What To Look For In A Ping-Pong Table

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.

For starters, the reasons for buying a ping-pong table for a family of young kids will be different than buying for if you're a serious player.

There is more to take into consideration, as well. Things such as tabletop thickness, the support the legs give, and the levelness of the tabletop are important. Also, are you going to pack it up after each use or leave it as is?

Whatever your considerations, you're not going to have to spend a lot of money if you don't want to. Especially true if you're buying a table for a family that has kids. As the kids learn how to play, a cheaper table is best because there is less concern about how roughly the table is treated.

However, if you or someone else develops a more serious approach to the game, then perhaps a more expensive model that will be treated and maintained properly is the way to go.

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 have more room, then buying a table that can just be left down all the time is a viable alternative, too. However, any table with rollers is not a bad idea, for the sake 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.

Regardless of how much you spend or what thickness your table top is, you should buy a sturdy table. A table with strong legs will stand up to the test of time, not to mention the rough treatment it might get from kids. Strong legs supporting the table will simply make it more durable and last longer.

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.