Ping pong may be a pretty simple sport, but really getting good at it is certainly no easy task. That’s why, as a newcomer, arming yourself with any one of the best ping pong paddles for beginners that the market has to offer can prove invaluable.
Designed to help you maintain as much control as possible while still firing your shots across the table, a good novice-friendly paddle can help you overcome the frustrations that many beginners experience and quickly up your game.
That said, there are a seemingly infinite number of ping pong paddles aimed at beginners, and that can make picking just one to purchase and play an unenviable task.
That’s where we come in.
We tried and tested 15 of the year’s best-selling ping pong paddles for beginners to find the 5 very best of the best.
Ultimately, the Killerspin Recreational Ping Pong Paddle earned our Editor’s Choice pick thanks to its exceptional quality, optimum spin, and affordable pricing, but if that one doesn’t do it for you, don’t worry; we’ve also got four other top-notch paddles for you to consider.
Top 5 Best Ping Pong Paddles for Beginners in 2024
AT A GLANCE
Related: Best Ping Pong Balls | Best Ping Pong Tables
Selection Criteria
Despite how it may look to the untrained eye, not all ping pong paddles are alike. While some are designed to help top-flight competitors win major competitions with speed and prowess, others are designed more to help newcomers perfect basic skills and master their control.
Today, we’re looking at the latter, as well as considering factors such as price, durability, and the levels of speed, control, and spin.
We’ll explain how each of these factors influenced our choices -and how they may influence yours- in our buyer’s guide later in this article, after which you’ll also find our answers to your most frequently asked ping pong paddle questions.
For now, though, here are our reviews of this year’s top 5 best beginner-friendly ping pong paddles.
1. Editor’s Choice – Killerspin Recreational Ping Pong Paddle
The best all-round ping pong paddle
No other paddle offered this level of durability and high-level performance at such an attractive price, making it an easy pick for our Editor's Choice.
Specifications:
Control: 85
Spin: 70
Power: 60
Weight: 0.5 lbs
Dimensions: 6″ x 6.125”
Whether you’re buying ping pong paddles, pickleball paddles, darts, pool cues, or just about anything else, the cost is always going to play an important role, but when it comes to beginner-friendly products, it matters all the more.
After all, price shouldn’t be a barrier to entry when it comes to trying out a new sport, and it pays to look for something a little more affordable when just starting out in case you eventually decide the game isn’t for you.
That’s one of the main reasons why we love the Killerspin Recreational Ping Pong Paddle. Though it isn’t the cheapest paddle on the market (we’ll come to that later), it does come with a very attractive price tag that will no doubt appeal to newcomers.
The best part, however, isn’t the price itself, but the fact that you get a far higher quality paddle than you’d usually find at this cost.
The 5 layer wood and Jet Basic rubbers with flexible PVC tape ensure that your new paddle is truly built to last and won’t fall apart no matter how enthusiastically you play.
What we love, though, is how well it performs. Users of this paddle hold it in very high regard for its outstanding performance, offering maximum control and optimum spin to help you start playing like the pros in no time at all.
What We Like:
- It comes in an attractive gift box
- Includes a personalized book to record your ping pong scores
- Attractive price.
What We Don’t Like:
- It only includes one paddle, meaning you’d have to buy more if you wanted a full set
- Slower speed compared to other paddles.
-> Read More Customer Reviews Over On Amazon
2. Best for Control – STIGA Apex Performance-Level Table Tennis Racket
Excellent for control
Combining exceptional speed with a specially designed rubber surface for maximum control, this is the ideal paddle for perfecting your precision.
Specifications:
Control: 80
Spin: 52
Power: 65
Weight: 0.3 lbs
Dimensions: 6″ x 6.125”
The Killerspin paddle may have offered the best all-around combination of factors, but if maintaining control of your paddle is your main issue, and you’re looking for something that will really help you out, the STIGA Apex Performance-Level Table Tennis Racket is truly a no-brainer.
The 5-ply, extra light blade makes this one of the lightest paddles around right now, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t pack a sizable punch of its own.
This high-grade bat uses ACS technology which places microscopic air capsules into the ultra-light rubber surface to offer a level of control that no other paddle can match.
Elsewhere, the Italian concave handle design allows you to maintain the kind of firm yet comfortable grip that’s going to make a major difference to the way you play.
What We Like:
- Features ITTF Approved Drive Inverted Rubber for improved performance and durability
- Outstanding speed rating
- Rubber surface optimizes elasticity for better bounce and control.
What We Don’t Like:
- Not as durable as other bats
- Higher than average price tag.
-> See More Customer Reviews Over At Amazon
3. Best Budget Pick – MAPOL 4 Star Professional Ping Pong Paddles
Best budget-friendly paddle
An attractive option for budget-conscious players while the 7-ply material ensures it will keep delivering value-for-money for years.
Specifications:
Control: 76
Spin: 88
Power: 80
Weight: 0.6 lbs
Dimensions: 6″ x 6″
We’ve already discussed how important cost can be when choosing the best ping pong paddles for beginners, which is why the MAPOL 4 Star Professional Ping Pong Paddles feature so highly in our top five.
The set includes not only two paddles but also three orange ping pong balls to help you get your game underway, all for the lowest price of any paddle or paddle set featured in our top five.
Still, much as with the Killerspin set we looked at earlier, low cost certainly doesn’t mean low quality.
The 7-ply wood blade may make these paddles a little heavier than others, but it also provides strength and remarkable damage resistance, ensuring they’ll serve you well for a long time to come.
Meanwhile, the high-performance ratings for speed, power, and control all prove more than sufficient to help ping pong newbies really get to grips with the game and improve their skill level.
All combined, this makes the MAPOLs not only a great choice for home use but also for adding to your club or bar if you want to offer ping pong alongside other classic games like 8-ball pool or 301 darts.
What We Like:
- It comes with a 60-day, 100% money-back guarantee
- Includes a high-quality fabric carry case
- Great spin.
What We Don’t Like:
- Heavier than other paddles
- Rubber tends to damage easier than other paddles
-> Read More Customer Feedback Over On Amazon
4. Best for Spin – Sport Game Pro Ping Pong Paddle
Offers exceptional spin
The high-grade, 2mm rubber allows for lightning-fast serves, while the design allows you to master your spin technique without compromising power and control.
Specifications:
Control: 79
Spin: 91
Power: 82
Weight: 0.4 lbs
Dimensions: 3″ x 6″
There are some casual ping pong players who are more than content to stay at beginner-level forever, and then there are those who want to advance from beginner to skilled, intermediate player and beyond so that they can take on the best of their local ping pong league or amateur competition has to offer.
If you’re in the latter camp, the Sport Game Pro Ping Pong Paddle may be the one for you.
While it still offers excellent performance ratings in terms of power and control, it’s the spin level that sets this one apart, helping you to master the kind of advanced technique that separates the rookies from the pros and will have you holding your own against more experienced players in no time.
What We Like:
- It comes with high-quality carry case
- Attractive design
- The 5-ply pure wood design ensures a lightweight yet durable design.
What We Don’t Like:
- More expensive than other paddles
- Shorter paddle handles can make grip a little difficult.
-> See What Other Customers Think It Over At Amazon
5. Best for Families – Nibiru Sport Ping Pong Paddle
A great paddle for recreational use
Built to last with a newcomer-friendly design, this complete set also includes 8 ABS balls, ensuring you're all set for your next family game night.
Specifications:
Control: 64
Spin: 49
Power: 50
Weight: 2 lbs
Dimensions: 11.45″ x 10.45″
Last but not least, we come to the Nibiru Sport Ping Pong Paddle, a set of four larger-than-average paddles and 8 ping pong balls that make the perfect addition to your home game room, club, or family center.
While the bigger, heavier paddles may not be so ideal for those looking to take the game more seriously, the larger paddle surface and extended grip make an ideal starter paddle for beginners or those who only want to play the occasional, lighthearted, casual game.
What’s equally as exciting about these ones is that the thicker design and enhanced construction quality means they’ll more than hold their own when playing outdoors as well as indoors, making them the perfect choice if you want to offer an alternative to games like Cornhole the next time you have friends round for a summer afternoon of games.
What We Like:
- Includes 8 high-quality ABS ping pong balls
- The sweatproof grip on the handle
- Highly durable construction.
What We Don’t Like:
- Lower than average performance ratings
- Heavier handles may not be suitable for some players.
-> Find More Customer Reviews Over At Amazon
How to Choose the Best Ping Pong Paddle for Beginners
As you’ll have seen from the reviews above, whether it’s those designed to deliver optimum spin and control in a way that will help you take your game to the next level or those that are designed purely so that family and friends can enjoy a few casual games, any number of options could be considered the best ping pong paddle for beginners.
Of course, that makes picking the perfect paddle to purchase a tough decision to make.
Hopefully, then, the following buyer’s guide will make that decision that much easier. Below, we outline the most important factors we considered when choosing our top five picks and how each of these factors may ultimately influence your buying decision.
Performance Ratings
Look through our reviews, and you’ll notice that each paddle has a rating for key performance aspects such as power, spin, and control.
As a general rule, the higher the rating, the better the paddle performs in that particular aspect. For example, a high spin rating means the paddle is better for putting a spin on your ball, an excellent technique for getting one over on your opponents.
So, if you were looking to improve your spin, a paddle with a high spin rating would be the one to go for, whereas if you were more concerned with mastering your control of the paddle and ball, a high control rating is the one to look for.
For the most part, we opted for paddles that had high ratings in all three categories as they’re the best to improve your overall game, though you may have other priorities.
Durability
As a newcomer to ping pong, it’s tempting to go for the cheapest paddle you can find, but doing so means you run the risk of picking up a cheap, flimsy product that’s going to fall apart before long.
That’s why we considered durability to be a major factor, opting only for those paddles made with at least 5-ply or 7-ply wood with high-quality rubber properly glued to the paddle surface.
Looking for the same factors when buying a paddle for yourself ensures that it’s going to last you some time and won’t need replacing before you’ve really had a chance to improve your game.
Size and Weight
When it comes to ping pong paddles, bigger isn’t always better.
A heavier paddle can slow down your movements, while a larger paddle may mean you compromise on swiftness.
That said, bigger paddles aren’t always such a bad thing.
A larger playing surface, for example, can prove invaluable for first-time players or those just getting started as it gives you more opportunity to ensure you hit the ball and avoid those match-losing misses.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ping Pong Paddles
What is the best affordable ping pong paddle?
The MAPOL 4 Star Professional Ping Pong Paddles is our pick of the best affordable ping pong paddle as it combines high-performance ratings with excellent manufacturing quality at an affordable price.
Is there a difference between the red and black sides of a ping pong paddle?
Typically, the red side of the ping pong paddle is designed to make the ball go faster, whereas the black side improves your spin.
How do you hold a ping pong paddle?
The standard way to hold a ping pong paddle is to grip the handle with your thumb and index finger just against the curve of your blade, with the thumb at the bottom of the forehand side and the index finger against the backhand side.
What is the Best Ping Pong Paddle to Buy for Beginners?
If you’ve read all the way through this guide, you’ll likely have reached the conclusion that any number of products could technically be considered the best beginner-friendly ping pong paddle on the market and that, ultimately, choosing the best one is all a matter of priorities.
If the most important thing for you is keeping your costs down, then the combination of high quality and low cost offered by the MAPOL 4 Star Professional Ping Pong Paddles makes them an ideal choice.
If you’re interested in mastering the art of the spin and need the perfect paddle to help you, the exceptional performance rating of the Sport Game Pro Ping Pong Paddle makes it the one to go for.
If, on the other hand, your priority is simply to get the absolute best ping pong paddle for beginners that money can buy right now, the all-around high-performance ratings, outstanding durability, and affordable price of the Killerspin Recreational Ping Pong Paddle make it practically unbeatable.
