5 Great Tips to Keep in Mind When Buying a Ping Pong Table

No matter whether you are young or old, everyone likes playing the game of ping pong on a ping pong table. And due to the popularity of this table tennis game, today many people prefer to buy an actual ping pong table. Besides a table you simply need to have your own paddles and balls and you are ready to play your favorite sports anytime.

Here are 5 great tips for buying a ping pong table:

1. Fixed or portable ping pong table

Before buying a table tennis table you need to decide whether you want a table with a permanent set up or something that can be easily packed and put back. For easy and frequent setup, you can go for a fold-up model with rollers for smooth movement. A roller table tennis table comes with brakes on the wheels that can be applied to stop the table moving around when in use.

2. Thickness of the ping pong table top

The right thickness of the table top is a must if you want to invest in a quality table for playing table tennis. The standard thickness should be 3/4" or more. In the market you will also find table top with 1/2" and 5/8" thickness but this is too thin to provide much resistance to warping. Plus, ping pong table tops with less than 3/4" thick do not help the balls to bounce consistently over the entire surface of the table. This makes it difficult to play table tennis in a professional way.

3. Material of the ping pong table top

Usually the thicker the table top, the better is the quality. Make sure that the thicker particle boards used for making a table top are of the best quality. You can also buy table tennis table tops made of resin material which offers higher resistance to warpage as compared to the regular particle board. Apart from the material also make sure that the evenness of support under the top as it is directly linked with the bounce quality of a ping pong table.

4. Features of the ping pong table frame:

The durability of a stiga ping pong table largely depends on the structure of the frame. A table with many connecting points within the chassis give better durability even with thinner legs and bracing. Don't go for a table tennis table with thick legs or thin legs, but check out whether the connecting points are placed in the right places or not. Higher quality connecting points placed in the optimum places brings longer durability. You need to go for the proper design and support in a ping pong table to allow the table to hold together for long before loosening and collapsing.

5. Finish of the ping pong table top

The finish of the ping pong table must be smooth and even with no patches or rough spots. Put your eyes at table height from all sides and look for any bending or warping which can affect the bounce of the ball. Also check out for any rough edges on the top and sides as it might injure you while playing. If possible use a ruler to test the height of the bounce. Normally a standard ball should bounce about 23cm when dropped on it from a height of 30cm.

Just remember the above mentioned points while buying a stiga ping pong table and you an enjoy table tennis for years.