STIGA Advantage Table Tennis Table Review

The STIGA Advantage table tennis table is a new entry-level, indoor-only table made by STIGA, one of the leaders in table tennis equipment worldwide. It features a standard 5/8” thick MDF top with silk-screen striping, a quick-and-easy assembly process and a pretty heavy-duty frame for a table at this price point. The STIGA Advantage lacks extra features but delivers on a good playing experience for someone on a budget. It’s a best-seller because it pretty solid table built with good materials for an affordable entry-level price.

Specifications

• Competition-ready indoor table tennis table perfect for your home or office
• 10-minute QuickPlay design comes 95% preassembled out of the box for quick and easy setup
• Effortlessly roll and transport table halves using 3” lockable casters for convenient storage and setup
• Excellent playability with 5/8”-thick top with multiple roller coat finish and silk-screen striping
• Easily attach and remove net with tournament grade 72” clamp-style net and post set

About STIGA

STIGA, officially known as STIGA Sports AB, is a Swedish company that has been making quality table tennis products for over 70 years. STIGA is the official sponsor of the Swedish national table tennis team who, along with China, is one of the best teams in the world.

Table Construction

The STIGA Advantage table tennis table has a 5/8”-thick MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) table top that is professionally finished with an automated roller coating process. This process creates a very nice looking and durable dark blue playing surface which has silkscreen printed lines. Unlike many entry-level tables that have taped-on lines, the printed lines will not come off and will affect the bounce of the ball. It’s important to note that while the playing surface is durable, this table is for indoor use only. The MDF surface is not meant to withstand moisture or severe changes in temperature.

The playing surface of the STIGA Advantage is supported by a 1.5-inch welded steel, tube style apron. This is a really nice feature and offers solid support for the MDF top giving a consistent bounce across the playing surface. The apron feels very heavy-duty which is surprising for a table at this price point. Connected to the apron is a set of 1.5-inch thick square steel legs that come with included leg-levelers. Again, extremely heavy-duty for an entry level table and the addition of leg levelers is a huge added bonus. Attached to the T-bars coming off the inside legs are 3-inch caster wheels with locks to make it easy to roll the table into position and keep it there.

Overall, the construction of the STIGA Advantage is superb for an entry-level table and the fact that it is often priced at or below the $400 mark is ridiculous. We are very surprised with the quality of materials and craftsmanship of the STIGA Advantage, so much so that it’s hard to even call it an “entry-level” table.

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Extra Features

In addition to solid construction, the STIGA Advantage offers a couple safety and convenience features. First, it comes with a safety latch system on the underside of the table that locks the top into the upright storage position. This is nice for households with children as it prevents accidental openings.

Another nice feature is that the table is made up of two independent table halves. This means that each half of the table is free-standing and can be used separately, allowing each half to be used as an extra table for parties, garage sales or other uses. Both halves also can nest into one another for easy and compact storage.

Playing Experience

The STIGA Advantage offers a really good playing experience for a table this inexpensive. The frame feels very sturdy and solid and the 5/8-inch MDF playing surface offers a pretty consistent bounce throughout. The net system is good enough and the overall craftsmanship of the table is very good. While this table certainly won’t compete with something like the STIGA STS 520, the STIGA Advantage offers one of the best playing experiences of an entry-level table that we’ve seen.

Assembly

Another highlight of the STIGA Advantage table tennis table is the quick and easy assembly process. The STIGA Advantage comes with what STIGA calls the “QuickPlay” feature where the table is 99% pre-assembled and they claim the entire assembly process only takes 10 minutes. The process really just consists of attaching the caster wheels to the frame and tightening a few bolts. As long as you have some pliers or a crescent wrench, the process should go quickly and smoothly. This is a really nice contrast the complex and time-consuming assembly process that other tables often require.

Conclusion

The STIGA Advantage is a no-nonsense table that offers a solid all-steel construction, quality MDF playing surface and good craftsmanship. For an entry-level table, the STIGA Advantage is a fantastic option. While it won’t be able to compete with other much more expensive tournament quality tables, the STIGA Advantage is the perfect option for beginner to intermediate players that want a high-quality indoor-only table. The STIGA Advantage offers a very good playing experience and is built with solid materials that will stand up to abuse and last a very long time.