seanhq Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 I was having a discussion with one of my gaming buddies tonight about Atari heavy sixers and he asked me what the difference was between a Atari branded one and a Sears branded one. I pretty much told him hardware wise they're exactly the same, but they have cosmetic differences, mainly the lid/cover (type of wood on the front) and bezel (yellow/orange/black for Atari and silver for Sears Tele-Games). Anyway, the question came up, which one do I prefer? I honestly couldn't answer him since I own both versions. I do have to say that my Atari heavy sixer is the one I grew up with, my grand parents bought it new in 1977, so if push came to shove, I would keep the Atari one over the Sears. Ok AtariAge community, here is my question for you... which version do you prefer (and actually own) and why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rexreed Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Sears Heavy sixer any day, any time. Is it the same as the Atari? Well, no it isn't because I grew up with the Sears sixer... so there! I was having a discussion with one of my gaming buddies tonight about Atari heavy sixers and he asked me what the difference was between a Atari branded one and a Sears branded one. I pretty much told him hardware wise they're exactly the same, but they have cosmetic differences, mainly the lid/cover (type of wood on the front) and bezel (yellow/orange/black for Atari and silver for Sears Tele-Games). Anyway, the question came up, which one do I prefer? I honestly couldn't answer him since I own both versions. I do have to say that my Atari heavy sixer is the one I grew up with, my grand parents bought it new in 1977, so if push came to shove, I would keep the Atari one over the Sears. Ok AtariAge community, here is my question for you... which version do you prefer (and actually own) and why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the.golden.ax Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Personally I like the look of the Sears. But then they don't seem to be mainstream popular, us Atari nuts are rather fond of them. I just like the way the wood grain is more tortoise shell, and the silver and text is space-agey. AX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aftermac Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 I like the look of the Sears Heavy Sixer better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoyx Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Grew up with an Atari light sixer. Got a Sears heavy about a year ago. I will have to go with the Sears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+chriswhit Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 (edited) I have both and noticed the sears has a beefier case. If you have both lay them side by side and look at the black plastic on the left and right top of your consoles. On mine the sears has more plastic, you have to look close. Both are sunnyvilles so I'd have to say the sears. Curious if anyone else noticed this? Edited October 23, 2009 by chriswhit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanhq Posted October 23, 2009 Author Share Posted October 23, 2009 I have both and noticed the sears has a beefier case. If you have both lay them side by side and look at the black plastic on the left and right top of your consoles. On mine the sears has more plastic, you have to look close. Both are sunnyvilles so I'd have to say the sears. Curious if anyone else noticed this? Very interesting. I just did a side by side comparison like you suggested and both my Atari and Sears heavy sixers have the exact same thickness of the curved plastic bottom. All heavy sixers are Sunnyvale, CA models, but I have seen a few that are marked Sunnyvale, CA and Taiwan on the same label. Can you confirm that your your Atari six switch is a heavy sixer and not a light? Any chance of posting a picture of both your units side by side? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdlsa Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Sorry for my question ... I saw many Heavy Sixers and all of them are NTSC . But does a PAL Heavy Sixer exist ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybercylon Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 I have both and noticed the sears has a beefier case. If you have both lay them side by side and look at the black plastic on the left and right top of your consoles. On mine the sears has more plastic, you have to look close. Both are sunnyvilles so I'd have to say the sears. Curious if anyone else noticed this? Very interesting. I just did a side by side comparison like you suggested and both my Atari and Sears heavy sixers have the exact same thickness of the curved plastic bottom. All heavy sixers are Sunnyvale, CA models, but I have seen a few that are marked Sunnyvale, CA and Taiwan on the same label. Can you confirm that your your Atari six switch is a heavy sixer and not a light? Any chance of posting a picture of both your units side by side? The serial number and label on the bottom is a fairly good indicator. Unless I am mistaken, all of the heavy sixers have a bottom with more plastic around the edges, and the edges are more curved. They can't be that rare because I see them in classic shops all of the time around here. Lack of a channel select switch means it is definitely an "original" heavy sixer. Once you get into 1978-1979, things get fuzzy. You start seeing a mix of parts. My original atari was a "light" by plastic, but it had a heavy RF shield. I friend of mine had one with the light shield. My telegames is like that but also has the original top and a light sixer bottom. It probably just depended on what parts were around. I have yet to encounter a unit that clearly has the light shield and a heavy sixer plastic bottom, but I can't rule out that those exist out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaxda Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 I prefer the non-Sears version of just about everything Atari, including the heavy 6er model. I think this comes from an ingrained hatred of Sears--my dad always said that they aren't good for anything other than "decent cheap tires and those Craftsman tools." Somewhere along the line I picked up this line of reasoning, probably because the only thing my mom ever bought me at Sears were cheap horizontally striped shirts in gaudy 80s colors. And Converse sneakers, back when they were decidedly NOT cool. Damn you, Sears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tremoloman2006 Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 I love both but perfer the looks of the Sears Heavy Sixer. It looks more fancy and less of a toy to me. I thought I was alone in this feeling but I see that is not the case! In addition, the Sears Video Arcade II (aka Atari 2800) kicks ass too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanhq Posted October 24, 2009 Author Share Posted October 24, 2009 I'm actually pretty surprised at the amount of comments from people who prefer the look of the Sears Heavy Sixer over the Atari branded one. I do agree the Sears one is nice, which is why I own one too, but for sentimental reasons I'll always keep my original Atari Heavy Sixer because of it being in the family since 1977... but the bottom line is no matter which one you like, they both play games great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aftermac Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 I'm actually pretty surprised at the amount of comments from people who prefer the look of the Sears Heavy Sixer over the Atari branded one. I do agree the Sears one is nice, which is why I own one too, but for sentimental reasons I'll always keep my original Atari Heavy Sixer because of it being in the family since 1977... but the bottom line is no matter which one you like, they both play games great For me personally, I have no sentiment for either one. My first Atari was the 2600 Jr, that I've had for 22 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twolazy Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 My first atari 2600 was the family's orginal first year sears model. Ahhh fond warm fuzzy memories. Now I want a sears one again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jktrading Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 I have to go with the Sears Heavy Sixer. It was my childhood Christmas present. In the early eighties, my parents took it in for repair, and it was replaced with a light sixer:( I still have the original box it came in, and got a near mint one a few years back. I remember wanting an Atari version back in the day because I thought they looked more cool. So, I got an Atari Heavy Sixer too. I use my 4 switch woody for everyday playing. I think 3 versions of the 2600 is enough for anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdlsa Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Sorry for my question ... I saw many Heavy Sixers and all of them are NTSC . But does a PAL Heavy Sixer exist ? No one knows ? ... maybe I could post the answer in the 80's consoles italian forum where I use to be ... Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoyx Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 (edited) No one knows ? ... maybe I could post the answer in the 80's consoles italian forum where I use to be ... Thanks Yes, there are PAL heavy sixers. There are a view listed in the serial number thread - http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/76656-the-official-heavy-sixer-serial-%23-list/ Edited October 26, 2009 by Zoyx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdlsa Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 (edited) Thanks , Zoyx ....... er ... I could have used the "search" option in a wrong way ... sorry and thnx again ! Edited October 26, 2009 by macdlsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimo Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 I prefer the Sears heavy myself, even though we never had Sears products in the UK. Prefer it over my PAL Heavy sixer:P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdlsa Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Ahh , here is a ( lucky ?! ) UK owner of a H6 ! ... and I bet ALL of the PAL H6 were sold in UK and Germany , 'coz here in Italy we had NOT seen one . Never Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinball22 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 I like the Sears one better... my original system as a kid was a Sears light sixer, and I've always thought the silver control panel and different woodgrain were cooler looking. A Sears heavy sixer is the system that's hooked up to my TV right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanhq Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 (edited) Personally I like the look of the Sears. But then they don't seem to be mainstream popular, us Atari nuts are rather fond of them. I just like the way the wood grain is more tortoise shell, and the silver and text is space-agey. AX Well after a few days of compiling comments on this thread, it seems that the Sears heavy sixer is a lot more popular verses the original Atari version. I'm still pretty shocked about this, but I'm still fond of my original Atari heavy sixer that I grew up playing at my grand parents as a kid which I inherited from them 7-8 years ago now. Now that I think about it my grand parents have always been Sears "shoppers" with so many things like TV's, washer and dryers, etc., so I wonder why they went with the Atari 2600 verses the Sears model?! Now I've got something to ask my grandma when I talk to her again Edited October 28, 2009 by seanhq Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 The Sears unit is my preference. You know, I was just in Sears tonight buying "them Craftsman tools". Well, actually I was buying GearWrenches, so those aren't technically Craftsman. I gotta go buy more, though. Ha! I ought to take my Heavy Sixer to them the next time just to see the looks on their faces! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanhq Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 (edited) The Sears unit is my preference. You know, I was just in Sears tonight buying "them Craftsman tools". Well, actually I was buying GearWrenches, so those aren't technically Craftsman. I gotta go buy more, though. Ha! I ought to take my Heavy Sixer to them the next time just to see the looks on their faces! If you do take your Sears heavy sixer into the store, be sure to head over to the service department. Maybe they'll warranty it? Hehe. Craftsman tools have a lifetime warranty, maybe Sears will do that on the Tele-Games. Originally Sears Tele-Game systems were sold in the Sporting Goods department then later moved to the Electronics department. Hmmm... maybe I'll take my unit into Sears. Would make a funny video asking for service on the machine Edited October 29, 2009 by seanhq 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzman66 Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 I am kind of amazed about the love of the Sears versions. I buy and sell on a daily basis on Ebay and it is not unusual to see the Sears consoles go for $10-$25 and in working condition! In fact, I have bought quite a few, but you would think if they (Sears)were so loved, they would be bringing a bigger price like the true Atari. Although I did see an idiot pay around $300 about two weeks ago for one, which is ridiculous being it was not even tested or had a lot of games or accessories with it. I guess it depends on just how much person wants something. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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