Shhhh…I have a little secret.
Bribar Table Tennis have just released a new table tennis bat. It’s called the Bribar Rally table tennis bat. And the cost? A ridiculously low price of £24.99.
This bat is aimed at beginners and social players looking for a decent quality but affordable bat. I have been testing it out over the past month and spoiler alert…it is quite possibly the best table tennis bat I have ever played with for under £25!
In this review I share my experience of playing with the Bribar Rally table tennis bat, compare it with other bats and suggest who the bat is most suitable for.
Rubbers and blade
First, a little information about the rubbers and blade.
The rubber on both forehand and backhand are YINHE (MIlky Way) 9000 Electro. These are Chinese tacky rubbers, which are great for spinning the ball but have controllable speed.
The blade is IMPACT Allround – a 5 ply wooden blade – with a focus on control, but a few extra gears to play winning attacking strokes.
Combined, the blade and rubbers give a very nice mixture of spin (8/10), speed (7/10) and control (9/10).
Let’s look into this in a bit more detail…
Spin
To be honest, my expectations were pretty low when I heard about the Bribar Rally table tennis bat. For £24.99, I wasn’t expecting much of anything! But I was really very surprised when I played with it for the first time.
I could spin the ball! Not only could I generate topspin, sidespin and backspin but I could generate a lot of it.
The rubbers grip the ball very well and I could play all my usual loops, flicks and pushes very easily. In particular, I found topspin strokes, really easy to execute.
Sometimes with cheaper bats you really have to put a lot of effort in to get decent topspin. But with the Bribar Rally it was much easier – similar to my usual (far more expensive) table tennis bat. And the output is pretty decent too. When I play topspin strokes, the ball really does kick up off the table nicely, making it hard for my opponent to return the ball.
I had to check with Bribar – does this bat really only cost £24.99? The answer, yes!
Speed
This bat certainly isn’t a speed machine, but it’s not really slow either. I would describe it as ‘controllable speed’.
If I want to play more passively, it’s pretty easy to keep pushes low and short and absorb my opponents attacks with blocks and chops.
But if I do want to attack, then I can do so with some fairly good speed. I don’t have to try physically that hard and the ball still goes fast over the net and accurately, deep on my opponent’s side of the table.
I have hit many winners in practice sessions with the bat. I do give myself a little smile when I hit a fast winner, as my opponent doesn’t know that I just hit that shot with a £25 bat, in comparison to the £150 bat he is using!
Control
Both the rubbers and blade are designed for all-round controlled play. So as expected, it is really easy to control my opponent’s spin with the Bribar Rally table tennis bat.
When my opponent does a spinny serve, I am able to return with ease (even with my dodgy technique!).
When my opponent plays a topspin attack, I can block easily.
When my opponent gives me some heavy backspin, I can return easily with a push.
Compared to more expensive ‘advanced’ bats, it is much easier to actually keep the ball on the table and make the other player play another shot.
How does it compare to other bats?
I have played with a few table tennis bats around the £20-£30 price range, e.g. the Palio Expert and FireBlade Shinai. And whilst these bats are pretty decent for the price, the Bribar Rally table tennis bat is in a different league when it comes to generating spin. It plays much more like a £50-£70 bat. The reason for this, is that it is actually a more expensive bat, but somehow Bribar have managed to get it heavily discounted.
So for a very low price you get to play with a really solid blade and good quality rubbers. And whereas most other bats in this price range are factory made – every Bribar Rally table tennis bat is custom-made by a table tennis expert working for Bribar. So the finished quality is more polished and the rubbers are properly glued on.
The IMPACT Allround blade is also significantly better than other bats of a similar price. I would happily use this as my standard blade when I compete. It has a nice flared handle, which is comfortable to hold and it feels a bit more premium quality.
Who should buy this bat?
The Bribar Rally table tennis bat is certainly a very good choice for beginner players. Players who are learning to spin the ball, but want something which feels easy to control.
It’s also a very good choice for social players. These could be players who play at home, in Ping Pong Parlours, at work, on outdoor tables or informal social groups. This bat will give you an edge over your friends without spending silly amounts of money.
I think this bat could also be useful for some players competing in local leagues. If you have an all-round game based upon control and consistency – a bit of defence and a bit of attack – this bat is worth considering. Don’t be put off by the cheap price. It really should be treble the advertised price, so the quality is very decent indeed.
Where to buy
The Bribar Rally table tennis bat is available to buy in the UK from the Bribar website for £24.99.