<p>My kids might be getting a ping pong table soon. Well, that’s what I thought until the sticker shock hit me. $250 - $1500+ for something that might evolve into the gift wrapping table just in time for next Christmas! :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Now that I’ve recovered from the shock, I’m wondering if a $300 - $400 model will last until my D graduates from HS in 3 years. That would be enough durability for us. </p>
<p>Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Oh, and are all ping pong tables the same size? I mean, ping pong is ping pong, right?</p>
<p>If you end up getting a new one I recommend getting a decent but lower cost one since these kinds of things often get a lot of use up front and then not much after that. Make sure it’s sturdy and is easy to fold up and roll away.</p>
<p>I bought one a few years ago in Sears. I think it was a few hundred dollars. The one feature I like about ours is that it folds in two and has wheels which makes it easy to fold and put into a corner if you use the space for something else. I wouldn’t spend too much on the ping-pong table - think about how much beer will be spilled on it during beer pong!</p>
<p>You could make your own but if you want a stable one the framework holding the surface has to be sturdy and it gets more complex if you want it to fold up so it can be wheeled out of the way on its casters so it’d probably either be more expensive to make than you think or you’d end up with a pretty simplistic one that doesn’t work well or is inconvenient. The fold-up and roll-away is a must-have feature since most people want them put out of the way when not in use and after the newness wears off the usage will be less.</p>
<p>Ping pong tables last a long time. My parents bought a Harvard one for a few hundred dollars about…15 years ago and it still works now (we did have to replace the nets, and paddles wear out quicker than you’d think). It was also one of those fold up and roll types. Usage goes in spurts. I don’t think I’ve used it at all in the past two years, but the summer after I graduated high school my brother and I would play up to 30 times a week.</p>
<p>I played ping-pong at our kids’ chinese school and also managed ping-pong issues at work for many years taking over from the previous guy that managed it. The ping-pong table was part of the selling package for trying to recruit engineers, as ping-pong is a popular asian sport.</p>
<p>We’ve had three Butterfly tables since I’ve been there. The first ran about $900 and was a rollaway but not in the usual sense. The rollers were hidden in the middle of the table where the two tabletops met. This was a very solid table and my favorite though it took a lot of effort to setup and take down.</p>
<p>I selected two Butterfly tables to replace the first table (nothing wrong with it but we moved table tennis to another room and the wooden feet would have scratched that surface). These ran about $900 as well but were more traditional rollaways. The table surfaces we quite solid. We’ve had some damage to the tables as some people didn’t read the directions on how to open the table but they’ve been quite useful and durable.</p>
<p>I’ve played with numerous cheap tables. The chinese school used to buy $200 tables. There was a pile of them in the corner. Bounce and response varies around the table. The netsets are typically junk. A good netset will take away a lot of frustration over time and will protect the table. Cheap netsets have a simple clamp with one point of contact on the bottom of the table. This thing will dig into the bottom of the table over time and damage it so you’ll have to move it around gouging several areas on the bottom. A good netset has a large surface above and below the table so that it spreads pressure evenly. It will also have a good mechanism for adjusting tension.</p>
<p>The good tables we had and have were purchased in the 1990s so costs may have gone up since then.</p>
<p>Paddles, rubbers and robots can be expensive if you’re into competitive play.</p>
<p>I would look around and ask around. I know when we got tired of ours, I didn’t know what to do with it (before Craigslist’s). We ended up donating it to a church. I think many people probably have them in their basement gathering dust.</p>
<p>We got one for around $200 at Sears a few years ago. I wouldn’t bother with spending a ton of money. Look at the leg diameter for sturdiness- my sister warned me about getting one that would support the weight of teens who sit on it. One that folds in half can let a single person practice, or just get it out of the way. The biggest problem is transporting the thing home- they are very heavy and large- a truck is needed, not just an SUV.</p>
<p>Guilty to being one of those whose pp table is gathering basement dust. My S and 7 friends are renting a huge house next year. It’s going to its new home then, and the only string attached is it doesn’t come back to this home!</p>
<p>We have a Kettler table that my husband thinks was around $800. It is very nice. What makes it nicer than a $300 table? I have no idea. Maybe because it’s blue? It does fold up easily and rolls smoothly, so I guess that would be an upgrade from the regular table. I would’ve bought a cheap one, but my husband has certain things he gets really excited about and this was one of them. I wouldn’t say we’ve used it a tremendous amount as a family, but when the boys have friends over I usually hear a game or two going on.</p>
<p>Ditto Craig’s list. My friend gave us one, years ago. Free is good; many people want to make more space in their basements, and will be glad to unload for (usually) a moderate price.</p>