Foosballstore.com - Rock-It Deluxe Foosball Table

150 lb. is heavy enough for the game table to remain stable during vigorous in-home play, because:
1.The telescopic rods are light and have limited inertia to impact on the side walls. Rods follow hand motion closely and can stop instantly when hand stops.
2. The bumper springs can flatten up to 1/2" to absorb the rod impact, progressively, not rigidly. When the spring is flattened, all the impact/energy would have been cushioned off or reduced to minimal to cause any damaging impact on the table.
3. The "A" shaped metal legs offer extra steadiness with a wide 33" span of legs on the floor level (industry norm is 28" or less).
4. Rubber shoe pads on the feet of the metal legs ensure a firm stand on all kinds of floor.

With the Kick-off's unique design, there is simply no need for heavy structure in order to endure vigorous play. Why pay so much shipping cost on more weight than necessary? Furthermore, the table structure is solidly constructed using Pozi Lock (self-locking) nuts so that connections can not be shaken loose by aggressive play.

Worried about parts replacement?
The following facts show there is absolutely no need to worry:
* No broken playing figure (man) to date
The playing figures are made with chest & back area more than
1/4" thick around the rod to prevent crack/breakage, twice of
thickness seen on most other tables.
* No broken bumper device to date
The bumper springs are made of high grade steel, much more
durable and effective for cushioning / protecting parts on both
sides than traditional rubber blocks.
* No broken rod bushing/bearing to date
The thick nylon bushing (3/16" thick) is the strongest in the
industry, ready to take and stand years of pounding.

The above 3 parts are most prone to breakage on a traditional foosball table. Our zero parts breakage record above is a direct result of our philosophy of "Leave No Doubt or Chance" in manufacturing.

How are the playing rods constructed?

Playing rods and how easily they can be handled during fast-paced playing are the single most important factor determining whether or how much fun a foosball table can offer the end user. This is mostly decided at the drawing board. Good playing rods should be mobilized easily by the player and should closely follow hand motion to pass the ball and make or block shots. If the rods can not be moved fast enough to catch the ball or to make a planned shot, it is the most frustrating thing in the world. In such situations, no intended shots can be executed; the sense of satisfaction and fairness is lost; the arm gets tired quickly or even injured. Some people resort to spinning the rods to strike the ball at random. There is no fun playing this way. One could find such tables everywhere. Yes, frequent lubrication of the rods can help. Some lubricants can even become very sticky after a while to make rod handling even harder. The problem just doesn't go away.
Since rough rod handling is caused by too much friction inside the rod bushing / bearing, and friction is a function of weight on the contact surface, reducing rod weight and thus the contact surface friction is the only viable long-term solution to the problem. Imagine holding a 7-pound rod (traditional solid rods) and trying to overcome weight and friction. How can the player catch the ball or make pre-emptive shots when the hand and wrist are so much burdened?

Telescopic rods vs. Solid rods vs. Hollow rods

The foosball industry has recognized the need to reduce rod weight for easy handling. Some manufacturers use hollow rods with a small hollow hole going through the centre of the rods. These hollow rods are still very heavy. They also extend outside the side walls, which can be a safety hazard. Then telescopic rod structure came with the inside rod mounted to one side wall without going through it and the outside rod being the only moving part. The outside rod is weighed a small portion of the solid rod of the same diameter beside shortened length. There is much less inertia to overcome while handling the rods, and they react quickly and easily to players' hand operation.
However, telescopic rods must be constructed with particular material and dimensions to best balance strength, weight and space for the inner rod.

What makes the Rock-it's telescopic rods so different and special then?

A. Smooth Handling
The outside rod -- the only moving par of the rod assembly -- is light and responsive. It weighs only 1.1 lb. (Family version) and 2.2 lb. (Rock-it version) respectively, less than 30% of the weight of the traditional solid rod with up to 30% reduction in length. The result is a remarkable improvement in ease of handling and heightened excitement due to players' ability to manoeuvre the rods and playing men to quickly react to the ball, block a shot, and pass the ball to a gap for a pre-emptive strike. The rod assembly is constructed with optimal inside / outside rod dimensions for proper balance between weight and strength. This rod structure encourages use of skills and takes non-human factors out of winning a game.
Rod lubrication can further improve handling. Liquid Silicone is our recommendation for lubricants. They can be found in local stores in the body care section. Other kinds of lubricants often contain strong odour not safe for indoor use and do not function as well in our trials.
B. Strength without the excessive weight
Rock-it's telescopic rods are made of commercial grade cold-drawn seamless steel pipes. They perform impressively on pressure tests, heat-treated to stand 100-250 lb. without bending. Rods are of a steel grade with high wall thickness and a diameter of 3/4" -- above the industry standard of 5/8" in diameter.�? For the Junior Version, the telescopic rods have shown to endure 50--120 lb. of sustained pressure without bending.

Rod bushing vs. Ball bearing

Recently, nylon ball bearings have been seen to replace rod bushings to facilitate rod handling by reducing friction against solid rod movement. These bearings work well to certain extent, especially in facilitating spinning. However, a simple try-out will show that weight of the solid rods can still greatly reduce the speed at which rods are moved laterally. Inertia of the 7-lb. rods just feels too heavy to pull or push fast enough to keep up with the pace of the game. Many skill shots rely heavily on rod speed to pass around the blocking men to score. Heavy inertia just slows down rod speed and compromises skill execution even with no friction.�? Furthermore, some customers report that the small nylon balls in the bearings can easily dislocate and fall out, especially after playing wears the balls into smaller and skewed shapes, leaving a layer of nylon residue on the rods which may also obstruct rod handling. Sometimes the rods may even seize as tiny plastic balls get stuck in the bearing.
On the other hand, with light telescopic rods, friction is much smaller in all contact areas. Ball bearings are not needed. In fact, some industry insiders admit that ball bearings are more a marketing gimmick than a real treat. So when you see a foosball table with ball bearings, do not just try the rod spinning ( it spins great, for some time), try to move the rods fast laterally too, to catch a flying ball and do some ball passes.

Rubber block bumpers vs. Progressive springs

A simple survey of some foosball tables around you could indicate the following: when solid rods are pushed or pulled forcefully in intense play to cause the rubber bumpers to hit the side walls hard, these side walls may bend a bit and yield to such impact and shake the game structure built mostly of wood or plywood (this leads many people to believe that heavy duty tables are preferred to endure aggressive playing). Over time, this repeated impact can easily break the rod bushings or strike them loose and make the whole game table shaky. Even worse, playing men can become loose. Parts replacements are inevitable. Wrist injury from rigid shock impact and arm fatigue from laboring the heavy solid rods are also prevalent.
Again, all these problems can be attributable to the heavy solid rods, the great inertia and the rigid impact on the side walls. Furthermore, no matter how well designed the rubber block bumpers can be, the range of elasticity is very limited. The rubber block can also be easily damaged through use, simply due to the easy wear and tear of the material.
On the other hand, Rock-it's light telescopic rods can never exert such damaging impact to rod bushings or game structure, keeping the game table intact and as sturdy as new, no need for the excessive weight. The progressive-cushioning springs can shrink up to 1/2" to absorb energy and stop the moving rods in a way most protective of table parts and least harmful to wrist and arms.

Welcome to this exciting table soccer game with new, practical, and user-friendly features designed to enhance flexibility, safety, and functionality. This product comes with the basic game structure pre-installed and all playing figures pre-assembled on the rods. Please read all the important information in this instruction booklet before installing the game and follow the necessary procedures to ensure quality installation and product satisfaction.
All installations should be done by adults. Tools include wrenches, screwdriver, or pliers, easily found in common toolboxes. Install the legs or suction cups before installing the rods when the game structure is lighter and easier to move around without the rods on.

Leg Structure Installation (Full-size version)

Rod Un-installation

Rods may need to be taken off the game table in some situations. These situations include removal of wrongly installed rods or need of re-packing for shipping.

Suction Cup Installation

If the end-user chooses to use the table-top setup instead of legs, the suction cups are a perfect solution. As an option, the suction cups and all fasteners are shipped with the game. Since pre-installed suction cups are easily distorted in shape due to excessive weight compiling during shipment and storage, the suction cups are supplied for installation by the end-user for best suction effect.

Playing & Maintenance

This is a low-maintenance product. However, following the simple procedures below will ensure that the game functions in its best conditions.

This table soccer product is warranted against defects in material and workmanship for a period of 6 months from the date of purchase. In the event of malfunction due to part defects in material or workmanship, the manufacturer, at its option, will repair and replace defective parts returned at no charge with proof of purchase during the warranty period, provided there is no evidence that any parts or the product as a whole have been mishandled, or abused, or neglected, or tampered, or installed without following the right procedures.