Like in every sport, in table tennis practice is the key to success. And for that, you always need a practice partner. But in reality, it is not always possible to find a good partner in your convenient time slot. Also, in clubs or academies, there is a time constraint for practice. To overcome this constraint, you need a ping pong robot that not only acts as a tireless practice partner but also trains you for the development of skills to reach higher destinations in your table tennis journey.
In the market, a large number of ping pong robots of many brands are available in different price ranges which makes it hard to find the right one for you. In this article, the 7 best ping pong robots are being reviewed for your best selection to assure the performance to your satisfaction.
Benefits of a Ping Pong Training Robot
- Your 24×7 training partner
- Practice as per your convenient schedule
- Develop your footwork
- Build consistency and accuracy
- Sharpen your skills
- Boost your confidence
- Builds stamina, muscle power, and hand-eye coordination
The downside is the predictability of a training robot. It is not capable to disguise you with the variation and amount of spin.
Buying Guide of a Ping Pong Robot
You should select a table tennis training machine best on the following considerations.
Playing Level
Your level of playing determines the types of robots you should look for buying. If you are a beginner, you may look for a machine with simple settings of topspin and backspin to upgrade your skills to the next level.
For intermediate and advanced players, there are high-end robots that are multiple options like spin, speed, frequency, and side-by-side movement. There are also programmable training machines that set up drills according to tour needs.
Functionalities
The main selection criteria of a training machine are the coverage of functions like:
- Ball Holding capacity
- Ball feeding limits
- Types of spins
- Ball placement
- Trajectory
- Battery-operated or electrically driven
- Wired or wireless remote
- Programmable or not
- Analog or digital
- Memory capacity
- Accessories, like ball recycling net, and ping pong balls.
Price
The price also has a huge impact on the final selection. Ping pong robots cost nearly $100 to $2000. You should optimize by careful selection with your requirements and budget.
Best Ping Pong Robot: Quick Comparison
Rank | Name | Programmable | Balls/ Minute | Weight |
1 | Power Pong Omega | Yes, Digital | 5 -120 | 20.2 lbs |
2 | Butterfly Amicus | Yes, Digital | 5 -120 | 20 lbs |
3 | Robo-Pong 2040+ | No | 26 – 94 | 24.2 lbs |
4 | iPong Trainer Motion | No | 30 – 70 | 2.5 lbs |
5 | Practice Partner | No | 25 – 80 | 12 lbs |
6 | iPong V300 | No | 30 – 70 | 2.5 lbs |
7 | iPong Original | No | 12 – 70 | 2.5 lbs |
iPong Original
iPong Original is a good ping pong ball launcher for beginners who wants to develop basic skills with the simplest configurations. You can set this training machine at an angle anywhere on the table to drill against the topspin and backspin. The wired remote has options to vary ball frequency and degrees of spins to set up challenges in your practice drills.
Best Features
- Ball holding capacity: 110
- Ball throwing rate: 12 to 70 balls/ minute
- Both topspin and backspin
- Easy to set on the table
- Compatible with all standard-sized table
- Suitable for both 40 mm and 40+ balls
- Weight: 2.5 lbs
Pros
- Lightweight and portable
- Easy to assembly and use
- Good for beginners
- One-year limited manufacturer’s warranty
Cons
- No provision for oscillation
- The occasional occurrence of ball jamming
iPong V300
The iPong V300 is a simple and portable ping pong robot from the renowned brand JOOLA that can be your perfect practice partner to develop your skills to the next level. You can set any kind of practice drill with the help of a wireless remote and save it in memory mode.
You have the option to increase/ decrease the amount of spin (Topspin, backspin), frequency, and side-by-side head movement within a limit from 1 to 8. In that way, you can easily set different types of practice drills, like 7465 [7 (Frequency), 4 (Oscillation), 6 (Topspin), 5 (Backspin)].
JOOLA iPong V300 consists of three main sections. After opening the package, you only have to attach the upper and lower portions with the middle one and you are done. Then just attach the batteries with the remote and you are all set to enjoy your new playing partner, the iPong V300.
Best Features
- Ball capacity: 100+
- Ball Frequency: 30-70 balls/ minute
- 4 attributes (Frequency, topspin, backspin, Oscillation)
- Wide ranges of practice schedule
- Digital display to judge the amount of ball speed and spin
- Wireless remote
- One year warranty
Pros
- Simple and effective
- Covers all levels of players
- Portable and easy to assemble
- Easy to set and operate
- Reasonable priced
Cons
- There is an issue of ball jamming on rear occasions
iPong Trainer Motion
The iPong Trainer motion is an improved version of the JOOLA V300 with better performance due to enhancement in the quality of the motor and gear parts. This portable, multi-purpose yet affordable, easy-to-set, and operate ping pong training robot will give all functionalities to keep you busy with your training schedule.
Best Features
- Ball capacity: 100+
- Ball Frequency: 30-70 balls/ minute
- Quick assembly
- Wireless remote
- Topspin/ Heavy topspin/ Backspin/ No-spin
- Spin settings according to your requirements
- Side-by-side oscillation to improve your footwork
- Includes 80 ping pong balls and a telescoping ball pick-up net
Pros
- It covers all features to develop[e your table tennis skills.
- Powerful yet affordable
- Easy to handle
- Made with long-lasting materials
- One year warranty
Cons
- The ball entry hole and the agitator round hole should not be in the same alignment at the time of entering the balls.
Practice Partner 20
The Practice Partner 20 is a good table tennis training machine to make you an expert in push, drive, and loop. This robot may cost nearly double of iPong Trainer Motion but in terms of functionalities, it has more coverage than the Trainer Motion robot.
- The ball holding capacity is 200 balls.
- It throws balls to react after 2 bounces (Serve) or 1 bounce (Return).
- The ball-throwing unit is made with high-quality material for better ball stabilization and placement.
- Practice Partner 20 has options for topspin, backspin, and sidespin.
- The speed of the ball can vary within a limit from 1 to 10.
- Also, the frequency of ball feeding has changeable options of 1 to 10 (25 to 80 balls/ minute)
- The head oscillation can be set for coverage of ¼, ½, ¾, or the full area of the table.
- Weight: 12 lbs
Pros
- Easy control panel for better understanding
- Easy and quick setup
- High ball holding capacity
- High capacity for spin generation
- Due to better construction, little maintenance is required.
- Sturdily built and durable
- One year warranty
Cons
- Wired remote control
Newgy Robo-Pong 2040+
If you want a mid-range ping pong training robot with great features except for the programable digital control, Newgy Robo-Pong 2040+ is a very good option for you. Instead of digital control, there is an analog control that eases the control for ball speed, spin, and frequency. This eagle-eye Robo-Pong helps you to master against serve, loop, push counter, lob, and chop.
Best Features
- Ball holding capacity: 120+
- Ball feeding function: 26 – 94 balls per minute
- Compatible with both plastic and celluloid balls
- Fits all standard table tennis table
- Numerous combinations of spins amalgamated with topspin, backspin, left and right sidespins
- Head angle adjustments to change the trajectory of a ball
- Weight: 24.2 lbs
Pros
- No assembly and easy to set up
- Easy to use
- Multi-functional
- Reliable and user-friendly
- Includes recycling net
- 1-year warranty
- 30 days money-back guarantee
Cons
- No digital support
- Slightly high price
Butterfly Amicus Prime
Butterfly Amicus Prime, the top model of the Amicus series, is a very advanced training robot specifically designed for expert players. It is a multifunctional training machine that is controlled by the installed Amicus app via Bluetooth making it very sophisticated and user-friendly.
This robot includes every programmable training that you can imagine in your table tennis dictionary. It can do topspin, backspin, left sidespin, right sidespin, and no spin with variable degrees i.e. 7 for topspin, 5 for backspin, and 6 for the right and left sidespin respectively. You can program each drill up to 10 shots where you have the option to vary the spin type, amount of spin, speed, trajectory, timing, and placement of the ball in each shot. A pre-scheduled practice may consist of up to 21 programmable drills where you also have the options for sequencing which may be random, pre-selected, or automatic.
Amicus app software deals with improved interactive programs which can be updated regularly. The pre-saved drills set by professional players and coaches are a great collection to raise your table tennis standard to a high level.
Though the price of this training robot is very high, with an unimaginable number of quality features, this modern, hi-tech Amicus Prime can easily stand on the list of the best ping pong robots.
Pros
- Wireless connection via Bluetooth
- Better control through the app with regular updates
- Covers all types of spins, i.e. topspin, backspin, no spin, left and right sidespin
- Options to set numerous numbers of different drills
- Mirror drills for opposite-handed players
- Unlimited memory ( 6 Gb with the included tablet with an option for Micro SD extension)
- Introduction of cycle function for the interval between two practice seasons
- Perfect for footwork development
- Includes ball recycling catch net, 120 ping pong balls, a tablet, and a carrying bag
- 3 years warranty
Cons
- High price
- Not suitable for beginners
Power Pong Omega Ping Pong Robot
Power Pong Omega has almost similar functionalities to Amicus Prime with slight differences. Also, Power Pong Omega has options both for the physical control panel and a tablet for wireless Bluetooth connectivity support.
Some of the important features of the Power Pong training robot are
- Feeding capacity: 5 to 120 balls per minute (Similar to Amicus Prime)
- Ball speed range: 1 to 25 (Similar to Amicus Prime)
- Pre-programmed drills: 40 (21 for Amicus Prime)
- Grouping drills together: Yes (Similar to Amicus Prime)
- Spin settings: Topspin- 1 to 7, Backspin- 1 to 5, Sidespin- 1 to 6 (Similar to Amicus Prime)
- Frequency Control: Yes (Similar to Amicus Prime)
- Mini remote control to start, stop and change ball frequency (Similar to Amicus Prime)
- Balls included: 100 (120 for Amicus Prime)
- Ball recycling catch net: Yes, included (Similar to Amicus Prime)
- 3 years warranty (Similar to Amicus Prime)
Pros
- Programmable robot for easy control
- Bluetooth connectivity support
- Physical control panel for easy access
- Option to set large numbers of pre-programmed drills
- The ball trajectory is automatically calculated for a given speed, spin, and placement
- Customization of drills with huge options
- versatile
Cons
- High price
- Suitable for advanced players
Also check: Power Pong Omega with tablet (without control box)
Best Ping Pong Robot Brands
Table tennis robots are costly machines, you have to spend lots of money to buy training machines. So, brand selection plays an important role in better selection for your satisfaction.
For a limited budget, iPong from JOOLA is definitely the best brand with many options, starting from iPong Play to iPong Trainer Motion, according to your playing level in different price segments.
For higher price ranges, Robo-Pong, Power Pong, and Butterfly are the best bet for a good quality ping pong robot.
Summary
To summarize the post, here is the final conclusion:
Best Overall Ping Pong Robot: With lots of advanced features, more functions, and user-friendliness, Power Pong Omega is slightly above Butterfly Amicus for being the best overall training robot.
Best Table Tennis Robot for Beginners: It is the iPong Trainer Motion. With a limited budget, it is certainly the top choice for a smoother, consistent performer.
I have tried hard to depict the picture to ease your selection. If you have any questions, let me know by entering your quarries in the comment box below.
Thank you for continuing till the end.
Related Post: “The 7 Useful Ways to Practice Table Tennis Alone“