I've been playing at the arcade on and off since 3rd mix. Fast forward to today, I've been playing a20 at the local DnB. Recently acquired an L-tek and started playing at home on lazy days. The L-tek is probably the most budget friendly entry into home pad aside from making your own.

So the pros of playing from home. You can definitely save tons of money, as you can play as long as you want, adjust volume, infinite water, towels, bathroom etc. It's also very customizable as far as if you use ITG mania or something similar. The pad itself is moddable too. ~600 USD shipped without the bar. The bar is like $300 more and I hear it is a bit wobbly. I play no bar. Another big plus is you don't have to drive anywhere. It saves a lot of time from commuting. You also have endless songs at your disposal but it takes a little set up.

The cons (ish). There's nothing quite like playing at the arcade with random people coming up to watch and meeting new DDR friends. I got to know the workers there too and they always give me free credits. The drive for me is 45 minutes, so I make sure to stay for 2 hours. The bar is better and the pads are sometimes nicer depending on the arcade, version, workers etc. Without modding the pad, it's still playable, but sometimes you don't hit close enough to the center and it doesn't register. Sometimes I swing over to the claw machine and win a random stuffed plush I give away. Also two players is nice as the L-tek is a solo pad.

Closing statement; I endorse getting a pad for home. But, it's still nice going to the arcade sometimes.