My god...not in even in the same conversation.

Stratoflight is a terrible "luck box" game with a truly awful design. It's basically a big rectangle you bang the ball around in...it's a raqueteball court. You really don't aim, you just defend and hope.

Target Pool is a masterpiece.

The no-brainer of all no brainers.

If the price is right buy both (tm) but we all know that isn't always possible. One or the other would be a real shame to pass on a Target Pool.

The itch can be scratched with a better Williams 4-player and most of them are cheap (I don't know how great a deal that Strato is but it better be close to free to pass on a target pool)

4X's the price? I just bought one from Expo for my dad like a 2 years ago and it was only $500. The Stratoflight only $100?

I love both games. I disagree on Strato/Super Flite being a luck fest. That game is all about geometry. And while at first I thought it was boring, I now consider it to be a player. I own one and love it. I'd also love to have a Target Pool. I'd figure out a way to get both and have one at the office/with a friend if space is your only limiting factor.

Enjoy!

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I'll admit my experience is rather limited on this game (a couple times at Pinburgh) but seriously, Target Pool is an absolute classic, one of the very best wedgeheads. I LOVE short flipper games with inlanes and there are very few of them. It's got so many things to shoot at and moves you around the playfield, and like another classic Dimension has the kicker upstairs to nudge targets with. In fact it has a lot in common with Dimension which is one of the reasons I love it.

Strato Flight is just another williams four player. There's plenty better, and regardless it's an easy title to find. But it is a four player - so if that's what the OP wants obviously he should get it instead of the TP.

Target Pool is RARE, and not only is it a great game it's the add-a-ball version which makes it even better for home use.

if the OP passes on this game I'd consider buying it (depending on price of course) and I would appreciate him PMing me the info. I seriously need some TP for my bunghole.

Curious, you want to tell us the actual prices of both machines? I'd figure a basement strato flight at $200 and a nice shopped TP at $800-1000?

for $600 for the pair. Get both.

He said "roughly that ratio." No way on god's green earth are both of those games $600 for the pair. Probably more like $1,000-1,200

holy shit the colors are vibrant in that. My dads doesn't seem that vibrant.

That game is a frikkin' museum piece. Nice SCORE!

yea, that looks tits.

The Target Pool looks awesome twoplays25c! I live in the same area as you and also saw the ad for the Strato Flite. May I ask you a question? I am looking to get my first table and was somewhat interested in the S-F. The owner told me the only thing wrong with it was that the ball wouldn't fire over to the shooter lane. After reading your description of it I was a little nervous that there were more problems than that. Does that match with your impression of this machine? Should I just save my money and wait for another first table opportunity? Thanks for any feedback on this table you may kindly provide. Much appreciated.

Owned a Target Pool. Fun game. Proper set up and it's a challenge. That's in great shape.

I own a CQ Strato-Flite that was either HUO or HUO after being on route or public for about a year, and I LOVE this game and have actually played a few games on it last night and this morning!

It is a fantastic game. My game has the original flipper assemblies and never have I seen flippers working so well. The layout is great and is a quick one, that's for sure. I love the objective of the game, and the game is beautiful cosmetically as well. Put that together with targets that reset every ball and allow for 4-player multiplayer fun (some games are duds to where I doubt 4 people would even want to play, this is NOT the case on this game!) and great friendly competition. If I were doing a friendly tournament or even a "serious" one I would definitely do it on this game and my example of it particularly. I would also definitely recommend this game to first-time guests and first-time pinball players (or just beginners) that come over to try out first out of all 24 of my games. Easy to learn, difficult to master!

To those who called Strato-Flite a luck box: Look at the playfield layout on Target Pool... you can't make any of the 12 necessary shots on the top of the playfield from the flippers either. You'd need it to bounce around up there and get lucky with some nudging the same exact way you would with Strato-Flite. No doubt it is a classic as well but this should not discredit Strato-Flite. I would not trade mine for a nice Target Pool. Hell, even on Strato-Flite you can make most of the shots from the flippers besides two of the B and C targets - so in that department, it's actually much less than Target Pool itself.

Looks like you got a beautifully restored Target Pool! Congratulations! How's it play?

Here is a picture from when I had just started moving my games from my cold garage into my basement gameroom, it was the first one in and I had just picked it up and it was too nice - I refused to keep it in the cold garage! Thus began the basement gameroom which now holds all my pinball machines.

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strato flite blows, it is one of the worse games from that era. target pool is a classic.
who ever thinks that every shot has to be made from the flippers is a real noobie. the bounce is the key to the upper targets, not very easy to do. TP is a great game that is hard to find in great shape. SF are not that hard to find, nobody that has a real collection wants one for very long.

I do! And I have a real collection! (Especially if you like wedgeheads, so no, it's not just shitty-to-you Williams multiplayers )

Only reason I said about the bounce shots was because somebody claimed you need bounce shots to make the shots on Strato-Flite (... just like Target Pool ...) and that it was somehow bad - it was just a little too ironic not to point out!

Strato-Flite is definitely one of my favorites in my collection. Williams also seemed to have great build quality around then too, after getting it up and running I haven't had many issues with it. Plays and runs like a champ.

This hobby is a lot more fun with an open mind - but I don't even think most need that to enjoy this game. (perhaps Jubilee/Darling, though)