I would like to extend my gratitude to Carrom for sponsoring this post.
With blogging over the last three years in my spare time and upgrading to a smart phone last year, my time plugged in has increased. I am to start a job online in the coming weeks too – more computer time! My spouse switched jobs this year and does building inspections. He uses a tablet during the day and sometimes at night after work and upgraded with phone technology before I did.
There are times where I need to mentally tell myself to disconnect and not answer that phone call during dinner or leave the laptop closed for the night. Did you know there is even a term for suffering from digital distress? I just read about it tonight – Social Media Anxiety Disorder. Ugh!
I grew up in a time where we did not get a computer in the home until I was a junior or senior in high school and I think computer class began when I was in 6th grade with Oregon Trail. Tablets did not exist and cell phones were just to make calls. Fast forward to now – kids are exposed to computers and apps on their parents’ phones usually pre-k with computer class starting in kindergarten. I just purchased headphones for my second daughter’s computer class who will enter kindergarten this fall.
Carrom Company wants you to give family fun a go without electronics. They are delegating Thursday, October 16th, as National UnPlug Night (#UnPlugwithCarrom). To take part in this event, simply your gather your family at home for some quality time together for fun and discussion!
Carrom Company has been around more than 100 years and makes a variety of quality family games. They are all made in the USA, Ludington, Michigan, to be more exact. Our family has been taking breaks together to try our luck and skill at air hockey.
This is Carrom’s Face-Off Table Top Air Powered Hockey #244. There is a note of caution with this product. The backside of the instructions notes the following: Electrically Operated Product: Not recommended for children under 13 years of age. This is warning is to prevent electrical shock. Also, the air hockey game needs to be plugged in for air to come through the holes on the board for play. It is not recommended to place this game on a carpeted area. Carpeting could reduce air flow and be a potential fire hazard. 
Okay, now onto the good stuff. This game requires minimal assembly. I simply had to put the game board face down and insert and screw in two screws for each leg onto the corners of the table.
This product includes: the game body, four plastic legs, 8 screws, two pucks, a score pad, two disc controllers, and two adhesive felt pads. You will only need a Phillips screwdriver for assembly and keep in mind to not over-tighten the leg screws.
The adhesive felt pads then need to be applied to the two disc controllers and assembly is done! You should never use the controllers without the pads or you could scratch the playing surface.
After assembly was done, the playing board was flipped face side up and the unit was plugged into the nearest outlet. We played down on our tile floor, but you can certainly put the air hockey table up on your coffee table or kitchen table.
To play, the puck is placed in the center of the game and then moves with the controller are made to try to reach the opponent’s goal. Since this version of air hockey is tabletop sized (approximately 40″ x 20″), the pucks will go through a slot at each end when they reach the goal and land on the floor. A paper score pad has been included to keep track of the points during the game. The height of the game is approximately 6″ and the unit weighs 17 lb.
I know all three of my children are below the recommended age of 13, but they were supervised by adults when playing. I found it easier to play with my three-year-old up on a table because when we started play on the floor, he would get quite involved in the game and accidentally put his elbows up on the playing top. He could not do this with the added height of a table surface underneath.
The Carrom Face-Off Table Top Air Powered Hockey has provided hours of fun for our family. It works well with the game nights we have started on Fridays with our kids plus is a fun way to pass the time when dinner is cooking with being nearby in the dining room or just for everyday fun.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for October 16th and put all your computer based electronic devices away for the night to spend instrumental family time with your loved ones.
This product is available on Carrom.com and has a suggested retail of $139.00.
To connect with Carrom:
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Carrom Company’s warranty states all games be free from defects in material and its workmanship for 90 days from the original purchase date. The component will be replaced or repaired.
“Disclaimer: I am a member of The Social Media Panel, LLC. who was given the opportunity to review this product. However, the brand or company has not influenced me in any way to provide any type of review other than my true and honest opinions. I am disclosing all information provided in this review according to the information provided in Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
