The iPong V100 table tennis robot is a brilliant tabletop robot that is simple to use and suitable for all levels of players. It was released in 2015 and is part of their new range. Here is our full review.
iPong is a US brand that specializes in producing low-cost, tabletop table tennis robots. iPong robots are sometimes rebranded as “Joola Buddy”. iPong robots are made in China.
IPONG V100
Here’s everything you need to know about the iPong V100 table tennis robot…
The iPong V100 is a very basic table tennis robot. As the name suggests it is only able to produce topspin balls. This is an improvement to the iPong Mini and iPong Expert that produce only no-spin balls, however. The iPong V100 is also considerably bigger and can hold up to 100 table tennis balls.
The iPong V100 will replace the iPong Topspin.
The following description comes directly from iPong…
Learn table tennis the right way with the iPong V100 Table Tennis Ball Robot. This robot is ideal for beginners and anyone looking to hit against a consistent shot. Fitting to its name, the iPong Pro V100 shoots out customizable V100 balls so that you can master your table tennis skills. Just use the wired remote to get your desired spin. There’s no more waiting for a practice partner to be available. This compact iPong V100 Table Tennis Ball machine is more like a live opponent rather than a playback feature since you can adjust the shots as much as you want, and it can continuously shoot more than 100 table tennis balls before reloading. Simply set the machine up on the opposite side of the table, take the remote, and hit back the serves.
This is a basic table tennis robot that is aimed at new players looking to use a robot for developing simple stroke technique.
THE REVIEW
The iPong V100 table tennis robot is small and lightweight. It is made of plastic and designed to be super portable.
I think it’s best to say right from the start that this is a very cheap robot. Some robots, like the Butterfly Amicus Professional, cost close to $2,000! The iPong Topspin is on sale for $60. Therefore, you can’t really expect the two robots to be anywhere near comparable.
There is a lot the iPong V100 can’t do. Any serious player will probably struggle to get a lot of use from this robot. However, if you are a recreational player looking for something fun to use to entertain the kids, then the iPong V100 could be perfect. It’s cheap enough that everyone can afford it.
I would probably advise the iPong V100 over the Mini or Expert models because it is quite useful to have the ball coming at you with topspin on them, instead of no-spin. The iPong V100 is also able to hold a decent number of balls. So you don’t need to stop a refill quite as often.
iPong does have some more advanced table tennis robots that you should check out if you are looking for something quite cheap, but with a few more features. The iPong V300 is the best model. You can find more information on those here.
Finally, I’m pleased to say that the iPong V100 table tennis robot works well with both the old celluloid 40mm balls and the new plastic 40+ ones. For a while, I know a lot of players were worried that the new balls wouldn’t work in their robots due to the small increase in size – but they do. You can read our ball reviews here.
BUY THE ROBOT
You can buy the iPong V100 from Megaspin.
- Megaspin.net: The iPong V100 retails for $60.
Or why not check out our favorite table tennis robot, the Newgy Robo-Pong 2050. The Robo-Pong 2050 is the top-of-the-range robot from US company Newgy. It is very reasonably priced and can do everything you might want from a table tennis robot.
- Amazon.com: The best value at $749 (roughly £500).
- Amazon.co.uk: Available for £650. It is imported from the USA.
- Tabletennis11.com: Available for €890.00, with free shipping worldwide.
You might be interested in reading Ben’s popular article The Best Table Tennis Robots, which is available on his Expert Table Tennis blog. And don’t forget to check out all of our other Table Tennis Robot Reviews as well.
Have you used the iPong V100 robot yourself? What did you think of it? Please share your experiences and leave a review below in the comments.