I know this is an old thread but figured it would be a good place to ask. I've installed these protectors on about 5 machines to date, Three being sterns. Two of those have points where the protectors kinda of raises a little off the playfield. so when the ball rolls over it you can see the weight of the ball flattening the protector.

I know in previous installs you have to make sure that it's not touching anything. they do a great job making these, but they aren't all perfect. minor adjustments need to be made like shaving down a certain area because its sitting on top of the metal on a post, which is causing it to lift up somewhat.

I got the protector installed on iron man in roughly 4 hrs. then I noticed on the left side of the monger, the protector lifting slightly. I looked everywhere to see where it might be running into something. I finally figured that stern's playfields are just extremely uneven. I got some of that double sided tape( the stuff cliffy uses for his protectors) and taped it down, seems fine now. I also had the same issue with a GB premium. That protector took me over 20 freakin hours. on this one I assumed it was the two cliffy like protectors that were pushing down on it to hard causing it to bunch up. So, I took them out and it made no difference. This was the first machine where I concluded that more recent stern playfield's are extremely uneven.

anyone else have these issues with stern machines?
I don't believe the protector impedes the speed or anything. on the contrary, with stern machines it probably increases speed making the playfield a little more level.

I'm about to install one on a stern star trek I bought a couple months back. I'll take video of before play and after.

I installed one on Addams family too- Had the same experience! Plays perfect, looks great, and adds a little gloss. It's almost time to clean it, so we'll see if it goes back to perfect again =)

We have playfield protectors on all our machines now. We are a fan of the product. You can lightly use novus no 2 to polish the scratches out. Only down side for us is when fitted on NIB the manufacturer uses some sort of wax that is silicon based and is extremely hard to remove, Any residue and the playfield protector sticks to the playfield. We have invented a tool to get underneath the protector each service to stop the protector sticking to the playfield.

Why is it bad if the protector sticks to the playfield?

Looks messy - like it’s got damp patches.

Show us your tool!!!

Played many new and old games this summer in Germany that had full playfield protectors. My opinion is they look fine and will keep your playfield mint but I found it changed the way each game played for sure.

It's a totally different surface that the ball is traveling on so seemed a bit faster for sure and spin imparted on the ball feels different somehow. I'm not saying it was totally different but if you are a home collector, beware it will play at least a bit differently than before. I would say purists may have 2nd thoughts but if you're main goal is to protect then this looks like a great solution.

I am attempting to install a playfield protector on my Sopranos tomorrow.
A question relating to this:

There is some mylar on it. It it wise to leave it there and put the protector on it? One piece of mylar, from where it drops from the boat, has some small "bubbles" in it, should i puncture these with a knife before putting the protector on?

Thanks

The protector could pull the clear or paint off the playfield. The protector also expands and contracts at different rates to the playfield.

yeah, I shot a video when I installed one on my stern star trek, before and after. Think the only difference I noticed was, there was more spin, maybe it was less.... I don't remember.

The main thing I don't like about them is on some playfields they seem to stick up in certain areas. Not sure if its because the playfield is uneven or what, but it looks weird when the ball rolls over it. I know usually when this happens it's because the protector is hitting something causing it to lift, but I've had it happen on 3 out of 11 I've installed them on and there was nothing I could find that was obstructing it. I've been using that double sided tape cliffy uses on his protectors to get those areas down.

The wetness that appears on some, isn't really that big of a deal. small price to pay for the amount of protection it gives. I have a lot of games, some on location. If I could, I would just re-clear the playfields when needed, but who has the time? Even if I sent them off, It would be way to expensive.(even if it was once a year)

some, you have to make minor adjustment's. I use a dremel tool with a grinding bit, to sand down bits of plastic that are touching something, like a post. They do a great job making these things but they aren't perfect.

If I was you I'd leave it and do a fit test. if it bulges the protector, then yes you would probably want to do something about the mylar. I don't think it's going to though, it take very uneven surfaces for that to happen.

make sure when you do your final fit test, to roll the ball around and look for wavy areas. (this usually means the protector is hitting something). nothing worse then getting everything back together to see the protector is slightly lifting in one area.

Hey Guys,

I wanted to add my latest experience to this thread. I have 3 protectors, 2 of which were purchased from playfield protectors in Germany. I created a custom protector for my Amazing Spiderman prior to PP developing their own. From my experience, it's best to buy from PP because it eliminates the need for sanding/smoothing the edges. They just have better equipment for cutting the PET-G than most of us. Also, I just installed my latest protector in a NIB HUO Deadpool Pro. After a few days and plenty of games, it started showing "wet" spots. PP informed me that the new paint from the playfield is causing the issue, and to use compressed air or low setting hairdryer between playfield and underside of protector. Let me know if anyone is curious on whether this works.

Also, I gave the playfield a light cleaning using microfiber clothes and vacuuming, prior to protector install.

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Looking for a playfield protector for my ToM. Are the German manufacturers the only avenue for distribution? The shipping is 40% of the cost!