To configure a table tennis racket, you will find an endless selection of rubbers and blades in the catalog. Making the right choice is not easy for everyone. The goal of this product is to offer ambitious hobby players, as well as club players in lower leagues, an affordable, high-quality table tennis racket that simply fits.
Configure Table Tennis Racket - Here's How
To configure a table tennis racket that is as affordable as possible, but also suitable for a wide range of players, a pre-selection of suitable blades and rubbers had to be found.
Every table tennis racket is unique. The wood veneers form the basis under the influences of moisture, gluing, and detail combination. An important criterion is the hardness of the wood. Here, it is fundamentally the case that harder types of wood provide more speed and less control, while softer types of wood offer more control but less speed. In detail, the veneer construction determines which of the two properties is more pronounced.
Another influencing factor is the table tennis rubbers. The rubbers on the forehand and backhand determine details such as spin, speed, and control. Depending on the material selection, table tennis rackets can be configured to be either fast or slow, or to form a healthy balance.
The art is, for example, to configure one side (e.g., the forehand) faster than the backhand. The following principle should be observed:
- the thicker the rubber, the faster the racket
- the thinner the rubber, the slower the racket
Furthermore, it applies:
- the thicker the rubber, the less control it offers
- the thinner the rubber, the more control it offers
These few basics alone show that with approximately 1000 possible veneer combinations and more than 50 table tennis brands, an endless research is required to find the best possible blade.
For table tennis rubbers, the same effort blooms when considering that the surface can be grippy, slightly grippy, sticky, and the sponge layer can be designed in thicknesses between 1.0 mm and 2.3 mm. If you still feel like configuring your own table tennis racket - please, go ahead. A detailed guide can be found
here. Alternatively, this offer also includes a pre-selection of affordable rubbers and blades, so you can configure the table tennis racket with a clear conscience.
Spinmix - The Individual Components of the Table Tennis Racket
In the pre-selection, two blades and two table tennis rubbers were selected, significantly reduced, and purchased in large quantities for the mix of handle shape, rubber thickness, and color to have them constantly in stock.
Configure the Blades of the Racket
For the blades, the Donic Appelgren Allplay and the Stiga Offensive Classic can be selected. These two blades are characterized by the following details:
- Donic Appelgren Allplay: very popular all-round blade, 5 classic well-coordinated veneers that enable a safe, controlled game
- Stiga Offensive Classic: bestseller in the area of controlled offense, slightly harder wood veneers that are still easy to control, in the attacking game this blade provides more power than the Appelgren
Further note: If you are unsure which handle shape suits you, you should choose
flared, as 85% of all table tennis players play with it!
Configure the Rubbers of the Racket
Regarding the rubbers, two different manufacturers were also selected - Donic and Palio. The Palio Rubber CJ 8000 Extreme Spin is a very good rubber for Chinese standards at a very affordable price. The Donic Quattro is of German production and even higher quality. It is one of the absolute bestsellers of the company.
The detail of the sponge thicknesses is important for the rubbers. The following techniques can be played most easily depending on the sponge thicknesses:
- 1.5 mm: push, counter, and block
- 1.8 mm: topspin, block, and counter
- 2.1 mm: topspin, smash
Recommendations to Configure the Table Tennis Racket
Depending on the playing style, the following selection options are possible.
All-round Play - Very Safe on Both Sides:
- Blade: Donic Appelgren Allplay
- Forehand Rubber: Palio CJ 8000 Extreme Spin, 1.5 mm
- Backhand Rubber: Palio CJ 8000 Extreme Spin, 1.5 mm
All-round Plus - Backhand for Safety, Occasional Forehand Attack
- Blade: Donic Appelgren Allplay
- Forehand Rubber: Palio CJ 800 Extreme Spin, 1.8mm
- Backhand Rubber: Donic Quattro, 1.5mm
Offensive Minus - The Topspin Player
- Blade: Stiga Offensive Classic
- Forehand Rubber: Donic Quattro, 2.0mm
- Backhand Rubber: Donic Quattro, 2.0mm
Offensive Plus - Attack on Both Sides
- Blade: Stiga Offensive Classic
- Forehand Rubber: Donic Quattro, 2.1 mm
- Backhand Rubber: Palio Extreme Spin, 2.1 mm
Note on Pricing
The goal is to configure a very affordable table tennis racket that simultaneously allows great potential and high variability. This has been achieved through the selection of individual components. Each blade and rubber is reduced by at least 20% in this entire table tennis racket.
The more demanding the stroke techniques become, the higher quality the playing material must be, and accordingly, it is also somewhat more expensive. The following price surcharge has therefore been incorporated:
- Stiga Offensive Classic: + €8
- Donic Quattro: + €5 per rubber