multiball the snake holds a ball for about 20 seconds after activating add-a-ball.

Ok. Is there known issue with this mech?

Go with the pro. The flow is so much better on the pro. You can mod it to add more lights. Go back and read the old Metallica owners thread, the hammer is a problem.

Switch that detects the ball in the mouth can be flaky. When it starts to wear out, it will sometimes bounce/actuate just long enough to fire the kicker but not award the shot. I've had to replace mine twice in home use. Might be the same switch as the pro, so maybe it's not a premium-specific issue. I only know my experience with it.

I had a pro and modded it with the lightshow from Timebandit. It is badass. Sure I would do the same if I should go again with pro.
Don’t know If I can add the cross rising and the spinner on the pro.
Now I can find premium around 6k and my only hesitation I have is about the hammer. I assume all mechs on prem are reliable, but I would like to know if it affects the view in a very disturbing way

I never had any issue with my pro with this mech.

Even though I own an LE, the pro is perfectly fine and a better value for the money. Fewer issues too. Hard to go wrong either way.

"The flow is better on a pro" is one of the greatest misconceptions of the 21st century.

Rob

If I remember correctly from my research,it was a problem with the magnet board. Hopefully the games produced after the problem was discovered are okay. And the older games should be okay once the board is replaced. I'm not sure if there are anymore problems with the hammer,but I'll be following this thread to find out.

I can't think of a single pro with more ball stoppage than its premium/LE counterpart. Toys are fun, but they often break flow. Pick your poison.

The pro will do this as well, you just have to turn it on in the settings.

I have a Pro and I realy enjoy it but if money isn’t a problem I would aim for a Premium.
Both are great games but Premium is at least one class higher.

Both are still available nib. I might get a pro led this month after my maiden premium delivers in a few days. Have a JP pro and live it as my only game. Need another so I stop putting so many damn plays on it. Pro led is in my future.

Guess you haven’t played both or you just like to disagree with people. The pro is less stop and go compared to the premium. The flow is better on a pro. That is a fact.

Have played both... i prefer the premium... great pinball with very great toys on the premium... the hammer is really great ! It does the show ;o)

I didn’t know this, been playing a ton of Met pro. Either way pro or premium it’s a winner.

Just put on the snake hold on the pro, pretty cool feature.

The last time I played my Metallica Premium, the ramps and orbits seemed to flow pretty darn good (Lady Justice!). I happen to like fun toys that interact with the ball and am willing to wait the extra few seconds every once in a while to see and hear the gratifying boom of a hammer pounding the pinball into the playfield. Yes, it blocks the view a bit, but I'm okay with that.

Really, it's about opinion here and we'll just have to agree to disagree. Buy what you like or can afford. Hey, it's only pinball

Rob

The lock is only the magnet that catch the ball (and then the hammer)? No missed in catching the ball?

However, Timebandit or redshiftled doesn’t seem to be active anymore, nothing is in stock (lightshow kit) and doesn’t answer to mail. Hope he is fine.

I agree that locking with newton ball is without a stop and go.
However, I think it is the only time the ball is stopped comparing with the pro? All other time of the game, the flow is the same, correct?

I prefer the pro and have owned two. Never liked the hammer mech and it slows the game down. Spinners are the only thing I miss.

I went back and forth on this same issue when i bought my MET. Both the pro and the premium are awesome and youd be happy with either one but the premium is better and worth the extra money. Im so glad that i went premium.

I also didn't know this and I've owned the game for 3 years. I always wanted it on the pro and now I guess I have it. Thanks for the info.

Flow arguments are so silly to me. Really? If flow was soo important, everyone would be clamoring for an Orbitor1.

Years ago, I played the pro and wasn't really excited about the game. Found a premium and immediately had to have one.

I

Had a Pro, loved it, sold only to buy a low play Premium, which I love ever so slightly more. They are both great machines.

The hammer can block you line of sight occasionally, but when it goes off and smashes that ball through the playfield - NEVER gets old. Add the GI effects into that. I also found the Premium’s RGB arrow inserts to be much more useful in knowing what’s going on with each lane, vs the simple red on the Pro. The rising cross is mostly pointless, but I’ll put up with it matching the DMD animations.

Well, i recently got this game back at home, a dirty donny premium. Very nice game, from 2013 and...96 balls played. I can’t believe it. The game is as new.
My problem is i don’t like hammer even if i admit it doesn’t block the view. I don’t like either snake mech as you need to hit twice to grab the ball (correct?).
Well, i’m lost and ready to move it for pro.

Had an LE .... Sold it and bought a pro and modded the shit out of it.

I don't miss the LE at all.

I have owned 2 pros in the past. Currently have a premium. The pro is better value for the $, has slightly more flow, and is more reliable. The premium is much more of a mechanical marvel, though, and has a cooler coffin multiball start. Even little things like the spinners and lightshow make it feel more fleshed out. It depends on how you weight the strengths and weaknesses of each, but they are both great.

With the total lightshow, the pro can be almost equal to premium in the lightning department
Sincerely, the hammer doesn’t impressed me. I did not start yet this coffin MB. How it starts (where the balls go out?)?
Can you confirm you need to hit twice the snake to grab the ball? This is what it plays here. I do not enjoy it as it feels repetitive to me

I love all the toys in the Premium and think it’s one of Sterns best for sure, I wish Maiden had them toys. Debating between this two pins as next one for one pin environment or leading towards a remake game. I like Maiden music way more than Metallica. maiden is pure fun and fast to play, Metallica kicks my butt more. Can’t decide.

True on the lightshow, but it's not quite the same and you don't get the color changing inserts. I could take it or leave it on the hammer too, but it is a very neat effect when it smashes the ball through the playfield. The multiball start clears the coffin and the balls eject from the scoop instead of being autoplunged from the shooter lane. For the snake, you can also hit any lit snake shot to lower the jaw and light the snake just like the pro. If anything, this is one aspect where there is more flow on the premium because the jaw keeps some shots to the snake in play.

Need to check to be sure.
What are the six rgb inserts? I guess they are arrows inserts. Why rgb is used for? They lit blue at first, then others lit red when you hit the blue one.

Yes, the arrow inserts are RGB. They light different colors for different awards during stacked modes/multiballs. I believe they are also used for building towards crank it up & seek and destroy, but I'm admittedly not too schooled on the details there yet. This is not to detract from the Pro, which is also a great game. Just pointing out some of the differences to consider.

Thanks.
I just decided to let it go my premium. I didn’t like the hammer, as surprising as it can be.
I need to look now for a pro.