I've been planning to write an article listing recommended table tennis blades for beginners for some time, but one thing you soon learn about ping-pong is that it is almost impossible for one person to keep up with all the equipment on offer!
So I put the question of "What is a good beginner blade?" to the members of the About.com forum, and here is what they came up with.
1. Butterfly Primorac Blade
Photo courtesy Table Tennis Pioneers
The Butterfly Primorac table tennis blade is often one of the blades recommended to new players when they want to buy their first blade without rubbers. This is because the Primorac blade has good feel and control, without being too fast for players still developing their technique. Generally considered to be a 'can't go wrong' first blade.
2. Donic Appelgren Allplay Blade
Photo by courtesy Megaspin.net
The Donic equivalent of the Butterfly Primorac blade, the Donic website claims that this blade is good for 'all modern table tennis strategies where ball control is most important.'
3. Butterfly Timo Boll Blade
Photo courtesy of Table Tennis Pioneers
This is another Butterfly allround table tennis blade recommended by our forum members. Do not confuse it with the Timo Boll Spirit blade, which is a much faster carbon-arylate blade.
4. Butterfly Grubba Carbon Blade
Photo by courtesy Megaspin.net
As mentioned on the Butterfly website, the Grubba Carbon blade is designed for the allround and/or controlled attacker. This has been recommended by our forum members as a good starting table tennis blade for a beginner who has his heart set on using a carbon blade.
5. Stiga Allround Classic Blade
Photo (c) Table Tennis Pioneers
6. STIGA Allround Classic WRB Blade
Photo (c) Table Tennis Pioneers
The WRB version of the Stiga Allround Classic, where the WRB system reduces weight in the handle to allow the head of the blade to accelerate faster for faster returns, more power, and extra sensitivity and touch.
A very popular blade, which tends to polarize opinions - players either love it or hate it. The type of blade a beginner can buy and use for the rest of his career.
7. Avalox Blue Thunder 550 Blade
Photo (c) Table Tennis Pioneers
Recommended by our forum members as a great looping blade for beginners and advanced players alike, the Avalox Blue Thunder 550 is a light table tennis blade with good control.
8. Friendship 729 Bomb Blade
Photo by courtesy Megaspin.net
This is a chinese-style penholder blade, recommended as a good all-round blade, quite fast but with excellent control.
9. Friendship 729 LKT Instinct Blade
Described as designed for a attacker who also wants control, the 729 LKT Instinct Blade is a Chinese table tennis blade which is much cheaper than the blades mentioned above, but still of good quality according to our forum.10. Juic Kalinic Blade
Recommended by our forum members as the Juic equivalent of the Butterfly Primorac blade, this is also a popular choice for a new player's first table tennis blade.Want to Look for Your Own Ping-Pong Paddle?
If you'd like to see some of the other ping-pong paddles that are available on-line, take a look at the links below.
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