KICK Monarch Foosball Table

KICK Monarch Foosball Table & Features

In front of you, we have a review of the KICK Monarch 48 in folding foosball table. It is an entry-level table intended for people who do not have the privilege of dedicating a whole room just to foosball. KICK Monarch foldable foosball table is a space saver that is slightly smaller than the regulation-size tables.
When it is set for playing, it measures 48 by 24 inches and stands 32 inches high. Because of this, it is appropriately sized even for kids as young as 12 years of age, and some younger. When it is folded, it has a 22 by 24 inches footprint, but that is mostly because of the L-shaped legs it stands upright on. The rest of the table actually takes up much less space, around 10 inches.

• Gameplay

What can be said about the gameplay of this table? One thing you should keep in mind is that this is an entry-level foosball table. So, there are many premium features you should not expect from this product. One noticeable thing is that the men are not counterbalanced. This is a premium feature and mandatory on professional tables. Which this is not one. Lack of this means that you can’t leave rods sitting with men in horizontal positions. They will turn upright on their own. This is something of a must-have for pro players, for practicing. Casual players don’t really have any need for this feature.
Rods are slimmer than the full-size ones, which is appropriate for the younger crowd making their first forays in the world of foosball. And the rods are mounted on bearings that are worlds apart from the average table in this price range. I have played on some professional tables with worse bearings.
The most important part, the playing field, though only a quarter of an inch thick is a laminated type with melamine finishing. Rather the usual KICK affair, though a bit skinnier. As it is a custom for this company, it is as flat as you could expect and you will never have a problem rolling a shot across it.

• Durability

The first thing that must be said about the durability is that this table is covered by an unlimited lifetime warranty, like all other KICK foosball tables. Still, this table is not made to last forever. If you are too energetic with it, it will get damaged. But, we must be honest about it, to get it to this price point some corners had to be cut.
At the same time, we must be honest about other tables in this price range. They are made to last you a year or so, from this table you can expect it to last you much longer. There are many tables that can survive decades, but Monarch is not competing with them. Compared by durability with tables that are Monarch’s competition, this table is ahead of them by a country mile.

• Design

When it comes to its design, Monarch comes in two variants. The all-black, and with dark brown wood imitation mounted on black legs. Both are rather neutral styles, and because it is a foldable foosball table, it can be easily stored out of sight.
The only criticism I have for this table is the lack of a place to safely store nuts used to secure the pair of straight legs. The L-shaped legs also have two of these nuts, that are used to secure the cabinet in the folded or unfolded position. The other pair of legs only has holes for the unfolded position.
A friend of mine has solved this problem by drilling a hole through the cabinet and installing a pair of nutserts in the legs. But such a hack voids the warranty.