Outdoor Table Tennis Tables reviews

What about outdoor ping-pong tables?

Outdoor table tennis tables come in a variety of formats - usually the legs and supports are waterproofed/rustproofed to stand up to the elements. The actual table surface can be metallic, wood with a waterproof coating, and even some forms of synthetic laminate. As usual, for better quality you have to pay more.

The most important element for the recreational player is whether you can leave the table outside in the wind and rain.

You'll probably need to buy a fairly good quality table in order to get the level of weatherproofing you need. For serious players, it is probably more important whether the bounce on the outdoor table tennis table is similar to that of indoor tables. Either way, it would be a good idea to get a quality opaque plastic cover to help prevent the table fading and warping in the sun.

According to stevebtx, metallic tables have been found to be shinier and a bit slower than normal tables, and the effect of spin is less. mzwang added that the Butterfly outdoor table tennis table had a different and lower bounce.

The general consensus seems to be that unless you need a table that is going to stay outside at all times, you are better off buying an indoor table instead and taking it outside to play during good weather only. It also seems that most people who do play outside have quite a good time, especially when the weather is windy and the ball can do quite strange things!

Honey, I Shrunk the Table

For those of you who have limited space at home, you may be considering the purchase of a compact ping-pong table. These tables are usually the same height as a normal table, but have smaller playing surfaces.

My take on these tables is this: If you think you will only play table tennis for fun at home, and not play competitions, leagues or pennants, then these mini ping-pong tables can be a great way to spend a few hours with family and friends.

But if you are considering getting serious about the sport, or you are just beginning and aren't quite sure yet, I'd recommend against buying one of these tables - you can pick up too many bad habits if you play on them often. Because the dimensions are different, what is good placement on a compact table may be not so good on a normal table. You also may end up hitting a bit too spinny or soft in order to land the ball on the smaller table, and also get used to hitting too straight due to the lesser width.

So keep smaller tables for fun and family, and if you are serious about competing, don't spend too much time on them.

Get a Convertible

If you already have a snooker, billiard or pool table at home, it can be tempting to buy a table tennis conversion top. A ping-pong conversion top is basically an attempt by manufacturers to cater for smaller family games rooms by allowing you to place a table tennis playing surface on top of a snooker, billiard or pool table. Sounds good in theory, right?

Well, it depends on the size of your table. The official standard size of a snooker table is 11 feet by 5 feet 10 inches, while a table tennis table is 9 feet by 5 feet. Spot a problem? Yes, you are going to find it pretty tough to get near those short balls with an extra foot of snooker table protruding out under each side of the conversion top. Add the fact that the recommended height of snooker tables is between 33 ½ inches (85.1cm) to 34 ½ inches (87.6cm), while a table tennis table is supposed to be 30 inches (76cm) high, and you've got another problem. Unless you plan to play in platform shoes, you'll be playing on a surface that is much too high.

If you have a table that is smaller and lower (common billiard table sizes are 10 feet by 5 feet, 9 feet by 4 and a half feet, or 8 feet by 4 feet, with heights of around 29 ¼ inches to 31 inches), you might get away with a conversion top. Try to check the bounce of the ball with the conversion top actually on a billiard table, so you can see whether it actually bounces to the correct height of 23cm when dropped from a height of 30cm.

Danger, Will Robinson!

As Rick Anderson pointed out in the forum, table tennis tables can be dangerous where kids are concerned. First of all, there is the danger of the table tipping over when it is folded up and someone gives it a push in the wrong place. There is also the danger of the table collapsing if too much weight is placed upon it, or in the wrong spot (such as the area near the net for many fold up tables.

Finally, there is the risks involved in opening the tables up for use on those models where both halves of the table are connected centrally. If one side of the table is let down first, and then the other side is let down, the area between the two inside edges has a guillotine-like motion which can be very dangerous if a child is around that area at the time. Even the models with the halves separate from each other can still be dangerous if a small child is able to let the table down unexpectedly.

It would be a good idea to make sure that a table in the upright position is secured so that any kids can't accidentally let the sides of the table down. Educating any kids (and adults too!) about the dangers involved in setting up and putting away the table would be a good thing to do as well.

Conclusion

So there you have it, Greg's Guide to Choosing a Table Tennis Table. Choose wisely and you will be sure to get years of good service, and hopefully years of good services, from your trusty table tennis table.