Unsure whether you should build your own custom table tennis bat, or opt for a premade set? Concerned about the potential cost of a building custom bat?
Here’s everything you need to know.
How Do ‘Premade’ and ‘Custom’ Table Tennis Bats Differ?
The distinction is simple:
- Premade table tennis bats come with the rubbers attached to the blade by the manufacturer.
- Custom made table tennis bats require that you buy each of the components and assemble it yourself.
In general, custom made table tennis bats offer greater flexibility and enable table tennis players to source higher standard parts to suit (or adapt) their playing style. Custom bats do however cost more than premade ones.
Premade Table Tennis Bats
Advantages
- Cheaper than custom made rackets.
- Already assembled, so you don’t need to invest any money into components (and glue/tools).
- It saves time, effort (and some skill) in gluing the parts together.
Disadvantages
- Rubbers usually can’t be removed. Therefore you can’t upgrade your blade/rubbers.
- May have spent a long time in their packaging at sport shops and outlets. Rubbers deteriorate over time, so this can be problematic.
Custom Made Table Tennis Bats
Advantages
- You can select the rubbers or blades that best suit your playing style.
- Rubbers and blade upgrades can be made anytime you want.
- Overall quality of the components tends to be higher.
Disadvantages
- More expensive to buy. You will need to buy the blade and rubbers separately, as well as the glue/tools to attach the rubbers to the blade.
- A little skill (and care) is required to ensure that your rubbers are firmly attached.
Build The Right Custom Bat For You
If you’re looking to build a custom made table tennis bat you need to decide what rubbers and blades to buy. It can be confusing — there are so many products to choose from. There’s also a risk of overspending.
Tips for building your first custom table tennis bat
- Take the ratings on rubbers for speed/spin/control with a pinch of salt. These figures are subjective and can’t be used to compare products.
- Avoid buying the most expensive/most popular equipment. Even experienced players seek high-quality, cheaper alternatives to suit their needs.
- Look for a relatively cheap blade (£20-£40), marked as ALL, ALL+ or OFF-. These will be great compared to the one on your premade bat.
- Do the same with rubbers (one red, one black, remember). Aim for a medium or soft sponge which isn’t too expensive. We recommend going with the maximum thickness available, called MAX, 2.0mm, 2.1mm or 2.2mm. You should be able to find something great for £20-£30.
It might take a little trial and error to create the perfect set-up for you.
Your custom bat should cost you somewhere between £60-£100 (or $100-$160). Avoid investing more than this — especially if you’re just starting out.
You can learn more on changing rubbers/blades from our tutorial: How To Replace Table Tennis Bat Rubbers — A Simple Guide.
For everything else you need to know about the components of bats read: The Parts Of A Table Tennis Bat.
Palio-ETT — Pre-assembled Custom Quality Bats
We know how difficult and expensive it can be to source and build the right bat. That’s why our team at ETT have worked alongside Palio since 2014 to create, refine, and mass produce high quality custom bats at (substantially lower) premade prices.
We’ve combined different rubbers and blades in order to build the perfect custom set-ups for all experience levels. Many players start out with our ETT Expert, and upgrade to either the Master (intermediate) or Legend (advanced) once they’re able to easily execute basic techniques & strokes.
ETT bats can be enjoyed in the knowledge that you have the freedom to keep the blade and replace the rubbers later on down the line to whatever suits your style or preference. For all the benefits of a custom bat without the premium price tag, choose Palio-ETT.
Check out our current range here.