Table Tennis Equipment - Reviews of Rubbers, Bats, Tables and Robots

Table tennis equipment is probably the number one area of table tennis I’m asked about. On this page, I’ll be linking to all of my equipment articles and sharing some of my favourite pieces of table tennis equipment.

You’ll also find all of my table tennis equipment reviews – these used to be found on EquipmentJunkie.com. I’ll be reviewing some of the most popular rackets, rubbers, blades, balls, tables, and robots.

Contents

My Most Popular Equipment Articles

Here are some of my most popular table tennis equipment blog posts…

And here are a few other table tennis equipment articles…

My Equipment Recommendations

Table Tennis Bats

Unfortunately, many of the top table tennis brands sell really bad quality pre-made table tennis bats. This makes the bat market a bit of a minefield for beginners. If you’d like to learn more about pre-made bats then I recommend reading my blog post, The Best Table Tennis Bats for Beginners and Intermediate Players. Otherwise, here are my favourite bats/rackets/paddles.

Eastfield Allround: If you’re new to the sport of table tennis this is the racket you should buy. It gives you the ability to create loads of spin without being too fast or difficult to control. Buy from Amazon.co.uk (£49.95) or Amazon.com ($59.95).
Eastfield Offensive: This bat is aimed at intermediate and advanced-level table tennis players. It’s the bat I use myself! Great for giving you more power without losing control and feeling. Buy from Amazon.co.uk (£99.95) or Amazon.com ($119.95).
Palio Expert 3.0: The #1 best seller on Amazon.co.uk and the perfect bat for players learning the game and starting out. It’s an amazing bat and, in my opinion, is the best you can get for under £30. Buy from Amazon.co.uk (£29.99) or Amazon.com ($39.99).
Palio Legend 3.0: This is the most aggressive of the Palio bats. The Hadou rubbers are slightly harder and faster than the CJ8000 rubbers found on the Palio Expert 3.0. Buy from Amazon.co.uk (£44.99) or Amazon.com ($64.99).

I’m always surprised by how many players spend a small fortune on their bat/racket just to chuck it in their bag. If you’re interested in protecting your expensive new table tennis bat, check out my popular article, The Best Table Tennis Bat Cases. For now, here is my favourite bat case.

Eastfield Original: This bat case takes inspiration from the current trend in iPad and laptop cases. It comes in three colours (black, grey or navy) and has a single or double bat version. I wonder how long it will be before the big table tennis brands start producing bat cases that look more like this and less awful! Buy via Amazon or Megaspin.

Table Tennis Bat Reviews

Here are links to all of my table tennis racket reviews…

Butterfly 401
DHS A3002
DHS A4002
DHS A5002
DHS A6002
Eastfield Allround
Eastfield Offensive
Killerspin JET200
Killerspin JET600
Killerspin JET800
Palio Expert 2
Palio Master 2
Palio Legend 2
Stiga Apex
Stiga Titan
Stiga Supreme
Stiga Evolution
Stiga Pro Carbon

For more information, check out my popular blog post The Best Table Tennis Rackets for Beginners and Intermediate Players.

Table Tennis Rubbers

If you can’t find a ready-made table tennis bat you like, you can always buy two sheets of rubber and a blade separately and glue them together (I made a YouTube video showing how here). But there are well over 1,000 ITTF approved table tennis rubbers. How do you pick which one is right for you? I’m here to help!

Butterfly Tenergy 05: There are thousands of rubbers to choose from but (basically ever since they were released) Tenergy 05 has been the most popular. I used Tenergy for many years. Buy from Megaspin.net ($79.99) or Bribar (£58.99).
Tibhar Evolution MX-P: I was sent a couple of sheets of MX-P to test and review in 2015 and I loved them. I found Evolution MX-P to be very similar to Tenergy 05. Buy from Tabletennis11.com (€46.90) or Bribar (£44.99).

While boosting your table tennis rubbers is technically against ITTF rules, it’s commonplace among elite players! If you’re interested in boosting your rubbers you should check out my articles, How to Boost Your Table Tennis Rubber and The Best Table Tennis Booster.

Falco Tempo Long Booster: This is undoubtedly the most popular booster currently available. The manufacturer claims the effects can last from 8-12 weeks, which is much longer than the typical 7-10 days of other products. Buy from Tabletennis11.com (€27.00) or Megaspin.net ($29.99).

Table Tennis Rubber Reviews

Here are links to all of my table tennis rubber reviews…

Adidas Tenzone Ultra
Eastfield A-Pro
Eastfield A-Soft
Stiga Airoc Astro
Tibhar Evolution MX-P
Tibhar Evolution EL-S
Tibhar Evolution FX-S
Victas V > 15 Extra
Xiom Vega Japan

For a more detailed look at some of the best table tennis rubbers currently available check out my blog post, The Best Table Tennis Rubbers.

Table Tennis Blades

Choosing the perfect blade can be even more confusing than selecting rubbers. Table tennis blades can be expensive, but they usually last for many years. Therefore, you want to make sure you get one you like. I would definitely recommend trying out other people’s blades and bat combinations before making a decision.

Eastfield Ashwood: I’ve been playing with the Eastfield Ashwood blade myself for the past 18 months – and I love it! It’s an allwood 7-ply offensive blade. Plenty of speed and loads of control/feeling. Buy from Amazon.co.uk (£50) or Amazon.com ($60).
Butterfly Timo Boll ALC: This is the blade I was using before I switched to the Eastfield Ashwood. It’s a carbon blade that was designed for the European looping style of play, with a great balance of speed and control. Buy from Megaspin.net ($159.99).

Table Tennis Blade Reviews

Here are links to all of my table tennis blade reviews…

There are, of course, thousands of other blades. For more information on selecting the right blade for you, check out my popular article, The Best Table Tennis Blades.

Table Tennis Balls

Table tennis balls have changed! The old celluloid balls have been replaced by plastic balls, also known as poly balls. There are only five manufacturers of the new 40+ plastic table tennis balls; Minkow (Xushaofa), DHS, Double Fish, Nittaku, and Weener (Butterfly). Read my blog post, The Best Table Tennis Balls, to find out more.

Xushaofa 3-Star: I recommend the Chinese-made Xushaofa seamless balls over all the other Chinese seamed alternatives. I believe these are generally better quality and much more durable. Buy from Megaspin.net (USA), Bribar (UK) or Tabletennis11.com (Worldwide).
Nittaku Premium 3-Star: These seamed balls are made exclusively for Nittaku in their Japanese factory. The best quality 40+ 3-star balls on the market but more expensive than Xushaofa. Buy from Amazon (Worldwide) or Megaspin (USA).

Table Tennis Ball Reviews

Here are links to all of my table tennis ball reviews…

Butterfly G40+ 3-Star
DHS 3-Star
Double Fish 3-Star
Nittaku Premium 3-Star
Xushaofa 3-Star

For more information on 40+ table tennis balls, check out my popular blog post The Best Table Tennis Balls.

Table Tennis Tables

I’ve written a very comprehensive blog post on The Best Table Tennis Tables which is recommended reading if you’re thinking of buying a table tennis table. I talk about all sorts of tables; indoor, outdoor, cheap, expensive, and also explain a little about the importance of table thickness and how to decide which table is best for you.

JOOLA Tour 2500: This is the best-value 25mm table tennis table available in the USA. The 2019 version has improved 4″ wheels and can be built in less than 20 minutes. Buy from Megaspin ($629).
Tibhar SP Allstar: This is the best value 25mm table tennis table available in the UK. It was created in a collaboration between Tibhar and San-Ei. Amazingly, it’s also ITTF approved tournament-ready! Buy from Bribar (£599).
Stiga Advantage/JOOLA Inside: These two tables are virtually identical. I think they come from the same factory and they fight each other for the #1 best seller spot on Amazon.com! They have a 15mm surface and a solid frame. Basic but great value at under $400. Buy from Amazon.com – Stiga Advantage or JOOLA Inside.
Donnay Premium Indoor Outdoor: Strangely, it’s called “Indoor Outdoor” but this is an indoor table. Don’t keep this outside! However, this is the “premium” 15mm version and that makes it the cheapest 15mm table tennis table I can find in the UK. Buy from Amazon UK (£199).
Kettler Outdoor 10/Champ 5.0: These are two amazing outdoor table tennis tables. The best, in fact. I used to do all of my one-to-one coaching session on one of these and it plays exactly like an indoor table! Buy from Amazon UK (£699) or Megaspin ($1,049).

There is nothing worse than a rubbish net that is always falling off or sagging in the middle. It will ruin your game and probably drive you insane in the process! I’ve written a blog post looking at The Best Table Tennis Nets to help you choose a good one. Here are my favourites.

Tera Retractable: These retractable nets (sometimes called “rollnets”) are brilliant for use on any kind of table. This one can extend to 2m in length and will clip onto any surface less than 5cm thick. It’s also very good value. Buy from Amazon.co.uk (£10.99) or Amazon.com ($11.96).
Butterfly Clip: Clip nets are great if you want something a little more serious which is still super easy to put on and take off the table. The Butterfly Clip has been a favourite among schools and clubs for years and if very good value. Buy from Amazon.co.uk (£19.00) or Amazon.com ($36.66).

Table Tennis Table Reviews

Here are links to all of my table tennis table reviews…

Indoor Tables

Butterfly Compact 19
Butterfly Europa
Harvil Insider
Joola Inside
JOOLA Inside vs Stiga Advantage – The Best Table Under $400
Joola Rally TL 300
Joola Tour 2500
Killerspin Revolution
Stiga Advantage
Stiga Legacy

Outdoor Tables

Butterfly Compact Outdoor
Harvil Outsider
Joola Nova DX Outdoor
Kettler Classic Outdoor 10
Stiga XTR Outdoor

For more help selecting a table tennis table, check out my popular blog post The Best Table Tennis Tables.

Table Tennis Robots

A table tennis robot can be a great training aid, especially in the early stages of your development or if you can’t find a suitable practice partner. For a more detailed overview of The Best Table Tennis Robots, check out my blog post. Otherwise, here are three that I recommend.

Power Pong 5000: It’s identical to the Butterfly Amicus Prime (the best table tennis robot in the world) but $430 cheaper – if you buy direct and use my unique discount code… BL5000.
Power Pong 2001: If you can’t afford the Power Pong 5000, the 2001 model is a great mid-range option. It’s not quite as fancy but costs just $1,249 – if you buy direct and use my unique discount code… BL2001.
iPong Trainer Motion: This is a basic table-top table tennis robot that replaces the popular iPong V300. It doesn’t really compare to a Power Pong robot but it’s much much cheaper. Buy from Megaspin ($199.95).

Table Tennis Robot Reviews

Here are links to all of my table tennis robot reviews…

Butterfly Amicus Basic
Butterfly Amicus Advance
Butterfly Amicus Professional
iPong v300
Newgy Robo-Pong 540
Newgy Robo-Pong 1040
Newgy Robo-Pong 1050
Newgy Robo-Pong 2040
Newgy Robo-Pong 2050
Power Pong 2001 (Save $50 with the code “BL2001”)
Power Pong 3001 (Save $100 with the code “BL3001”)
Power Pong 5000 (Save $100 with the code “BL5000”)
Practice Partner 20

For more information, check out my popular blog post The Best Table Tennis Robots.

Table Tennis Shoes

If you’re playing competitive table tennis, your contact with the floor is very important. If you want to learn more, check out my blog post The Best Table Tennis Shoes. Otherwise, here’s my favourite pair of table tennis shoes.

Mizuno Wave Drive: Mizuno produces brilliant table tennis shoes that are very popular among players of all abilities. Sam bought a pair of Mizuno Wave Drive 6s at the beginning of The Expert in a Year Challenge. Buy from Tabletennis11 (Worldwide) or Bribar (UK).

Or if you’re after a cheap pair of table tennis shoes, I normally find mine in the bargain bin at a tournament!

My Favourite Table Tennis Retailers

For me, there are three stand-out specialist online table tennis retailers at the moment; Megaspin, Bribar and Tabletennis11.

Megaspin: If you’re in the USA, I recommend using Megaspin.net. They offer North America’s largest selection of table tennis equipment and have been going since 1996.
Bribar: If you’re in the UK, I recommend using BribarTT.co.uk. They offer an amazing range of brands, great service, and now have both Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford on their books!
Tabletennis11: For everywhere else, I like Tabletennis11.com as they have really great prices and offer free worldwide shipping on orders over €70. You also get an extra 25% off if your order is over €250!

AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links (which means that if you go through my link and purchase an item I receive a small commission). But rest assured I will never recommend a product I don’t think is high-quality and good value for money.