7 Best Ping Pong Balls
Table of Contents
Are you looking for the best ping pong balls for an upcoming tournament or even for practice? Having the best ball to play with can largely boost your confidence in a game. The bat is usually the player’s companion in every other game, but in table tennis, the ball is the prime companion for a player.
But what type of ping pong ball suits you the most? If you are wondering about the same question, you are in the right place. We went on a quest to find the best table tennis ball for every occasion and player such as for beginners, best for the tournament, best in bounce, best while training, etc. So, follow this article till the end to know what the best ping pong ball for you is.
Table of Content:
- How to Choose the Best Table Tennis Ball
- What Are the Best Ping Pong Balls
- FAQs Before Buying Best Ping Pong Ball
- Final Verdict
How to Choose the Best Table Tennis Ball?
Before diving straight into the top table tennis balls, let’s take a look at the critical things to consider before buying a ping pong ball.
Size of the Ping Pong Ball
The official ping pong ball diameter or size is 40 mm or 40+ in major tournaments, and for international and national competitions, the size is 38 mm. When the ball is larger, it is more visible to the audience, but it moves slowly. If you are playing with kids, friends, or family, you can use even 73 mm ping pong balls.
The Material of a Ping Pong Ball
Traditionally, ping pong balls’ material is celluloid, not a direct plastic but a plastic component. However, the celluloid balls are not very durable. Besides, they don’t have a good spin with a paddle. This is the reason that they had to change the material to Polymer plastic.
Weight of a Ping Pong Ball
The ping pong ball’s weight is an essential feature in choosing a ball because it determines its bounce, spin, and momentum. The standard weight of the ball should be between 2.6 to 2.7 grams for an ITTF approved ball. It takes a lot of quality checking to get every ball in the same size.
Ping Pong Ball Reviews
Going through the ping pong balls’ reviews is necessary, especially if you are buying them online. The reviews from the users build trust and reliability in the product. The users state the positive and negative comments for the ping pong ball brands, and it will help you jot down your needs and requirements and choose accordingly.
Ping Pong Ball Ratings
Table tennis balls are always rated with stars, and it is essential to understand the ping pong ball star-rating system works and how to choose a table tennis ball according to your need with the right star-rating.
To understand the difference in ping pong balls, let’s acknowledge the star-rating:
- One-star ping pong balls are the best ping pong balls for schools and beginner kids who are interested in table tennis. However, the balls could lose their shape, and dents occur quicker and crack easily.
- Two-star ping pong balls are suitable for practicing and training members as they can retain their shape for a more extended period than one-star balls. It is generally produced in packs of 90 to 200.
- Three-star ping pong balls are equivalent to 4 or 5-star ratings. These ping pong balls are considered the best ping pong balls for professional playing and are used in competitions.
Regardless of the stars given on the product, we should look out for the specifications since the manufacturer provides the star ratings.
What Are the Best Ping Pong Balls?
We have a list of 7 best ping pong balls that are the best in all specifications. Each one of the below mentioned ping pong balls is trusted and recommended widely.
1. Best Overall – Nittaku 3-Star Table Tennis Balls
Nittaku Table Tennis Balls are 3-Star Premium 40+ plastic polymer balls. These are non-celluloid balls, which are also known as traditional ping pong balls. They make these balls in Japan, and these are competition ping pong balls. Since the ITTF approves them, these balls are legal for use in all tournaments.
Specifications
| Material | Polymer plastic |
| Size | 40+ |
| Weight | 0.11 pounds |
| Dimensions | 7.64 x 7.05 x 2.05 inches |
| Star-rating | 3-star premium rating |
| Colour | white balls |
Pros
- Comes with 3-star rating
- ITTF approved
- Made of plastic and not celluloid
Cons
- The quality of bounce may differ from time to time
- A bit pricey
2. Best Tournament – Butterfly G40+ Table Tennis Balls
Butterfly Table Tennis Balls are ITTF approved ping pong balls. These balls come in a set of 3 packs or packs. It is made in Germany, and they have been a sponsor of butterfly Canada cup 2015-2018 and in the tournaments in North America. These ping pong balls have the same thickness on all sides of the ball, which creates a consistent bounce.
Specifications:
| Material | Plastic |
| Size | 40+ |
| Weight | 18 grams |
| Dimensions | 4.9 x 1.7 x 1.7 inches |
| Star-rating | 3-star rating |
| Colour | white |
Pros
- Used for tournaments
- Good momentum
Cons
- Not very durable and may crack after long hours of use
3. Best Bounce – Xushaofa Seamless Table Tennis Balls
Xushaofa Seamless Table Tennis Balls are made of polymer plastic and offer accurate bounce during a game, unlike traditional celluloid ping pong balls. It is a seamless ping pong ball. The ball is approved by both ITTF and USATT approved for competitions. This ping pong ball is suitable for both competition and practice purposes.
Specifications:
| Material | Plastic |
| Size | 40+ |
| Weight | 1.59 ounces |
| Dimensions | 9.6 x 1.7 x 1.5 inches |
| Star-rating | 3-star rating |
| Colour | white |
Pros
- Both ITTF and USATT approved
- Made of poly plastic
- Great from international competitions.
Cons
- Not suitable tournaments
- Slightly pricey
4. Best for Beginners – KEVENZ Ping Pong Balls
KEVENZ Ping Pong Balls are an advanced table tennis ball that comes in a pack of 60 balls. These balls are the best ping pong balls for outdoor playing and are round with smooth seams. It has very consistent bounce and spin that is well served in a game. These balls are in standard ping pong ball size that is used in training and practice.
Specifications:
| Material | Plastic |
| Size | 40+ mm |
| Weight | 0.12 kilograms |
| Dimensions | 10.63 x 2.76 x 9.06 inches |
| Star-rating | 3-star rating |
| Colour | orange |
Pros
- Great for training and trial matches
- They are the perfect size for beginner players
- They come in a large set of 60 balls per pack.
Cons
- Not suitable for competitions and tournaments
- Not as good as the older version in terms of bounce
5. Best Value – STIGA Table Tennis Balls
STIGA Table Tennis Balls are 3-star premium balls. They give these balls as two packs, each containing six ping pong balls. These are the best ping pong balls for adult-use, club, tournaments, practicing, etc. The balls have great spin, bounce, and control. They make the balls with poly.
Specifications:
| Material | poly plastic |
| Size | 40+ mm |
| Weight | 0.18 pounds |
| Dimensions | 8.3 x 7.9 x 2 inches |
| Star-rating | 3-star rating |
| Colour | orange |
Pros
- ITTF regulations, size, and weight
- The best bounce and spin
- Same thickness around the ball
Cons
- Not durable
- May get cracked after few hours of use
6. Best Training – MAPOL Premium Ping Pong Balls
MAPOL Ping Pong Balls come as a pack of 50 and are the best ping pong balls for training; the table tennis ball is made for advanced training. Since it has more power, ITTF limits it to the adult age limit. They say these balls to be outdoor ping pong balls.
The ball has a diameter round 40.1- 40.25. The company gives you a 30 days guarantee and a 100% money-back policy.
Specifications:
| Material | |
| Size | 40+ mm |
| Weight | 3.99 ounces |
| Dimensions | 10.2 x 9 x 2.5 inches |
| Star-rating | 3-star rating |
| Colour | orange |
Pros
- Great durability
- Excellent spin with great bounce while playing
- Last for up to 30 to 40 games.
Cons
- Excess force may crack the ball
- The force of the hit can make white spots on the paddle
7. Best Recreational Play – JOOLA Training Table Tennis Balls
JOOLA Training Table Tennis Balls are best ping pong balls for recreational play. These balls are available as a set of 12, set of 60, and 120 per pack; hence you can choose as per your need. These balls have perfect regulation for competition and recreational plays. It is compatible with both indoor and outdoor. Joola ping pong balls are a sponsor of US table tennis.
Specifications:
| Material | plastic |
| Size | 40+ mm |
| Weight | 0.05 Pounds |
| Dimensions | 1.57 x 1.57 x 1.57 inches |
| Star-rating | 3-star rating |
| Colour | orange |
Pros
- Great for training and trial matches
- Have excellent bounce and spin
Cons
- May crack in the long hours of use
- Not suitable for tournament matches
FAQs Before Buying Best Ping Pong Ball
What is the difference between ping pong balls and beer Pong balls?
If you want to buy beer pong balls and end up with ping pong balls, that’s okay because there is no difference. You can buy either and use them.
What is the difference between orange and white ping pong balls?
There is absolutely no difference in quality or play with color changes. Orange and white balls are the standard for table tennis. However, Orange being a brighter color, an Orange ping pong ball is more visible than a White ping pong ball while playing.
What is the official table tennis ball size & weight?
The official ping pong ball weight is 2.7 grams, and the size of a ping pong ball is 40+mm. These are the standard size and weight followed in international competitions and the Olympics.
What do the stars on ping pong balls mean?
The stars on the balls are table tennis ball ratings. Each star represents the quality of the ball. An increase in star ratings from 1 to 3 means an increase in the ping pong balls’ quality and durability.
How to check the quality of a table tennis ball?
Ping pong ball quality depends on the specifications and built quality like material, size, weight, star rating, diameter, and dimensions. All these measures will help you know the quality of the table tennis ball.
How long do ping pong balls last?
A good quality ping pong ball or a pack of balls should at least last for about 3 to 6 months. However, you should use it with care and not hit the ball with excess force.
Where to get ping pong balls?
You can buy ping pong balls either from online stores or offline stores. However, since online stores have more ping pong balls, and they have easy return and money-back policy, we recommend online stores.
Final Verdict
Choosing the best ping pong balls can be tedious, but we are sure that you will choose the right ping pong ball that serves the purpose for you, now that you have read this article. Even if you can’t get an Olympic ping pong ball, you could at least buy the best ping pong balls that are available in the market. However, you have to pay close attention to a ping pong ball’s specifications before buying, and it will be no hassle to choose the best ping pong balls that way.
