OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Hi,

What racket would you recommend for children? (mostly under 12 yo). I looked at some rackets on Amazon, there doesn't seem to be any racket especially made for children. All good rackets seem to weigh at the very least 165g, which is fine for an adult but I think heavy for a child. Are there any good rackets that are lighter? I've had lighter rackets that I bought on local stores but they turned out completely useless, and lasted a month in average. Thanks.

Is this just for fun? Or is there a possibility of the children growing into the sport as they grow older?

The oft recommended bat for beginners is the SanWei M8, which is available ready assembled on AliExpress for about $15. It would weigh at least 165g though. It does have a quite small handle suitable for samll hands, and is called a Junior bat.

To go much lower in weight, you would possibly have to go to a balsa based blade, or go to OX (no sponge) pips. Both of these are quite specialized set-ups though.

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Other setups:
SDC Custom Blade/Butterfly Dignics 80/Butterfly Glayzer
BTY Viscaria/Tibhar K3/Tibhar K3

It's too early to say whether the children will become professional. Their level now is beginner.

Were you referring to this racket?

Yinhe the CN-1 and CN-2 specifically aimed for children (I think there are new versions for 2018 too). Just don't let them see the teddy bear picture on the blade

Its got a thinner handle for smaller hands and weighs in at 75g +/-3g and according to the 2018 catalogue the head is slightly smaller which would reduce some of the weight from the rubber when cut.

to keep the weight down, try pairing with lighter rubbers, palio ak47 is light from what I have read and its low priced....
http://ooakforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=28532&p=301070

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Why I want a teddy bear on mine too!

Perfect for kids:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/SANWEI- ... 01460.html



(Wait until 11/11 - $8.08!!! Including shipping!!!)

Here's one already assembled ($15 including shipping):

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/SANWEI- ... 74001.html

Actually, this blade is great for dad, too (assuming dad loops or wants to loop..).

Iskandar

Out of Yonhe CN.1 and CN.2, which one would you recommend?

And as for Polio ak47, which type would you recommend? (red / blue / yellow)

Get the CN2. Try to avoid the faster carbon (CN1) blade - go for more feedback and less speed.

In fact, just skip the CN2 and get the Sanwei M8! The M8 weighs about the same as the CN2 (ask the vendor to pick a light one for you anyway) and has a child-friendly handle size. I've bought the CN2, CN1 and M8 for my daughter at various times since she started 3 years ago at age 8.

Initially I ordered the all-wood CN2 and was sent the CN1, which was unsuitable for a beginner. Got the CN2 soon after.

She's been on the M8 (well, a few M8s) for the past 2 years. It's the best of the bunch. Even when I think of getting her something slightly faster, I've held off, because the M8 is such a sweet blade.

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"Once you get past a certain threshold, everyone's problems are the same: fortifying your island and hiding the heat signature from your fusion reactor." –Doctor Impossible

Thanks. Would you go for the premade one or just the blade and combine it with another rubber?

T-8 is an OK rubber. The M-8 is also available pre-assembled with 729 general rubber, which feels a little softer. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-Sanwei-M8-With-RITC-729-Friendship-General-Rubbers-a-pair-in-a-box-With/1079026758.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.23.11e44842pr0t8r&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_3_10065_10068_10130_5731315_10547_319_317_10548_5728815_10696_10192_10190_10084_10083_10618_10307_10820_5731115_10301_10821_10303_5731415_5731215_5731615_328_10059_10884_5731515_10887_100031_321_322_10103_5731715-5731415,searchweb201603_55,ppcSwitch_0&algo_expid=cf4bb92b-b6b9-4c7f-a4b2-0bad90dbd6ac-3&algo_pvid=cf4bb92b-b6b9-4c7f-a4b2-0bad90dbd6ac

Either will be good.

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Other setups:
SDC Custom Blade/Butterfly Dignics 80/Butterfly Glayzer
BTY Viscaria/Tibhar K3/Tibhar K3

Thanks. Here is a shorter URL to the same racket : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Sh ... 26758.html

But I still gotta ask you people, according to the impression I got from things I've read and heard, a good racket for beginners (for adults at least) should cost at least 40$. Not that I'm looking to spend a lot of money, but still I'm a surprised that the most popular recommendation here is rackets that cost 15$ and 17$. If indeed I can get good rackets for beginners for such a funny price, I'd be delighted, but just surprised...

I think this comes from department store (lots on Amazon too these days) premade bats (they often have well-known trademarks like Donic or Stiga, Dunlop in the UK and even Butterfly in Asian cities). Usually they are horrible - heavy, slow, really cheap rubber - and sell for a lot more than $10. As you'd expect, they get better the more expensive they get, and they can get QUITE expensive. I expect you'd have to spend at least $40 to get a halfway decent one and it'll still be heavy and slow. The Chinese premades we like are different. They have somewhat cheaper versions of Chinese blades and Chinese rubber (there are quite a few great sheets out there that cost $5 a sheet). The Sanwei one is unusually light with a small handle. DHS makes some good premades that you sometimes see in sport stores but they're usually heavier and a great deal more expensive than $15. Are there bad Chinese premades? Yes... look in Chinese bookstores around the world and you'll find them. REALLY bad stuff with bad plywood and topsheets which come off after a week. Don't get those.

Iskandar

Yeah, but I'm not talking only about that premade trademark cr*p bought in department stores you mention (from personal experience I agree with every word you said about them), I'm talking also about custom rackets. My impression is also based on conversations I've had with the coaches and several players at a local club, none of which uses a premade. If I tell them I use a 15$ racket I think they'll burst out laughing. Most use (custom) rackets of something between 50$ and 120$. Are they all that dumb? Btw I currently use Eastfield Allround which costs 60$ and, although a premade, feels good for me and players and coaches that tried it said it's an excellent (beginner) racket. You think spending 60$ on a beginner racket is a big waste of money?

Well, the reason is even $40 won't get you much if you're buying Japanese/European stuff. The cheapest Stiga allround blade will set you back at least around $30 already. A couple of sheets of, say, Sriver will set you back at least $30 a sheet. Buying Chinese will cost somewhat less, but you won't get below $35-40 unless you order directly from China. I suppose the point is that a "pro combo" (even a "beginner pro combo") will set you back quite a bit more than $40 unless you get them directly from China, in which case it IS possible to get something pretty nice for a lot less.

First time I've ever heard of Eastfield. I looked up the rubbers, they ARE in the LARC, so at least they're reasonably good. I THINK these are made in China



The rubber looks like it's got a plastic foil over it, which is the mark of a tacky Chinese rubber. There are companies in China that will OEM table tennis stuff - I'm pretty sure some of the big names - 729, DHS, Yinhe etc. do it, as well as some other big manufacturers we never hear about (though we may be using their stuff without knowing it). I found this blurb on their website:

"Eastfield was founded in 2014 with one sole purpose in mind; to create table tennis goods that the fashion conscious player would be happy to be seen with. Before Eastfield the options were stark. On the one hand, big sports brands ripping off naive consumers with poor quality products. On the other, a few established table tennis mega brands producing top end kit, at exorbitant prices, in styles that had barely changed for 50 years."

Fashion conscious players? Hmm.. It does sound a little like Killerspin (check them out). "in styles that had barely changed in 50 years"... I suppose that's more or less true - sponge rubber became part of the rules in 1959, Sriver came out in - what was it.. someone posted the date some time ago - 1967? Then again, I'd argue that blades that were selling in the 1970s and 1980s look quite different (if functionally identical) to the blades they sell today. Back then, for instance, Stiga blades were heavily varnished, and they had pictures of players' faces on the handles! That racket they sell.. well, I don't see how it advances "fashion" in any way... looks like just another Chinese bat to me.. Their clothing? I just see one T-shirt.. And it's nothing to write home about, being just a black T-shirt with a slogan on the front. If they had put the slogan on the BACK, it would have conformed to the rules as they were back before the 1990s - shirts had to be uniform dark colors, any markings or logos on the front had to be smaller than a certain size (QUITE small).

I'm sure it's a good bat, but that doesn't mean you HAVE to spend that much money for a good bat. You can, of course, and you CAN spend ridiculous amounts (check to see what a Butterfly Viscaria and two sheets of Tenergy 05 will set you back), but you don't have to. In fact, some people make totally inappropriate choices based on the adage that "you get what you pay for". Especially if you aren't rated over 2300.

Iskandar

It depends what kind of beginner we are talking about. Someone who's going to stick around and will be coached a lot probably can start with more expensive setup compared to a beginner who's curious about TT, but likelihood of sticking with it for a long term is low. Then a 'cheap and cheerful' setup might be just fine: good enough to give a taste of what TT is about, but not a huge loss if kid decides to punt on it in 2 weeks.

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USATT: 1807 | League: 1887