PingSkills Rook Suitability

Hi,

I am planning to host a small "tournament" for some 12-14 years old kids.

I want to give a PingSkills Rook Bat to the winner of the tournament as a reward. I also want to buy a Touch bat with Rakza7 for myself but, since I faced customs related problems before, I thought I should see for myself that table tennis bats can go through customs without a problem first.

Anyway, I have a few questions about Rook before buying one.

1- Is PingSkills Rook suitable for 12-14-year-olds? Most of them currently play with a Stiga Fury Advance 5 star pre-made bat. It is rated something like 99 for speed, 100+ for spin and 37 for control but Stiga's pre-made bats are generally more controlled compared to other pre-made bats of same star rating. I am actually quite sure Rook would be fine but on a previous question about Rook you said "The Yasaka extra with Mark V is a bit faster than the Rook". When I let them use my old Yasaka Mark V Carbon pre-made bat they cannot control it at all. So, I am a bit worried Rook might be too fast for them.

2- Is the Lion 5 star rubber on it the LION brand rubber that is registered by ITTF as "007 5 Stars"? If it is a different rubber how can I find it in the list of ITTF approved rubbers?

3- You have previously said that the rubbers on it are replaceable but it is harder to replace the rubbers compared to the Touch. What does that mean? Is it glued almost permanently like most other pre-made bats or does it use regular water-based table tennis glue like custom bats?

4- Does it have some sort of protective packaging when it arrives? It might spend some time waiting before the tournament and I do not want it to have some dust or blemishes on it when I am giving it as a reward.

Also, since I will be buying a Touch bat as well if the Rook arrives successfully, I want to ask some simple questions about Touch Bats as well.

1- What kind/brand of glue is used during the assembly of Touch bats? I don't really think glue affects the performance of the bat, but I want to learn out of curiosity.

2- Is there edge tape on the Touch Bat when it arrives? If there is, what is the type/brand of the edge tape?

Hi Işıtan

The Rook is suitable for players learning.  It certainly won’t be too fast.  The rubber is the one that is registered by ITTF.

The rubbers are only a bit more difficult to replace than the Touch.  The wood is a bit softer so you need to be more careful taking the rubber off.  It is not a permanent glue like some of the factory assembled pre-made bats.

It comes in a plastic packaging.  You can stow it for a long time in the packaging before awarding it. It will last a couple of years at least as it is.

The Touch bats uses a water based glue.  It varies depending on what the supplier has but they are all quite similar.

There is the PingSkills Edge tape on the Touch bats not on the Rooks.