What To Look For In A Ping-Pong Table - ping pong, tennis table, playing sport, elite sport

There are lots of ping-pong tables on the market. Many to choose from, depending on your skill level, budget, and dedication to the sport.

If you’re a serious player, what you’re looking for in a table is different than it would be if you’re just playing for fun.

Aside from your approach to playing, other factors exist, too. These include the thickness of the tabletop, the table’s sturdiness, and tabletop surface. You’ll also want to consider its storability, too.

It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on a ping-pong table. This is especially true when the majority of its use will be by a family with young children. Buying a less expensive table is ideal. While learning how to play, there will be less concern when the table is beat up or misused.

If you or someone else has a stronger desire to play more seriously, then springing for something more expensive is a good idea. But this kind of table should be taken care of more appropriately.

Storability would come into play next. In a place where space is a concern, an easy-folding table should be considered. One person is all that’s needed to pack up this table and store in the corner of the room.

If you don’t worry about space, then it’s not necessary to buy a foldable table. A good idea, though, regardless of a table’s storability, is buying a table with rollers. Again, it might be unnecessary, but it’s a good idea in case of convenience.

The next consideration is the thickness of the tabletop. Serious players argue that a thickness of 1 inch is the only way to go. For the less serious ping-pong player, a tabletop with a thickness of three-fourths of an inch is quite satisfactory.

Yes, the 1-inch thick table will give the ball a more consistent bounce. But the price difference – usually hundreds of dollars’ worth – is too much to make this consistency unimportant to the player just out for fun.

Whether or not you buy the thicker or less expensive table, what should always be important is the table’s sturdiness. Strong legs should definitely be a consideration. It will be more durable, especially when kids are the main players. This sturdiness will withstand most anything kids will do to it.

What buying a ping-pong table boils down to is your satisfaction with it. Your table should have a smooth finish, no rough edges or patches. And the ball should bounce consistently anywhere on the table. A good test to determine this is to drop a ball from a foot off the table. If it consistently bounces back up 9-10 inches, then you’re okay.