Level 100 control racket for basic play by players without special experience. Straight (ST) handle. Jade short-pips rubber without sponge. Five-ply Basic blade.

Mikael Appelgren is one of the greatest players of all time and holds several World Championship Titles. The Appelgren line of rackets offers excellent quality for the price. The Level 300 to 500 rackets are best suited to school sports.

These are basic rackets covered in pips-out rubber with no sponge (AKA, hard rubber). Designed for players just starting out who need control and slower speeds. Or those that don't care about those fancy sponge rackets. Or perhaps those who want to return to the roots of table tennis, when hard rubber ruled the roost during the first half of the 20th century.

There's something magical about the sound these hard rubber rackets make when contacting the ball. It's said that Table Tennis' popular pseudonym, Ping Pong, came from the sound of the ball rebounding off the table (Ping) and then the hard rubber racket striking the ball (Pong). If you get a fast rally going with these rackets, there is something charming about the sound, that's missing from the game when played with those muted sponge rackets. If that sounds like your ideal racket