Best ping pong balls for beer pong

You might have never thought of having the very high quality of Ping Pong Ball and the effect it could have on your game, isn’t it?  Lately, I had this awareness about choosing the right ball for the game for quality and safety, and so I decided to share my personal experience here!

Before sharing my experience, i was surprised that some ping pong balls can be used as beer pong as well!

Can you imagine the surprise if you just see your ping pong ball burning right in front of you? Yes it really does happen!!!

I don’t remember the exact time; probably three months back I was just disposing of my backyard trash in a large drum and took off some stuff from my store. All of a sudden, I got a burning smell of grass and other plastic-type material.

There are tons of products on the market. Let’s have a look at this comparison table to get out the confusion and make better buying decisions.

Product	Main Feature	Weight	Price
1. Butterfly A40+ 3 Star	Approved ITTF & USTTA	1 lb	Check Price
2. Killerspin 4-Star	ABS Plastic	0.8 oZ	Check Price
3. Xushaofa	Poly Plastic Material	1.6 oZ	Check Price
4. Nittaku 3-Star	Official Liebherr Ball	1.4 oZ	Check Price
5. JOOLA Magic	Light Weight	1.3 lb	Check Price
6. Stiga 3-Star	Tennis Ball for Tournament Play	--	Check Price
7. DHS 3 star ping pong balls	40+ ITTF Approved	0.6 oZ	Check Price

I got seriously panicked (don’t ever do that) as I remembered to burn only some old newspapers and magazines! I rushed back to my backyard and saw my old ping pong balls on fire.

I mistakenly threw the ignited match stick on the box of those ping pong balls and the fact watching them on fire left me clueless that how on earth ping pong balls can catch fire?

And this situation left me totally confused about the ping ball collection and their quality!

I just put the fire off right away with cold water, still stood there and wondered why! Even though I had a suspicion about the quality and age of those ping pong balls because they were there with me since my childhood!

When I did some research I came across hundreds of reasons for this fire but this experience gave me a broader perspective on how to and which ping pong ball to purchase which I am going to discuss later in this article in detail!

Also I came across news that it’s official as of 1st july 2015 that ITTF has replaced all celluloid balls with non celluloid plastic ping pong balls (Yes it was such a relief to know that).

But first things first, I would really like you guys not to experiment this at home!

Best ping pong balls for beer pong

1. Butterfly A40+ 3 Star 

Butterfly A40+ 3 Star Table Tennis Balls are designed with a very first-class Polystyrene material different from conventional celluloid balls that makes them durable, rough and tough and very eco friendly which is a first requirement of ping pong game.

They are available in clear white color making them distinctive during the game.

These ping pong balls have just the right kind of roundness and are fully seamless. Each ball has an ideal bounce and spinning feature, which is appreciated by many ping pong players. Also, they never get a dent when used in aggressive game plays.

High-quality plastic balls weighs about 4.54 Grams only are offered in a pack of 12 with affordable price that last up to 03 to 06 months based on the usage rate.

The only downside of this ball is that it’s hard to use for non professional players!

2. Killerspin 4-Star

The durability of this ping pong is insane! Yes it really has a crazy durability. The only way you can lose it if it actually gets lost. Each of the Killerspin ball is tested against the uppermost standards of classic quality and optimal performance.

It’s also fulfills the international standards scales and is made up of non inflammable ABS plastic, with 40mm size.

The net weight of this ball is quite ideal which is around just 22.7 Grams. It is perfect for players on different levels! Also it comes with a 30-days warranty from the manufacturer. They have a good bounce and spin amazingly defined.

The negative aspect of this ping pong ball is only is cost which in fact is not a bitter trade if you are getting the utmost satisfaction in your game.

3. Xushaofa

The bouncing feature of these Xushaofa ping pong balls is better than ABS made ping pong balls. They bounce a bit longer than ABS balls. XSF are tough and last longer than its competitors.

The ball is comparatively lighter which is about 2.6gms only and offers medium to fast ball speed with a very balanced amount of some extra spinning.

However, the only thing to bring into your notice is that Xushaofa ping pong balls cracks up more often if the player strikes the ball with blade edge when weighted against those ABS ping pong balls. However it you use rubber strokes than they last for at least 6-7 matches.

It is offered in quite a variety of packages like pack of 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 144. Also to mention that these eco friendly ping pong balls are approved by ITTF and USATT for global and national level ping pong competitions.

4. Nittaku 3-Star

One of the most discussed problems with non celluloid balls is that they are not as hard as the previous models, but this ping pong ball particularly matches with the hardness of celluloid ping pong balls with slight slow as compared to the older celluloid ping pong balls.

Nittaku 3-Star Ping Pong Balls are absolutely seamless and offer the players with top quality of bounce which these balls to offer top quality bounce and they can handle hard batters with ease.

The material used to make the balls ensure that you have ultimate control over the ball and where it will land giving you the opportunity to hone your skills and play more like a pro with these balls from Nittaku.

5. JOOLA Magic

JOOLA Magic Training Ping Pong Ball are comparatively light weight than its competitors, offers an average fast speed with a medium level of spin.

These ping pong balls are fairly balanced. These super visible ping pong balls are pro-grade balls that are rated at two-star ITTF quality and with completely seamless design for producing a steady ball bounce. They are a perfect match for an interrupted practicing session for intermediates or for the players practicing with ping pong robots.

6. Stiga 3-Star

Stiga 3-Star Ping Pong Ball comes under the family of very famous sports brand Stiga. As these ping pong balls are rated 3 so they are also ideal for tournament matches.

These orange and white color balls makes their visibility with the balanced ball control and increased level of ball bounce and with a of 40mm makes them fully globally standard aligned.

These ping pong balls are made up of completely celluloid free formula i.e. poly 40+ plastic material. It is recommended for practicing shots and players at all levels.

The only thing that usually holds back the users is the pack of 6 balls is usually considered not very pocket friendly options as compared to other ping pong balls available in the same price.

7. DHS 3 star ping pong balls

These ping pong balls are made up of hard plastic and were also the official playing ball of the World Games 2014-2017.  DHS 3 star 40+ Ping Pong Ball 3 star ping pong balls are known as the vibrant orange ping pong balls for worldwide ping pong competitions as its really easy to pick.

The seamless nature of these ping pong balls adds a very balanced bounce each shot of the player.

The upside of this ping pong ball is its price and solid surface. It’s very affordable plus offered by one of the reputable sports brands as it is considerably much less expensive than Nittaku ping pong balls

First, let’s review the physical properties.

Ball diameter

As per defined standards the diameter of the ping pong ball should be around 40mm and the average diameter of the sample should range somewhere between 39.5 to 40.4mm

Ball weight

The ideal ball weight should be between the range of 2.67 2.77 grams and the average sample weight should be between 2.69 to 2.76 grams

Ball shape

The ping pong ball should always be perfectly round and the ball spherical shape is identified by measuring the difference between the minimum and maximum ball diameter. The defined measurement for two types of ping pong balls is <.35mm for celluloid balls and <.25mm for non celluloid balls.

Ping pong balls should not bend:

As per the ITTF standards the ping pong balls should never veer i.e. bend and it is also another measurement of ball roundness. The ball bending property is evaluated by gently sloping down the ball down a small inclination and measuring whether it rolls straight down or move from the straight path line.

Bouncing of a ping pong ball:

Another very important feature is consistency is ball bounce. It is tested by making them fall off from a height of 305 mm on a steel block and see if they bounce back to an approximate height of 240 to 260 mm.

Check for the consistent hardness:

Ping pong balls should be having a very uniform stiffness. This is actually tested on an automatic machine where these ping pong balls are hard-pressed with a pin with some force, after which the harness property is measured.

Additionally, these ping pong balls are checked and evaluated on the poles plus on the seam for checking on the whole hardness.

How to check for the Ping Pong Surface properties?

The balls must have some visible color i.s. white or orange with no shine and must be matt always

There should also be a manufacturer’s stamp on the ball and placement of the stamp should not be overlapping ITTF stamp as the stamp size, positioning are comprehensively discussed by ITTF.

Always check the data code mentioning 40+ or 40, 40 mm on the ball pack. As 40+ refers to non celluloid ball and 40mm or 40 refer to celluloid balls.

Ball Star Rating

According to ITTF ping pong balls should not use a star rating greater than 03. For a catalog  that consists of a list of all the ping pong balls that are presently standardized by the ITTF, it’s really helpful to verify from their website. The approval list is updated every six months on a continuous basis, so that an old ping pong ball having an ITTF stamp may not be considered valid.

By comparing multiple ping pong balls currently available on the market, you can note that they all of them mostly have a star rating, which usually ranges from 01 to 03 stars. As per this rating mechanism, a 3 star ping pong ball means the fittest quality and usually for professional level playing and a 1 star refers to a bit low as per quality and usually for beginners.

1. One-star ping pong balls are usually a bit soft and perfect for recreational playing
2. Two-star ping pong balls offer an average quality and usually are a bit harder as compared to a one-star ping pong ball. These are a perfect match for practicing sessions, improvers and feeding ping pong training robots.
3. 3 star ping pong balls are known to offer maximum quality and harness. This is for serious players on professional level and is accepted by ITTF for tournaments.

However you should also know that practice or training ping pong balls usually don’t come with a star rating system. These ping pong balls are safe for kids, newbie’s or beginners who have just started practicing ping pong game.

As 1 star ones are not considered long lasting and can veer during intense ping pong games. Additionally, Novelty balls also normally comes without a defined star rating. As an alternative, they are rated from pliable to very solid, and from time to time you will get a varied array in a ping pong ball pack.

If you’re someone who is just working on some practicing shots and multiple drills like spins, serves and smashes then you can bring some two star training ping pong balls or can even try a bulk pack of three for economical choice.

Concluding Thoughts

So guys, you have been looking for a platform where you want to look at specifications as well as a price list,  I hope this article addresses all your concerns for buying an ideal ping pong ball.

As a matter of fact, it’s always a safer choice and a wise idea to verify first the authentic website photos by manufacturers and recent customer reviews because there are several fake versions and cheap imitation of ping pong balls available in the market which are sold for the exact equal prices as real ones.

However, users end up complaining in their reviews about these imitations that turns out to be of down quality in terms of original color, stamp positioning, play life, and veering characteristics. So always play it safe when it comes to a sporty purchase!