The Best Table Tennis Bat for Beginners

As a professional table tennis coach, I am often asked, “What is the best table tennis bat for beginners?” – And it’s an important question. As a beginner, you don’t need to have the best bat in the world but you do need to have a bat that allows you to spin the ball and develop a degree of feeling.

I’ve had players turn up with some awful table tennis bats in the past and no doubt I will see many more. And the worst thing is that often they have paid good money for these rubbish bats. So I’m going to start by showing you what not to buy before going on to make a few recommendations of my own. Hopefully, I can point you in the direction of a decent bat or two.

I have paid to have this article professionally translated into a few different languages. Please click the link below that serves you best…

• German: Der Beste Tischtennisschläger für Anfänger
• French: La Meilleure Raquette de Tennis de Table pour Débutants
• Spanish: La Mejor Paleta de Tenis de Mesa Para Principiantes
• Italian: La Migliore Racchetta da Ping Pong per Principianti

You can also find this page by visiting www.besttabletennisbat.com!

This post was originally written in September 2012 but was revised in December 2016 to keep it up-to-date.

What not to buy

Dunlop Bats

These are probably the most common bats to turn up at my coaching sessions and are very popular in the UK. The names usually make me laugh. I’ve seen ‘G-Force’, ‘Nitro’, ‘Blaster’, ‘Blackstorm’, and my personal favourite, ‘Venom Power’. How a table tennis bat can have the power of venom is beyond me!

These bats tend to be extremely heavy. Many even have random gaps and holes in the handle, which I can only assume is a desperate attempt to make them weigh a bit less. I guess the most annoying thing with these bats is that you can’t even just rip off the rubbish rubbers and put on some new ones. Well, you could, but because the blade is so heavy the bat is still far from ideal.

At least, these bats normally cost less than £10, which is very cheap, but still I wouldn’t suggest buying one if you can help it.

Cornilleau Tacteo Bats

These look quite cool as they are made of plastic and rubber. A lot of the kids I coach love them and they actually play quite well. They are extremely long-lasting. We use them at Wilson’s School in PE lessons, as other bats generally get ripped to shreds by teenagers. If you’re a school or youth club I recommend buying a load of these!

You’re probably thinking, “These sound great”, but the problem is that you won’t be able to play with them in any competitions. Not even local or school-level ones, so it’s just not really worth ever buying one. Especially when they cost between £15-£25 each.

Cheap Bats by the big brands (Butterfly, Donic, Joola, Schildkrot etc.)

These bats are deceptive because the companies are normally able to make the packaging look quite attractive. They use professional players on the cover and often name the bats after them too. Personally, I don’t think this should be allowed as it gives the impression of a premium product. I bet the markup on these bats is ridiculous because often they are no better than the £5 Dunlop ones!

As a general rule of thumb, I would try to steer clear of any bat that has its rubber covered by a fancy looking piece of paper with a top player on it. I want to be able to see the quality of the rubber and sponge and this looks to me like they are trying to hide it away. I can say from personal experience that the Donic-Schildkrot Syed bats are awful. So is the Paul Drinkhall range by Butterfly.

So I’ve covered what not to buy. Now is time for the interesting stuff. Here are the bats that I recommend…

The Best Table Tennis Bats

These are the five best table tennis bats for beginners…

1. Eastfield Allround Professional Table Tennis Bat
2. Palio Expert 2 Table Tennis Bat
3. DHS A4002 Table Tennis Bat
4. Stiga Evolution Table Tennis Racket
5. Killerspin JET600 Table Tennis Paddle

Now I’ll go through each of them and give you a bit more information to help you to make the right choice for you.

Eastfield Allround Table Tennis Bat

This is by far my favourite table tennis bat for beginners. After all, I’ve spent the last two years working on it!

Eastfield Sporting Goods Company was started by myself and Sam Priestley in late 2014 as a distinctively British brand producing premium table tennis goods. By November 2016 the first Eastfield table tennis bat was on sale to the general public – we’re perfectionists and it took a lot longer than we anticipated.

We designed the Eastfield Allround Professional Table Tennis Bat to be the perfect racket for players that are learning the game and value control, spin and feeling over raw speed and power.

And this is probably a good place to mention that if you are a beginner/improver you MUST value control and feeling over speed and power. Please don’t buy the fastest carbon racket you can find. It will only make it even more difficult for you to learn the game and master the basics.

Eastfield vs Palio

The Palio bats (recommended below) are great entry-level table tennis rackets and have been very popular over the past few years. However, one problem that has kept reappearing is the way the rubbers and blade are assembled.

Palio are a big Chinese table tennis brand with thousands and thousands of bats to glue together. Because of this, they use machines to glue and cut the rubbers and sometimes the machines don’t do a perfect job. This has led to some customers receiving a bat where the rubber begins to peel off from one of the edges – which is far from ideal if you aren’t an expert at regluing table tennis rubbers.

The good news is… that will never happen with an Eastfield bat!

All of our Eastfield ready-to-play bats are custom racket setups (made up of a blade and two sheets of rubber) that have been glued together and cut by hand, by a skilled member of the Eastfield team. This adds a considerable extra expense to the manufacturing cost of the racket but we believe the handcrafted touch is essential to ensure the product meets our high standards.

When you do want to replace the rubbers, you will then be able to carefully peel them off (topsheet and sponge together) allowing you to upgrade to faster rubbers but keep your trusted Eastfield Allwood 5-ply blade.

And the quality of the blade is exceptional…

Eastfield Allwood Blade

The Eastfield Allwood Table Tennis Blade is a classic 5-ply allround blade offering medium speed, exceptional control, and fantastic feedback. This blade makes it easy to loop, smash, and attack. But is also perfect if you want to block and control the ball, even chop.

It is modelled on classic allwood blades of the past, such as the Stiga Allround and Donic Allplay, and is perfect for serious beginners or intermediate players. It’s the kind of blade that coaches are always recommending to their young players and has a flared handle for comfort.

If you are looking for something that is easy to use but doesn’t lack the quality of more advanced options, this is the blade for you!

Eastfield A-Soft Rubbers

The Eastfield A-Soft has been newly engineered from the table up to give you an unprecedented level of control. With this soft Japanese-style rubber, you’re about to play with greater spin and stability than ever before.

It’s ITTF approved (meaning you can legally use it in all sanctioned leagues and tournaments) and features a 2.1mm thick sponge, with 36° hardness.

Buy from Amazon.co.uk

If you are in the UK, the Eastfield Allround Professional Table Tennis Bat is a fantastic option. It will be on sale in the USA very soon.

• Click here to buy it for £50.00, on Amazon.co.uk (RRP £65.00)

You’re saving £15 (compared to buying the blade and rubbers individually). And there’s more…

Why not treat your new racket to an Eastfield Original Bat Case! Purchase an Eastfield Allround Professional Table Tennis Bat from Amazon and get an Eastfield Original Bat Case for just £10 (instead of £20). It’s the most luxurious home for your bat and a huge bargain at £10!

Palio x Expert Table Tennis Bats

If you can’t afford an Eastfield Allround racket you next best bet is a Palio x ETT bat.

Palio are a Chinese table tennis brand that specialises in making high-quality and affordable table tennis rubbers and blades. Established table tennis coaches are well aware of the excellent performance of Palio bats and have been recommending them to new players for years as the perfect “your-first-bat” set-up.

The best thing about these bats is that they aren’t your typical pre-made bat that is made as one piece and gets thrown away when you are finished with it. Palio have combined different rubbers and blades to create custom set-ups at pre-made prices. This means that the rubbers on these bats are top quality (the kind that you can buy individually) and can be replaced if you want to later on down the line.

Palio x Expert Table Tennis

During the summer of 2015, I began working with Palio to create an even better range of table tennis bats and the Palio x ETT collaboration was born!

The original Expert, Master and Legend were brilliant and really popular, but I was convinced that it was time for them to be updated and improved. It was decided that we would create the Palio Expert 2, Palio Master 2 and Palio Legend 2.

The Palio CJ8000 rubbers (used on the Expert and Master) and the Palio Hadou rubbers (used on the Legend) are outstanding already, so it didn’t make any sense to make changes there. The blades on the other hand I felt could do with a bit of improvement. So, after some back and forth with Palio, we designed and created three new blades for the bats.

1. The handles are completely new and feature a new insert with the name of the bat and the “Palio” and “Expert Table Tennis” logos.
2. The cut and shape of the handle and blade have been modified to ensure a more comfortable and natural grip.
3. The quality and thickness of the blade have been improved to create a better feeling and increase the durability of the bats. (Hopefully, now if you “accidentally” drop your bat after a particularly frustrating defeat it will be able to withstand the impact and remain in one piece!)

I have tried and tested all of the new Palio bats myself and I think they are excellent – I couldn’t be happier with them.

If you are looking for a great table tennis bat, without the hefty price tag of the bigger brands, these updated Palio bats are definitely for you!

The Palio Expert 2, Master 2 and Legend 2 were first released in November 2015 and are sold exclusively by TT Trading Co, via Amazon, in the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

Palio Expert 2 Table Tennis Bat & Case – £29.99 / $39.95

The Palio Expert 2 is the perfect bat for players learning the game and starting out. The new blade gives maximum control and great feeling while the high-quality CJ8000 rubbers allow for lots of spin.

Palio gives the Expert 2 table tennis bat a 6/10 for speed, a 9/10 for spin, and a 10/10 for control. And, as this bat will likely be your first table tennis bat, Palio even include a free case to keep the bat in!

If you are looking for a decent table tennis bat at a reasonable price then the Palio Expert should fit the bill perfectly. It even comes with free delivery.

• Click here to buy it for £29.99, on Amazon.co.uk (RRP £59.99)
• Click here to buy it for $39.95, on Amazon.com (RRP $79.99)
• Click here to buy it for C$50.00, on Amazon.ca

For more information check out my Palio Expert 2 Table Tennis Bat Review.

Palio Master 2 Table Tennis Bat & Case – £34.99 / $44.95

The Palio Master 2 is the strong all-rounder of the new Palio bats. It features the outstanding CJ8000 rubbers, which could easily be sold for £15-20 a sheet individually, and a new-and-improve Master 2 blade, which has a good balance between power and control.

Sam started The Expert in a Year Challenge using the original Palio Master bat and didn’t upgrade to a £200 custom bat until June (half-way through). Looking back now, we both feel that he may have actually moved on to an expensive bat too soon and could have continued to use the Palio Master for much longer. We also could have replaced the rubbers on the Master with new ones. It’s really easy to replace the rubbers.

If you have been playing for a little while and are looking to add some extra pace to your game then the Palio Master 2 is a good option. The soft CJ8000 rubbers are still very forgiving, but the blade will give you more power.

Palio gives the Master 2 table tennis bat an 8/10 for speed, a 9/10 for spin, and an 8/10 for control. This bat offers a very good combination between speed and control, whereas the Palio Expert 2 is more weighted towards maximum control.

The Palio Master 2 is a steal and comes with free delivery and a bat case.

• Click here to buy it for £34.99, on Amazon.co.uk (RRP £69.99)
• Click here to buy it for $44.95, on Amazon.com (RRP $99.99)
• Click here to buy it for C$65.99, on Amazon.ca

For more information check out my Palio Master 2 Table Tennis Bat Review.

Palio Legend 2 Table Tennis Bat & Case – £39.99 / $49.95

The Palio Legend 2 is a truly brilliant bat. It features the harder Palio Hadou rubbers, which are a little more difficult to control than the CJ8000, but are able to give maximum spin and power to any player with a basic understanding of correct technique and ball control. They play very similar to the Hurricane series of DHS rubbers.

The Palio Legend 2 blade is a very high-quality piece of kit and it honestly feels like something you would pay £30 for on it’s own! When combined with the Hadou rubbers you get a bat that feels and plays pretty much like a professional custom-made bat that would cost you about £80.

Palio gives the Legend 2 table tennis bat a 9/10 for speed, 9/10 for spin, and 7/10 for control. If you are used to playing with a dead bat (or a very slow bat) it’ll take a bit of time to get used to the step up, but it’ll be worth it in the long run.

The great thing about these bats is that when the rubbers need changing (all rubbers must be replaced eventually), you can keep the high-quality Palio blade and just get some new rubbers. This isn’t possible with many of the other pre-made bats with much lower quality blades.

The Palio Legend 2 is available from Amazon with free postage and free bat case thrown in.

• Click here to buy it for £39.99, on Amazon.co.uk (RRP £79.99)
• Click here to buy it for $49.95, on Amazon.com (RRP $119.99)
• Click here to buy it for C$75.00, on Amazon.ca

For more information check out my Palio Legend 2 Table Tennis Bat Review.

Other Options

There are plenty of other premade table tennis bats/rackets available to buy as well. Here are my thoughts on some of the most popular bats and rackets currently available in the UK, US, and India.

Stiga Table Tennis Rackets

I’m normally very quick to dismiss premade table tennis rackets from the big brands but Stiga has actually created a decent one, for a change. It isn’t cheap, and you’re advised to stay well clear of their other four rackets (Apex, Titan, Supreme, Evolution), but their top of the range Stiga Pro Carbon Table Tennis Racket is actually quite nice to play with and, therefore, I have included Stiga in this post.

Here are some brief thoughts on Stiga’s racket range…

• Stiga Apex: This bat is exactly what you would expect of a cheap bat sold by one of the big table tennis brands – poor quality wood used for the blade and useless rubbers that don’t allow you to spin the ball properly. Avoid at all costs! Read my full review here. Buy from Amazon.com ($22.50) – or don’t!

• Stiga Titan: Despite the addition of “Crystal Technology” (whatever that is), the Stiga Titan is virtually no better than the Stiga Apex racket. Unfortunately, you just can’t get anything decent from a big brand at these prices. Read my full review here. Buy from Amazon.com ($35.52) – or don’t!

• Stiga Supreme: We’re up to 50 bucks here and you’d hope to get something half-decent for your money. Keep hoping. The Stiga Future rubbers used for this racket are still next to useless while the blade is only marginally improved. Read my full review here. Buy from Amazon.com ($49.99) – or don’t!

• Stiga Evolution: Finally we’re getting somewhere. The Evolution racket is playable, has okay rubbers and quite a nice blade. It’s also $50 but is noticeably better than the Supreme. You’d be better off with a Palio though! Read my full review here. Buy from Amazon.com ($50.31) – or don’t!

• Stiga Pro Carbon: This is the one! A premade Stiga racket that is actually good. It’s a little pricey but at least you will be able to play proper strokes with this one. The blade and rubbers are much closer to what you would expect from a professional racket. Read my full review here. Buy from Amazon.com ($75.76).

The Stiga Pro Carbon Table Tennis Racket (shown below) is the only Stiga racket I would recommend. It’s pretty expensive though and if you are willing to spend $75 on a racket you might be better off looking for a cheap custom set-up.

Your other option would be to save yourself $15 and buy a Palio Legend 2, which I believe is a better racket anyway.

DHS Table Tennis Rackets

DHS is another Chinese table tennis brand (formerly known as Double Happiness). They produce a wide range of premade table tennis rackets and, as you’d expect, the cheapest ones are pretty useless but the most expensive ones are quite good.

WARNING: The one thing to be a little wary of with DHS products are the fakes. I have come across fake DHS rackets and rubbers in the past, and I believe this is a serious problem for the brand (Butterfly also suffer from fakes being manufactured in China). As far as I’m aware, DHS and Butterfly are the only brands to have been targeted in this way. I’ve never heard of fake Palio products.

Getting your head around the DHS racket naming system can be a little tricky. This example should help…

The most popular DHS premade table tennis racket to date has been the X4002.

• The letter: ‘X’ means it is part of the X-Series of rackets. This is an older series. The latest series of DHS rackets are the A-Series. Therefore, the A4002 is simply an updated version of the X4002.
• The first number: ‘4’ means it is a 4-star quality racket. DHS make six different rackets from 1-star up to 6-star. Therefore, the X6002 is the best (most expensive) and the X1002 is the worst (least expensive).
• The double zero: ’00’ doesn’t appear to mean anything. All of the DHS bats have a double zero in between the two important numbers.
• The last number: ‘2’ means the racket has a flared handle (made for a shakehands grip) and reverse attacking rubbers on both sides. ‘3’ means the racket has a flared handle but a combination of rubbers (one reverse attacking rubber, one pimples out rubber/short pips). ‘6’ means the racket has a penhold handle and reverse rubbers on both sides. ‘7’ means the racket has a penhold handle but a combination of rubbers (one reverse attacking rubber, one pimples out rubber/short pips).

It’s a little confusing. The majority of players are looking for a shakehands racket with reverse rubbers on both sides and, therefore, should pick a DHS racket ending in ‘002’. I’m only going to briefly cover these rackets and I’m also going to treat the X-Series and A-Series as the same.

• DHS X1002 & A1002: A pretty cheap and horrible bat. There is literally no reason to buy this! For an example of a fake DHS racket, compare this one (the real racket) to this one (a fake). Ready my full review here. Buy from Amazon.co.uk (£16.99) or Amazon.com ($14.92) – or don’t!

• DHS X2002 & A2002: Slight better DHS PF4-1 rubbers and a better quality, but very cheap, blade. Still nothing special though and I wouldn’t advise buying this racket. Read my full review here. Buy from Amazon.co.uk (£18.99) or Amazon.com ($18.99) – or don’t!

• DHS X3002 & A3002: I can’t really tell the difference between this racket and the 2002 version. To be honest, I’m not really sure why they bothered making this one at all. Very few people buy this. Read my full review here. Buy from Amazon.co.uk (£19.99) or Amazon.com ($18.99) – or don’t!

• DHS X4002 & A4002: The A4002 is the most popular of the current DHS premade rackets, I guess largely due to the fact that it is actually a half decent racket and very very cheap. Much better quality rubbers on the 4002 and up. Read my full review here. Buy from Amazon.co.uk (£15.00) or Amazon.com ($21.91).

• DHS X5002 & A5002: I’m not sure why but this racket isn’t very popular with buyers or sellers. I guess people must be happy with the 4002. It’s another case of slightly better rubbers and a slightly nicer blade. Read my full review here. Buy from Amazon.co.uk (£27.49) or Amazon.com ($53.00).

• DHS X6002 & A6002: The most expensive and best DHS premade racket. Can be a little heavy but the biggest thing to watch out for are the fakes. The 6002 gives the criminals the best chance of making big profits so read the reviews carefully and check who you are buying from. Read my full review here. Buy from Amazon.co.uk (£32.59) or Amazon.com ($23.00).

The DHS A4002 Table Tennis Racket (shown below) is one of the best sellers on Amazon in both the UK and the US. It is very cheap for what you get and blows out of the water other table tennis rackets you could buy from the big brands at a similar price point. If you only have a maximum of £15 or $20 to spend, then by all means buy a DHS A4002!

Personally, I much prefer the feel of the Palio bats to anything made by DHS. The DHS premade rackets can be quite heavy and hard, meaning you don’t receive much feedback from the bat and it can be a little more difficult to learn to control and spin the ball. The Palio Expert 2 and Master 2 have much softer rubbers than any of the DHS alternatives and that is why they are my first choice.

Killerspin Ping Pong Paddles

Killerspin is a fairly new American table tennis brand that has really focused on the recreational ping pong market. They have even labeled their bats/rackets “paddles” to appeal to the basement US audience. Their paddles aren’t cheap but they are well-made, and the best ones are actually pretty decent too.

Here are some brief thoughts on Killerspin’s paddle range…

• Killerspin JET100: Why on earth would you make a paddle with one black rubber and one green rubber?! I have absolutely no idea, but that’s exactly what Killerspin have done with the JET100. Good luck using this in a tournament or league! Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.com ($28.81).

• Killerspin JET200: The JET200 has one black rubber and one blue rubber! I honestly have no idea what Killerspin were thinking with these paddles but they appear to be selling. Not to us, though. Please don’t buy one! Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.com ($30.38).

• Killerspin JET300: Finally a paddle with red and black rubbers! The blade is quite cheap but the rubbers are fairly good and soft. Not a brilliant paddle but not terrible for the price. Much cheaper in the US than the UK. Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.com ($29.97).

• Killerspin JET400: This one is a step up as it features the Killerspin ITTF approved 1.8mm high-tension Nitrx-4Z rubber. It’s still not super fast or anything but you are getting closer to competition standard. Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.com ($54.79).

• Killerspin JET500: It’s almost identical to the JET400. The rubbers are the same, except the sponge is 2mm thick instead of 1.8mm, and the blade is no different either. The thicker rubbers will make the paddle faster. Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.com ($69.99).

• Killerspin JET600: Here’s a more professional paddle. It’s getting quite expensive but the JET600 has the same 2mm Nitrx-4Z rubbers (what a random name) and a much nicer blade. It feels more like a custom paddle. Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.com ($76.99).

• Killerspin JET700: This one’s got the same 2mm Nitrx-4Z rubbers but a much faster 7-ply wood blade. Is it worth the extra money? I’m not convinced. If you’re a beginner you might actually find it’s a little fast for you too. Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.com ($94.99).

• Killerspin JET800: The top of the range Killerspin JET paddle comes with a 7-ply carbon blade but the same 2mm Nitrx-4Z rubbers. Personally, I think you’d be better off sticking with a wood blade and investing in some better rubbers. Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.com ($99.99).

So there you have it, eight different Killerspin table tennis paddles. I think eight is a little bit excessive myself. They could probably trim this down to the JET300 ($30), JET400 ($55) and JET600 ($75) and scrap the others. But what do I know!

The Killerspin JET300 Table Tennis Paddle (shown above) is one of the best-selling paddles on Amazon.com. I have to admit that I don’t love it, and the fact that the rubbers aren’t ITTF approved is a little disappointing, but it isn’t bad for $30. I still prefer the Palio Expert 2 Table Tennis Bat, which is in a similar price bracket.

Hudora Table Tennis Bats

Hudora, I believe, are a German company that produce all sorts of sporting goods. They have two table tennis bats for sale on Amazon, one of which I see regularly in my coaching sessions.

• Hudora Smash: This is a piece of rubbish. Avoid at all costs. These are the kind of German-made entry-level bats that lots of the top table tennis brands have been producing for years. Completely useless. Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.co.uk (£5.83).

• Hudora New Topmaster: A slightly better table tennis bat. The blade is still cheap and nasty but the rubbers are actually tacky, allowing you to generate some spin. It’s very slow though and doesn’t feel great to play with. Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.co.uk (£11.66).

The Hudora New Topmaster Table Tennis Bat (shown below) is the cheapest bat I’ve come across that is actually playable. I’m not saying it’s a good bat, but most of the time if you spend £10 on a bat you are going to get something like the Hudora Smash – which is useless. At least with the New Topmaster, you won’t just throw it in the bin immediately!

I guess you get what you pay for. If you are just looking for a cheap bat to play with occasionally for fun then the Hudora New Topmaster will probably be fine. But if you’re looking for a little bit more from your bat then I would highly recommend you look at the Palio Expert 2 (£29.99) which is a much more professional bat and will give you a lot more spin and feeling, while still being relatively slow and easy to control.

GKI Table Tennis Bats

In general, I don’t like the GKI table tennis rackets that are sold a lot in India and I would advise you to stay away from them. They are super cheap, so if you are simply looking for any table tennis bats then I guess they are fine, but the quality of the bats is not very good. It is practically like playing with anti-spin rubbers and impossible to learn how to play “proper” table tennis strokes with their cheapest bats.

Here are some quick thoughts on GKI’s most popular bats…

• GKI Kung Fu DX: This bat is very cheap but the rubbers are completely dead, just like playing with anti-spin. You will not be able to generate any spin using this bat. Do not buy! Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.in (527 INR).

• GKI Offensive XX: Another useless GKI bat that is very cheap but you will not be able to play with. The rubbers are dead and it is very heavy. Avoid this bat! Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.in (709 INR).

• GKI Euro V: The Euro V bat is a little more expensive and you can tell that it is better than the cheaper models. However, it has been described as “good, but not great”. If you want to proper bat you will need to spend a little more money. Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.in (1,474 INR).

• GKI Euro XX: This bat is significantly faster than the cheaper models and suited more towards offensive players who want to attack the ball. The spin still isn’t great but the sponge and blade are quicker. Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.in (2,640 INR).

• GKI Euro Jumbo: You can tell from the price that this is a “proper” table tennis bat. The Euro Jumbo features tensor rubbers. However, if you are prepared to spend this amount of money there are better bats on offer. Spin is still lacking. Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.in (4,770 INR).

The problem with GKI bats is that the super cheap ones are completely useless, and the ones that are okay are actually quite expensive. There isn’t really a good option!

I guess the GKI Euro Jumbo Table Tennis Bat (shown above) is the only “serious” offering. Although, at almost 5,000 INR I don’t think I would advise any Indian players to buy it. You are much better off searching for a custom bat or hunting around for a Palio or DHS racket.

Stag Table Tennis Rackets

Stag is another Indian table tennis brand. Funnily enough, I used to practice with the son of the owner of Stag (Tanuj Kholi) during my time studying in Nottingham! The Stag premade rackets are very similar in quality to those sold by GKI. Here are my thoughts.

• Stag 2 Star: I can’t quite believe that it’s possible to create such a cheap table tennis racket. The Stag 2 Star costs the equivalent of just £2.36, including free delivery! Obviously, it is complete rubbish, but it’s still impressive. Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.in (224 INR).

• Stag Super: The Stag Super racket is no good either. Like I always say – never trust a table tennis racket with paper covering the rubbers. What are they trying to hide? Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.in (575 INR).

• Stag Power Drive Plus: This one is a fair bit more expensive but it is still no good at all. You just can’t buy a decent table tennis racket at these kinds of prices. You will get what you pay for. Do not buy this racket! Read my full review here. Available from Amazon.in (1,187 INR).

Stag is like GKI – just without the expensive options. If you are looking for a really cheap table tennis racket, and you don’t mind how awfully it plays, then I guess getting a cheap Stag one is fine. Something like the Stag 2 Star Table Tennis Racket (shown below) fits the bill.

There just aren’t many good options available in India at the moment. Hopefully, this will improve in the future. Maybe one day you will be able to buy Palio and Eastfield products there!

The Best Table Tennis Bats for Schools

In the UK at least, table tennis is becoming more and more popular. Schools, in particular, have been keen to get involved with table tennis and table donation schemes and national grants have enabled a number of schools to take up the sport for the first time.

This is great and it means that more and more children are learning to play or at least being given the opportunity to play. The problem is that often the school PE staff or finance department aren’t too clued up on which equipment to buy. They can end up overpaying for low quality tables and many buy twenty or thirty lovely bats only to find that they have been trashed within a couple of months and they need to fork out again.

As a table tennis coach who’s worked in a number of schools I hope to be able to point people in the direction of the bargains and steer them away from chucking their money down the drain.

If you’re a PE teacher or you’ve worked in schools you know that there is really only one main priority when buying sports equipment… “how long will they last?” I guess price is also an issue but the main concern is spending a load of money on new equipment, it all breaking, and then having to spend more just a short while after.

Unfortunately, table tennis bats are famously easy to break. With most cheap bats (the type you’ll be buying for use in PE lessons etc.) it seems to take a couple of months for the top sheet of rubber to begin to peel off. Once they start to peel it doesn’t take long for a child to decide to rip the whole rubber off, leaving just the yellow sponge remaining. A common site in schools and youth clubs worldwide.

So, what is the solution?

At my school, we use the Cornilleau Tacteo Composite bats. I’ll be honest, they’re not amazing table tennis bats. They’re made of plastic for a start, so you wouldn’t be able to use them in any tournaments, as they’re not legal, but they do have one thing on their side… These bats are pretty much indestructible!

The Cornilleau advertising says it all really. They’re hard to break, waterproof (so great for your school’s outdoor tables), and most importantly… the rubbers won’t peel off! I can’t really stress how important this is because that is the main issue with school table tennis bats and Cornilleau have really solved the problem.

The bats recently went through a slight update and the surface of the rubber was changed from a ‘pimple-like’ texture to a flatter more ‘reverse rubber-like’ texture. It means that you can actually get a fair amount of spin with the bats and play with them while still using correct technique.

Best of all the bats are relatively cheap. Amazon are selling the Cornilleau Tacteo 30 (the bats we use at school) for £9.94 per bat. You can expect them to last for at least a couple of years, if not longer, and they go down pretty well with the kids too!

Don’t waste money on traditional bats that will be ripped apart after a couple of months! And thank you Cornilleau for creating these excellent bats.

You can have a look at them, on Amazon, here.

Finally, if you’re a regular reader forgive me for going a little bit ‘off piste’ with this post. This is just an issue that I encounter often and it didn’t seem like anyone else on the internet was offering this specific advice. We’ll be back to focusing on improving your table tennis skills next post!

Thanks for reading. If you have any questions about setting up table tennis at your school or anything similar then please feel free to contact me or leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you.

Conclusion

So there we have it! Which bats to buy and which ones to avoid at all cost. Don’t be deceived by the big brand names, like Butterfly, because pre-made bats are really not their area of expertise.

I recommend you go for either the Palio Expert 2, Palio Master 2 or Palio Legend 2 (depending on your level) sold by TT Trading Co. In my opinion, they are the best table tennis bats/rackets available for beginners.

• If you are a complete newbie to table tennis, grab yourself a Palio Expert 2.
• If you are looking for something a little more powerful, go for the Palio Master 2.
• If you want the fastest and best bat available, the Palio Legend 2 is for you.

Have you had any experiences with really good or bad beginner pre-made table tennis bats? I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below if you would like to share.

Finally, if you are a beginner looking for advice regarding bats or other equipment I’d be happy to help. Don’t get ripped off or fooled by packaging. Feel free to contact me before you spend your money. You can message me on Twitter or Facebook.

If you’d like to start improving your table tennis and see some rapid results, can I nudge you in the direction of my email newsletter (you can find a link to sign up below)? Subscribe and you’ll receive exclusive tips and advice that will help you to improve your game and start your journey to becoming an expert at table tennis!

AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER: For the sake of complete transparency, TT Trading Co is run by my friend Sam (the same Sam that took part in the Expert in a Year challenge). I have been recommending the Palio bats for a couple of years now, but the company that originally sold them (TTLinks.co.uk) closed down, so Sam started selling them. I do receive a commission if you go on to buy one of these bats, but I honestly believe they are the best beginner bats around (and the Amazon reviews prove so too).

source: Expert Tabile Tennis