So does the shooter lane stop working properly if there's wear? Shooter lanes look a little harsh with all the armor. I know people look at the shooter lane when they buy a pin...probably the only time they ever look at it...but what's the big deal? The playfield is going to tell the story of whether or not the game was taken care of. Shooter lane not so much, as it will absorb the impact of thousands of Pinballs in essentially the same spot from the same direction.

I've bought some metal shooter lane protection,but it just bothers me whenever I consider installing them. Not sure why. I've got clear vinyl over them now and I'm sure they'll dent a little but I love the look of that bare wood. And I keep coming back to the idea that the shooter lane is the least important part of the playfield.

I also notice I get occasional bounce backs (down the trough) on my AVLE and I'm sure it's because of the metal they put on the right rail now. The wood absorbed enough energy to deaden the ball...the metal can bounce back too hard.

Point 2 above strikes me as valid. Like seeing flipper button armor on a game that never had it. But usually you can tell by the rest of the game if the Cliffy might be hiding something...then again, if the Cliffy is there from the beginning (on a new machine) you don't get the pleasure of playing and admiring a fresh game. Its like you're reserving the pleasure for the next owner, should he be less anal and actually remove them to play the game as built.

Great product, just not necessarily on an undamaged game.

You get them so if you ever sell the machine you don't have to hear about shooter lane wear. You don't have to like them. I may or may not install the ones I have, and I may or may not buy more. I reserve the right to do either as well as change my mind.

My ambivalence doesn't apply to other playfield areas. I bought your protectors for my LOTR, but never installed them because i liked the game as it was was. HUO since the day it was made in 2004 and no vuk wear. If wear began I probably would have installed them. When I sold the game I included the Cliffys.

I would use your products to cover playfield wear areas that could continue to degrade and potentially impact play, as well as being ugly to look at. For me, I never look at the shooter lane and I've never experienced my pinball experience to be degraded by a roughed up shooter lane. But my otherwise beautiful HUO SM has some of the white paint chipped away because Stern did a lousy job clear coating it, and someone actually said that would influence their buying decision.

Seems like alot of stuff in this hobby is driven by what "other" people think or what others might say about something: condition, price, ratings. Seeing as I can't just buy every machine I want and have to sell to buy, I must consider insuring against future damage, etc.. I don't have to like it.

This is exactly right. Unless the expectation is to ultimately sell for top dollar to an obsessive perfectionist, why not wait UNTIL their damaged to put them on? So the unmarred game can be appreciated as unmarred. With Cliffy's on, everything you're protecting may as well be thrashed. Total catch 22.

OMG! How many SS is this for you now?

It was an accident. I removed it.

I've seen that Arcade scoop beat to crap. But that was at a route location where the game got lots of action every day. I also know that the OP at that location was disappointed that the cliffy impeded the way the scoop worked, and that's why he didn't have one there.

NOTE: that OP has Cliffys on lots of other machines and is very happy with them.

Insurance against what exactly?

Lets say you have a basically minty HUO game...with a cliffy (no damage underneath)...how much more valuable is it than a basically minty HUO game with a cliffy with some minor - or freak chip due to poor clearcoat or whatever - wear damage around the scoop being protected?

In each case the cliffy entire covers the damage. And, one would think, any additional damage is now impossible.

Is this going to have any real impact on the sale price?

Cliffy can take it. Lol. No one is saying his products are bad. The debate mainly centers on "when" not "if" you should use them. My additional question is why bother on a shooter lane? Who ever looks at the shooter lane? A few dings in the shooter lane might look better than left/right armor. Especially if a piece of Mylar will keep the area clean.

I know this, of course. But when the game is otherwise mint...yada yada yada. When the only time you pay attention to the shooter lane is buying or selling, that tells you something. It tells you that you really don't ever look at the shooter lane....so why purchase $40 worth of armor for it? The game itself is going to have the same wear regardless. If its because you're a perfectionist, fine, but I'm not. If people really need the shooter lane to divulge the secret history of the game they probably shouldn't be buying expensive or vintage pinball machines.

Did you read beyond the first sentence of my post? Do you put clear vinyl furniture covers over all your choice new furnishings? Your killer leather coach and chair, etc.? Your red velvet chaise? Saving them for when company comes over or for the next owner when you sell them? See my point yet?

At the end of the day, many - maybe most - people consider them "damage prevention". I'm one of the people that would use them for hiding damage once its there. No losers here.

Although I did buy a shooter lane protector in a moment of weakness and will install it on my ACDC. Maybe ill become a convert.