Nittaku Premium 40+ 3-Star Table Tennis Ball Review

The Nittaku Premium 40+ 3-Star table tennis ball is viewed by many as the saviour of the new plastic balls. There have been loads of issues with the Chinese-made balls but these Japanese ones are said to be much more durable and consistent.

Nittaku Premium 40+ Table Tennis Ball Review

The only problem is the price. The name says it all really – Nittaku Premium balls have a premium price tag. In the US, a box of three balls will cost you $8.95!

NITTAKU PREMIUM 40+

There really isn’t much promotional information out there about the Nittaku Premium 40+ balls. I guess Nittaku are letting the balls speak for themselves. A search only really brings up retailers selling the balls.

Here are some nice photos of the balls I grabbed from Tabletennis11.com

Nittaku Premium 40+

Nittaku are well-known for producing the best quality table tennis balls. Even back in the celluloid era the Nittaku Premium (Made in Japan) ball was universally praised as the best ball. Nittaku had a cheaper celluloid ball which was made in China – which I guess is the same as the Nittaku SHA plastic ball.

The Japanese Nittaku ball factory used to produce celluloid balls for Butterfly and TSP as well. That is why these balls always played better than the other brands – which were primarily made in China by DHS. However, in the plstic ball era Nittaku has clearly decided not to share its factory anymore. This is why almost every ball is now made in China, and Butterfly have been forced to find a new factory in Germany (called Weener) to produce their G40+ ball, in order to try and keep some kind of compettive edge/exclusivity.

THE REVIEW

We haven’t managed to do a full review of the Nittaku Premium 40+ 3-Star table tennis ball yet. It is our intention to film a video comparing all five of the new plastic balls and giving our opinions on which is the best table tennis ball.

However, all of us (Ben Paddy and Dan) have used the Nittaku Premium 40+ ball in training over the last year and really enjoyed it. At present, and before any extensive testing/reviewing, we would have to say that it is our favourite out of the new plastic balls. It is hard, durable and round – which is more than can be said for all of the other balls!

Here are some reviews from TableTennisDB.com

The Nittaku Premium 40+ is by far better than the rest. Switching from this ball to any other plastic ball is like night and day. The Nittaku Premium 40+ has weight, grip, and predictability. I really hope the other manufacturers take note of this ball and change their design to be more similar.

Best poly ball there is. When I play with it, it bounces like an amazing celluloid ball.

I have tried several different new plastic balls; Yinhe, Xushaofa, Joola, Double Fish, DHS, Giant Dragon, and Gambler. After using the Nittaku Premium 40+ it is the definitive winner. The others float like marshmallows in comparison. Super expensive yes, however you get what you pay for.

I’m looking forward to seeing the full EquipmentJunkie.com review of the Nittaku Premium 40+ ball. However, while we’re waiting for that, I think it is safe to agree that the Nittaku Premium is the best 40+ plastic ball currently available.

BUY THE BALL

You can buy Nittaku Premium 40+ 3-star balls from;

  • Tabletennis11.com: A pack of 3 balls costs €7.50 (€2.50 per ball)
  • Megaspin.net (US): A pack of 6 balls costs $17.50 ($2.92 per ball)
  • Amazon.com: A pack of 6 balls costs $19.99 ($3.33 per ball)
  • Amazon.co.uk: A pack of 3 balls costs £6.98 (£2.33 per ball)
  • eBay.com: A pack of 3 balls costs $7.49 ($2.50 per ball)
  • eBay.co.uk: A pack of 3 balls costs £6.50 (£2.17 per ball)

You might be interested in reading Ben’s article The Best Table Tennis Balls, which is available on his Expert Table Tennis blog. And don’t forget to check out all of our other Table Tennis Ball Reviews as well.

Have you used the Nittaku Premium 40+ ball yourself? What did you think of it? Please share your experiences and leave a review below in the comments.

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