I'm more of a collector. All of my pins are either HEP or HUO.

I'm more in between collector and player. I don't like crap. But it does not have to be perfect either. Just 100% functioning and decent looking. If it is in great shape. Bonus!

Just like with my women, condition depends on how much whiskey I've had and how much I really want to play it.

not sure if I would call quality as a great concern
looks like a lot of guys here can make an old game better then new
but I would say attraction is a big factor- well for me it is
think of it this way your at an auction or coin op show and you have 40 pins side by side L-R.
your standing back say...60 feet? and you have 10 seconds to pick the only game we will let you play
everything you have been exposed to all your life - like , dislike, hate, love is called up for a ten second blitz- all in & all on the line

Im a player cabinet doesn't bother me but playfield should be nice. Don't mind abit of wear or broken plastic in non crucial areas. My RBION is huo with only a couple small marks on the cab, my ww has minimal wear on playfield but the cabinet is pretty rough and space jam is really nice except a broken plastic. As long as they play nice im happy. If I'm paying more cash though I expect better nick too

I can accept cabinet fade
I can accept a few worn spots on the playfield (but no bigger than a coin)
a broken plastic or two is OK

a fully restored game is not going to improve my playing skills

Which pins do you have?

There's nothing wrong with a player pin, if you get it for a big discount. I'd rather have a beater PinBot than a nice example of a pin that's no fun to play. Having said that, I've usually lost money on "player quality" games, while making a small profit on well-preserved ones. So now I usually pass on games with rough playfields.

I once drove out to look at a Sorcerer that the seller described as "very nice" on the phone. The backglass was perfect, but the playfield was rough - planking, paint coming up. I offered the guy $500 but he was convinced the game was worth $1000, so we couldn't get together on it.

If you paid an average price for a below-average game, don't worry. We've all been there - live and learn.

I use to only care about playability and everything working, but as I aquired nicer games this became important also.

Totally depends on the price. Just about any missing parts can be found, or worn parts replaced, if it makes financial sense. I'd prefer to have a Whitewater with a topper for example, but I would still jump on one for $1k without it.

My main concern with playfield wear, raised inserts, mylar issues etc is that they actually affect ball travel, so obviously those are best avoided unless they look fixable.

On board with that Pete, but if find the longer I stay at this hobby the picker I get.

As long as playfield, plastics and mechs/boards are ok and working, I'm good.
Cab fade I can deal with, missing decals i'll fix all in good time, bulbs that need replacing, same.

If its safe and working and has a play field that can be made to sparkle, then the rest I can deal with as and when.

A decent backglass is a huge plus. Mostly I look at playfield wear, I spent a long, long time touching up a pin with a lot of wood showing. If it has small areas of wear it doesn't bother me. I also look at electronics. I've restored some Ballys with corrosion damage, but I will tend to stay away from System 11s with corrosion damage where possible. If a particular cosmetic issue is bothering me I'll address it after it nags me to death. Example: Eventually I repaired my broken Pinbot vortex.

I'd consider myself more of a player but enjoy playing on nice machines. Anything I consider a keeper usually gets at least a playfield swap.

Depends... For most pins decent BG and PF would be fine as long as 100% functional. I can accept cabinet wear but broken plastics would irritate me.
On the other hand I fully understand that NIB buyers would love their game immaculate.
I also bought a bally star-jet with a dismal BG. I found a nice repro. This encouraged me to have the cabinet nicely repainted... And now I am considering a full restoration of the PF which is far from bad... So without planning it I might eventually get a high end restoration. Overall cost might be prohibitive but this is a 50 years old multiball pin after all...

as a new person (em only), who just wants games that play right and are fun...

playfield is #1... that's where the ball rolls...

unhacked/complete is #2... although most parts can be found and most hacks undone, i'd prefer to start with complete machine, even if it needs a little work to get it going... as a new person, it can be rather difficult to figure out exactly what part might be missing, since i haven't worked on enough of them yet...

cabinet condition really doesn't matter at all to me, as long as it's physically sound... they were beat up when i played them as a kid, they might as well be beat up now... i'm not hung up on backglasses either...

I really look at two things: cabinet condition and playfield condition. My STTNG I picked up was a good example- good cabinet and playfield but had some gremlins including broken plastics, flippers off-rebuild needed, missing or burnt out lights from burnt j21 molex connector, cannon opto needed cleaning on cannon assembly,etc. You can redo pretty much from ground up-but I avoid cabinet resurface or playfield swapping. If it is a newer Stern-cabinet condition is key-without being able to resurface. Cost and time not worth it to me unless maybe for a MM or CC for permanent collection.

Earlier in my collecting, I wanted quantity and not quality. If it had major playfield wear, then I was fine. I just wanted games that worked. Now I go for more quality, and I don't mind fixing them up (within reason). I get games that I know will last a long time in the collection. Cabinet sideart is still not that important to me, as most of my games are between others.

I started out not caring too much about condition. As long as it worked I was happy. But over time I've gotten pickier and pickier. I'd probably only buy collector quality or NIB at this point. Unless I got a ridiculous deal. And then I'd probably have it restored.

The better the condition , the less the frustration.

I like high end, but I prefer to get it there myself. I enjoy restoration.
I look for games that are beat up, but functional. I only care that the playfield is in good shape and the boards are not fried. Also, if it's a rare game and parts are hard to locate, that is also something I have to look at. Otherwise, the dirtier and rougher, the better. Keep the cost down

I don't mind scuffs so much on the cabinets or some fade; basically, as long as chunks of wood or huge gouges aren't on the cabs I'm OK. Some visible, minor wear from general movement or location use is no big deal.

I do like my playfields, plastics, etc. to be in good shape though -- that doesn't mean they have to be perfect, because unless big bucks have been put out or a restore has been done, after 20 years there will be some wear, but it does bother me if it is very visible or down to the wood.

I know everyone's scale is different, but as long as my playfield/translite/inserts/plastics are a 8+ and cabinet is a 6.5+, I'm usually pretty happy. After all, in time, they will all get wear, but luckily home use pins can be pretty well protected from anything too drastic that's not already there once they enter a collection.

I second that, it is the satisfaction of bringing it back to life. I would rather put the money into a beater than pay someone to do it, not to say that if a challange came up that I could not handle, I would not have a problem farming it out. Don't ever push the "RED" button and then regret it.

Im a collector. I like all my machines to be in top notch condition whether we bought them that way or restored them ourselves. I dont like playing someone elses machines where half the features dont work. It`s just a lot more satisfying when you play them and easier to look at.

The cab can be dinged up but I prefer a really nice playfield.

Give me a banged up cab but a cherry playfield at a discounted price and I'm a happy camper.

I look at it like this.

price, title, condition

I'll buy in any condition as long at the price is right and it's a title I want.

Depends on the game. High end pins must be in immaculate condition or I would not consider buying it. Older pins, especially em's, condition doesn't matter that much to me as long as everything works. I enjoy the restoration process but to a point.

+2

I'm with Maddog14, since I look for 80's project machines and set a low budget I am always looking at player machines. As long as the machine is repairable and the playfield is salvageable I don't mind putting in the time to get the machine 100% playable and presentable.

I'm more of a player/fixer and am pretty on board with this. Playfield and mechanical condition are prime; I don't mind minor wear in a couple of spots, or on the edge of a scoop. An unhacked game is good, indicates it was well-treated. Don't care too much about cabinet aesthetics as long as it's solid: you don't even see much of the cab when next to other games and it doesn't affect playability one bit. In fact, some nicks/dings give a game 'character' imo. I prefer that to a pretty new non-original decal. Toppers? Puh-leeze. The pinball collector's version of a new Barbie wardrobe. Doesn't affect gameplay and (sorry topper fans) most toppers look pretty cheezy and are best left off the game. What's wrong with a flat backbox top?

Of prime importance is mechanical perfection. Everything should work as intended. Flippers strong and aligned. Pops and slings strong and sensitive. Lane guides tweaked so ball flows well at different speeds and doesn't give a lot of stdm drains. Etc. If people around here spent half the time (at almost zero cost) tweaking their games as they do playing dress-up with them, there would be a lot more great-playing games in the hobby. If I wanted to own something that is just pretty and perfectmto look at, I'd be collecting Hummel figurines or glass paperweights or something. Pinball machines are meant to be played, and they should play smoothly!

^^^

a big "amen" from the choir... "play" pinball, don't "look at" pinball...

i'm rather amused by the "buy a new game, and immediately set about spending hundreds (thousands) of dollars on 'mods' routine"...

but then again, it is not my money being spent... different people have different priorities...

I'm a "bang-for-the-buck" kind of collector. I'll buy a piece of sh*t game as long as the price is right and I'll restore it myself to the best of my ability. If I got the game cheap enough, I don't care if the cabinet has some fade or wear, as long as I can get the playfield looking really nice and everything clean, playing & working 100%. Of course, nicer or HUO games are preferred, and luckily I've scored a few of those a great prices!

As others have said, I have definitely got more picky as time goes by. I think this is only natural. At first I just wanted to get games that I liked and I wasn't as plugged into the scene. Faded cab, scratched up translite, broken plastics, no problem! As long as the playfield was reasonably nice I was set. However, once I incidentally managed to get a few games that were really cherry, it made my lesser games stand out a lot more (in a bad way). Now I am not a perfectionist, but my standards are much higher. About the only thing I don't care about when buying a game is mechanical issues and dirt, as these are easy things for me to fix.

I prefer machines that are close to CQ. I figure I can get them pretty close if there aren't, so I would personally draw the line at water damage and termites.

They don't have to be perfect, but I like a nice playfield(minimal wear). Mechanically they must be sound.

My biggest pet peeve is when they aren't set up properly. Nothing ruins game play more than bad flippers.

The artwork is part of the allure. Pinball is the ultimate in kinetic art.

I need my pins to be an experience to the folks who come over to play. Collector quality, tasteful mods, subwoofers installed on all, ambiance set up in room with wall to wall framed flyers.

Rick. " I'm gonna have me some fun." #190

I think most people poop their pants just seeing a room full of pinballs lol. I had a new friend over to see my collection the other day...and he's in the hobby, too....he saw my Addams and said "OMG, this is the nicest Addams I've ever seen" ...now - if I posted pics on here, I'd probably get ripped apart!!! It's nice, it's clean, it plays great, it's really bright due to the LEDs & spotlights I added...it's got ColorDMD and some mods. CQ? Nah, probably not....still impresses, though!

You have a pretty sweet collection.

The more expensive the game, the more I care about its condition. I can live with a beater of a machine for a pin worth, say, $1k. If I am going to put $4k or so into a machine, I'd rather spend more and get one in very good condition (especially the playfield). Like a lot of people above, I am least worried about the cabinet.

Higher than my bank account standards apparently...

I do not like playfield wear very muchy I have learned or damage to the head of the cabinet. Can live with a few marks on the side but I am pretty anal about everything else.

to a certain extent, sure... i wouldn't disagree with that...

that being said, i really don't "look at" the machine while playing it... i'm concentrating on what i want the ball to do...

Art work on the PF is nice. Art work on the sides doesn't mean much to me. Obviously the cleaner the better and I don't want huge chunks missing, but I have more than 1 machine. This means they are next to each other and I couldn't see it anyway.

lol- so you really only need one machine with a good left side and one with a good right!! its great

as long as they work 100 percent a little playfield is ok more of a player but love collecting them

I get more enjoyment out of working on a machine than playing it or better yet picking up a DOA machine that I have never played before, fixing it up and getting that rush when playing the first game on it which I did recently with Space Shuttle.

As long as there is replacement parts to be had for ____ game, I'm cool with doing the work myself.
Plus, if I can make ____ play that much better (i.e. "bulletproofing" it) for the next guy down the line then, I'd like to think I've done my job as a pinhead.

Although it is fun to work on and repair these machines, I still think it is better to get one with as little wear as possible because it may become very difficult to obtain game specific parts 5, 10, 20
years down the road (as if it isn't challenging enough right now).

Yes, I love it. It's great when there's a protective layer of grime, and after a few hours of cleaning you're staring at a beautiful playfield.