The World’s Most Costly Ping Pong Paddles Revealed • Racket Perception

At any time when I inform my associates that my blade alone value $180, they can’t consider it. “That’s so costly for a bit of wooden” is the widespread response.

I’m from Argentina, and the typical wage is just round $400-500 per 30 days. My Fan Zhendong ALC blade prices just about the identical as shopping for meals or renting an house for a month.

Desk tennis isn’t an inexpensive sport with regards to gear, particularly should you aren’t from a first-world nation or a privileged background. 

Nonetheless, should you can’t or don’t wish to spend a lot on gear, you may as well construct professional-grade rackets for as little as $30, and we now have defined how to take action in our guide to saving money when buying table tennis equipment.

On the opposite finish of the spectrum, there are gamers who need the better of one of the best on the market. They will afford to pay for it, so they could as properly get the most costly gear on the market. 

We’ll reveal the price of the most costly desk tennis blades and rubbers you should purchase, and we are going to create the most costly desk tennis racket potential. Let’s start!

The Most Costly Desk Tennis Blade You Can Purchase 

It’s wrongly believed that the Zhang Jike Super ZLC is the most costly desk tennis blade accessible at a retail value of USD $360. While they’re one of many best table tennis blades available, there are many desk tennis blades you should buy for greater than double that value.

Some blades dearer than the Zhang Jike are: 

The Darker Imperial Hinoki ($416). 

This blade is made by Japanese premium producer Darker. They’re identified for his or her kiso hinoki blades, and this one is constituted of 9mm of 400-year-old hinoki timber.

Nittaku Eto Blade 2023 Usagi ($641).

This Nittaku blade is a restricted version blade, of which solely 200 had been produced. The blade itself can also be constituted of hinoki however it options 2 carbon layers and has a deal with product of carbon fiber, which drastically reduces the burden of the blade to simply 75 grams. It additionally options premium art work on the pinnacle of the blade and very good packaging.

Nonetheless, the most costly new blade that’s at present in manufacturing is neither a hinoki blade, neither is it from a brilliant costly, unique producer. The most costly blade is definitely made by DHS.

After we consider DHS, we often consider price range gear, such because the DHS Hurricane 3 NEO, which is simply $20-25.

DHS W968 ($900)

The most costly desk tennis blade you should buy is the DHS W968 (Hurricane Lengthy 5 Nationwide) at USD $900 (EUR 825). 

This blade is so particular as a result of it’s the one Ma Lengthy, the greatest player of all time makes use of. In actual fact, it’s customized constructed to swimsuit his recreation completely.

You should buy the business model, the Hurricane Lengthy 5, which is round $160-170. 

DHS usually produce a number of variations of the identical blade, with essentially the most notable instance being the Hurricane 3 NEO which has a ‘Nationwide’ model. This enables them to construct extra premium variations designed for skilled gamers. 

Each blades function the identical composition, however the W968 has higher supplies and construct high quality. Ma Lengthy really makes use of the W968, so, in order for you his actual blade, you’ll need to pay greater than $800 for it. 

Nonetheless, the W968 is the most costly blade that’s at present in manufacturing. There are even dearer blades within the second-hand market. 

Butterfly Golden Viscaria ($1500)

One of the vital sought-after blades within the second-hand market is the Butterfly Golden Viscaria. 

The Golden Viscaria is rather like an everyday Butterfly Viscaria, however it has a golden tag as an alternative of a silver one. 

This can be a common Viscaria (which yow will discover new for round $200):

And it is a Golden Viscaria:

These Golden Viscarias are the identical composition as any common Viscaria, however they’re mentioned to be heavier and extra highly effective. Most gamers on the Chinese language Nationwide Workforce used golden Viscarias for a very long time. 

Nonetheless, these golden tag Viscarias aren’t made anymore, to allow them to solely be purchased second-hand.

They’re fairly arduous to seek out and so they’re actually particular blades, so their costs have shot up over time. Their costs can range, however they’re often bought for between (USD) $1000 and $1500.

To sum up, the most costly desk tennis blade at present in manufacturing is the DHS W968 at $830, and the most costly desk tennis blade you should buy second-hand is the Golden Viscaria at $1000-1500.

The World’s Most Costly Desk Tennis Rubbers You Can Purchase

The most typical false impression is believing that Tenergy rubbers are the most costly at USD $80 every. 

Tenergy rubbers will not be even the most costly Butterfly rubbers ever because the Dignics’ launch in 2020. Dignics rubbers are tremendous costly at USD $94 every, however even then, they aren’t the most costly rubbers you should purchase. 

Nationwide Hurricane 3 ($100)

The most costly desk tennis rubbers broadly accessible to buy are literally made by DHS. These are the Nationwide Hurricane 3s. Blue sponge Nationwide Hurricane 3 NEOs are USD $100.

However not even these are the most costly rubbers you will get. 

The most costly rubbers you should purchase are certainly blue sponge Nationwide Hurricane 3s, however not the common ones.

DHS launched some particular version blue sponge Nationwide Hurricanes, the participant’s version Hurricanes. 

Ma Lengthy Nationwide Hurricane 3 ($120)

You’ll be able to at present get Ma Long and Fan Zhendong’s forehand rubbers for USD $120 every. 

These are by far the most costly rubbers accessible. Nonetheless, you shouldn’t use them out of the bundle, otherwise you’d be very dissatisfied.

The sponge hardness of Fan Zhendong’s rubber is a whopping 42 levels (Chinese language scale). It’s properly over 55 levels on the ESN scale, perhaps even over 60. If you happen to don’t know what we’re speaking about, right here’s a guide on how to understand rubber hardness in table tennis.

These rubbers need to be boosted in an effort to be used, in any other case, they’d be almost not possible to play with because of their hardness and low throw angle. You’d want a swing velocity even higher than Ma Lengthy and Fan Zhendong!

They must be boosted in an effort to soften them and provides them velocity and a better throw angle. If you wish to be taught extra concerning the boosting course of, we now have written a complete guide on how to boost table tennis rubbers.

For Chinese language rubbers, most gamers suggest using Haifu or Dianchi booster. 

Supposedly, the highest Chinese language gamers make the most of the Haifu Nationwide booster. You’ll be able to seize a bottle of Haifu Nationwide booster for $50.

Now that we now have our forehand rubber prepared, it’s time for the backhand rubber. 

Realistically, it wouldn’t be viable to make the most of a 42 levels rubber on the backhand aspect. It might be too arduous. 

High Chinese language gamers make the most of both softer Nationwide Hurricanes on the backhand aspect, or Dignics 09c rubbers. Most non-Chinese language skilled gamers typically use Dignics rubbers or rubbers from the model they’re sponsored. 

The most costly backhand rubber that one may realistically use can be a 39-degree Nationwide Hurricane blue sponge ($100), additionally boosted.

The Most Costly Desk Tennis Racket

The most costly desk tennis racket would encompass:

The full value comes out at wherever between $1270-1770, relying on how a lot we paid for our Golden Viscaria and together with a bottle of Haifu Nationwide booster. We didn’t embody the value of the glue. 

If you happen to wished to purchase every thing new, then the most costly desk tennis racket can be a DHS W968 with the identical rubbers. (Ma Lengthy or Fan Zhendong’s forehand rubber, and a softer Nationwide Hurricane rubber on the backhand aspect – each boosted)

The full value of this setup can be $1030 together with a bottle of Haifu Nationwide booster and with out considering the value of the glue. 

Conclusion and our opinion

If you happen to requested me, most gamers wouldn’t profit from using these rackets, as you need to select your racket in accordance with your degree and your taking part in model. 

To that finish, we now have written guides on how to choose the right blade and the ideal rubbers in your degree and magnificence of play. 

The most costly rackets we constructed can be the right rackets for a top-level Chinese language attacker, however it’s simply the right racket for these gamers and people gamers alone.

We suggest informing your self concerning the topic of blades and rubbers, asking your coach, and making an attempt out completely different rackets to find out which of them swimsuit you essentially the most. 

Many occasions, gamers will splurge on very costly gear, solely to seek out out {that a} heftier price ticket doesn’t imply the product is inherently higher.

What issues is the way you carry out with the gear and not its theoretical capabilities, so ensure that to put aside a price range and select one thing that fits your wants.

Alvaro’s been taking part in Desk Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked throughout the prime 100 in his native Argentina. He likes to compete in provincial tournaments and is all the time in search of methods to enhance. Alvaro made his favorite reminiscences with a racket in hand, and he joined the RacketInsight staff to share his ardour with different gamers!

Blade: Tibhar Stratus Energy Wooden | Forehand: XIOM Vega X | Backhand: XIOM Vega X
Playstyle: The Controller