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The Olympics are by far the most important competition in world table tennis. When assessing a playerâ€s legacy, they are the first thing to look at that separates good players from legends.

Because of the importance of this event, the ‘International Table Tennis Federation†has a responsibility to choose the best equipment. Every single piece of equipment must be perfect.

In this article, weâ€ll go over the equipment choices for the upcoming Paris Olympics. Weâ€ll talk about the equipment the organization provides (balls, tables, etc.), and the playerâ€s equipment (what rackets theyâ€ll be using).

Weâ€ll also go over why each piece of equipment was chosen and whether it makes sense for hobbyists to purchase them. Letâ€s begin!

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Event Equipment

Four pieces of equipment have been confirmed for the Paris 2024 Olympics: The official ball, the tournament table, the practice table, and the flooring.

Balls

The official ball for these Paris Olympics will be the Double Fish PAR40+ 3 star.

Source: tabletennis11

In the past Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the official ball was the DHS DJ40+ Tokyo, so the supplier has changed this time.

Double Fish is a Chinese-based brand aimed at players who want high-quality equipment without breaking the bank.

They specialize mostly in balls and tables, something quite uncommon for a table tennis brand.

Even though they are a very reputable brand in China, their products are quite uncommon outside of Asia. As for myself based in Argentina, I havenâ€t seen a Double Fish ball or table in 9 years of playing.

We havenâ€t been able to test them yet, but many players from all around the world have. Most agree that these balls are well-built, round, solid, and durable.

Double Fish has also been the ball provider for recent ‘World Table Tennis†events. Those balls are called Double Fish V40+ 3*** WTT (Available on Amazon) and they have also received mostly favorable reviews.

If the Paris balls prove to be an improvement over the already great WTT balls, they could challenge the top brands such as Nittaku and DHS for the top spot on our best table tennis balls ranking.

Tournament Table

The official Paris 2024 table will be a modified version of the incredible DHS Rainbow 2:

The DHS Rainbow 2 is probably the best table tennis table you can buy. The only other table that can compete with the DHS Rainbow 2 in terms of quality is the Butterfly Centrefold 25.

The Rainbow 2, like the Butterfly Centrefold, features a high-quality 25mm playing surface. You can expect even bounces from this table and optimal spin preservation every single time.

I have tried the original DHS Rainbow previously and it was an absolute joy to play with. It was a pretty fast table and it preserved spin very well.

According to DHS, this new Rainbow 2 was crafted with a lightweight but high-strength underframe, offering greater support to the playing surface. The alleged result is an even better, more stable bounce.

DHS also states that the production process of the Rainbow 2 is more environmentally friendly.

The only con about this table is its price: It costs upwards of $2500.

The Paris Olympics version is a modified version with 3D etchings, a pink-hued outline, and LED lights embedded around the table and remotely controlled. It’s a very high-tech table and it looks incredible.

In fact, the ITTF refer to it as a blend of “technology and romance”. Need I say any more?

Source: ITTF

Check out this awesome video of the table and lighting ready for action.

Practice Table

The practice tables at the Paris Olympics will be the DHS T1818.

The DHS T1818 also features a 25mm playing surface. I believe that the playing surface is probably the same one as the Rainbow 2â€s given that the players will practice on this table to compete with the Rainbow 2.

The main difference between the T1818 and the Rainbow 2 is the underframe. Whether it makes a difference in play, itâ€s hard to say.

We couldnâ€t find the T1818 for sale, but, if it becomes available and the price is lower than the Rainbowâ€s, this will probably be the most logical purchase out of the two.

Its playing surface is good enough for Olympians to practice with, and itâ€s most likely the same one featured in the Rainbow 2.

If the Centrefold 25 is the perfect alternative to the Rainbow 2, Iâ€d say that the alternative to the T1818 is the Joola Tour 2500, a more affordable alternative from a very reputable brand also with a 25mm playing surface.

Flooring

The official flooring for the Paris 2024 Olympics will be the Enlio Super Weaving Surface.

Choosing the proper flooring is very important so that the athletes have optimal grip – not too little but also not too much.

The flooring should be soft yet stable, grippy enough so that the players can display their great footwork, but not too much that they canâ€t slide a little bit when they want to.

The Enlio Super Weaving Surface has already been used in the World Championships, the World Cup, and the China Open. It is a tried and true, top-of-the-line playing surface.

Pictured above are Ma Long and Mattias Falck playing in the final of the 2019 World Championships on Enlio flooring.

Players†Equipment

After talking about the equipment selected for use at the Paris 2024 Olympics, letâ€s cover the individual equipment that the different players will be using.

Each racket needs to comply with international competition rules, with the most important rules being:

• The rubbers must be approved by the International Table Tennis Federation.
• The racket can be of any size or shape.
• At least 85% of the blade by thickness has to be of natural wood. It can be complemented by a non-wooden material such as carbon or arylate, but it shall not be thicker than 7.5% of the total thickness or 0.35mm, whichever is smaller.
• The rubber shall be used without any physical, chemical, or other treatment.
• Slight deviations from continuity of surface or uniformity of color may be allowed provided that they do not significantly change the characteristics of the surface.

Weâ€d struggle to cover the rackets being used by all 140+ players to qualify for the Olympics, so instead weâ€re going to cover just the top 5 players on the Menâ€s and Womenâ€s side.

Where possible, weâ€ve provided direct links to retailers selling the same equipment.

Itâ€s also important to recognise that professional players can change their equipment at any point before a tournament without officially announcing the change. Some may even use a different racket depending on the opponent theyâ€re playing.

Adding more complexity, some players announce that they are using their sponsors†equipment but then proceed to use a different setup during tournaments. We can only present the information thatâ€s confirmed and/or presumed.

Wang Chuqin

Blade: DHS Q968 (presumed, unconfirmed)

Forehand Rubber: DHS Hurricane 3 National

Backhand Rubber: DHS Hurricane 3 National

Sun Yingsha

Blade: DHS S968 (presumed)

Forehand Rubber:DHS Hurricane 3 National

Backhand Rubber: DHS Hurricane 8 (presumed)

Fan Zhendong

Blade: Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC

Forehand Rubber:DHS Hurricane 3 National

Backhand Rubber:Butterfly Dignics 09c

Wang Manyu

Blade: Stiga Inspira Plus

Forehand Rubber:DHS Hurricane 3 National

Backhand Rubber: Butterfly Dignics 05 (presumed)

Tomokazu Harimoto

Blade: Butterfly Harimoto Tomokazu Innerforce ALC

Forehand Rubber:Butterfly Dignics 05

Backhand Rubber: Butterfly Dignics 05

Hina Hayata

Blade: Nittaku Hina Hayata H2

Forehand Rubber: DHS Hurricane 3 National

Backhand Rubber: Butterfly Dignics 05 (presumed)

Lin Yun-Ju

Blade:Butterfly Lin Yun-Ju Super ZLC

Forehand Rubber:Butterfly Tenergy 05 hard

Backhand Rubber:Butterfly Dignics 05

Shin Yubin

Blade:DHS W968

Forehand Rubber:DHS Hurricane 3 National

Backhand Rubber:Butterfly Dignics 09c (presumed)

Felix Lebrun

Blade:Tibhar Felix Lebrun Hyper Carbon

Forehand Rubber:Tibhar Hybrid K3

Backhand Rubber:Tibhar Hybrid K3

Bernadette Szocs

Blade:Tibhar Szöcs Signature 1

Forehand Rubber:Tibhar Hybrid K3

Backhand Rubber:Tibhar Quantum X Pro Pink

Alvaroâ€s a qualified ITTF Level 1 Coach who’s been playing Table Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked within the top 50 in his native Argentina. He loves to compete in provincial tournaments and is always looking for ways to improve. Alvaro made his favorite memories with a racket in hand, and he joined the RacketInsight team to share his passion with other players!

Blade: Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC | Forehand: Butterfly Dignics 09c | Backhand: Butterfly Tenergy 19
Playstyle: The Controller

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Whenever I tell my friends that my blade alone cost $180, they cannot believe it. “Thatâ€s so expensive for a piece of wood†is the common response.

Iâ€m from Argentina, and the average salary is only around $400-500 per month. My Fan Zhendong ALC blade costs virtually the same as buying food or renting an apartment for a month.

Table tennis isnâ€t a cheap sport when it comes to equipment, especially if you arenâ€t from a first-world country or a privileged background.

However, if you canâ€t or donâ€t want to spend so much on equipment, you can also build professional-grade rackets for as little as $30, and we have explained how to do so in our guide to saving money when buying table tennis equipment.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are players who want the best of the best out there. They can afford to pay for it, so they might as well get the most expensive equipment out there.

Weâ€ll reveal the cost of the most expensive table tennis blades and rubbers you can buy, and we will create the most expensive table tennis racket possible. Letâ€s begin!

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The Most Expensive Table Tennis Blade You Can Buy

It is wrongly believed that the Zhang Jike Super ZLC is the most expensive table tennis blade available at a retail price of USD $360. Whilst they are one of the best table tennis blades available, there are plenty of table tennis blades you can purchase for more than double that price.

Some blades more expensive than the Zhang Jike are:

The Darker Imperial Hinoki ($416).

This blade is made by Japanese premium manufacturer Darker. They are known for their kiso hinoki blades, and this one is made from 9mm of 400-year-old hinoki trees.

Source: Tabletennis11

Nittaku Eto Blade 2023 Usagi ($641).

This Nittaku blade is a limited edition blade, of which only 200 were produced. The blade itself is also made from hinoki but it features 2 carbon layers and has a handle made of carbon fiber, which drastically reduces the weight of the blade to just 75 grams. It also features premium artwork on the head of the blade and superb packaging.

Source: Tabletennis11

However, the most expensive new blade thatâ€s currently in production is neither a hinoki blade, nor is it from a super expensive, exclusive manufacturer. The most expensive blade is actually made by DHS.

When we think of DHS, we usually think of budget equipment, such as the DHS Hurricane 3 NEO, which is just $20-25.

DHS W968 ($900)

The most expensive table tennis blade you can purchase is the DHS W968 (Hurricane Long 5 National) at USD $900 (EUR 825).

This blade is so special because itâ€s the one Ma Long, the greatest player of all time uses. In fact, itâ€s custom built to suit his game perfectly.

You can purchase the commercial version, the Hurricane Long 5, which is around $160-170.

DHS often produce multiple versions of the same blade, with the most notable example being the Hurricane 3 NEO which has a ‘National†version. This allows them to build more premium versions designed for professional players.

Both blades feature the same composition, but the W968 has better materials and build quality. Ma Long actually uses the W968, so, if you want his exact blade, youâ€ll have to pay more than $800 for it.

However, the W968 is the most expensive blade thatâ€s currently in production. There are even more expensive blades in the second-hand market.

Butterfly Golden Viscaria ($1500)

One of the most sought-after blades in the second-hand market is the Butterfly Golden Viscaria.

The Golden Viscaria is just like a regular Butterfly Viscaria, but it has a golden tag instead of a silver one.

This is a regular Viscaria (which you can find new for around $200):

And this is a Golden Viscaria:

Source: Table Tennis Gan

These Golden Viscarias are the same composition as any regular Viscaria, but theyâ€re said to be heavier and more powerful. Most players on the Chinese National Team used golden Viscarias for a long time.

However, these golden tag Viscarias arenâ€t made anymore, so they can only be bought second-hand.

They are quite hard to find and theyâ€re really special blades, so their prices have shot up over time. Their prices can vary, but theyâ€re usually sold for between (USD) $1000 and $1500.

To sum up, the most expensive table tennis blade currently in production is the DHS W968 at $830, and the most expensive table tennis blade you can purchase second-hand is the Golden Viscaria at $1000-1500.

The World’s Most Expensive Table Tennis Rubbers You Can Buy

The most common misconception is believing that Tenergy rubbers are the most expensive at USD $80 each.

Tenergy rubbers are not even the most expensive Butterfly rubbers ever since the Dignics†release in 2020. Dignics rubbers are super expensive at USD $94 each, but even then, they arenâ€t the most expensive rubbers you can buy.

National Hurricane 3 ($100)

The most expensive table tennis rubbers widely available to purchase are actually made by DHS. These are the National Hurricane 3s. Blue sponge National Hurricane 3 NEOs are USD $100.

But not even these are the most expensive rubbers you can get.

The most expensive rubbers you can buy are indeed blue sponge National Hurricane 3s, but not the regular ones.

DHS released some special edition blue sponge National Hurricanes, the playerâ€s edition Hurricanes.

Ma Long National Hurricane 3 ($120)

You can currently get Ma Long and Fan Zhendongâ€s forehand rubbers for USD $120 each.

These are by far the most expensive rubbers available. However, you shouldnâ€t use them out of the package, or youâ€d be very disappointed.

The sponge hardness of Fan Zhendongâ€s rubber is a whopping 42 degrees (Chinese scale). Itâ€s well over 55 degrees on the ESN scale, maybe even over 60. If you donâ€t know what weâ€re talking about, hereâ€s a guide on how to understand rubber hardness in table tennis.

These rubbers have to be boosted in order to be used, otherwise, theyâ€d be nearly impossible to play with due to their hardness and low throw angle. Youâ€d need a swing speed even greater than Ma Long and Fan Zhendong!

They need to be boosted in order to soften them and give them speed and a higher throw angle. If you want to learn more about the boosting process, we have written a complete guide on how to boost table tennis rubbers.

For Chinese rubbers, most players recommend utilizing Haifu or Dianchi booster.

Supposedly, the top Chinese players utilize the Haifu National booster. You can grab a bottle of Haifu National booster for $50.

Now that we have our forehand rubber ready, itâ€s time for the backhand rubber.

Realistically, it wouldnâ€t be viable to utilize a 42 degrees rubber on the backhand side. It would be too hard.

Top Chinese players utilize either softer National Hurricanes on the backhand side, or Dignics 09c rubbers. Most non-Chinese professional players generally use Dignics rubbers or rubbers from the brand theyâ€re sponsored.

The most expensive backhand rubber that one could realistically use would be a 39-degree National Hurricane blue sponge ($100), also boosted.

The Most Expensive Table Tennis Racket

The most expensive table tennis racket would consist of:

• A Golden Viscaria blade ($1000-1500)
• Ma Long or Fan Zhendongâ€s Hurricane 3 forehand rubber ($120),
• A National Hurricane rubber ($100) on the backhand side.
• Both rubbers should be boosted for optimal results ($50).

The total cost comes out at anywhere between $1270-1770, depending on how much we paid for our Golden Viscaria and including a bottle of Haifu National booster. We didnâ€t include the price of the glue.

If you wanted to buy everything new, then the most expensive table tennis racket would be a DHS W968 with the same rubbers. (Ma Long or Fan Zhendongâ€s forehand rubber, and a softer National Hurricane rubber on the backhand side – both boosted)

The total cost of this setup would be $1030 including a bottle of Haifu National booster and without taking into account the price of the glue.

Conclusion and our opinion

If you asked me, most players wouldnâ€t benefit from utilizing these rackets, as you should choose your racket according to your level and your playing style.

To that end, we have written guides on how to choose the right blade and the ideal rubbers for your level and style of play.

The most expensive rackets we built would be the perfect rackets for a top-level Chinese attacker, but itâ€s just the perfect racket for those players and those players alone.

We recommend informing yourself about the subject of blades and rubbers, asking your coach, and trying out different rackets to determine which ones suit you the most.

Many times, players will splurge on very expensive equipment, only to find out that a heftier price tag doesnâ€t mean the product is inherently better.

What matters is how you perform with the equipment and not its theoretical capabilities, so make sure to set aside a budget and choose something that suits your needs.

Alvaroâ€s a qualified ITTF Level 1 Coach who’s been playing Table Tennis since he was 15 and is now ranked within the top 50 in his native Argentina. He loves to compete in provincial tournaments and is always looking for ways to improve. Alvaro made his favorite memories with a racket in hand, and he joined the RacketInsight team to share his passion with other players!

Blade: Butterfly Fan Zhendong ALC | Forehand: Butterfly Dignics 09c | Backhand: Butterfly Tenergy 19
Playstyle: The Controller

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