Review of Fidel's Racing Cabinet Build.
In November I purchased a racing cabinet build from Fidel in which he was going to convert a Nick Toons Racing cabinet into a custom Mario Kart cabinet including his racing PC. I received the cabinet about 3 weeks ago and have been putting it through it's paces since. This review is based on my start to finish interaction with Fidel over this time and will hopefully help support others on the fence.
Communication - A+, throughout the entire process Fidel constantly communicated with me including a number of pictures and videos that were sometimes posted on his webpage. He also made sure I approved everything throughout the process, from the graphics, ensuring I understood the components of the PC, etc. Overall, top notch.
Installation / Customization - A+, As I said, I had to get into the heart of the cabinet to remove a few pieces to get it down my stairs, and this is where I really started to see the Mad Scientist's work first hand. The inside of the cabinet was extremely clean, numerous wires well wrapped and organized, the whole PC machine bolted down, etc. I had to turn the machine on it's side at one point, and not one thing moved inside!!! Not really a criticism but an observation as I understand what i'm purchasing, but the front dashboard had to be cut to fit the xbox steering wheel and I can't fathom many ways to make it better, but it was a little jagged in terms of making it fit, and to conceal the ability to see through to the cabinet, black tape was used inside the cabinet. Again, not sure what else you could do there. There were a number of LED lights added at the end too, but the sticky part of the LED doesn't always stick to wood, so I would look for alternatives to get the LED's to stay.
Gaming PC - A+, As having owned a number of machines that are not always plug and play, Fidel's racing PC is about as close as it comes to help with people that show up at your house that have no idea what they are doing. I only came across one game so far that didn't load appropriately, but Fidel quickly noted it was a simple fix and will be correcting next time he updates my PC. There's also over 700 games (and I know he has many more now), but let's be honest, you're probably going to end up playing about 20-50 games on a regular basis, most racing games don't hold up over time, so don't always get enamored by the # of games, but the quality...which Fidel is always on the cutting edge of ensuring all Teknoparrot releases or PC games are immediately added.
Packing - A-, With anything of this size, wrapping and shipping is going to be a pain. Overall the machine was very well wrapped, I would just mention that the seats are kind of a hard foam and some parts of the chair ended up being exposed and received some scrapes from the shipping company. Fidel used cardboard, mats and thick pvc wrapping material, while my machine wasn't damaged to any area of concern from me, I would just be careful in the future.
Overall - A, All said and done factoring in service, cost, value, etc. Fidel's product is well worth it. Yes it's very easy for people to say I could do all that for half the cost, and while yes you probably could, you have to understand what you are paying for. I knew I was paying for Fidel's time and effort on top of the cost of the components & cabinet. I wanted something in my basement by someone that has done this multiple times before, had a well established PC of games, provided ongoing support, etc. I'm definitely in the hobby, but my time is always limited dealing with something and it's nice to spend time playing the games vs. trying to fix the games. I would highly recommend Fidel's products to others. There are a number of other companies that are out there, but I will definitely say Fidel does bring a personal touch to the purchase compared to some of the larger companies. Be sure to factor that in with your purchase, it's...
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