Short answer, if you stick any rubber on the Nittaku Resoud blade you will have the most expensive ping pong paddle in existence.
It costs $2,712(plus whatever rubber you glue on) and it is considered the Stradivarius of table tennis paddles. This is because it uses the same type of wood and is crafted with technology used for making musical instruments.
Only for advanced players
Obviously, as a beginner you should not be asking this question. A high-end paddle not only it will not make you any better, but will actually make you worse. Having that much power when you cannot consistently place balls on the table can only mean disaster. In the beginning, it is important that you focus on proper technique, correct stance and perfect stroke mechanics.
At this stage, a slower paddle will be more suited for you. Start with the Stiga Titan for the first few months and then upgrade to the Stiga Pro Carbon or the Killerspin Jet 800. After you can correctly execute any type of stroke and you feel that your paddle is holding you back, then you should upgrade again to a custom-made paddle.
This being said, we will assume that you are either an advanced player that is looking to upgrade his gear or that you are just a normal player that just wants to know for fun’s sake what the most expensive gear costs.
In either case, we have some categories to consider. There are blades, rubbers, pre-made bats. There are of course rare paddles and rackets that belonged to famous players, but we won’t go into that. The price of these items changes constantly so check the links to see how much they actually cost.
The blade to rule all blades
The famous Nittaku Resoud. The creation of this blade was first attempted in the 1990s. It was made using string instrument production technology but it just didn’t take off. Fast forward 10 years, Mr. Junichi Matsui, Development Section Chief of Nittaku decided to give it another try.
After a lot of trial and error and countless hours of testing involving top Japanese players, the perfect blade was finally created. The Resoud name comes from the name of the forest from where the home-grown spruce wood is collected. This wood is the world’s finest quality wood and is the same one which Stradivarius violins are made from.
The grip is made out of a type of wood that is imported from Europe and wenge wood that is commonly used for the fingerboard of guitars.This truly is the most well-crafted piece of table tennis equipment.
Obviously, the Resoud is a luxury item and clearly an outlier. The second most expensive blade is at the least 5 times lower in price. At this price range, we have blades like the DHS Hurricane King II, DHS Set Wang Liqin Classic and Zhang Jike Super ZLC. All very good, high-performance blades.
The Zhang Jike Super ZLC is an especially popular blade. It has received a lot of positive reviews all over the internet. Made out of premium materials it is a pleasure to hold in hand. The balance is great and the power that this blade can produce is amazing.
But the best thing about this blade has to be its remarkable sweet spot. Just the increased consistency and accuracy of your shots are well worth the money. Pair this with two Tenergy 05 rubbers sheets and you have a monster of a bat.
What about rubbers?
You can’t build a paddle without a rubber. A great rubber will have a very grippy surface that will allow it to generate tremendous amounts of spin. The materials, as well as the manufacturing process, will play a defining role in the resulting quality of the rubber.
The most expensive rubber on the market is the Butterfly Tenergy 05. Just one sheet will cost more than the Stiga Pro Carbon for example. But it’s kinda worth it. It packs a massive amount of power and the spin that you can generate is amazing. Every type of shot is suddenly easier. Looping, blocking, pushing you name it.
This is the first rubber to feature Butterfly’s “Spring Sponge” technology which although is a hard rubber it still has a longer dwell time than other comparable sheets. This means that you will get both explosive shots and tremendous spin. All without any tuning or special treatments.
The more advanced players should know that this rubber has a high throw angle and a short arc. The only downside, which is not really a downside, is service receive. If you are not able to read the opponent’s spin correctly, the ball will fly off from your paddle losing you the game very fast. Keep your rubber clean and use a plastic protector sheet and it should last you a very long time.
Here are some other rubbers that come close in performance to the Tenergy 05: YASAKA Mark V, Xiom Vega Pro and DHS Hurricane 8
Most expensive pre-made paddle
If you are not yet ready to build your own custom racket then a pre-assembled paddle will be your best choice. In this category, the most expensive one is the Killerspin RTG Diamond TC Premium. This is a very solid paddle that is not suited for beginners. It has a lot of speed and the rubbers are very sticky. It is a paddle that is best used by offensive players that like hitting the ball further from the table.
The special thing about this blade is that it is made from Titanium. Yes, you read that right! The blade is a combination of 5-plies of wood sandwiched between 2 plies of Titanium Carbon. Because of the hard material, the blade will not absorb much of the ball’s energy, which will mean that this paddle will transfer a lot of power back to the ball and make it fly at dizzying speeds.
If you are transitioning to professional play, or you just want the best and you don’t want to go through the process of gluing a bat yourself, then the RTG Diamond TC is a great paddle to upgrade to.
Of course, you have alternatives. Here are some that are similar in price and performance: Butterfly Andrzej Grubba FL Proline Racket with Sriver EL 2.1 Red/Black and Butterfly Balsa Carbo X5-FL with Tenergy 80 FX 2.1 Red & Black Proline Racket
You should know that you can get great paddles at lower prices too. They won’t be as fast as these, but frankly, only a pro would notice the difference. Have a look at the STIGA Pro Carbon or Killerspin JET 800. They offer very good performance and it will not cost you a liver to get one.
Better yet, check out this guide on the best pre-made paddles on the market. We arranged them in a sortable table so you can choose the one that best fits your needs. You can sort by speed, spin, control, price or weight. I’m certain you will find one that you love.
Conclusion
These are the best blades, rubbers or pre-assembled rackets money can buy. Whether you decide to buy one or not, keep in mind that a paddle can only do so little. It is still up to you to wield the tool. Proper technique will always beat better gear.
Do you think you could take on Ma Long if he would play with a piece of cardboard and you with a Zhang Jike Super ZLC with Tenergy 05 rubbers? I know for sure he would still beat me!