NEW PRODUCTS SHINE AT BCA EXPO

By Keith Loria

With 223 booths, 70 exhibitors, 22 new exhibitors and more than 700 attendees, the Billiard & Home Leisure Expo, which returned to the South Point Hotel, Spa and Casino in Las Vegas, was a huge hit this year.

As always, a who’s who of the industry were on hand, including specialty billiard and home recreation retailers, manufacturers, installers and billiard room owners, all learning about the buzz-worthy products that retail customers are talking about and purchasing this year.

One of the highlights was the New Product Showcase, where companies were able to present some of their buzziest new items and services.

Here is a look at some of what was presented on the Expo floor.

Kettler Usa

At the show, Kettler USA displayed two new outdoor table-tennis tables, an outdoor foosball table and an indoor foosball table, all of which drew great interest.

The made-in-Germany Kettler Outdoor 15, with an MSRP of $3,299, is the heaviest table-tennis table available in the market in terms of both being for outdoor use and one that folds and rolls away for storage.

“The gauge for the steel tubing used is 50 percent thicker than the industry average,” says Scott Kramer, national sales manager, sports division, for the company. “The KETT-TEC15 top, as a high-pressure laminate, is also the thickest of its kind in our industry. The chassis/transport base is also the most robust design one will find.”

The model incudes Kettler’s patented Smooth Trax operating system which provides fully controlled opening and closing of the table top halves, as well as a permanent net system and enclosed storage compartments for table tennis accessories.

Kettler also introduced the Outdoor 10 with an MSRP of $1,899, which shares most of the same features as the Outdoor 15, only slightly scaled down.

Also on display were Rene Pierre foosball tables made in France, which Kettler is the exclusive distributor of in the U.S.

“The Match Noir model has all the features the brand is well known for, such as hand-painted and die cast aluminum players, telescopic playing rods, playing handles that thread onto the playing rods and playfield designed with slopes in the corners to help keep the ball in play,” Kramer says. “It has beautiful accents including metallic scoring abaci.This model is also available in white –an appreciated option by both interior designers and the general public.”

For more information, visit www.kettlerusa.com.

Skeech Games

For the BCA Expo, Skeech Games LLC, showcased its new table game, The Original Skeech.

Skeech is played by facing off with an opponent in a head-to-head battle on a sleek, one-of-a-kind table design. Players roll steel balls into differently sized holes at opposite ends of the table where the first to 21 points wins, unless opponent ties, taking the game to sudden death.

“Skeech is the best table-in game in decades and it’s a great alternative to a shuffleboard table or a pool table,” says Josh Dowling, owner and founder of Skeech Games. “The reception we received at the BCA this year from billiards and gaming dealers was incredible.”

Another great benefit to Skeech is its size. With dimensions 8’x20”, Skeech is conducive to tighter spaces, giving homeowners a great option if a game room or basement is too small for shuffleboard or pool.

“Billiards retailers love Skeech because it’s something new and something different for their showroom floor,” Dowling said. “All of the current table games have been out for decades, or even centuries, so people are ready to experience a new game. Kids and the younger generation are really drawn to Skeech because it’s so easy to play. While parents are perusing the billiard tables at the store, the kids are playing Skeech.”

For more information, visit www. skeechgames.com.

Coconut Paddles

Alex Evans, co-founder of Coconut Paddles, notes this was the company’s first show and interaction with BCA, and all of the BCA Expo team couldn’t have been more welcoming to the budding startup.

“We made quite a few connections with retailers and attendees, but our time spent with the BCA Board, as well as the other exhibitors, provided us with opportunities to collaborate and ideas to leverage each other’s strengths that my partner, Tom Kowalke, and I believe will forge long-lasting relationships among the billiards and home recreational community,” he says.

Coconut Paddles designs and produces a suite of table tennis products, currently, with two patents that make up its flagship offerings – both precision-style gripped table tennis paddles.

“The thought with this invention was to take fingers off the playing surface and create a handle that an individual can slip their hand into with comfort and ease,” Evans says. “The ergonomics of the unit make the paddle a natural extension of one’s arm. Likewise, the ability to maneuver and hang onto the paddle during play is done more effortlessly with our design against a traditional club-style paddle.”

The company also manufacturers a traditional table tennis paddle called, Evil Jungle Prince.

“Although it maintains an overall look to any other table tennis paddle on the market, we have given it a unique twist in terms of angles, shape, size, etc.,” Evans says. “We have three other tra- ditional blades in the prototype phase which will also carry unique characteristics and branding that we think will gel with our vision of continuing to create unique offerings that are comprised with a brand and identity of their own.”

For more information, visit coconutpaddles.myshopify.com