New table

[JoeCo2]

I have played table tennis for many years (like most people) but I have
only been serious in the game for the past few months. I really want to
buy a new table, so I have a few questions:

How much space do I need?
How much should I spend for a table?
Which racquets should I buy?
Which table should I buy?
What else do I need to know?

[Junkyard D]

Which are the BEST tables?...cost?

What should we watch out for when considering TT equipment

[Phi-Ho Tran]

In article <3duc8g$e...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, junk...@aol.com (Junkyard

D) wrote:
>
> Which are the BEST tables?...cost?
>
> What should we watch out for when considering TT equipment

I bought various tables:
1) From SEARS and MontgomeryWard 10 years ago--Price range $100-150. I
would not recomend for serious player.
2) Stiga Privat Roller--bought in Oct 93 from Best( Similar to Service
Mechandiser) for about $250.
3) Stiga Expert Roller-- I bought 2 of these and for the net I bought
Stiga Clipper VM. Paddle Palace,( 1-800-547-5891), listed Expert Roller
for $895 each and the Clipper VM for $69. From the grapevine, the dealer
cost for these 2 products is 1/2 the selling price.

Comment:
1) Clipper VM net: No complaint. The net is blue and stands out well
against the green color of the table. The posts are very sturdy and the
height can be easily adjusted in dependent of the net tension. Stiga also
include a handy net ruler.
2) Stiga tables: Note the *frames* for the Privat Roller and the
Expert table are the *same*(identical) (except for the posts that support
the 4 corners of the Expert Roller are larger. The major diff. is the
table thickness:Privat- 3/4";Expert-1". Does 1/4" thickness diff. of
particle board justify >$500 diff. in price? Hmm.
Most players I play with prefer the Expert Roller because of the
deeper sound. Our two Expert Roller tables were toppled several
times(rolled on carpet floor) and we had a machine shop to custom made two
sturdy replacement frames. Extreme caution is needed when moving the expert
roller since the 1" table tops are *very* heavy.

Question:
1) The table tops are made of particle board. For about $20, you can
have Home Depot cut them to official size. Does any body know where one can
get the same type/or officially approved paint that use to paint the top
surface of these tables?

BTW, Harvard sport do not sell the table top alone.
2) Does any one have any experience with top of the line Butterfly
table?

[Scott L. Burson]

In article <phi-ho_tran-...@phi-ho.sps.mot.com> phi-h...@email.sps.mot.com (Phi-Ho Tran) writes:
> 2) Does any one have any experience with top of the line Butterfly
>table?

Yes, they have some at my club. Other people on this newsgroup reported
quality problems (I believe they said the surface coating tends to
de-laminate), but we haven't had any trouble with them. They're pretty fast,
but so are the new Stigas.

-- Scott

[Kagin Lee]

In article <phi-ho_tran-...@phi-ho.sps.mot.com>,

Phi-Ho Tran <phi-h...@email.sps.mot.com> wrote:
>
>I bought various tables:
> 1) From SEARS and MontgomeryWard 10 years ago--Price range $100-150. I
>would not recomend for serious player.
> 2) Stiga Privat Roller--bought in Oct 93 from Best( Similar to Service
>Mechandiser) for about $250.
> 3) Stiga Expert Roller-- I bought 2 of these and for the net I bought
>Stiga Clipper VM. Paddle Palace,( 1-800-547-5891), listed Expert Roller
>for $895 each and the Clipper VM for $69. From the grapevine, the dealer
>cost for these 2 products is 1/2 the selling price.
>
> Comment:

> 2) Stiga tables: Note the *frames* for the Privat Roller and the
>Expert table are the *same*(identical) (except for the posts that support
>the 4 corners of the Expert Roller are larger. The major diff. is the
>table thickness:Privat- 3/4";Expert-1". Does 1/4" thickness diff. of
>particle board justify >$500 diff. in price? Hmm.
> Most players I play with prefer the Expert Roller because of the
>deeper sound. Our two Expert Roller tables were toppled several
>times(rolled on carpet floor) and we had a machine shop to custom made two
>sturdy replacement frames. Extreme caution is needed when moving the expert
>roller since the 1" table tops are *very* heavy.
>
> Question:
> 1) The table tops are made of particle board. For about $20, you can
>have Home Depot cut them to official size. Does any body know where one can
>get the same type/or officially approved paint that use to paint the top
>surface of these tables?
>
>

If you look carefully, you'll find that the expert roller is not made of
particle board, but rather of a "fiber board". I'm not sure what the
privat is made of, but it is not merely the thickness of the surfaces
that is the difference between them. Also, there are several ways to
buy the tables at better prices: buy from a different dealer, buy them
used from a tournament...you can probably find the expert roller new
for about $600 or once-used for $500. Back at college, we had one
stiga expert roller and one elite. The expert lasted perhaps four times
longer than the elite.

kagin
ka...@tyrell.net