Table tennis blades — the wooden frame a racket is built on. A blade is bought once and kept, and the rubbers glued to it are replaced as they wear, so this is the part of a setup worth taking time over.

Construction is the first decision. An all-wood blade flexes more, gives the clearest feedback and is the usual recommendation while a stroke is still being learned. A composite blade carries a fibre layer that stiffens the frame and adds speed at the cost of some feel — carbon is the most common of those, with arylate-carbon, ZLC, aramid and fibreglass each trading stiffness against touch differently.

Then match the blade to how you actually play. Offensive blades are built to throw the ball back hard and suit a game played away from the table; allround blades give up some speed for control and are the easier place to develop a stroke. Where a blade sits on that scale matters more than its price does.

Weight and stiffness are the fine adjustment. Lighter blades are quicker to move into position and more forgiving over a long session; heavier ones carry more through the ball. A stiff blade returns energy directly, a flexible one lets the ball sit on the wood a fraction longer, which is what players mean by dwell.

Handle shape is a variant, not a different blade — flared (FL) widens toward the base and is the common choice, straight (ST) is even along its length and suits players who change grip, anatomic (AN) is contoured to the palm. Pick by what is comfortable in your hand, and remember a blade needs two rubbers to become a racket.

Table tennis rubbers — the sheet that glues onto a blade and provides the playing surface. A rubber is a wearing part: the topsheet loses grip with use, so sheets are replaced periodically while the blade underneath stays. They are sold as single sheets, so a full racket needs two, and the two sides do not have to match.

Surface type is the biggest single difference, and the types are not comparable with each other. Inverted (pimple-in) rubbers present a smooth face and are what most players use for spin and speed. Short pips point outward and are less affected by incoming spin, which suits hitting and blocking close to the table. Long pips return spin in ways an opponent has to read, and belong to a deliberately disruptive style rather than a beginner's racket.

Sponge hardness sets how much the sheet does for you. A softer sponge grips at lower speeds and is more forgiving; a harder sponge stores more energy but needs a full stroke to activate, so it rewards technique rather than supplying it. Hardness is stated in degrees, but each manufacturer measures on its own scale — compare figures within a brand rather than across brands.

Thickness is chosen per sheet, usually between about 1.5 mm and MAX, and sometimes OX, which means no sponge at all. Thinner favours control and touch; thicker stores more energy. If you are choosing by intent rather than by number, start from offensive, allround or defensive sheets and read the specifications from there. You will also want glue to fit them and cleaner to keep them.

Table tennis accessories — everything that keeps a racket and a table working, rather than what makes them.

If you glue your own rubbers, two of these are consumables and not one-off purchases. Rubber glue is used every time a sheet is changed, and edge tape protects the exposed rim of the blade and the edge of the rubber from chipping — a chipped blade edge cannot be repaired, which makes tape the cheapest insurance here. Keep both on hand before you need them.

The rest is upkeep and protection. Cleaner restores grip a topsheet loses to dust between sessions, and a protective film slows the surface ageing while the racket is put away. A case matters more than it looks: an unprotected blade edge chips in a bag. Bags carry the rest of the kit.

For the table and the hall, there are nets and posts, table covers, table spare parts, surround barriers for marking out a court, and robot spare parts, so equipment gets repaired rather than replaced.