OOAK Table Tennis Forum

I am getting back into table tennis after a 20 year absence. I was a lower level player (@1100 level).
I don't have a paddle at the moment. What should I be looking for in a bat and rubber? I play an all round, offense game.

You should look for something not much different from what you had 20 years ago, I guess. On higher levels, the ball changes (different materials and slight size change) have some impact, but on "basic tournament level" I guess the change is not very important when it comes to equipment choices. Just get something reasonably good. See also your other thread about OFF/DEF mix/match, where you get different (probably sometimes conflicting) advice.

Look up postings from user Iskandar Taib. He frequently suggest good (really good, competition grade) budget (really cheap, so no bragging rights) equipment. He is very consistent in his advice, and occasionally provides tips about where to find a bargain (mostly Aliexpress or other Asian web portals).

Depending on your budget, political stance, geography and urgency, you may want other options. Ordering from China takes some time (expect a month or so for much of the world) and is not "politically correct" in every economy. You may have a good over-the-counter shop nearby.

Again: Do not overthink it. Have fun!

I haven't ordered table tennis stuff from AliExpress for a couple years - the COVID shutdowns did terrible things as far as delivery times went. My current advice is to use Shopee (but this only applies to those of us who live in Southeast Asia). For some reason even stuff sent from China takes 2-3 weeks if you order on Shopee, while it can take two months or more (if it arrives at all) from AliExpress, unless you pay for more expensive shipping options. I've found a lot of table tennis stuff from local dealers on Shopee, some of it (Chinese stuff) is actually cheaper than it was from AliExpress.

That said... if you're getting into the game again, I'd suggest getting a Sanwei M8 blade (or get 2 or 3 - they're really cheap) and some sheets of $5-10 Chinese rubber, e.g. 729, 729FX Super, Yinhe 9000, Yinhe Mercury II, Reactor Corbor, etc. You can find them on AliExpress, or on Amazon. OR if you're in the US, check out Gambler Table Tennis - they have a variety of inexpensive and very good enthusiast level rackets. AVOID ALL THE STUFF YOU FIND IN THE LOCAL Wal-Mart. It doesn't matter if it's branded Stiga, Donic, Butterfly even - all of these companies make rec-grade bats, which are slow and heavy and horrible. There's a lot of this junk on Amazon, too, be careful.

Oh.. if you order from AliExpress - there are some well-known outlets that actually belong to one company, Eacheng - examples are GH Sports, New-new Shop, DHS Store. They're well known for fantastic customer service. I'd suggest buying a "combo" from them that includes the M8 blade. They'll glue the rubber onto the blade for you. If you want to glue the rubber on yourself, forget all the water-based glues - they're a true pain in the neck and since there's absolutely no way your racket will ever be subjected to a VOC test at Racket Control, why bother. Use Elmer's Rubber Cement. Do varnish the blade first, though, no matter what glue you use.

Iskandar