Customer Reviews

Face-Off Frenzy Power Band Hockey

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this for my 7 year old son who loves air hockey. I had some reservations about playing directly on floor and carpet. Will the puck slide? Will it bounce off the sides of the ring? Is the area large enough for play? My questions were answered pretty quickly.

ASSEMBLY

Assembly was quick and easy. Instructions were clear and easy to follow. I thought maybe the band would be very tight and difficult to pull on, but that was not the case.

PLAY AREA

It's a playable size 39"x49" which can be adjusted shorter for younger players. I was afraid it would be too small. It's certainly smaller than a regular size air hockey table, but it's still a good size.

It can be taken apart, but I wouldn't want to do that every time the kids take it out to play. It's more something I'd leave out, stow on its side or under the bed. It's too inconvenient to constantly assemble and disassemble.

ON TILE AND CARPET

The puck has two sides, one for hard surfaces and one for carpet. The mallet has an insert that can be flipped for play on either surface.

We tried it out on tile and it slides nicely for play. Occasionally, my son would hit the puck a certain way and it would flip or fly, but I didn't have that problem. The puck did slide under the frame on a couple of occasions, but I think that was a matter of the floor not being completely flush. It was not a problem most of the time. The puck had enough bounce off the ring for the hockey puck to fly around.

I slid the puck and mallet on carpet and they slide smoothly there. It would play nicely there.

Pros:
+lightweight
+can be disassembled
+can be played on hard surface or carpet
+no batteries required

Cons:
-inconvenient to assemble and disassemble frequently

SUMMARY

It's a great game for an air hockey fan. It's versatile and can be played on multiple surfaces. It's lightweight and portable. An A+ buy.

I gave this to my son for his 7th birthday. It was easy to put together. The size is perfect and can store under the bed. The best part is it works great on carpet and ceramic tile floor. My dining room table is old so we prefer to play it on the table so that we can stand up. I love the fact that it requires no batteries or electricity. It is also very quiet. We had a party for his friends last Saturday and the all of the kids all enjoyed playing it.

My son loves air hockey, but I was leery of spending any significant amount of money on a unit that might be too small or of mediocre quality. Face of Frenzy came to the rescue. We have a 36x48 table that this barely fits on, but this allows us to play it off the floor.

No, the pucks don't glide the same as an actual air hockey table - you need to give it just a bit more "oomph" - and the puck can occasionally escape under the bands on the long sides of the rink, but these are not issues and just require an adjustment of style and strategy. Games are fast and fun, and the fact that it doesn't have to plug in and is light enough to move easily are huge bonuses.

Also, the quality of the rink, pucks and paddles seems plenty sturdy. I'm sure we'll be enjoying this for years.

UPDATE December 2011: So this thing has held up ok, but ultimately it hasn't held my son's interest. It can be fun, but it's also a bit limited, and uncomfortable to play on the floor if you don't have a table it will fit on. So, it's a good concept, but YMMV as far as how much your kids like it.

We have children ages 2-7 and the whole family has really enjoyed this hockey game. It works well on our carpet even though it is not a low-pile or berber style, which we were worried about at first. It is lightweight and easy for the kids to move around. We wish the puck would bounce off the side elastics better. Sometimes it just goes right through it and out the side of the game. Tightening the elastic straps helped, but the puck still doesn't stay in all the time. My husband put it together and thought they should have sent extra bands for assembly, but in another review we had already read it said that regular rubberbands work fine if one of the originals breaks. Overall we're very pleased with this toy and think it's a fun, small-space alternative to a real air hockey table.

We purchased Face-off Frenzy for my 5 and 6 year-old boys. They loved it right out of the box. The puck slides great on our carpet or hardwood floor and bounces well off the side wall. Most important, unlike Nok-hockey, it's very quiet so the kids can play in the morning while mom and dad can rest. Assembly requires a little bit of effort as the pieces are a bit tight. Therefore, taking it apart for storage isn't a simple process and storage under a bed is the best bet.

My ten year old daughter received this as a gift for Christmas. It was easy to assemble (about 5 minutes, with no tools required), and everyone has enjoyed playing with it (kids range from 7 - 13). A big plus is that it does not require batteries or make the annoying "click clack" sound of regular air hockey. The puck probably slides a little slower than it would on a "real" air hockey table, but it moves quickly enough for our liking. We store it under the bed and pull it out when we want to play. The frame can easily be separated into 4 pieces and snapped back together again to move it to another location. We are very happy with this toy!

Brought Face off frenzy for my nephews, who are twins....great game and keeps them entertained. Holds up well. Covers a wide age range that will enjoy. Works great on carpet and wood. Quiet:)besides the laughter and banter of the kids.