I'll go out on a limb and say because there isn't a demand for it. This is the first I've ever even heard of shooter lane protection. Honestly, I guess they are making these games to be played, and not really considering them to be long term collector items that stay pristine.

Cost! Plan and simple $20-$40 x the entire production run could easily cost them up to 6 figures.

Great question.
No, if the protectors were massed produced, the cost would be low.

Crazy but my Rolling Stones LE has the metal prongs installed to detect ball type. It actually makes for a great shooter protector as well(looks new). Gave me the thought that Stern NEEDS to partner with Cliffy. I mean what can it cost per game in bulk-like $7 ea?

Make it so

$20-$40? Wtf? Maybe $1 if it’s a metal protector, and like $0.01 if it’s a piece of Mylar

Easy tiger, I was going off the cost of cliffys, as none of us know what Stern would do, bring it in house? Contract it out? So we don’t know what it would cost them.

Plus mass production savings only work if every shooter is identical, which they haven’t been as I have had different shooter protectors off cliffy for Deadpool compared to AIQ to Mando.

Anyway we all know it’s a cost thing. And I would rather buy a cliffy and keep him in business!

Cause by the time your shooter lane has damage you should be thinking about buying their next title?

A little mylar wouldn't hurt. They already use it on the playfield.

If buyers demand it most likely Stern would just do it in house…..why bring in a middleman to eat your profit. We are talking a part that costs maybe $1 and 10 minutes of labor to install but the true cost to Stern is more…design cost, another part to purchase and inventory. It’s not a money maker. Stern is probably better off to just let the aftermarket vendors make them….now if Stern has to ever add a new feature to compete with another manufacturer they can cheaply and easily add protectors to their new games as a Standard feature……it really is dumb to have to buy protectors for a Brand New game that should be there in the first place but Stern doesn’t care. Until buyers demand it, it won’t happen but I caution people to be careful what you wish for. Cliffy is reasonably priced. The Stern protection Kit will set you back a lot more I can guarantee you.

Genuinely made me laugh, very good response.

Simply because they don't care about it. They want you to buy another game or playfield, plus a lot of people would argue that it looks bad on the game so why not let the consumer worry about it?

John

Like what EJS said - they don't want games to last forever, they want them wear out, replace and do it again

as for scoops they do it so it cuts the small guy out from creating a mod

Support Cliffy!!!

Great question. Why doesn't Stern do an upgraded package with shooter lane protector, cliffy's, and plastic protectors? I would gladly pay $100 more to avoid the hassle of doing it myself and ordering all the parts.

Why do they just do an extra layer or two of clear coat in the lane and be done.

At the very least they could turn down the default ball eject strength. That would cost them zero dollars.

There is no reason for it to be set so high out of the box as default. That’s what’s actually causing the damage.

To be honest, I’m glad they don’t and wish they wouldn’t. Rather get high quality ones from Cliffy. The ones jjp tried to use in dialed in were awful.

Hoohoohoo!
You guys are a riot.

I've never once given a Tinkers Damn what a shooter lane looks like.

Terminal Geeks!

I don't install them , I just turn the strength all the way down for the trough eject and when I do my playfield wipes I make sure to hit that area too...always look fine after thousands of plays.

But mylar would seem to be a no brainer, inexpensive, and makes everyone happy.

No, I never have. My circle grew up in the blown out 80s playfield era. I asked a friend if he wanted his worn to the wood Cyclone touched up and mylared. He declined - said it would ruin its authenticity. We also agreed those who buy brand spanking new games and tear them apart to clear them are batshit crazy. There's just multiple philosophies of this hobby, that's all. If you are buying new top of the line games and want to preserve them for resale, we guess that's important to you. Other collectors could give a rats ass about the condition of the shooter lane. In the grand scheme of pinball, it's really not important.

Exactly 100%! It's doesn't matter one bit to playing pinball - only to high end flippers!

just cut some mylar into mini man pants and slap it in! and play

Lower the trough power, put Mylar on it and done. Takes 2 min and don’t need to wait on cliffy to make his protectors.

If you put it on the lowest setting it won’t even kick the ball out. Haha

I wonder if he’s thinking of some of the older games when it was low medium high etc rather than a number.

"planned obsolescence"

Mylar would be a superior protector to the metal ones as they cover the channel area as well. The metal protectors are really ugly as well in my opinion.

Because mylar works fine on flat areas of the playfield. Mylar in the shooter lane of a location game isn't going to last long at all. And when it starts peeling, there's a good chance it's going to interfere with a plunge or auto-plunge. Fine for home use, no way on location.

The shooter lane is typically the biggest part of the playfield with no paint. That's tradition for like more than 100 years. So don't expect any Cliffy-like protectors for the shooter lane either. Are you seeing a lot of shooter lane wear on your games, or are you getting a little over protective?

Might be worth taking a look at your game, I don’t have mine on the lowest setting, I’ll check later what it’s on for you and it just about kicks the ball out, its never failed but any lower and it most likely would struggle.

Maybe each coder chooses how they want the setting to be. AIQ definitely goes so low the coil doesn’t even fire.

Not sure about how much putting on lowest setting for trough eject really matters with Sterns. They still fire out like a rocket and mangle the shooters quick. Turning down and mylar help but really only one solution and that is a Cliffy. People saying why would the manufacturer want it to last? Are you kidding me? Gary Stern is very passionate about his product and why would you not want it to hold up and last. You want people enjoying these machines for generations. I would think he would want his legacy to live on. I think if they could partner with Cliffy it would be a win win. The cost and time for install would be minimal. A little protection would go a long way.

-Make it so!

There is a metal side wall piece on my MMR and I think on my Mando as well. Side wall opposite of the ball eject maybe more for the shooter and also where the ejected ball strikes the opposite side wall but no factory ball eject protector. Seems to be a job half done and just needs the ball eject one as well. So the manufacturers did do something a piece it anyway.

I think I have owned a few machines where the trough eject does not mangle the shooter. The balls are ejected like a soft turd and the shooters stay pristine. I think they were Twilight Zone and Pistol Poker. I never did like the design of Stern's trough ejects.

Come to think of it-I wonder if it will actually save Stern money installing Cliffy's by not having so many warranty issues with the clear chipping prematurely, etc?

$7 Cliffy or $500 playfield?