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SlikStik Tornado: It Keeps Going, and Going, and Going...
Specs
2" x 2" x 2.5" depth
Cost
$ 89.95
(Price includes choice of standard or skirted knob in any available color
and USB-PS/2 encoder board)
Quick Summary
A very fast, smooth spinner that keeps going, and going, and going…
Description
The SlikStik Tornado is already famous for one thing – incredibly long spin times. Give it a little flick, and the thing just keeps on spinning, and spinning, and…well, you get the idea. But does this mean it’s a better spinner? This has actually been the subject of some heated discussions on the BYOAC (Build Your Own Arcade Controls) forums. My take? Longer spin times = less friction = smoother spins. In fact, it spins so easily that it’s sometimes a bit hard to stop it accurately, as merely lifting your fingers off the spinner will sometimes get it spinning again. Tracking is highly accurate, however, and just keeping your fingers on the knob will solve the stopping problem. The smooth spin of the Tornado is very quiet, almost as silent as the Model 3.
Installation
Installation of the Tornado is one of the simplest in the group – drill a hole, insert the spinner, screw into place, and put the knob on top. There are no adjustments needed and nothing else to do but plug it in and get playing. The Tornado has a very small installation footprint (2" x 2" x 2.5" deep), which is great for crowded control panels. The shaft is also adjustable on the Tornado if you wish to use it with a metal control panel – you need to loosen the flyweight and locking collar, slide the shaft to where you want it, then tighten the set screws again.
Closeup of SlikStik Bracket Design
Design
The dual-bearing design of the Tornado spinner is exceptional, as is the small installation footprint of the bracket design. The encoder wheel is much smaller than the Oscar Pro, but is on par with it in terms of tracking accuracy. The bracket even has cutouts on the back allowing you to keep your screwdriver straight when mounting the screws, which is a nice touch. About the only thing I’d fault the Tornado for is the fact that the bracket is aluminum rather than steel, as aluminum can be bent out of shape easier, and this can cause problems with the bearing alignment. Aside from this, though, the Tornado design is excellent.
The Oscar Push/Pull and SlikStik Tornado Side-by-Side
Note: I've previously written a more extensive review of the SlikStik Tornado, which can be found here.
Pros
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Extremely long spin times
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Smooth spin
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Quiet
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Small installation footprint
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Accurate tracking
Cons
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A bit too easy to spin sometimes
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Aluminum bracket can get bent
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Watching it spin can get addictive
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