Table tennis is a great game and more and more people are discovering or rediscovering from their childhood all the things that make it so much fun. Anyone can play, it’s great exercise, it’s very sociable, it’s a great way to de-stress, the better you get at it the more fun it is and when it’s played at the highest level it’s one of the fastest and most technically challenging sports around.
Getting you started
There is a wide selection of table tennis tables available and as buying a table tennis table is likely to be one of your most expensive table tennis equipment purchases we’ve included some information to hopefully help in your choice of table tennis table.
How much should I spend on my table tennis table?
There are three main categories of table tennis tables:
Competition Class – High End
These are premium quality table tennis tables which are approved by the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) and are suitable for competitions and organised club and school matches. The tables all come with either a 22mm or 25mm playing top which guarantees a very true and even bounce and have very strong and robust undercarriages that are built to last for many years. Competition class tables include the Donic Delhi 25 table tennis table which was/has been chosen for the 2012 & 2013 European Table Tennis Championships and Donic World Champion TC used in Liverpool at the 2012 Table Tennis World Cup.
Price range £600 to £900
Club Class – Mid End
These are very good quality table tennis tables that are designed for club or school or keen home players that still want most of the qualities of the Competition Class tables but at a Mid End price range. The tables all come with either a 19mm or 22m playing top and strong and robust undercarriages. The tables are generally slightly lighter than the Competition Class Tables and are easy to move around and take up minimum space when stored. Popular ‘Club Class’ table tennis tables include the Donic Waldner SC table tennis table and Donic Persson Classic 22.
Price range £600 to £500
Recreational Class – Low End
These tables are designed for recreational use at home and generally do not have as high quality playing characteristics as the Club or Competition Class Tables but they are good value and are still a lot of fun to play on at home or in the garden. The recreational class tables all have an integrated fixed net with foldaway style mechanism and they come in models for indoor use or outdoor use with a specially treated weather resistant playing surface and undercarriage. Popular ‘Recreational Class’ table tennis tables include the Donic Indoor Roller 800 and Donic Outdoor Roller 1000
Type of model to choose
Table tennis tables generally come in three different models.
Foldaway
Each table half is connected and the whole table tennis table folds away into an upright position when not in use. Advantage of the foldaway design is that the tables are very easy and quick to put up and down and move around as the whole table can be moved around. One point to consider is that most of these tables require two people to put up and down. All the recreational tables come in Foldaway style.
Compact Twin Design
Each table tennis table comes in two separate halves and either the two separate halves clip together or the net post ‘locks’ them together. An advantage of this type of table is that they take up minimum storage space when not in use and they are less likely to get damaged when putting the table tennis table up and taking down as there is no central folding mechanism like in the foldaway design. Also most models of this table tennis table can be put up/taken down by one person. One point to consider is that each table half must be set up/taken down ‘one at a time’ so takes more time than the foldaway design.
Compact Traditional Design
Each table tennis table comes in two separate halves like the ‘Twin Design’ but the wheels are attached to the bottom of each table tennis table half. An advantage of this design is that they take up minimum space when being stored as each half can be stacked up against a wall in a storage cupboard. With this model two people should be present to put up/take down the table.
Table Tennis Table Playing Surface
The quality of the playing surface of the table tennis table is very important as it is the main factor that defines the quality of the play. Competition Class ITTF approved table tennis tables must have a playing top thickness between 22mm and 25mm and the top must be either Green or Blue. The bounce on competition class tables is firm and true. Some competition tables come with a special anti skid (nano grip) coating that further increases the consistency of bounce and reduces skid on topspin and backspin shots.
For clubs and schools a 22mm or even good quality 19mm playing top is usually perfectly satisfactory and the quality of the play and reliability of bounce is still excellent.
If you are playing at home then you can still have a very good game and a lot of fun on a table tennis table with a 19mm playing top.
If you are buying an outdoor table tennis table, then thickness is not always the only indicator. For a bonded resin and melamine tables, thicknesses are generally less. A 6mm melamine top, for example, provides a very good and reliable bounce and very good protection against the elements!
Table Tennis Table Under-Carriage
The undercarriage is made up of the table tennis legs and folding mechanism and defines the overall strength of the table. If the table tennis tables are going to be used intensively for school/club use or for competitions than a strong undercarriage is essential. This will ensure that the table tennis table’s undercarriage will withstand any rough treatment when being set up/taken down and in a very hard fought, competitive match situation! All our range of ‘Competition Class’ and ‘Club Class’ table tennis tables have very sturdy and robust undercarriages.
Table Tennis Table Assembly
Most table tennis tables are delivered ‘flatpacked’ and require some sort of assembly. However within our range of ‘competition class’ and ‘club class’ tables we have a range of table tennis tables that are ready assembled for immediate use. These tables come in special packaging and can be wheeled out for immediate play.
Ready Assembled Range:
Competition Class: Donic Delhi 25 and Delhi SLC
Club Class: Donic Waldner SC & Waldner High School
Minimum Assembly:
Competition Class: Donic World Champion TC (20 mins) & Donic Compact 22mm (10 mins to screw on wheels)
All our range of recreational class tables and outdoor come delivered ‘flatpacked’ and require assembly. All the table tennis tables we sell however come with easy to follow instructions and require no special tools or technical expertise! Typical assembly time is between 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Table Tennis Table Spare Parts
A good quality table tennis table has the potential to last for many years especially if care is taken when setting up and taking down the table. However if a component of a table tennis table does get broken all the table tennis tables that we offer have available spare parts that are available to order. If you need to order a spare part for a DONIC table tennis table email us at hello@topspintt.com and we can arrange for the spare parts to be ordered from the manufacturer.
Table Tennis Table Nets
Our range of ‘Competition Class’ and ‘Club Class’ table tennis tables all come without nets and require a detachable net. Detachable table tennis nets are generally high quality, the height can be adjusted and is a requisite if organising an official table tennis competition or match. Detachable nets come in two main styles.
Screw On
Net post is screwed onto either side of the table tennis table.
Example of range: Donic World Champion Net & Donic Stress Net
Clip On
Net post clips onto either side of the table tennis table.
Example of range – Donic Clip Net
Fixed Net
Our recreational range of table tennis tables come with a fixed net that is integrated within the net. If table tennis table is being used primarily for fun then this can be the most convenient style of net.