Competitive alert: we sell microfine finish chromium steel pinballs. They cost more than regular carbon steel pinballs. Beware of others selling carbon steel balls under fancy names. It is a good bet that if it doesn't have a spec, it is a regular inexpensive pinball.
This mirror polished chromium steel pinball is harder and smoother than a typical carbon steel pinball. Its harder surface means that it will take longer to ding up in your machine, so the machine will play better for longer. Also, scuffed balls cause playfield wear so these balls need to be replaced less frequently. We only sell chromium steel pinballs.
These balls are 52100 alloy chromium steel. That's steel with additional chromium, which makes it significantly harder and tougher than regular carbon steel. The surface shine is like a mirror, because these balls are polished to within .000025" roundness, and .000001" surface deviation (one millionth of an inch). That means that the surface is smooth to within about 1 wavelength of light. That's how they get the mirror finish. They ship with a thin layer of protective oil, wash off with your favorite solvent or hot, soapy water before installing.
Chromium steel balls are through hardened - they do not have a soft iron core. This characteristic means that they can become permanently magentized, in machines with magnets. Our testing indicates that this magnetism, although very slight, might interfere with the gravity ball trough eject system in newer WPC games with magnets such as Cirqus Voltaire and Theater of Magic.
RECOMMENDED for games such as Medieval Madness; Monster Bash; Attack from Mars; Star Trek: The Next Generation; Funhouse; Creature from the Black Lagoon; Judge Dredd; and other modern games with metal impacts and no magnets.
NOT RECOMMENDED (magnets) for Twilight Zone; Cirqus Voltaire; Theater of Magic. For these games, use a conventional carbon steel pinball.
Shipping: These balls are heavy, and can increase shipping costs. We'll optimize the shipping to flat rate if necessary. (We will refund shipping costs - Charge vs. Actual cost) ( 20 or 30 should filt in a flat rate box for $5.40 in the USA)
A note on carbon steel: carbon steel pinballs are case-hardened. That means that the ball is hard steel for about the outermost 1/8", and unhardened steel internally. The unhardened interior makes the ball resistant to residual magnetism. Carbon steel balls are a little softer that a chromium steel ball, and mark up a bit more easily when banging against those stainless edges. Carbon steel balls have only 1/10th the strength of chromium steel balls, but that really doesn't matter in a pinball machine.
