this is a tough one, flip a coin. WH2O is an awesome game if you have it dialed in so I'd vote for that as they are getting harder to find too. ACDC will win the poll but don't let that sway you too much.

I would vote for AC/DC pro, but hey, I'm weird like that!

The mini-playfield does not do a lot for me, and the pro plays faster/harder so it is more likely to be long term keeper for me... I need more time (hours at least...) on both to know for sure though.

Get this and never look back

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Same for me, plus Hellen translite

NOT!

WH2O will never leave. ACDC has left the building.

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One of the Best Older, vs One of the Best Newer.............My choice is AC/DC!

This coming from a man who will not let WH2O ever go.

Sky...WH2O is a great game....but it doesn't get my heart pounding like AC/DC...crank it UP!

I have a WH2O in VA I would sell for 3800. Fully chromed, it's a reimport with some planking, cabinet has some issues, has great topper, new boulders and ramps.

AC/DC and MET are the only Stern games I would like to own. But, there are still a lot of Bally/Williams games I want... WH2O is my choice! Had mine for more than a decade and still play it all the time.

It is. It's also one of the best integrated themes in all of pinball.

If you're looking to be a better player though, ACDC.

I had a Whitewater and it got pretty easy and repetitive after awhile once I made it to Wet Willy's and got the moving Jackpot. Also once I learned that you need to set up the 5X scoring and then start the multiball to really score big it wasn't as fun anymore. But it was very popular with family and friends and got played a ton. It is a fun game though. I can't say the same thing about TZ. Nobody but me plays it. I would like an ACDC and think it would last much longer in my collection.

AC/DC pro.......that looks like the premium without the lower playfield, it flies!

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WH2O gets the ol blood pumpin too, specially with the music building up towards ol man willies shanty!

Wh20. If you want the best of both worlds, just change out the backglass with a cartoon girl on it that has nothing to do with the theme.

AC/DC FTW

I owned both - I like WH2O but it is not even in the same league as AC/DC.

If you buy a WH2O, your still gonna want the best game ever so stop wasting your time.

ACDC all the way home

What is the advantage of the premium? Just the drop targets?

color changing GI, lower pf, crossover ramp, swinging bell - premium is definitely worth it.

I hear from most the lower pf is a major negative and that the swinging bell is an easy mod.....can the crossover ramp be modded?

Why is it such a big negative? Cause it's hard to loop shots? The rules for it are interesting enough and when you decide to go down there is of big importance also.

To the OP's original ? I really loved the HEP wh2o I had but it can never compare to the masterpiece that is ACDC.

Some say the game plays better WITHOUT the crossover ramp.

Pair? Closer to 3k ?! If there is an extra or you pass, lease let me know! I'd really like to pick one up

Two of the top five pins of all time so a very tough choice. ACDC by a hair.

Not even close. AC/DC FTW!

I like White Water better, AC/DC just didn't do much for me, I like the band and there music.

Simple then. Disable the ramp divertor and remove the cross over ramp. I personally like it but if you don't it's a 2 min fix.

almost anything is better than wh20

acdc by default

Whitewater is great until you start focusing on 5x playfield and whitewater jackpot. If you focus on the vacation jackpot it can be a ton of fun but once you start get googly eyed for 5x playfield the fun changes to frustration, especially when the pops knock 5x to something else an you have everything lit for whitewater multiball. The game was hated as much as it was loved when it left. It has probably the best upper playfield and jackpot shots of any game. I love and hate whitewater, the left long ramp with the ball smack on the glass is one of the most memorable things in pinball. I find the game even dialed in to be a bit clunky.

AC/DC is the game I have owned the longest in my collection. If you like the band it's a no brainer. The shots are straight forward, wide, and the left and right ramp shots are just a fun combo. Has the best antagonizing announcer that I have seen. Code is fantastic and despite never reaching the wizard mode I adore this game. Probably enjoy it more then any other Stern.

WH2O is a great game, but the prices are getting rediculous lately. I think AC/DC is one of the best modern Sterns and that you'll get way more for your money going that route.

Although I really like WH2O and am a huge fan of B/W DMDs, I'd say if you can't get a WH2O for $3500 or less, go with AC/DC

Tough call. I own both, and would have a hard time parting with either of them. I'll try to break it down:

- - - Wh20 just has a certain "charm", the original art, the music, callouts, colors, shots... it's just an all around great game. I consider it my favorite of all time, and I doubt it will ever leave.

Still, I've seen people absolutely crush the game (ralphwiggum). That makes me wonder about longevity for players that are better than myself. I don't think spamming the center shot is necessary for a great score, but there are times in gameplay when you'll find yourself aiming for that shot several times in succession. I think that's one of it's knocks.

It's got one of my favorite MBs in all of pinball (and one of the best MB starts). The triple jackpot is insanely satisfying, as is stacking 5x with MB or bigfoot hotfoot. There's a good variety of shots, the playfield layout is one of my favorites, ever.

Again, I think the downfall is that better players with great ball control can really exploit things, especially the MBs. Since you really don't need to make any shots that would put the ball out of control during MB, good players can keep this going for quite a long time.

The sound quality is also not very good. I guess it doesn't really bother me, personally - I love those midi style sounds, it remind me of SNES and the like. Still, I've seen others express concern over sound quality, even after speaker replacement due to it being mono sound (can't remember, exactly).

- - - AC/DC Premium has a ton of different strategies. Sometimes that will actually prevent me from playing it. Sometimes I don't really want to "think" through a game. At it's core, it's really a simple fan layout game with a great ruleset. The color changing inserts look really cool, AND they're functional. You notice it in modes like Thunderstruck (one of my favorites), all the shots that will give you points will be flashing blue, but the most lucrative shot will be flashing white. That really helps to identify what's what in the confusion of a MB.

The risk/reward on this game, as I'm sure we've all heard a million times, is really unmatched. Do you cash in your 30m Song Jackpot? Do you try to get 2x or 3x going first? Should you try to start a MB to build it further, and possibly collect it's equivalent Song Bonus?? Getting a huge Song Jackpot is one of the best feelings I've had in pinball. Losing a large bonus is devastating, especially when it's due to your own greed.

One of the issues with the Premium is either ramp will load the cannon for the Song Jackpot. It can be frustrating to avoid both ramps when you want to save that shot. Keep in mind, loading that cannon means you either collect the jackpot, or it will continue to build. The problem with the latter, is that you will need to relight the cannon, that's done by lighting "fire" 3 times. I know you can disable either diverter, but that would really seem to mess with the balance (since then, the same ramp would load the cannon, and start MB).

The theme is really well integrated. The game really gets rocking during MB, the guitar riffs to signify jackpots is really well done. Also, the ability to swap out songs is great (even though that's not really a game feature, more of a benefit of pinball's very talented modding community).

The sound quality is great. Get an external amp for it, and it sounds amazing.

The lower PF is fine. It's not special, and it's not exactly fun. Getting some consecutive loops going can be slightly satisfying. Overall, I seem to avoid modes where the lower PF is active, unless it's competitive play.

Everyone loves the bell. I do too! There are some things that bother me, however. You hit the bell and it swings. Awesome. Except another shot to the bell within a few seconds afterwards probably isn't going to register. Even when the bell is almost done swinging, it's not a sure thing that your shot will count. This bell IS controlled (you can hit the VIP pass and make it swing, for example), so I'm sure a code update could reconcile this. If you make it PAST the bell into the scoop in anything other than Hell's Bells (one of the hardest shots in the game), you get nothing, it just kicks the ball out.

I know it's not popular to say anything negative about AC/DC. It is a great game as it stands, but I wouldn't call it "complete", I'm sure it's current code is not Lyman's final vision.

- - - Bottom line - I love both of these games, they're both Top 5 for me, personally. I tried to give my thoughts on each (both positive and negative), please feel free to ignore everything I said!

I think this is because people often castrate Whitewater when they set it up. If you set it up well it's very hard. Bowen Kerns calls it "one of the more challenging skill games" (see http://papa.org/2012/01/10/papa-14-whitewater-100-challenge/)

If you set up the Lost Mine kickout either really strong (like factory) or fairly weak, it becomes much much harder to control the ball kicking from out from the Lost Mine. Lots and lots of people set theirs up so a lost mine kickout ends in an easy cradle and this allows you really exploit the Whirlpool and mulitballs.

Also, if you open up the outlanes you'll get brutal drains if you fail to keep the ball under control.

Anyway, I pretty commonly hear people talk about how easy WH2O is but then you find out they have it set up really easy.

Agreed. open up that right outlane is enough to make it twice as hard. Some of the other issues are just standard pinball stuff. Shooting the middle shot again and again is like shooting the same shot on any game, all pinball is the same thing again & again.

I don't disagree, I'm just trying to offer some talking points on each. That's a good point about the lost mine, though, that can definitely send the ball out of control during whirlpool.

Whitewater has been my go to game. I'm always waving that flag. I did just get an ACDC in a partial trade recently and let it go soon afterward. ACDC is a great game but the ruleset is designed for better players than I. I have a STLE and I'm happy getting on that when I'm in the mood to play a Stern.

Keep in mind also, There still making ACDC's How may Whitewaters do you see popping up?

I've been playing a (location) AC/DC Premium a few times weekly for about 6 months and feel like I'll never get tired of it. Very intimidating at first, but now almost every game gets me to a point where I'm one or two shots away from something really cool (even if I've already done plenty of cool stuff).

I've never even seen a Pro, but from what I can tell, it retains the most important stuff. I think I'd miss only the color changing LEDs. Lower playfield is fun, but kind of breaks the action and one can only hear so much Highway to Hell. Swinging Bell can be added. Cross-over ramp mostly annoys me, since it often sends me to the cannon sooner than I'd want to. Game is brutal anytime flow is interrupted (my balls are always bouncing, to the left and to the right) and even successful cannon shots on anything but the bell, left ramp or left loop can often drain (and these usually aren't worth using up a controlled cannon shot).

Love WH2O, but once "beat" the game feels (in comparison) like somewhat of a mundane routine, repeatedly switching between the upper and lower playfields with the built-in delay and same voice callouts over and over.

None! Someone is hogging them!

WH2O prices have almost trippled in the last year. Get one quick if you want one or else AC/DC pro is going to be the cheaper game

Ha...beat Wh20.