Last Updated on November 1, 2023 by Sorin Petroj
With so many and best table tennis brands manufacturing their products worldwide players are spoilt for choice. This leaves many of them confused about which brand to choose from. Sometimes it is also quite tasking to tell the difference between the products.
In this article, we shed light on 7 of the elite brands in the world of table tennis, explaining the brands themselves and some of their products and features. With that said, let us get into it!
1. The Butterfly Brand
This is hands-down the most well-known brand in the table tennis market, if not a significant player in the history of table tennis evolution. Its production of quality goods has built a steady reputation for the company, founded on 19th December 1950.
It is in Yanai City, Japan. Butterfly went by the name Tamasu Company Ltd. before being renamed.
Hikosuke Tamasu, an iconic Japanese player, founded Butterfly for 29 years. The idea behind the brand name Butterfly pictures table tennis players as flowers in the world of table tennis.
Hikosuke’s vision was to create a team of people who would be ‘butterflies’ to fly around the flowers (players) and meet their table tennis needs.
Hikosuke was more than just a fan of table tennis. He was a player too. This enabled him to present the needs of each player and actualize their solutions using his creations.
Achievement Journey
Since they were founded in 1950, Butterfly has kept soaring with only 14 employees. They began producing blades and rubber.
- 1960- 1962- Butterfly launches D13 and Butterfly Tempest D13.
- 1967- Sriver Rubber launched (top-selling rubbers worldwide with over 20 million sold).
- 1973- Tamasu Butterfly Europe is started in Moers, Germany
- 1983- Butterfly established a training and research center in Tokyo. Scientists work with veteran players to create and advance blade and rubber technology here.
- 2000- Introduction of Bryce rubber(a high tension rubber)
- 2006- Butterfly Technical Center is opened in Japan, where scientists develop new products and work with the latest technology.
- 2008- Butterfly launched the Tenergy series, its latest innovation being the ‘spring sponge.’
- 2013- Butterfly founded a new research and development center in Tokorozawa, Japan, Butterfly Tec.
Products
Hikosuke wanted a reliable company for table tennis equipment. He dove deep into the business world, investing even in sewing machines. This was one of their widely known ventures for a while.
Butterfly has various products, including 50 different tables, 40 different rubber types, and 90 different blades. Besides those, they make and sell other table tennis products such as clothing, shoes, bags, accessories, and balls.
Tenergy 05, the most popular rubber sheet, employs the newest developments in rubber technology. This makes it rank as the top rubber sheet sold in the market.
Butterflys group their paddles according to their unique playing styles. They come at affordable prices and never disappoint their users.
This brand has such a notable reputation that about 60% of European and World Championships players use Butterfly rubbers and blades. They purchase over 600,000 blades and 1,000,000 rubbers annually.
Offices
The head office is in Tokyo, Japan. The headquarters, blade, and racket productions, and research and development center are also in Japan, Tokorozawa.
Most of the textiles, bags, and shoes are produced in China. Ping-pong tables to be sold all around Europe are made in Germany.
Some overseas corporations in Moers, China, Shanghai, Thailand, Seoul (Korea), and Germany). Undoubtedly, Butterfly is a brand that allows its products to speak for themselves because of their outstanding quality.
2. Stiga Brand
Formally founded in 1944 in Sweden, Stiga produced lawnmowers for a while. However, it has manufactured table tennis products since 1938. In 1984, the brand set aside an independent branch to create table tennis equipment.
Stiga has partnered with Chinese and Swedish teams severally to host big table tennis tournaments. It has shown much growth from when it started by creating partnerships with over 100 countries worldwide. This sky-rocketed its popularity as compared to other table tennis brands.
Achievement Journey
- 1964- European Championships use Stiga’s table, introducing the Stiga robot.
- 1969- AllRound classic blade is launched
- 1976- 2012- different blades are released, such as the traditional offensive blade (1976), clipper wood blade (1981), high-end blade Ebenholz (2009), and offensive classic carbon blade (2012).
- 2013- Head office expands to 11,000m2.
- 2014- The Carbonado series is launched, featuring TeXtreme Carbon Technology.
Products
The classic Swedish company makes products for both professional and recreational players. Stiga produces bags, shoes, robots, clothing, rubbers, blades, tables, balls, and nets, just to mention a few. Other than table tennis products, it has other outdoor and indoor products such as scooters, playoff hockey tables, snow racers, and boards.
However, they began with the production of ready-made rackets. In the late 1960s, they expanded their product line. They involved world-class players in the production of separate blades with authentic craftwork. They named the first-ever table tennis blade Allround Classic, still produced today. All their blades are made in Eskilstuna.
Stiga ping pong tables come with ball-bearing wheels which are helpful for easy movement. They have provisions for quality ball bounce and are easy to set up and dismantle. Moreover, the tables are attractive to look at.
The majority of table tennis balls used in table tennis are from Stiga.
Offices
Their head office is in Eskilstuna, Sweden. It is 11,000m2 big. They also have a 60,000m2 factory in Germany that produces ping-pong tables.
Partnerships and sponsors
In 2003, Stiga partnered with the Swedish national table tennis team. The agreement lasted for ten years, but they agreed to extend it by seven additional years to 2020. Besides that, they made merges with many national teams.
The brand sponsors five national table tennis teams: China, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and the Czech Republic. It also supports Truls Moregard, the 2019 junior championship medalist from Sweden.
Being one of the first companies to manufacture table tennis equipment for mass production, Stiga is a brand that is highly recommended for its practical and world-class products.
3. Joola Brand
This is a German company that was founded in 1952. The store Jooss in Landau’s sports department began producing ping pong tables. JoolaTischtennis GmbH had its name derived from the first letters of its department and location: Jooss (department name) and Landau (location name).
In 1954, Jooss made it an independent department within the group because of the increased demand for its products. Production then shifted from Landau to Godramstein in 1963. Later in 1973, rubber and blade production started in Siebeldingen.
Achievement journey
- 1996- Joola provides an official Olympic table for the Atlantic Olympics.
- 1999- Production of metal parts begins in Kiskoros, Hungary, to be delivered to the headquarters in Germany.
- 2000, 2004- Joola provides an official Olympic table for the Sydney and Athens Olympics.
- 2018- Joola sponsors the biggest tournament in the world- the World Veteran Championships.
- 2021-Introduction of the latest Dynaryz rubbers.
Products
They do the production of ping-pong tables in the Siebeldingen factory. Their tables are coated with lacquer by an automated machine that can attend to 30 tables per hour. Other leisure ping pong tables are manufactured in China.
Blades are produced in China, Hungary, Sweden, and Japan. The brand also makes 50 different types of rubbers. Their rubber series, such as X-Plode and Energy, is manufactured in Germany. Other rubber series are made in China, Austria, Japan, and Estonia.
Bats, balls, clothing, and robots are other products that Joola offers. They pay special attention to the clothes that ping pong players wear. It is also worth mentioning that Joola develops 25 new products annually.
Secondly, in their colored scale, black represents extra high for advanced offensive, red means high for offensive, blue represents medium for all-round, and green represents low for defensive.
Moreover, the Joola ping pong table features an anti-tilt element that assures safety while dealing with the table and excellent ball balance. Joola table can also split its separable design into halves for proper storage and easy movement.
Besides that, Joola makes ping-pong conversion tops as a table substitute. Joola’sDynaryz rubber is an updated version of the previous Dynaryz rubbers and can match more playing styles.
They are keen to produce the most delicate equipment at affordable prices to support table tennis players of varying levels of competition from the basement to the stage of champions.
Offices
Joola has two factories in Germany and Hungary. In Godramstein, Germany, the factory allocates 1,800m2 to production, 700m2 to the office area, and 1,200m2 to the warehouse.
Other offices are in Italy, China, the USA, France, Korea, and Japan.
Considering that Joola has supplied official Olympic tables for three consecutive Olympics, you should try their products because of their consistency.
4. Killerspin (One of the best table tennis brands in the USA)
This brand is one of the latest table tennis brands and was founded by Robert Blackwell Jr. He intended to introduce style and intensity to table tennis to usher in excitement in the game. He was inspired by the massive turn-up of participants in the Ping Pong Festival in Chicago.
Blackwell saw it as more fit for people to engage in sports rather than sitting and playing video games or working on the computer all day. From this, he developed his motto UnplugNPlay. He concluded that such an exhilarating sport could disconnect people from technology and cause them to create deeper relationships through in-person interactions.
Achievement journey
- 2000- Blackwell sponsors the Ping Pong Festival in Chicago.
- 2001- Blackwell starts Killerspin, a prestigious table tennis company.
- 2013- Killerspin House was born in the heart of downtown Chicago.
Products
They fashion their equipment to favor different styles of playing and varying skills. Killerspin paddles are among the most commonly used paddles in table tennis.
Their ping pong tables have arch bases and sleek surfaces that give a good ball bounce and give players a chance to see the intensity the brand creator intended to display.
Offices
Killerspin House is in Chicago, and its equipment is produced in Europe, the USA, and Asia.
They have hosted some of the USA’s most significant table tennis events, such as the Arnold Classic Table Tennis Challenge, Extreme Table Tennis Championships, Mohegan Sun, and Spinvitational Table Tennis Championship.
The main objective of this program is to bring colleagues together, strengthen their social bonds, and refresh their minds. The package features a versatile ping-pong table and customized paddles for each employee. During breaks, the employees can unplug from their computers and play, improving their work and office performance.
Killerspin has made a name for itself by quickly rising to match the brands’ standards that came before it without compromising the quality of its products. It is indeed a trusted brand with creative minds behind the products.
5. Nittaku (One of the best table tennis brands in Japan)
Nippon Takkyu Company Ltd. is based in Tokyo. It is one of the oldest brands of table tennis. The company was founded on 15th July 1947, although it had already started producing table tennis equipment in 1920.
Achievement journey
- 1920- Nittaku appears and begins production.
- 1947- Nitakku is officially founded.
- 2012- 2019- Nittaku provides official balls for 3 Olympic games, 13 World Championships, and European Championships for seven years.
Products
Among the products manufactured by Nittaku are table tennis balls, rubbers, ping pong tables, blades, and shoes, just to mention a few. Nittaku rubbers are most likely by Japanese players. Nittaku table tennis blades are the most famous fast blades worldwide.
Offices
Nittaku’s headquarters are in Tokyo, Japan. They have factories in Furukawa and China. Their sales offices are in Osaka, Sapporo, and Fukuoka, with 100 employees.
Sponsorships
Nittaku’s place among the top table tennis brands is its sponsoring of the International Table Tennis Federation.
They also offer Asian table tennis veterans such as Mima Ito, Ma Long, and Hitomi Sato.
6. Yasaka Brand
Founded in 1947, Yasaka Company Ltd. is a table tennis brand that makes top-notch equipment. The founders were HirosiYaoita and Sakamoto.
The name Yasaka is derived from the first letters of Yaoita and Sakamoto. Yaoita was a table tennis player who passed away in 2007. He desired to make quality products that would improve his skill and profession.
Achievement journey
- In the 1950s- Yasaka partnered with Japanese players, causing it to soar higher in the ranks of world table tennis.
- 1969- Yasaka introduces rubber Mark V
- 1992- Yasaka begins blade production in Sweden.
- 1993- Yasaka Extra Blade is launched.
- 2002- Release of V-stage rubber and 17-layer Dynamix.
- 2008- Ma Lin (Yasaka player) wins a gold medal using Mark V and Yasaka blade.
- 2010- 2014- Yasaka Rakza 7, Rakza 9, and Rakza X were launched in 2010, 2012, and 2014 respectively.
Products
Yasaka’s rubber Mark V has continued to improve since they introduced it and is currently one of the best-known rubbers in the market. They fashioned it rubber on both sides of a standard table tennis paddle. The innovation promises higher speed and spins to players.
Mark V boasts two wins: the men’s single in the European Championships (1970) and the World Championships in 1971. Rakza rubbers, on the other hand, promise a balance between spin, speed, and power, enabling the player to unlock hybrid energy.
Rakza X features a top sheet and a ‘power sponge,’ allowing the player to have a firm grip.
Offices
Yasaka’s head office is in Tokyo, whereas the blade factory is in Sweden.
7. The Victas Brand
Noriyuki Suzuki started the company in 1931 in Kitaoji, Tokyo. Initially, the company specialized in manufacturing celluloid balls and then expanded its product line to produce equipment for players worldwide. Victas played a critical role in the evolution of table tennis.
The brand was part of several mergers in the past, and its name changed a few times. The current name, Victas Company Ltd., was adopted in 2017 after letting go of Yamato Takkyu Company Limited.
Victas combines the Japanese word, Ashita, tomorrow, and Victory’s English word.
Achievement journey
- 1946- Takashi Suzuki Peace -TSP- is founded (we currently know it as Total Support for Players).
- 1959- Founding Yamato Industries
- 1963- Yamato Industries changed its name to Yamato Takkyu Company Ltd.
- 1970- Company exports products and releases Pimple Out rubber Spectol.
- 1981- Yamato Takkyu offers to sponsor the Chinese national team with clothes for ten years.
- 1983- The company works with Germany’s TSP Tischtennnis GmbH (a European distributor).
- 2009- Koji Matsushita becomes the representing director after merging with Astour Co.
- 2011-The company launches Victas as a new brand.
- 2017- Koji Matsushita retires as the president, and Yoshinori Kodama takes over as president and CEO. It also established head offices in Tokyo and Osaka. The company was also renamed Victas while simultaneously running two table tennis brands- TSP and Victas.
Products and offices
Japan produces most of the TSP rubbers and balls. Takashi Suzuki wanted to coin a name for World War 2, which had the word peace, so he came up with Takashi Suzuki Peace. The company then used ‘Total Support for Players’ as branding. TSP is popular for long-pimple and pimple-out rubbers in the table tennis market.
Production is done in Germany, China, and Japan. They manufacture bags, rubbers, bats, nets, tables, robots, balls, clothing, and blades.
Yamato Table Tennis Europe (in Flein, Germany) and Yamato Table Tennis China (in Shanghai) are overseas consolidated subsidiaries. Also, Ventus rubber and ping pong tables are produced in Germany, making blades in Japan and China. The company takes about 20% of Japan’s table tennis market.
Sponsorships
Koki Niwa is perhaps the most outstanding player under Victas besides YutoMuramatsu and Kenji Matsudaira. Famous for his chop blocks, Koki Niwa has been among the top ranks in the sport.
As an honor of their hard work, dedication, and advanced skill level, Victas gives the group of top players the ‘Advisory Board.’ They take up the responsibility of guiding the latest developments.
Having such a qualified team, it is no wonder Victas manufactures products that meet the essential needs of players with distinct skill sets.
Victas stands out because of its longevity in the production of table tennis equipment and its consistency for over 85 years. Therefore, it is worth trying it!
Other Table Tennis Brands
When shopping for table tennis equipment, it is essential to know that not all table tennis brands are created equal. You may have heard of some, but others might be new to you.
Asian Table Tennis Brands
Creating a good table tennis brand in Asia is challenging, but the listed brands have managed to do it.
They are not only well-known and respected within their own country but also internationally recognized for your company to become an Asian table tennis brand that people know about both at home and abroad.
Table Tennis Brands for Robots
If you’re looking for table tennis brands to use in your ping pong robot, we recommend looking into Power Pong Table Tennis. For years, their products have been at the forefront of innovation and quality.
They constantly develop innovations to improve old ones or create something entirely new. For example, all while staying true to what made them great in the first place!
We hope this blog post was helpful in your quest for Ping Pong Robot Brands. So, good luck finding a brand worthy of being used by our machines!
The takeaway from table tennis brands
Firstly, finding a brand that is the ultimate best is undoubtedly challenging, with products ticking 100% of the boxes. Another issue could be getting information on these brands.
Secondly, some brands give plenty of information, while others provide very little on the Internet. For example, the Gewo brand is famous for table tennis rubbers.
Moreover, if you want to ensure your table tennis equipment is top-of-the-line, the best way to do it is by investing in brands known for their high quality.
Therefore, the information provided in this article should help you, as a consumer of table tennis products and accessories, to choose your preferred brand. The brands listed in this article are unquestionably exclusive.
I hope that this blog post has helped you learn more about table tennis brands. If there is anything else or any other questions, please ask in the comments below, and we will get back to you as soon as possible!
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