Finally after two months wait my Quad cabinet arrived. Things were looking a little messy before completion :)
SHIPMENT
Yellow Freight shipped the unit to me via an eighteen wheeler. It was funny to see one trying to maneuver it's way down a residential neighborhood. The package came in three boxes:
BOX #1
This box was the heaviest of the bunch. It's a decent size and you shouldn't have any trouble handling it by yourself. Just brace yourself when the Yellow Freight driver hands it down to you. Looks are very deceiving...it felt like 100lb so it's one person friendly. Inside you will find all the other cabinet pieces along with the monitor bezel and marquee.
BOX #2
This was the biggest of the bunch and was the middle in total weight. I really thought this would be heavier then the previous box because of the size. Don't think you can handle this by yourself it's very awkward. Get the driver to guide it into your house. This package includes the two cabinet side panels.
BOX #3
Lightest of the bunch. After getting a good workout you'll laugh at the last of the three. All that is inside is the coin door and screws/fastening nuts and bolts.
All boxes were packaged really well. In fact some of the package material is very durable that a truck could run them over and still be intact. Nice solid packaging job. Two thumbs up.
EASE OF USE
I've read people that put a cabinet together on there first attempt in under a hour. Even If I took it apart and did it again I'm looking at 1-2 hours. I can see the cabinet by itself but not the control panel and monitor. In total the build took me 4 hours on just the cabinet.
Setting up the cabinet was pretty easy but I did run into a few problems. The .PDF that SlikStik sends you (instructions on setup via E-mail) is sort of out of date and a few parts stumped me. The 1st problem was the actually connecting of some of the pieces...do the secure from the inside or the outside? This was very confusing for me with the speaker grill piece but then I thought that the cabinet should look "seamless" so it helped. That same piece comes with a beveled edge and the description on which side goes where is up in the air. I had to download a video of someone building the cabinet and "catch" the part where it shows a picture of the installation part.
What do I have to say about the locking mechanisms? They work very well and hold the unit together strong. I had a few problems with a couple of them and had to remove them which is a very hard task. In the manuel they suggest using a rubber mallet. DO NOT DO THIS! You can shift the turn lock into a position where the screw will not connect with it. Just use your palm of your hand and grab an edge to secure the mechanism. Another problem was the alloy used to make these things...they strip very easy so be careful. Just make sure you use the correct screwdriver.
Another time consuming process is installing the coin door. You need to unscrew all the fasteners and go behind the cabinet and screw them back in. Since the cabinet is on it's back gravity holds the coin door but you must lay down or sit up (depending on your height) to screw the fasteners back in. If I did it again I'd place the coin door panel between two chairs and install it before attachment to the cabinet. This will make the process much easier.
Lastly, I had a hard time with the marquee. I really had to improvise and I'm still not sure if it is correct. The bottom screw holes where labeled while the top were not. I just screwed it in where I saw fit and was done with it. While it does seem loose I can't come down any further on the upper marquee holder. Besides if it was any tighter getting the old marquee out of the holder would be an impossible task.
BUILD QUALITY
Excellent I couldn't be happier with the presentation of this cabinet. From the T-molding to the keyboard pull out tray it is a seamless unit. People yell about it not being arcade quality because the back is not a complete panel (about 3/4 of the way down). I've been back there so many times that I never even put the back panel on yet. To me it works great in getting what needs to be done then maybe finalizing it with the back panel one day.
CONNECTING TO A CONTROL PANEL
Very simple and a neat concept. You just unscrew the bottom of a control panel, fasten it to the cabinet, replace the panel, and put the original screws back into the panel. I suggest you put the panel on the unit before you mount the bottom of the control panel to the cabinet. You want minimum space between the monitor bezel and the back edge of the panel. After you get a good distance fasten and attach.
IN CLOSING
Excellent unit and I will not hesitate to purchase another. While it did take two months to get here it was well worth the wait. I can sleep now but the anticipation has dissipated...sometimes I like that feeling. Maybe when the 33 inch cabinet gets made I'll pick another one up or another for my Benami cabinet.
