How to Choose the Best Table Tennis Table for Home?
Table of Contents
Top Best Table Tennis Tables Based on Reviews and Price
Why You Need a Table Tennis Table for Home?
Do you love playing the table tennis game at home with friends, family, or colleagues? And now, are you looking for a standard size table because you would like to have a real feel of the game? You are in the right place.
First of all, forget about the huge advertising rollouts from manufacturers. Unless you’re a professional, you are unlikely to need the most expensive table tennis (also called ping pong) table in the range. There are several options that can be installed in the garden, garage, or game room at home.
Top 9 Factors to Consider Before Buying a Table Tennis Table
In this article, you will find all the information you need to know on how to buy a table tennis table for home use.
1. What Size of the Ping Pong Table to Choose?
The first step to getting the right table tennis suitable for home use is to answer the question of the place of practice. Is it a small or large space? Would you like to have it set in an attic or in front of a garage? Do you plan to have it on grass or rough terrain? You may also choose to have it in a small room or a large playroom. Do you have at least 15 m² for a standard size table? If not, a medium table will require 10 m². Finally, if you only have 4 m² space, you will have to opt for a small table.
However, if this is your first ping pong table for the home, you’d better get one of the inexpensive tables. Just let the family crush it while they learn to play. If any member of the family decides to take table tennis seriously, you should be ready to replace it with a mid-range one in order to have a better quality of play.
Please note: the smaller the table size, the more precision and focus you will need to defeat your opponents!
2. Weather Resistance: An Option Between Indoor and Outdoor
Outdoor Ping Pong Tables
Will your table live and sleep in the garden, or in any outdoor space? You should put into consideration that it will undergo the onslaught of rain, UV, snow, and worse, humidity. So, choose an outdoor table. The metal parts of the tables must be treated against corrosion.
And the melamine tops must resist the bad weather without deforming nor losing their quality of play. This way, your table can stay in good condition for 10 years. And if you would like to extend its service life, remember to protect it with a cover.
For a table to be called “weather resistant”, it will have to pass two tests. The first consists of immersing it in a basin to ensure that the trays and the metal structure do not degrade. The second consists of using a salt spray. This reproduces the seaside environment. These make it possible to guarantee that the resistance of the tables will meet the requirements of the long-year warranty.
Indoor Ping Pong Tables
If, conversely, you install your table indoors (garage, game room, attic, etc.) or if you never leave it in the rain, you can opt for an indoor table. At the same thickness, the wood particle board provides a better rebound than outdoor boards for an often lower price.
3. Fixed Ping Pong Tables or Models with Wheels?
Decide if you are going to leave the table permanently fixed on a spot or not. Others can, however, be moved frequently or stored when not in use. If you are going to move it from one place to another constantly, you need a table that is easy to move. Preferably, you’d need a folding ping pong table that can be handled by one person. It has to have wheels to allow it to be moved without problems.
The high-end ping pong tables with wheels have wheel brakes that can be actuated. This helps to immobilize the table when it’s in use. Even if you think about leaving the table permanently fixed, buying a table with wheels is still a good idea. You never know when you are going to change your plans!
4. The Legs and the Rest of the Structure
Ensure that the table you want to choose has good stable legs and good structure. It is probably going to have good spankings for years to come. And you are going to need a table that is well made to withstand harsh treatment. This is very important if your children will also use it. This is because they most likely would not handle the table with care like an adult.
During use, watch out for tables that are warped. Place your eyes at the height of the boards on all sides of the table. Look for any deformation that may affect the bounce of the ball. Over time, you may notice that a part of the board is deformed. This can happen due to storage or humidity. Just place the boards on a completely flat surface for a period of 48 hours to restore them to their original position.
5. Choose a Model with Levelers
Another feature that may be interesting to look for is leg levelers at the legs. These levelers can come in handy when the ground is not level and leaves the table tilted or limp. These levelers allow the table to be adjusted to the standard playing height of 76 cm.
6. What’s the Ease of Movement?
If the place of storage and the place of practice is distant, observe the way to go. Opt for big wheels if the ground is uneven (gravel, lawn, etc.). And if the course is smooth (bitumen, slabs, tiles, etc.), small wheels will suffice. Of course, if your table is always installed in the same place, opt for a fixed table. But remember to take an open table cover if it is an outdoor table.
You can test the ease of movement thus. Measure the force necessary to move the table in different directions on a regular floor.
7. What’s the Ease of Opening?
To quickly start a game, the ease of opening the boards also comes into play. You can measure the ease of opening based on the time required to move from the closed position of the table to its open position, ready to play. It is defined by the type of system which makes it possible to block and unblock the 2 boards. The so-called fixed tables have no opening system. They require manual installation and uninstallation of the 2 trays.
For the other tables, the opening/closing system can be centralized or not. In the case of a centralized system, there is only one handle to operate under each tray. In the case of a non-centralized system, there are two locking handles located on the sides of the two trays.
8. The Stability of the Table Tennis Table
Once the table is installed, you have to look at the advantages that improve the playing experience. The work carried out on the stability allows the table to stay in place. This is regardless of the ground on which it is installed and the demands of the players.
Stability essentially depends on the presence of adjustable feet. It depends on the presence of brakes on the wheels. This also includes the overall weight of the table and, finally, the thickness of the metal tubes of the structure.
9. What’s the Rebound Quality?
What could be more annoying than a false rebound that prevents you from catching a ball? Therefore, for your gaming experience to be perfect, pay attention to the quality of bounce.
A good rebound quality guarantees a homogeneous rebound. It offers trajectories which will not be random (but only dependent on your ball strike). It also offers a good rebound height to allow quality exchanges.
Two elements essentially influence this advantage. The first is the thickness of the plates. Next is the rigidity of the metal structure which supports these plates called a belt.
You can measure the rebound quality thanks to the following test. First, drop a ball from a height of 30cm on the plateau. It is the height of the rebound that will help you assess the quality of the rebound. You can carry out this test at 12 separate points to check the consistency of the rebound.
Conclusion
You now have all the keys to choosing a ping pong table! If you need to tidy up the table after each game session, prefer a table that you can set up much quicker. You can then think of keeping your rackets and balls close by to start the game even faster next time!
Even if all the tables are designed to last in real playing conditions, a table with a metal structure will last longer than a cardboard structure. So choose the right table according to your playing frequency.
Note that the small tables are designed for use (and storage) indoors. Meanwhile, the medium table will withstand the ravages of time. And it can stay in the garden.
Finally, as with standard size tables, the quality of bounce is essential to have fun playing ping. The thicker the tray and the more stable the table, the better the stability and quality of rebound.
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