The 13 Most Expensive Ping Pong Paddles in 2024

Last Updated on April 25, 2024 by Alex Horscroft

Table tennis paddles are often pretty expensive. There’s no escaping this fact. If I had a penny for every time someone was blown away by the price of my ping pong paddle, I would be a rich man indeed! (My racket costs just over $250).

It may seem expensive, and to be fair, it is! But it falls considerably short of the most expensive ping pong paddles out there. The prices of those rackets make my eyes water! And they’ll probably make your eyes water too. So without any further ado, let’s dive into the world of the most expensive ping pong paddles!

The Most Expensive Ping Pong Paddles in the World Compared

The 13 Most Expensive Table Tennis Paddles

1. Butterfly Lin Yun-Ju Super ZLC Proline — $499.77

Blade: Lin Yun-Ju Super ZLC
Rubbers: Dignics 09C 2.1mm
Handle: Flared
Style: OFF+

In first place for the most expensive table tennis racket is the Butterfly Lin Yun-Ju Proline paddle. I’m hardly surprised to see this racket top given that it includes Butterfly’s most expensive rubber and blade line — Dignics and the Super ZLC range.

While there’s some debate as to what rubber has the most spin, Dignics 09C is certainly up there in the conversation. It also more than holds its own on the speed front too, although there are certainly faster rubbers around — it’s the slowest from the Dignics line.

As for the Lin Yun-Ju Super ZLC, it’s priced well clear of the regular ZLC range. This is because Super ZLC blades feature ZLC fibers which have twice the density to enlarge their sweet spot.

2. Butterfly Mizutani Jun Super ZLC Proline — $475.97

Blade: Mizutani Jun Super ZLC
Rubbers: Tenergy 05 2.1mm
Handle: Flared
Style: OFF+

For the second most expensive table tennis paddle I have the Butterfly Mizutani Jun Super ZLC Proline paddle. The blade is exquisitely crafted and without a doubt my favorite from the Super ZLC line from an aesthetic point of view. It is also the fastest so it takes some taming to wield.

As for the rubbers in this setup, it’s Tenergy 05. For many of you, this rubber needs no introduction, but for those of you out of the know, it’s one of the most popular rubbers of all time. Tenergy 05 is widely used by professionals and amateurs alike. It’s fast, spinny, and has a high throw angle.

3. Butterfly Zhang Jike Super ZLC Proline — $447.07

Blade: Zhang Jike Super ZLC
Rubbers: Bryce High Speed 2.1mm
Handle: Flared
Style: OFF+

For Zhang Jike’s Proline paddle, we unsurprisingly see his signature blade — the Zhang Jike Super ZLC. For all intents and purposes, this is pretty much the same blade as featured in the number one spot. But they have different names! I hear you ask. True, they also look different too, the Zhang Jike Super ZLC has a much nicer handle in my opinion. However, in terms of performance, they are more or less the same.

Butterfly themselves rank both blades identically when it comes to speed and feeling. The only difference is the weight, of which the Zhang Jike Super ZLC is 6 g heavier.

Switching our attention to the rubbers, they are Butterfly Bryce High Speed on both sides in 2.1mm. Great for players who love blistering speed.

4. Butterfly Revoldia CNF Proline — $441.12

Blade: Revoldia CNF
Rubbers: Impartial XS 2.1 mm & Dignics 09C 2.1 mm
Handle: Flared
Style: OFF+

The fourth most expensive paddle is a little different from the rest. While it uses Dignics 09C like many others, it sports Impartial XS. This is a short pips rubber, meaning it’s great for close-to-the-table driving. However, Butterfly also claims it’s great for looping too. It has the most spin and speed of any of their pips-out rubbers.

The difference between other paddles continues with the blade. No Super ZLC tech here. Instead, the Revoldia CNF uses Cellulose NanoFiber. A newer type of material obtained from wood pulp. It gives more feeling than carbon while maintaining good speed. As such, it could be a nice option for a skilled player looking to upgrade from an all-wood blade to a faster model.

5. Butterfly Harimoto Innerforce Super ZLC Proline — $424.97

Blade: Harimoto Innerforce Super ZLC
Rubbers: Dignics 05 2.1mm
Handle: Chinese penhold
Style: OFF+

In the fifth spot for the world’s most expensive ping pong paddle, we have the Butterfly Harimoto Innerforce Super ZLC Proline racket. This setup features another one of the five Super ZLC blades from Butterfly (although I suspect there will be many more to come!).

The Harimoto Innerforce Super ZLC blade is marginally the slowest of all five of these blades which is a little comical given how hard he hits the ball. That being said, the blade is still blazing fast. It also has the lowest vibration property of the five meaning it has the most feeling.

Unlike the other blades thus far though, this one has a Chinese penhold handle. This means you should steer well clear if you do not use a penhold grip!

As for the rubbers, it uses Dignics 05. This Dignics rubber uses the same pimple geometry as Tenergy 05, so these two rubbers are not all that different. Dignics 05 is supposedly faster and has more spin according to Butterfly.

6. Butterfly Adriana Diaz Viscaria Super ALC Proline — $400.72

Blade: Viscaria Super ALC
Rubbers: Dignics 05 2.1mm + Dignics 64 2.1mm
Handle: Flared
Style: OFF+

For the 6th most expensive ping pong paddle we have Adriana Diaz’s setup. This one features the first Super ALC blade on this list (the others were Super ZLC) with Dignics 05 and Dignics 09C.

The Viscaria Super ALC is also the first Super ALC to release, and one of only two that Butterfly have for sale. It’s only been out since March 2022, so it’s fairly new.

The main difference between the Super ALC and the regular ALC is speed. The Super ALC is a little quicker.

7. Butterfly Tiago Apolonia ZLC Proline — $389.29

Blade: Apolonia ZLC
Rubbers: Dignics 09C 2.1mm + Dignics 05 2.1mm
Handle: Flared
Style: OFF+

Next up is Tiago Apolonia’s personal racket setup. This features the Apolonia ZLC with Dignics 09C and Dignics 05. Both rubbers use Butterfly’s new Springe Sponge X technology making them super fast and super spinny. As mentioned earlier, Dignics 09C is currently the spinniest rubber they have out. This is in part due to its tacky surface which is rare among Butterfly rubbers.

As for the blade, the Tiago Apolonia ZLC is not widely talked about, but it is very popular among players who use it. It offers more feeling than a lot of other top blades.

8. Butterfly Viscaria Super ALC Proline W/Dignics 05 – $389.27

Blade: Viscaria Super ALC
Rubbers: Dignics 05 2.1mm
Handle: Flared
Style: OFF+

In eighth place is Marcelo Aguirre’s racket combo. It’s remarkably similar to the one Adriana Diaz uses. The only difference is that Aguirre has opted for Dignics 05 on both sides while Diaz uses both Dignics 05 and 09C.

This gives him a little more pace on that side at the cost of a small reduction in spin.

9. Butterfly Mizutani Jun ZLC Proline — $389.27

Blade: Mizutani Jun ZLC
Rubbers: Dignics 80 2.1mm
Handle: Flared
Style: OFF+

For my number nine spot, we’ve got another Mizutani Jun Proline paddle. Despite the similar name, all of the components are different from the Jun Mizutani paddle in third place.

This one uses a standard Mizutani Jun ZLC blade as opposed to the Mizutani Jun Super ZLC blade. This means it lacks the Super ZLC tech which makes blades denser and increases the sweet spot. As such, the Mizutani Jun ZLC is a little slower and has slightly less feeling than its newer brother.

Regarding the rubbers, this paddle uses Dignics 80. A far newer rubber than Tenergy 05 which is used for the Mizutani Jun Super ZLC Proline paddle. Yet in terms of performance, they are pretty darn close. It’s hard to say one way or the other if one is faster or has more spin.

10. Butterfly Franziska Innerforce ZLC Proline — $389.27

Blade: Franziska Innerforce ZLC
Rubbers: Dignics 05 2.1mm
Handle: Flared
Style: OFF

Next up is world number 17 Patrick Franziska’s personal setup. He uses his signature blade, the Franziska Innerforce ZLC with Dignics 05. The blade weighs 85g which is average, and has the same speed and feeling as the Apolonia ZLC according to Butterfly.

This paddle is a super choice for fast and spinny attackers.

11. Butterfly Cypress G-Max W/Dignics 05 — $385.88

Blade: Cypress G-Max
Rubbers: Dignics 05 2.1mm
Handle: Japanese penhold
Style: OFF+

Moving on to 11th place for the most expensive table tennis paddle we have another penhold racket (although this one is Japanese, not Chinese). The setup features the Cypress G-Max blade. It is made from only 1 ply of wood — cypress, and it uses Butterfly’s finest grade of wood for unrivaled quality.

This is once again a very fast racket (are you sensing a trend?). In fact, it’s the fastest blade that Butterfly makes, beating the likes of the Sardius and Primorac Carbon. Paired with this blade is Dignics 05 as seen in many other setups.

12. Butterfly Mizutani Jun ZLC Proline W/Tenergy 19 and Dignics 05 – $377.37

Blade: Mizutani Jun ZLC
Rubbers: Tenergy 19 2.1mm & Dignics 05 2.1mm
Handle: Flared
Style: OFF+

The 12th most expensive paddle features the beautiful Mizutani Jun ZLC blade once again, just like the paddle in ninth place. To me, it has the most gorgeous handle I’ve seen to date, and if it were not so expensive, I’d certainly pick it up!

With Dignics 05 you get Tenergy 19, the newest addition to the Tenergy line. It has a brand new top sheet, and supposedly more spin and speed than Tenergy 05.

13. Butterfly Timo Boll ZLF Proline — $374.97

Blade: Timo Boll ZLF
Rubbers: Tenergy 05 2.1mm
Handle: Flared
Style: OFF

The Timo Boll ZLF Proline paddle is a great choice for attackers who want to claw back a bit more control by going without the carbon fiber. ZLF offers a good bridge between carbon and all-wood blades by increasing the sweet spot with only a minor bump in speed.

This balances well with the aggressive Tenergy 05 rubbers which provide more than enough pace for most players.

Are the Most Expensive Ping Pong Paddles Worth it?

The answer to this depends largely on who you are, in my opinion, the most expensive ping pong rackets are rarely worth their premium price tags, but in specific instances, they are. Let me explain.

As with anything you can buy, there is a direct correlation between cost and quality. Now, this is not to say that this is always the case, because it is certainly not, but often a more expensive ping pong paddle is better than a cheaper one.

And the more expensive you get, the more this quality is assured. You simply won’t find crappy paddles in the premium price bracket (assuming they are made by a quality table tennis brand). Yet while their quality is very high, their value (bang for your buck) is often moderate to low.

This is because there are tonnes of very affordable table tennis equipment on offer which is only slightly behind in terms of quality. And I don’t know about you, but I would rather save a hundred bucks and purchase a paddle which is only marginally worse. So from this perspective, no, the most expensive paddles are not worth the money.

How Much Should I Spend on a Ping Pong Paddle?

This ultimately depends on your budget and skill level. A beginner, for instance, should not be sinking hundreds of dollars into a paddle. It’s just a waste of cash. Beginners do not need to spend more than $50 on their first racket.

On the other end of the spectrum, advanced players will make more effective use of expensive equipment. But you have to ask yourself how much you are happy with spending knowing that you can get a high-quality paddle that meets your needs for less than $150.

My take is just to spend however much is comfortable for you, and think of your blade as a one-off fee. While often expensive, blades last for a very long time. So unless you want to change blades, you’ll only be purchasing new rubbers each time which saves you a lot of money.

Closing Thoughts

Table tennis paddles can be damn expensive. But more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better. It’s more important to choose a paddle that fits your style and skill level.

As it stands the most expensive ping pong paddle available is the Butterfly Lin Yun-Ju Super ZLC Proline which costs $499.77. This is despite the fact that it is currently on offer — the usual price is $587.97. There is no doubt in my mind that it is overpriced. But it is one hell of a paddle, that’s for sure.

If you’re after this paddle or any of the other ones on this list, you’d better get saving!