Choosing a Table Tennis Bat

good video for beginners an other for the others players

I think this is for everyone.  The point is that the differences between most of the top rubbers is not significant.

My practice partner upgraded to a better factory bat. The wood was fine, but the factory gluing is almost permanent. So, it's almost impossible to get the old rubbers off to upgrade them. TT dealers would have to spent over an hour, and charge a lot of money, to remove the original rubbers. I had to get a toxic chemical solvent to remove them. And it still took a lot of time and frustration. I finally glued on new rubbers with standard glue. I said to my friend that he should have bought a cheap bat separately, with good control (like Stiga Allround), and then I could have avoided removing the factory glue. The bat has now been made up with decent rubbers. I'd recommend bypassing the factory bat, which only wastes money overall. I don't like messing with toxic solvents either, and have to be careful where they are stored, as well as not injuring myself with them. 

Hey I guess I should have watched this video before submitting my "ask the coach" question! 

Great video, guys.

A beginner player can quickly become overwhelmed with all the choices available, plus the manufacturer's advertising pushing you this way and that- "WILL GIVE GREAT SPIN AND CONTROL WITH FANTASTIC SPEED", which is completely contradictory.

Just because someone at the club uses a carbon blade, or a balsa blade, and says it's fantastic, doesn't mean that it will suit your game.

Don't become an equipment junkie- buy a good quality all round blade with medium speed rubbers, and practice!

Well said Jon.

hello

you really did not state what difference the blade makes.  we see that the rubber can give better speed or spin but with a sponge what is the benifit of different blades other than maybe weight savings.

thank for all your great help

steve f

Hi Steve,

Thanks for picking that up.  The blade is probably only 20% of the effect.  The much more important part is the rubber.

so is a harder wood for the blade better or worse.  i would assume 20% could make a significant amount of difference at some point.  what blade material would you recommend.  i have a rook.  is it worth stripping the rubber of and getting new rubber on it or is the blade material not the best.  so in that case i would then be forced to abandon the rook blade and get a better blade.  agian what blade do you recommend?

thanks for your reply

Hi Steve,

It does make a slight difference when you have chosen the right rubber.  It is a matter of preference as to the hardness of the blade.  The harder blades tend to be faster and with less feel of the ball hitting the bat.

The Rook blade is a basic blade that you can change the rubber on but if you are progressing I would say go to the next level.  We have the PingSkills Touch.  Just don’t get anything too fast to start with.

I have a dawei CR2 superior wooden with dawei 2008 Super Power rubbers.

im wondering if its a good beginner to intermediate bat to use?

i started playing a couple of weeks ago

Hi Brandon,

By the looks of it, it should be OK as a starter bat.  As long as the rubber has some grip on it.  You may find that after a few months you will need to upgrade to something a bit faster or with more spin.

Can you explain the difference between the pimpled rubber vs the flat rubber? I'm assuming this affects the spin of the ball but I don't understand why someone would want an asymmetrical bat (as I usually see the pimpled rubber on the backhand side)?

Hi Gregory,

First take a look at our lesson on the Effects of Rubbers.  This will help to explain what each rubber does.  Often players have different strengths and weaknesses on the different strokes.

Players usually like the pimple on the backhand side for more control on that side and then have the faster more attacking rubber on the forehand side.

The long pimple rubber is mainly used as a defensive tool on the backhand side.

The video explained How to choose a TT bat in a balanced way. It is very really helping. In my experience with TT, we tend to focus more on TT bat compared to the game which is not the reality. I think we need to focus more on the game.

Thanks Sushil.

Hi,

What bat do you use?

Jeff and I use a PingSkills Touch.

Hey Alois,

This is a great video for those of us who have started playing TT. I know we can just go out and buy what we think is the best bat at our local sporting goods store. Then you get it home and find out it's not that great after all. I have ran into that situation myself and was very disappointed. I have a question though, do you guys have a video on how to clean the rubber's on your bat.

Also I have noticed that my rubber's are getting less tacky with less grip on the ball. I have seen some video's on now to the grip on old rubber's by doing some pretty unconventional things. Like using liquid dish soap when cleaning the rubber's. Then wiping it off with just a little bit of it and putting the bat in a zip lock baggie to dry. I have tried this method and noticed that the rubber's are more tacky, but the bat now collects debris from the ground. So I don't recommend this method to anyone. The reason I ask about finding a way to get the rubber's tacky again is I would think there is a better way then what I mentioned above.

 Anyone know of a better way???

Hi Steve,

Unfortunately when the rubber loses it's grip it is time to buy some new rubbers. That's one reason why people who get serious about table tennis move on to custom made bats, so you can replace the rubber but keep the blade. As a guide rubbers will last around 80 playing hours but the cheaper store made bats might not last that long.

Do you know when the pingskill rook will be available again? It seems a great beginner's bat, but it's been out of stock for a while!

Georges

Hi Georges,

We have had a few issues trying to get the bats.  We are now expecting them in about 4 to 5 weeks which is still a while away.  We do like them so that is why we are waiting for these to come in.

Jeff,

I agree, pre-made bats are pretty much useless after a few weeks of playing. Rubbers go bad and its not worth trying to replace them. I was trying to wait for the "Rook" to come in. But after Alois told me the bad news that they were not coming in for a while. I went ahead and bought me a custom made bat, actually bought 2 custom bats. One for me and one for my oldest son. As well as the bats I bought a (36 count) bag of 3* balls so we can start practicing multi-ball and drills.

Thank you for the insight. I did buy a whole lot of balls to practise multiball with my son. For the racket, I would "graduate" to a custom bat for longevity, but I really think I need control over speed at this stage. Right now I've got enough grip on my racket, but it's wearing out fast. Man those name brands sure get you when you don't know what you're looking for.

Georges,

I did end up buying a custom bat as I mentioned above in my last post. The bat I bought has a lot of control and a big sweet spot and the rubbers are just right for my playing style. I was able to buy those 3* balls (36 count) for $13 U.S. including shipping. So I am really looking forward to receiving my order in the next couple of days!!!

What type of paddle / rubber combination did you get?

Georges,

I bought a Dawei Quattro Limda blade, with Dawei Inspirit Quattro Ultralight 2.0 reg on the FH and Air Illumina Alpha Plus 1.8 35° BH rubbers. The blade combo comes with rubber covers and a paddle case for under $50 bucks U.S.

I bought it from a guy that makes custom order paddles here in the U.S. colestt.com Check it out when you have time.

Thanks for the tip, Steve, I'll check it out!

I was wondering, Alois, is the paddle of the rook one that you could use later on for a custom bat, or would it be not the better choice once you graduate to custom made bats?

Hi Georges,

I know it has been used as a custom bat and it feels quite good.  The blade is quite slow, so if that is what you are after then it may be suitable.

Thanks for the crear video!!

A speed question:

some table tennis bats have two different faces.

Face A is smooth, Face B is rough. 

I was wondering if

1) this bats are good or not

2) there is a better face to use for forehand counterskills or is just a personal taste, considering the personal way to generate spins. 

Thx in advise!!

Hi Claudio,

Usually you would use the flat surface for the stronger side which in most cases is the forehand.  The flat surface can usually generate more spin and speed.

Alois, I love how you keep repeating that once you've chosen a good bat, you should stick with it. I've come across a few players who are obsessed with rubbers to the detriment of their game. It's amazing which theories you can sometimes hear from these gear aficionados! I've come to realize that, while sometimes it's just an innocent passion for the material side of our sport, it often serves as an excuse for not making progress and it eventually becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

Hi Alois, im using fast rubber for forehand and it fits me well, but i had a lot of troubles with placing the ball over the net propperly with my backhand, so i decided to replace backhand rubbber and i bought long pimples without sponge for chopping.I really feel very comfortable playing with that rubber, chopped ball has a floating effect and i have  very good control over incoming spinny balls, the only problem is, that i can't make spin with my backhand at all.Do you think that i should replace it if i make more progress in the future, and are there any world class players playing with that type of rubber?

Hi Stefan,

You won’t be able to play with a lot of spin yourself with the long pimples on the backhand.  See what feels better for you.  There are not many world class players other than choppers that use long pimples.

hi Alois, i have a diff question.... im playing 3months now with  a stiga OC,first with dawei 2008 superxp(hard sponge), but it was too bouncy for me and fair slow....i changed with rakza 7 soft 2mm  the things were better but the overall feeling with this blade is dissapointing.. so i need and advice  with what blade can i pair my rakza rubbers....i want control and spin and secondly speed.... should i choose a hard blade,medium or soft? im trying to  be offensive with good control and i like to loop from evwhere if its possible...

Hi Periklis,

I would go with a softer wood if you are looking for better feeling.  I am not sure of a blade that has more feeling than the Stiga OC but others may have some ideas.

Sir, I am planing to buy a stag ninja attack bat, witch is a pre-made bat. is it a good bat?

Sir, i am confused between stag power drive plus and stag ninja attack. witch one should i buy?

I think by the ratings the Niinja Attack is slightly better.

Hi Alois

My partner and I have both come back to TT after a gap of many years. We both played at minor league level.

The technological advances in equipment is staggering and bewildering.

At the moment we are both using Stiga all round classic blades. She has blutenkirsche 868 rubbers and I have friendship super 729 fx.

When the time comes to replace the rubbers I'm thinking of following your advice and choosing Mark v 

I would describe our playing standard as all round intermediate.

What do you think...good move or bad move

Many thanks in advance

Hi Steve,

Welcome back.  Mark V is a good standard rubber.  You could also just replace the rubber you already have if you are comfortable with it.

i can hit most of the strokes and i have a tiga supreme and i am wanting upgrade what would u suggest alois rosario

Hi Landon,

GO for something like the PingSkills Touch with Mark V rubber.

Great video. Really helpful. Must have been good I watched all 14mins of it! You missed one point though, can I stick a good quality rubber to that yellow bat ;-)

Hi Dan,

Thanks for the comments.  The plastic yellow bat is only good for the rubbish bin...  It is actually not legal as well because officially the blade need to be made of mostly wood.

Hi Alois, I was just being funny. The bin definitely is the place for them. I bought a joola rosskopf classic. Played with it for three weeks. At first was a struggle from the club bats I was used now, but now getting used to it. Loving the vids!

Thanks Dan... Sorry I was a little slow on the uptake!

Hi Alois,

Thanks for your video! I'm just getting into table tennis, and I bought a Stiga Apex premade from Amazon. It sure is a lot better than the really bad rackets I've used before, but it's still an entry level premade.

I live on campus, and there is a table available but no good rackets, so I decided to buy a new racket, and keep the Apex for when I play against guests without their own.

I ordered a Dawei DW2, with Dawei 2008XP on both sides. Does that seem like a good racket to start out with?

Thanks for the help! Your videos are great, and I look forward to improving my game.

Hi Benjamin,

I don't know that equipment well but just having a look, it seems like a good solution. When it arrives, let me know what you think of it.

This is the information that I've been looking for. You guys are awesome! 

Good to hear it Gel.

Hi Alois,  have been playing pingpong for 5 yrs on and off. Started with a 2.0 rubber I think, then moved on to a faster rubber 3.0. Although was hitting off the table somewhat. Went back to the 2.0 and I feel I have more control now with the thinner rubber which is a lighter bat..However, an advanced player told me to play with 1 long pip side which would slow down the offensive players what do you think? Should I play with long pips on both sides of bat?  thank's for your advice. Kathy.

Hi Kathy,

Which rubber you use depends on your style.  If you want to be more defensive on the backhand side then the long pimples will be useful.  I wouldn't use it on both sides though.

How do these recommended paddles compare to the ones at paddle palace?  They seem to use a different rating system so it is confusing. 

Hi Jeff,

Yes unfortunately everyone uses a different system of ratings.  Best to go with someone you know or can trust.  I think Paddle Palace seem to have a good reputation.

 Good knowledge. Just got back to game at 67 and retired. Hadn't played since teens. Purchased Top Spin 600. Having hard time implementing lessons as fellow players only want to  play doubles. That's got to change. Top spin good bat?

Thanks  Mark V.

Hi Mark, I don't know that bat.

Good to hear you have found the game again.  Yes it can be difficult to get some good training partners.  Keep persevering...

Do you recommend replacing the rubber on a pre-made bat?

Thank's for your advise Alois!!

Hi Brendon,

You can replace the rubber on some of the pre-made bats with good results.  What type do you have?

The butterfly 201 bat

Yes that should be good to change the rubber on.

Thanks for making this video it helped a lot. I want to ask a question, is the Butterfly Timo Boll 42580 a good bat ?

Hi Alois , earlier I said it was a top spin bat, Imeant Killer Spin Jet 600 bat. How does it compare to your 3 recommended bats? Mark V.

Good video!!   thank you.

Hi Mark,

I haven't played with one but I would say it isn't quite as fast as the Touch Mark V.  I think it would compare with the PingSkills Rook.

Alois and Jeff, 

Great video.  You guys are right on the money helping new players get started correctly.  Without the proper equipment, it is very difficult and frustrating to learn the strokes.  Your information is absolutely accurate and you are providing a great service with your instructional videos!  Keep up the good work!!!

David

Thanks David.

Absolutely brilliant and very humorous! 

Your comments are spot on! 

Sadly, I don't really play much these days, but in a former lifetime, maybe I wasn't too bad. 

My current blade is an ancient Butterfly Schlager Light (Tamica 5000).

I like the fact that you mentioned Sriver and Mark V.

You really can't go wrong with Sriver! I have Sriver G3 on both sides.

It provides excellent control and spin.

If you suspect that your rubber is not up to snuff, then simply to the test.

That is to say, take a decent ball and move it across your rubber.

If it has tactility, (the ball doesn't slide) then you're good.

If the ball slides across your racket, then it's time to replace the sheets.  

Alois and Jeff are the experts, though. Their advice is brilliant. 

Thanks Chris.

Thanks for the thorough explanation.  Is there any type of maintenance one should perform on the rubber to prolong the life span?  I'm just starting out, and after only about 3 hours of play with a new premade bat (costs $40 USD) the center of the rubber already feels smooth.  I feel like the ability to spin will quickly deteriorate at this rate.

Just wipe the bat with a damp cloth to get the dust off it.  Then make sure you keep it away from heat when you are storing it.

Hi Alois & Jeff,

Thank you so much.

Glad you liked it.

Do you recommend the stiga 3 star table tennis bat?

That is a reasonable starting bat but won't last very long in your development.

I'm a bigginer so recommend me a suitable bat. But I already have butterfly wakaba 3000 bat.

Try the PingSkills Rook or the PingSkills Touch with Mark V rubber on it.

... just out of interest: clickball uses their own special bats. Are these able to generate spin?

Hi Herbert,

You can't generate much spin with those bats.  With good technique you can add some topspin and backspin but very little.

nice video, I use GKI Kung-FU Table Tennis Racquet, please give your review of this bat.

They are a reasonable starter bat.

amazing explaination

Very useful

Can u explain about bats with our without carbon.what is difference?some bats are off . What it means? Like timo bol alc

Hi Arash,

The carbon layer often adds some speed to the bat.

So I'm 12 and after I pack my lunch in the mornings I go and play ping pong by myself for a good 20 to 25 minutes. Last Sunday(easter) I was given the Stiga Hammerlite, and it fits my needs. It feels like a miracle. On the weekends is when I play my dad and neighbors. I just wanna know, how long until I need a upgrade the paddle is a few days old. 

Hi Colin, Firstly great to hear how keen you are to improve.  A racket like that will last about 3 to 6 months into your development.  Then you can upgrade to something a little faster.

Thanks, is there any suggestions for the low class custom bat.

Hi Alois,

Do you have any good ideas how to protect the rubber when you store the racket ?  Some said you have to protect it from oxidation, how ?  Thanks a lot for all your good advices !

Hi Jean-Louis,

The main thing is to keep it away from dust and sunlight or heat.  Putting it in a cover is a good idea.  However, you can also put a plastic film over the rubber.  Some cling wrap or just pieces of firm plastic can be good.   Just wipe them own with a damp cloth first to clean any residual dust or dirt off them.

Hi Colin,

The one we have is the PingSkills Touch with Mark V rubber.  The rubber is the really important part of the combination.

Just so anyone knows, if you don't have rubber protectors, then I think a plastic bag works well. If you can find one the right size then it can be great. At least, I've done it and it works for me.

Hey Alois,

Do you have any recommendations for a good bat that's about 50 usd. 

Thanks

Only the PingSkills Rook...  It is one that we have on our site. 

Is there a difference in rubbers on the back and front sides of the bat?  Does the black (backhand) side of the bat have a different rubber than the red (front side)?