Best Outdoor Table Tennis Table reviews

I've been playing ping pong, or table tennis, for almost 35 years and most of it was done indoors. I recently moved up to Portland, Oregon and decided to enjoy the outdoors a little more and that meant buying a table tennis table for my backyard. Portland is pretty warm in the summers and we do get the occasional rain shower during those months. We bought a cheaper table from Sears which lasted all of 2 years - it seems that it was not an outdoor ping pong table after all - although the manufacturer marketed it as so. With $250 down the drain, I figured I would look into a more weatherproof table tennis table that would last for a decade or more. My kids like to play and I still enjoy the game with family and friends. I didn't have a lot of experience with buying outdoor ping pong tables so I turned to the Internet to get some advice and see which brands hold up the best when placed outdoors. Pricing starts at about $600 for a decent outdoor ping pong table and the better ones are closer to $1500. Butterfly and Stiga make solid tables for both indoor and outdoor play, so that is where we started our search.
The Butterfly TW24B Outdoor Rollaway Table Tennis Table is the top seller on several websites including Amazon where reviews are extremely positive. The only negative comments came from someone with a problem putting it together and the other person said the table didn't perform very well on uneven surfaces. Otherwise, they all agreed the table plays superbly outdoors and holds up well in most conditions. Assembly does take a little time but the hours of fun afterwards make it all worth it say the owners. The Stiga Equinox is another excellent outdoor table tennis table that sells for around $800 and consumers are generally happy with the tables performance. Again, you are looking at roughly 2 hours to assemble the entire table. Owners of the Stiga Eclipse (another outdoor table), say that model is up and running in about 30 minutes, but reviews for the overall performance of the table are less than what we read for the Equinox. We say put in the extra hour of assembly for the better table in the long run. The Prince PT9 Advantage and the Kettler Match 5.0 are both mid-range in price but get less than perfect reviews from avid players. Other models worth considering are the Cornilleau Sport 500M and the Cornilleau Sport 400M - the two tables vary only slightly, although we would recommend the 500M over the 400 if can afford the extra $200. In terms of what to look for in an outdoor table tennis table - experts say the laminate construction table tops or aluminum are the best in terms of performance and being able to weather the elements. Ping pong tables that are used outdoors need to be able to resist harmful UV rays from the sun and not fade in the sunlight. Also, moisture should not warp or ruin the table-top (that is what happened to my cheaper table). Ultimately you want the bounce of the ping pong ball to be "pure" and the thickness of the top layer does matter in terms of durability and "spinability". The table should fold up easily and the wheels should be weather proof as well so it can be stored outdoors without problems. Many people do choose to buy a cover (another $100 or so), but otherwise maintenance is fairly minimal on quality outdoor table tennis tables. Read comments and user opinions before purchasing anything. You can browse the top selling outdoor table tennis tables online here.