There’s no denying that table tennis robots are exceptional pieces of kit. They are perfect for developing your skills provided you use them the right way. That’s right, you can’t solely sink hundreds of hours into using them and become Ma Long. It just doesn’t work that way.
In this post, I’m going to break down everything I know about robots to help you determine whether you should purchase one or not. Of course, this will include picking out the best robots available. There are tonnes to choose from and they vary wildly in price.
Practice Partner 20
Paddle Palace A32W
Power Pong Alpha+
Paddle Palace H2W Touch Pro
Butterfly Amicus Expert
Power Pong Omega
Butterfly Amicus Prime
First things first. What is a table tennis robot? A table tennis robot is an automatic ping pong machine that replicates the shots of a playing partner.
It stands in their place and fires balls your way for you to strike. Depending on the quality of the robot you buy, you get more flexibility over the balls it can feed you. Factors such as spin, speed, and placement all vary, meaning robots do an okay job at imitating a playing partner.
Capacity: >100
Frequency: 30-70 per minute
Speed: Not listed
Spin: Topspin and backspin
Controls: Wireless remote
Position: On the table
As the cheapest ping pong ball machine on this list, the IPONG V300 comes with pretty basic features, albeit it does have more features than I expected.
You can adjust both topspin and backspin with the V300. In fact, it even supports heavy backspin which is a plus. There is, however, no sidespin to speak of. Although I doubt many players would have made much use of this function anyway.
In terms of frequency, you can vary the feeds from 30 to 70 balls per minute. This is perfect for a beginner, you really don’t need anything faster. The robot also has side-to-side oscillation which means you can work on your footwork.
Noteworthy features include a wireless remote control which is super handy and a memory function that allows the IPONG V300 to save your drills. I’m surprised to see both of these features on such an inexpensive robot.
If you want to want to get your hands on a few extras you can purchase the IPONG V300 bundle. It includes a catch net and 72 balls.
Essentially, the IPONG V300 is like the newer IPONG Trainer Motion minus the extras. No balls or catch net included which helps keep it cheap for players on very limited budgets.
Capacity: 200
Frequency: 35-80 per minute
Speed: 4-40 m/s
Spin: All spin
Controls: Wired remote
Position: Clips to the table
The Suz S201 represents pretty good value for an entry-level robot. You can see that it has an additional 100 ball capacity on the IPONG V300 and it includes a full 200 balls. Unfortunately, these balls are not the best quality, but if you’re a beginner they should be fine to get you started.
The Suz table tennis robot is also capable of producing all types of spin, not just topspin and backspin. So if you want to be fed trickier balls such as backspin-sidespin the Suz S201 has you covered. What’s more, the head also has an adjustable tilt. This means it can feed you two bounce balls to replicate serves making it an authentic ping pong service machine.
Like the IPONG V300, it uses a remote for operation, but rather than wireless, this one is wired. It does, however, clip to the side of the table for convenience. It’s just a shame it uses a cheap plastic clip, so it may well not fit your table.
Capacity: 200
Frequency: 30-90 per minute
Speed: 4-40 m/s
Spin: All spin
Controls: Wired remote
Position: Clips to the table
Next up we have the ZXMOTO ping pong machine. If you look closely, you’ll notice that it very closely resembles the Suz S201 robot. Its features are also almost identical. I imagine these were made in the same factory and sold under different brand names.
Even the remotes are identical with different branding. So which one would I choose? I’d probably go for the ZXMOTO for three reasons. The first is that it has been around for longer and has slightly more positive reviews. Secondly, the listing suggests you get 300 balls rather than 200.
And thirdly, the ZXMOTO supposedly has a wider feeding frequency at 30-90 p/min, as opposed to 35-80. Although I’m not entirely convinced that they are actually any different.
Capacity: 200
Frequency: 25-80 per minute
Speed: 9 settings
Spin: All spin
Controls: Wired remote
Position: On the table
As our final entry-level ping pong robot machine, we have the Practice Partner 20. It’s fairly similar to the other models discussed thus far. It can fire anywhere from 25-80 balls per minute with a storage capacity of 200 balls.
It also has 9-speed settings and decent oscillation to get you moving around the table. The main reason I’m not particularly a fan of this robot is the fact that it doesn’t support a catch net for re-feeding. Most other robots draw up balls from the bottom to fire, whereas the Practise Partner 20 uses gravity instead.
This means it not only doesn’t include a catch net, but you can’t even buy one separately for the purpose of recycling your balls — only to prevent them from going all over the floor.
As such, your robot training will be more stop-start with the Practice Partner 20 compared with most other robots.
Capacity: 120+
Frequency: 1-170 per minute
Speed: 80 mph
Spin: All spin
Controls: Wired remote
Position: Clips the table
The Newgy 2055 represents a serious upgrade on the beginner table tennis machines, so even if you’re only a beginner, it may well be worth investing in a robot such as the Newgy 2055 for future-proofing.
Formerly known as the Robo-Pong Digital, the Newgy 2055 is an excellent table tennis robot. And it really should be, given that robots are Newgy’s main specialty unlike the other brands on this list.
Gosh, where do I start with this robot? It has pretty much everything you need — even for an advanced player like me. It outshines the entry-level models clearly in terms of oscillation and frequency. With 21 oscillator positions, and speeds up to 170 balls per minute, you’re able to have far more intense sessions.
It also marks the first robot with serious drill training. The Newgy 2055 comes with 64 pre-programmed drills (pick up your jaws off the floor), and if this wasn’t enough, you can even make your own! To get truly creative, you can use the included software to create, save and share drills via USB.
The final quality I want to mention is its randomness feature. This is a highly sought-after feature. Robots’ inherent weakness is their predictability, so having a random mode negates this. I really can’t say enough good things about this robot. If you have the extra funds it is well worth buying this model as opposed to one of the entry-level table tennis ball machines.
Capacity: 100
Frequency: Not listed
Speed: 100 mph
Spin: All spin
Controls: Wired remote
Position: Freestanding
The Paddle palace A32W is another great ping pong practice machine, although I don’t rate it quite as highly as the Newgy 2055. Its oscillation is a little on the limited side, there’s also no pre-programmed drill or randomness function, so no marks there.
The main quality going for it is its throw wheels, of which there are two. Most robots including the Newgy 2055 have just one. The advantage of more throw wheels is greater spin capabilities as each wheel has its own independent motor. The A32W also has a slight speed advantage on the 2055, offering a max pace of 100 mph compared to 80 mph.
In terms of ball capacity, you can fit 100 balls which is a little low for a mid-range robot. And when you buy you get 120 balls included with the robot which is great. Just a bit weird you can’t fit them all in!
Capacity: Not listed
Frequency: 5-100 per minute
Speed: 19 speed settings
Spin: All spin
Controls: Control box with mini remote
Position: Clips to the table
Scraping into mid-range we have the Power Pong Alpha which is far more expensive than the other two mid-range offerings. It is easily the most advanced robot thus far and is packed full of features.
Where it really shines is the drill department. It comes pre-programmed with 12 drills, and you can edit or delete these if you choose. You get another 22 memory slots to create new drills. To me, this is more than virtually anyone can need.
The Power Pong Alpha also has a tonne of customization. You can edit the independent characteristics of up to 6 balls on every drill before they begin to loop. Again, I feel this is plenty. And being able to change everything about the shot is a really powerful feature.
The only caveat here is that the Power Pong Alpha cannot produce extreme spin like the more expensive Power Pong models such as the Beta, and Delta. Once more, I don’t see this to be much of an issue.
If you can stomach the hefty price tag, it’s a great buy, and try not to get too blown away by the price, we’ve got a long way to go from here!
Capacity: Not listed
Frequency: Not listed
Speed: Up to 110 mph
Spin: All spin
Controls: LCD touch screen
Position: Freestanding
The H2W Touch Pro is the most advanced robot that Paddle Palace makes. Equipped with 30 pre-programmed drills you are spoilt for choice. You also get 9 extra memory slots to create your own. That’s 5 extra slots than the Power Pong Alpha. A little overkill if you ask me!
You get a lot of placement variation with this robot. There are a total of 22 landing spots. And you also get to customize up to 9 balls per drill, that’s 3 more than the Power Pong Alpha. The presence of two throw wheels also gives you plenty of spin control to adapt drills to your specific needs.
Included with the robot is a catch net and 120 Nittaku J-Top training balls. Unfortunately, Paddle Palace does not specify the robot’s capacity, but I suspect it is at least the same as the A32W which holds 100 balls.
A drawback to this model is the limited service function. Unfortunately, you can’t program a serve and normal shots in the same sequence. This is somewhat odd as the model down, the A32W, has this ability.
The randomization feature also has a caveat. It’s not truly random. Rather, you have to select “sequences in random”. This causes the robot to randomly cycle through the 39 sequences which is plenty random enough in my eyes.
Capacity: Not listed
Frequency: 1-100 balls per minute
Speed: 25 speed settings
Spin: All spin
Controls: Wired control box and mini remote
Position: Clips to the table
You know how earlier I was saying that 39 total programmable slots is a bit overkill, well the Amicus Expert has a total of 119. Truly insane! 20 are pre-programmed and 99 are memory slots — I can’t see anyone ever using all of these.
Each drill allows you to customize up to 7 individual balls which is plenty. However, I should note that this is less than the Paddle palace H2W which offers 9, but who is counting eh?
The Amicus Expert does, however, have the best randomization feature we have seen thus far. Not only does the robot feed you totally random balls, but also, you can adjust the feed delay to add even more uncertainty to your training.
Capacity: Not listed
Frequency: 5-120 balls per minute
Speed: 25 speed settings
Spin: All spin (+extreme spin)
Controls: Mini remote, and tablet using app
Position: Clips to table
The Power Pong Omega is a beast of a robot, only falling slightly behind the Amicus Prime in terms of functionality. It comes with 40 pre-programmed drills but has a near-unlimited memory as you have 6GB of storage to play with.
Each of these drills are easily edited using the tablet and app. You could even use your phone if you wish. Simply drag the balls using the touch-screen to where you want them to land, and use the slider to alter the ball’s characteristics.
You can customize up to 8 balls per drill, and when you are done you can even share the drill via the app which is pretty neat. You’ll have to have friends who also have a Power Pong Omega though which will be difficult!
Another handy quality of the Power Pong Omega is that you don’t have to use trial and error to adjust the ball’s trajectory like other apps. The app automatically adjusts this for you based on the spin, speed, and placement.
Finally, this is the first robot discussed thus far that has a mirror drill feature. This saves you time if you have a lefty who wants to use your drills (assuming you’re a righty).
Capacity: Not listed
Frequency: 5-120 balls per minute
Speed: 25 speed settings
Spin: All spin (+extreme spin)
Controls: Mini remote, and tablet using app
Position: Clips to table
The Amicus Prime table tennis robot is the most expensive and most advanced robot on this list. It only differs in a few areas from the Power Pong Omega but represents a notable upgrade on the Amicus Expert.
Like the Power pong Omega, it has nearly an unlimited amount of drills due to a 6GB storage capacity. However, unlike the Power Pong Omega, you can program up to 10 balls per drill sequence. This is 2 more balls than its competitor and 3 more than the Amicus Expert.
You also get an extra spin setting for each type of spin compared to the Amicus Expert, as well as superior randomization — there are 3 types of scatter on the Expert and 7 with the Prime.
Besides the 2 more programmable balls per sequence, there really isn’t much to separate this robot and the Power Pong Omega. If you want the best, one of these two robots is the one to buy.
A catch net acts not only as a barrier to stop balls from going all over the place, but it also funnels them back into the robot for re-use. This means you don’t need to refill your robot anywhere near as regularly compared with not having one.
Most robots come with a catch net included, but more basic models might not.
Some models also cycle balls from the top rather than the bottom. This means you won’t automatically be able to recycle the balls and keep playing using a catch net. Rather, it just prevents most of your balls from going on the floor.
Lots of robots come with balls included but some come with none at all.
But even if your robot comes with say 100 balls, it can’t hurt to have more. I would recommend buying a bulk lot of training balls to save money rather than purchasing a load of high-quality 3-star balls.
JOOLA currently has a cracking deal for 120 Advanced Training balls which works out as less than $0.25 per ball. You really can’t beat that.
Even if you use a catch net, balls will still end up all over the floor, and you need to pick these suckers up. It’s a tedious and annoying task, so save your back and your sweet time.
A pickup net doesn’t cost all that much, and I found it invaluable during periods when I did multi-ball training.
I don’t even have to be speaking to you to know that a lot of you are probably thinking well why don’t I just play with an actual person?
It’s a common thought. But the fact is that robots can sometimes provide benefits that a training partner just won’t bring to the table.
One of the main benefits of robots is unlike players, they don’t get bored or tired.
If I had a penny for every time my training partner moaned and complained about wanting to go back to free-play, or simply go home, I would be a rich man!
With a robot the action rarely stops, it’s basically like multi-ball training on repeat. And for any of you who have done multi-ball you know just how tough and effective it can be.
Even if you’re training drills with a skilled player you always want them to be that little bit extra consistent. For me, it’s the feeds to my backhand. I struggle to drill backhand loops when I’m moved around too much, and my training partners never keep the ball in the same place. And I can hardly blame them, returning loops to the same spot each time is tough!
Robots are not susceptible to this flaw. You can easily have a robot feed you balls more or less to the exact same position. This really allows you to focus on developing excellent technique, and through repetition, it enters your muscle memory.
This differs depending on the robot, but most give you decent control over the fundamentals such as spin, speed, and placement. This gives you what you need to focus on specific elements of your game that you want to work on.
Practicing pushes and deceptive flicks? You’re all set.
Drilling forehand loops from anywhere on the table? Just say the word.
Remember. With robots, it’s all me time. There’s no partner to whom you have to spend 50% of your time catering towards.
In my opinion, the biggest pitfall of robots is their lack of randomization. Most robots follow pre-set criteria to feed you the ball. This means you always know where the ball is going to land and this is bad.
In a match, you never know where the ball is going to land before your opponent strikes it. Therefore robots are not very good at emulating match-play. Of course, this is not reason enough not to purchase one.
It just means you need to balance robot training with free-play from real players. This way you shape yourself into the best player that you can be.
While robots are great for beginners, they don’t do anything to help you to learn how to hit the ball. As such, you need to have an understanding of the correct technique.
There are many ways to achieve this. You have websites like mine which break down key shots. You also have tutorial videos on YouTube which are pretty great, and finally, you have the option of coaching.
If it helps at all, I mostly learned how to play by watching professionals which is free on YouTube. Top tip, you can slow down videos to 0.5 speed or less to better break down the mechanics of each stroke.
Robots come in a range of prices, but nothing beats free. And that’s what a training partner costs. So you should weigh up how keen you are to get a competitive edge over other players. If you’re driven, a robot is a great buy.
Frequency: The rate at which ping pong robots can fire balls. Entry-level robots can go up to around 80 balls per minute whereas top-range bots can push this to about 120!
Placement: Cheaper robots sometimes have just two locations where they can feed balls. With a higher budget, you can afford robots that have a multitude of positions that they can feed the balls to.
Speed: By adjusting the speed dial you can determine how fast the balls come at you. Basic ping pong machines can’t eject the ball all that fast.
Spin: The cheapest table tennis practice machines are often limited to light backspin and light topspin. However, pretty much all mid-range robots and above can produce any type of spin be it topspin, backspin, sidespin, or no spin.
You can also adjust the magnitude of said spin which is highly useful.
Capacity: This is how many balls a robot can hold at a time. Even bigger robots can usually hold at least 100 which is a decent amount. In my experience, more expensive robots don’t often cite how many balls they can hold. This is probably because they always have automatic ball recycling.
Ball recycling: With the help of a collection net, balls are funneled back into the robot for reuse. Just remember, not all robots can recycle balls, so be sure to check. This is a really useful feature as it means you spend more time playing and less time collecting balls!
Serves: Some robots have good adjustability along their vertical plane meaning you can practice receiving serves. Pretty neat!
Pre-programmed drills/memory slots: Higher-quality robots come with pre-programmed drills so that you don’t have to do your own tinkering. What’s more, they often come with memory slots so that you can create highly targeted drills.
Control options: From control boxes to wireless remotes to apps, there are many ways that one can control a table tennis robot.
Personally, I feel that any means that isn’t directly on the robot itself will suffice. Otherwise, you would have to keep walking to the other end to change, stop, or start drills. So even a wired remote will do. These attach to the side of the table for convenience.
Randomization: As mentioned earlier, perhaps the biggest drawback to robots is their lack of randomness. You often know where the ball is going to land which doesn’t help you very much in a match situation.
However, some higher-end robots have randomization features. These are great to simulate match-play.
Cost: Last but not least we have the cost. While it can be tempting to sink in a tonne of money into a top robot like the Amicus Prime, I would advise to just spend what is fitting.
The Amicus Prime is major overkill for a beginner. And I still feel strongly that many mid-range robots are perfect for all players (that is, provided you aren’t a pro!).
A table tennis robot is the perfect training companion. If you’re serious about improving and have a decent chunk of change to spend I fully recommend picking one up.
Perhaps the most widely applicable robot is the Newgy 2055. It’s far better than the entry-level robots and has pretty much all of the features even an advanced player will need. Complete with 64 pre-programmed drills, and the capability of firing up to 170 balls per minute, it’s a super robot!
Table tennis robots are great purchases for all players. However, the players that will benefit the most from them are those who struggle to find people to play with.
Table tennis robots vary in price from around $100 to $2,000. Most players should be satisfied with a robot costing less than $800.
Buying pre-owned table tennis robots is a good idea if you want to save money. As they are a highly niche product, sellers are often forced to sell them for less than they would like.
You can find table tennis robots for sale in a variety of places. My two top recommendations are to check the Facebook Marketplace and eBay. Below is a Newgy 2050 which recently sold for $291. That’s around 40% of the price of the robot if you were to buy it new. Not bad if you ask me!
