Extremely durable ping pong table, April 10, 2010

We wanted a ping pong table that was light, easy to store, easy to set up and could be used outdoors. This table meets those criteria and more. As has been mentioned the instructions leave a lot to be desired. However, following them along slowly and carefully, I was able to assembly the table in one evening without help (it should be noted I have quite a bit of experience assembling things). It would be best to have an extra pair of hands since I had to "rig" a way to help hold the table sections up while attaching them to the frame. It has been worth the effort.

I bought a Kettler blue top all weather ping pong table in 1996 or so. We use it outdoors but pull it into a garage when we are not using it. The only thing we have had to do is replace the nets as they wear out after a while. The table itself is still like new. This item costs more than some other tables, but if you plan on keeping it for a long time it is worth the difference and then some.

Reading the reviews prior to buying this table, I figured I was in for a nightmare assembly process. While it did take me almost 4 hours, I didn't think it was unreasonably hard. Maybe they (Kettler) have improved the instructions since the other reviews were written.Yes, it's a hundred pieces if you count every nut and bolt. And yes, a few washers and bolts don't match their illustrations in the assembly guide, but really there was no question about which ones replaced them... nothing else would fit. And yes, there are only illustrations to follow for the most part, but it was actually pretty easy... I used two pairs of pliers (crescent wrenches would have been better) and two screwdrivers.It wasn't totally clear to me how to put two braces on at the beginning so I took my best guess and got it wrong. It was a 5-minute fix at most. If I was giving assembly advice, I'd say don't tighten things up until you have the whole thing pieced together. And it helps to...