The Best 9 Ping Pong Paddles in 2022

First on our list, and the one that offers the least performance, is the STIGA Apex. This racket made our list because it offers tremendous value for its price. It is arguably the best paddle to get as a complete beginner as it easily surpasses the cheap wooden bats that usually come with the table.

Constructed only from 5 layers of light plywood, it is one of the lightest rackets on the market. Weighing only 149g, it will allow you to play match after match without even feeling it in your hand.

Featuring STIGA’s WRB technology, your shots will be faster and land with better precision on the table. Coming from a cheaper paddle the spin you will be able to generate will seem insane. But rest assured, you will get used to it after a couple of matches.

If you are looking for a great, affordable ping pong paddle to help you improve fast, then choosing the Apex is a no brainer. The biggest mistake a novice player can make is to get a fast paddle too soon. In the beginning, it is crucial to gain better precision in your shots and develop the correct stroke mechanics. Being a slow and controllable paddle, the Apex will allow you to do just that.

This is another great choice for beginner players. It is a little faster than the STIGA Apex, but it does manage to maintain a good level of control. Your game will definitely improve after playing a few matches with this racket.

One of the key benefits of the JET 600 is that it uses the same rubber as the higher end offerings from Killerspin. The ITTF approved, Nitrx-4Z rubber is a beast when it comes to spin. Forehand loops will be much easier to execute and your services will be way harder to return.

The one thing that this paddle lacks though, is speed. Since it only has 5 plies of lower quality wood, the blade will be pretty flexible and thus, will absorb a lot of the ball’s energy. The paddle does what it was meant to, and that is to give you great spin ability and a very high degree of control.

Beginners, especially those exercising a defensive style, will like this racket very much. It is a great choice for this stage in your table tennis journey. After a couple of months of practice you should be ready to graduate to a speedier option like the JET 800 or the DHS Hurricane II, both of which are on this list.

The last option for beginners on our list, the STIGA Supreme, is a racket that focuses on control and is meant primarily for defending players.

Its main selling point is its weight. Made out of 6 layers of light wood and using the Crystal Tech and Tube technology, STIGA managed to produce a paddle that only weighs 140g. I don’t have to tell you how happy the players that play closer to the table will be.

While the rubber is not the best out there, it is good enough to generate a decent amount of spin for serving. The Future rubber was designed with control in mind. It is not reactive to incoming spin which will allow you to return a lot more balls to the table’s surface.

The Supreme uses many technologies that are also used in the higher end products in STIGA’s selection, so you can rest assured that this paddle has a very good build quality.

Like the other two rackets, this is not a fast paddle. It is a great paddle to learn the game with while not spending a lot of money on equipment.

Here we have a choice for the advanced beginner. Unlike cheaper, lower quality rackets, the Palio Expert 2 is a racket that will give plenty of ability to generate spin. Because of this and of its decent speed, it will help you improve at a much faster rate.

What makes this paddle special is that it uses premium Chinese rubbers. The Palio CJ8000 rubbers are very sticky and will allow for massive amounts of spin to be generated. They are custom built and can be bought separately, so you can replace each rubber side when they wear out.

The Palio Expert 2 offers a good balance between speed and control. It has enough power to send the ball to the other side effortlessly while maintaining a lot of safety in your shots.

This is a great paddle to get if you are serious about the game and want to get better fast. The racket comes in a carrying case at no additional cost and will help you to keep it dust free so that it can retain its ability to produce spin.

This is a paddle that is aimed at the intermediate player. While it is not the most powerful racket out there, its spin is in another league compared to what the main competitors have to offer. DHS is a Chinese company and we all know who the current table tennis world champions are. So you can rest assured that they know what they are doing.

One big difference compared to other paddles on this list is that this one has a different type of rubber on each side. On one side it features the Hurricane rubber which is designed for the offensive player. You can produce a huge amount of spin with it and will help you hit the ball further from the table at dizzying speeds. The other side has the G555 rubber. This one also has a very tacky surface, but because it focuses more on control, it is slower.

Another big plus is that racket comes in a very professional and elaborate package. It includes a carrying case, two balls and a protection band for the side of the paddle. All of this, packed in a book shaped case. Needless to say, this would make for an awesome gift.

The price for the Hurricane II is a bit high, but considering the attention to detail, the packaging and the craftsmanship of the racket, this is arguably one of the best paddles that you can get without building one yourself from parts.

The best and most expensive racket on this list. This one truly has it all. Incredible speed and massive spin while being very precise and consistent.

It is essential to understand that this is not your typical pre-made paddle. It uses Tenergy 80 FX for the rubbers and the Butterfly BalsaCarbo X5 blade. These are very high-quality parts. Just the red rubber face costs more than the whole STIGA Evolution bat. This is basically a custom made racket that you don’t have to glue yourself.

Needless to say, this is a product aimed at advanced intermediate players. Especially for those that focus on offense. It is great for looping the ball from mid to far distance and even better for forehand drives or smashes.

Because of the big jump in speed, it will take you awhile to get used to it, particularly if you are upgrading from a sub hundred dollar paddle.

This Butterfly Proline paddle has by far the most speed and spin on this list. It uses very high-quality parts that blend together to produce a very high-performance racket.

So why isn’t this our first place you ask? Well, it would have been if not for the price. This is a very expensive piece of craftsmanship that does not fully justifies its price. It is twice as good as the STIGA Pro Carbon but costs four times as much.

Sure, if you want the absolute best table tennis racket and you think you can handle the massive power, then go ahead and get this. It is definitely one of the best ones out there. Otherwise, consider the ones below, as they have a much better price to performance ratio.

Our third place goes to the STIGA Evolution. It has the best control to speed ratio on the list and comes at a very affordable price.

Control plays a crucial role in the game of table tennis. Being able to send the ball where you want, often will decide if you win or lose. Fortunately, the Evolution has no such problems. Out of the top five STIGA paddles, this one was absolutely designed for control.

It is made from 6 plies of light wood and uses STIGA’s various manufacturing technologies which give the paddle plenty of power and a larger sweet spot for increased accuracy. The difference should be noticeable immediately, as you will land a lot more balls on the table’s surface. It is best used by players that want to improve their stroke technique and want to have a little bit more room for error.

The STIGA Evolution is arguably the best racket for defensive players that like to play closer to the table. Its light weight and excellent control will give you a big advantage when pushing or blocking the ball over the net.

While this is not the most powerful racket out there, it is no slouch either. If you are coming from a cheaper paddle, the speed will seem uncontrollable at first. But as with all things in life, if you practice, you will get better.

Considering the performance that this paddle gives you and at what price point, it is fair to say that this one is well worth the money.

This is our second best choice for the best ping pong paddle that you can get right now. It is the best pre-assembled racket from Killerspin’s selection and has a lot of spin and power.

The Jet 800 is constructed from 7 layers of wood and 2 of carbon. This blend gives the blade a lot of rigidity while keeping the weight down. As you know rigidity equals power, and this racket has a lot of it.

Combined with the Nitrix-4z rubber, it will help you produce some explosive shots without compromising on accuracy. If you find yourself hitting the ball from further away, then you will most definitely love this racket.

The racket also produces an insane amount of spin. They don’t call it Killerspin for nothing. Its sticky surface will make serving a nightmare for your opponents and those long distance forehand loops will basically perform themselves.

The Killerspin JET 800 is an excellent racket. It packs a tremendous amount of power and its spin is out of this world. If it weren’t for the price this would definitely be our first choice. While not the most expensive paddle on this list, it is still a little pricy. It is faster than our number one but at almost double the cost. If you don’t mind this, then getting the JET 800 is a wonderful racket that will surely help you win more games.