I've never used this type of scoop protector before- how do they compare to cliffys? These seem like they might still allow for some slight chipping along the edge?

Good on Kerry!

I had the same thought. The Cliffy's have the one little issue where it has some lip edge which has some effect on whether or not the ball falls into the scoop as designed, so he sells both a notched version and unnotched version based on customer preference, the notched version allows the ball into the scoop more often.

For the mantis protector Kerry said the lip of the protector is about 1 width of the metal below the wood, so it actually protects the edges fairly well but yes there is still some edge exposure. The main advantage being it has no impact on the ball on the left side of the scoop.

I am thinking that much of the damage is not when the ball drops in, it happens when the ball is shot into the back of the scoop and ricochets back and hits one of the 3 edges, and for that the Mantis protector should help. As many have mentioned a Mantis and hard-as-nails on the edges should solidify the edges well enough.

It's really a matter of preference though. In this particular game, the Cliffy's look nice the way the scoop is painted. I'd say a new game is a perfect candidate for a Mantis, and when there is already edge wear on a game, a Cliffy is perfect to cover it up. I'm going to try the Mantis myself, but certainly can see going either way.

I installed my Cliffy's with the notch a couple of days ago and hardly notice any major impact on ball movement. I also prefer not to use nail polish on my pins if I can avoid it. Gives me headaches

Awesome!

Ordered my Cliffy's today. Can't wait to get them and protect this beautiful machine!

I just installed Kerry's. I love Cliffy's too, but IMO they're more for covering up damage...Kerry's are for preventing damage.

sonofa... they are PROTECTORS! Proactive! sweet Jesus...

I agree with this on older WMS games where the scoops had a straight edge. However, Sterns seem to have a bevel around the edge and many have reported wear issues on the Tron scoop even with a Kerry on there. It's Cliffy's for me on Tron and XMEN since I don't want to risk it.

Mine came in the mail last week (thank you very much Cliffy) and I'll be installing them this week.

Both are great products. Cant go wrong with either one.

The notched Cliffy works great! And it protects the art around the edge of the scoop. Too bad I did not get a chance to install this protector before the edge started to chip. Nothing against Kerry. I have all of his protectors on my MM.

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Wouldn't you have the same issue on MM with the Mantis? The question is "what ball behavior is causing the wear on the black line?"

For some reason the PF which is also clear coated does not have any wear in front of the Merlin hole using the Mantis protectors. Same thing goes for inside the castle. Perhaps the clear applied by Stern on XM was thin in that area?

http://www.mantisamusements.com/mminstall.htm

I have the full set of Cliffy's on my TZ and his limited edition gold version on TAFG.