Atomic Air Hockey Tables – A Buying Guide

Atomic® are a range of larger air hockey tables, aimed at adults and the teen market. The tables are designed for home games room setups and are predominantly sporty in style, however, there is also a high-end 7ft dining table version in the range that combines, both table tennis, and air hockey.

Although Atomic air hockey tables are fairly new to the air hockey market, the Atomic range is owned by Escalade Incorporated which has a long history, they’ve been manufacturing and selling games and sporting equipment for more than 80 years. You’ll probably recognize Escalade’s other well-known brands; American Legend®, HJ Scott®, and Triumph™ Sports, all owned by the same company. Escalade Incorporated is a US company that has its headquarters in Evansville, Indiana.

A Quick Comparison Table of the Air hockey Tables in the Atomic Range.

Model	Atomic Blazer	Atomic Top Shelf	Atomic Avenger	Atomic Northport	Atomic Full Strength 4-Player
My Rating	4.9/5	4.7/5	4.8/5	4.6/5	4.1/5
Size	7ft 84 x 48 x 32″	90″ 7.5ft 90 x 49 x 31.25″	8ft 96 x 50 x 32″	7ft 84 x 47.25 x 31.5″	3.9ft Square 47.5″
Appearance
Blower	Heavy-Duty 120V	Heavy-Duty 120V	Heavy-Duty 120V	Heavy-Duty 120V	Dual Motor Blower
Conversion Top Compatible	YES	NO	YES	N/A	NO
Check Price	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon	Amazon

Atomic Air Hockey Table Reviews

The Atomic Blazer 7’ Air Hockey Table

The Blazer is a solidly built air hockey table that features large sturdy leg levelers to keep the playing surface stable and even (which is a godsend if you have a less than even floor). Unlike the Top Shelf model, there are no integrated flashing lights on this, no-frills air hockey table, but I like the minimalist design right down to the nice sleek rail-integrated electronic display that keeps track of the score. The Blazer, like all the tables in the Atomic stand-alone 2 player range, is air-powdered by a heavy-duty 120V blower which results in high-speed play across the range.

One unique feature that stands out about this model, however, is that the rails are designed to overhang which helps keep the puck in play by preventing it from flying off the table so easily, so it helps to keep play more fluid.

Another big plus about the design of this table is that it can accommodate a table tennis conversion top (STIGA Duo) and given the choice between a multi-game table and any good stand-alone air hockey table that you can customize with a conversion top, I’ll take a stand-alone air hockey table every time. The reason? You get to control the spec of each component rather than have to compromise, for instance, if the ping pong tabletop is too thin or there is a less than optimal blower for on the air hockey side of it.

I much prefer the traditional, non-ergonomic dome black mallets included with this table too. These are as opposed to the ergonomically shaped ones that come with the Avenger. You see a proper grip of the mallet is essential to improving your skills and the traditional dome top mallets are much better for that. I’ve written about that here if you’re not sure what I’m on about.

Key Features:

• Rail-integrated electronic display.
• Overhang Rails that reduce puck bounce.
• Can accommodate a table tennis conversion top.
• 4x black dome mallets.
• 4x 3″ black pucks.

What We Like:

• Minimalist Design – which makes it easy to clean and the electronic rail-integrated display to keep track of scoring is a nice feature too.
• Heavy-duty 120V blower – for fast game-play.
• Overhang Rails – the overhang design helps to reduce puck bounce.
• Leg Levelers – which is a good feature to have to keep the playing surface even on an uneven floor.
• Convertible – I like the fact that it can accommodate a table tennis conversion top and that there is a particularly good ping pong table conversion top (STIGA Duo) that is specifically compatible with it.
• Good Accessories – Black dome-shaped mallets and four 3″ black pucks.

Things To Consider:

• If you are looking for that arcade experience – something that has lights and music, then this one is not for you, so you should consider the Top Shelf, below, instead. That being said, not everyone wants lights and sound and although on the face of it the Blazer might appear to be a basic model, it actually has some excellent features. Its also very reasonably priced for what you get.

Atomic Top Shelf 7.5ft Air Hockey Table

If you looking for a large table and want all the added excitement that an arcade-style table can give you, in your own home, the Atomic Top Shelf is a good choice for playing with your family.

And the Top Self really comes into its own in low lighting and especially so in the dark. The LED Lumen-X lights illuminate the table’s surface with red, green, and blue interactive light effects that change color during play, meanwhile, you also get high-tempo music for an authentic arcade-style atmosphere.

The Atomic Top Self is slightly larger than the Blazer, although with a playing surface of 82″ x 41″ it’s not quite as big as an official size.

The table comes with one red and one blue LED illuminated mallet for low light play and in addition to the round pucks you also get a red hexagonal LED-lit “spinner” puck to change things up and give you that bit more of a challenge.

Key Features:

• Multicolored LED Lumen-X lights.
• High-tempo music sound.
• 2x LED dome mallets.
• 2x round pucks.
• 1x hexagonal spinner LED puck.

What We Like:

• Electronic Display to keep track of scoring.
• Heavy-duty 120V blower – for fast game-play.
• Study Legs– to keep the playing surface stable.
• Good Accessories – LED dome shaped mallets, with an additional LED hexagonal spinner.

Things to Consider:

The Top Shelf is what I’d call an in-between size, which is fine but it does mean it’s not designed specifically to accommodate a ping pong conversion top if you decide that you want one, whereas either the 7ft Blazer and the 8ft Avenger can. The legs are sturdy but they don’t feature leg levelers, so you’ll need to have a level floor.

Atomic Avenger Air Hockey Table

The Atomic Avenger is a full-size air hockey table, that could take your air hockey skills to the next level. It’s solidly built with sturdy legs, that are supported by an additional cross brace. The legs also feature chunky leg levelers – which solves the problem of any uneven floor surfaces. The 96” by 48” table surface itself provides a 1-inch thick high-gloss playfield, and the large 3-1/4″ pucks, designed for use with a full-size table, means the pucks are much less likely to fly off the table than the smaller and lighter pucks that are the only ones suitable for use with smaller air hockey tables.

There are no lights on this table but it has electronic scoring with sleek touch screen controls which are integrated into the black acrylic end rails.

Features:

• Thick side rails with a black acrylic surface.
• 1” MDF high-gloss playfield.
• Electronic scoring with touch screen controls.
• Ergonomic mallets and two red 3-1/4″ pucks.
  

What We Like:

• Integrated Touch Screen Controls – which give the table a sleek look and are easy to reach and read.
• Convertible – This table can accommodate a table tennis conversion top. (It’s compatible with the STIGA Duo.)
• Price – For a full-size air hockey table this one is much more affordable than any of the tables that are officially sanctioned for tournament use, as in the Gold Standard range, for example.

Things to Consider

I’m not a fan of the ergonomic mallets, (personal preference) but they’re not a deal-breaker as they are easily replaceable with traditional dome mallets if want to play like a true pro.

Atomic Northport Air Hockey Table

The Atomic Northport Air Hockey Table converts to a ping-pong table or, when not in use, to a dining table so it’s a good choice if you want to maximize the available space in your games room.

The table is modern in style with a solid structure and a laminated wood grain effect finish. It also comes with two upholstered benches, which nest under the table to save space, and these benches also provide a large storage area underneath the seat to keep gaming accessories.

If you flip the tabletop it converts to a ping pong table. Remove the top, and located beneath is an air-powered hockey table with a gloss white playing surface and silver inner rails. Manual scoring is inlaid in the laminated rail tops.

Features:

• 3 in 1 dining and game table with ping pong and air hockey tables.
• Inlaid scoring.
• Includes 4 table tennis bats, ball, and net. Plus 4 pucks, and 4 traditional dome mallets.
  

What We Like:

• Maximizes a Games Room Space – This is a good option if would like to be able to convert your games room to a dining area.
• 3 in 1 – You get the bonus of a table tennis table, what’s not to love?
• Inlaid Abacus Style Scoring – I love the retro design of the manual scoring which gives the table a high-end look.

Things to Consider:

It over $1000 so it’s pricey but you do get a lot for your money. When you break down the cost of buying a separate dining table, ping-pong conversion top, and a 7ft air hockey table.

Atomic Full Strength 4-Player

The Atomic Full Strength is a multi-player air hockey table that allows up to 4 players to join in the fun at once. It’s an all-singing, all-dancing table in that it features six different game modes. And for a play-in-the-dark experience, included with the table are 4 LED mallets and 2 LED pucks. Two regular game pucks are also included.

If only 2 or 3 people want to play, the 47.5″ square table also comes with goal box inserts. The Full Strength is most likely named because of its dual air-powered motors that provide a fast play. The table has both an inlaid electronic LED scoring as well a manual abacus style scorer on each of the 4 sides.

Features:

• Allows 4, 3, or 2 players to play at once.
• Included are goal box inserts to enable 3 or 2 players to play.
• Six different game modes.
• 4 LED mallets and 2 LED pucks.

What We Like:

• A Good Space Saver – The table is under 4ft square so it’s very compact for a freestanding air hockey table. It could be a good option you don’t have much available space.
• Multi-Player – It’s a good option for larger families.
• Play in the Dark – The light-up pucks and mallets give lend a bit of extra excitement to the game.

Things to Consider:

There are a lot of plus points going for this table but it’s not the highest quality table out there, and it’s not going to give you quite the same game-playing experience that a regular air hockey table would give you. If you want to try trick shots or improve your air hockey skills there’s not a lot of room on this compact table. So unless four people want to play at once more often than not, I would go for a regular air hockey table instead.