The Joola Berkshire Indoor/Outdoor Table Tennis Table

We were in need of an outdoor table on which to eat. It seems like outdoor furniture is expensive and rarely gets used. Ugh. Then we found the Joola Berkshire Indoor/Outdoor Table Tennis Table. Also expensive, but with a table tennis option. Yes.

We decided to make it the big family Christmas gift this year. It has been a hit. We’ve played a lot of games; everyone has improved, and now we frequently watch YouTube videos by Adam Bobrow to see amazing table tennis play.

For some reason, when we ordered it, I halfway thought it would be assembled by the delivery people or that it might be mostly assembled upon arrival. The day the delivery truck arrived, and there was one person in the truck, I immediately knew this was going to be a project. And in retrospect, I have no idea why I thought it would be assembled or someone would assemble it for us.

The woman driving the truck used a mechanical lift to bring the massive two-box combination into our garage. The bill of lading described the shipment as being 500 pounds. I don’t think it was quite that much, but this thing is heavy.

What follows are photos of the assembly and final product. It took five or six hours to put together. I took my time to ensure I didn’t screw anything up and to make sure things were nice and level. My wife helped me carry the heavy halves of the tabletop, but most of the assembly can be performed by one person. If you have two adults working together, you could probably assemble it in two hours or less.

The amount of packaging involved in the two boxes is astounding. Coupled with holiday breaks and the recycling trucks not running for much of January due to an omicron-related shortage of drivers, it took our family nearly two months to Shawshank the cardboard and styrofoam in various trash and recycling loads!

Note: Before assembling the lower half of the table, make sure the legs (or the giant x’s) fit through your door if you are building the table bottom inside.

We also got a cover, and this one has worked out well.

UPDATE: After ten or so months, the table has been great. You can buy the table here: https://amzn.to/44JQMxk.

Don’t buy the cover. Or, know that the cover has a very limited life. Here’s a sad, less-than-one-year-later picture, but I guess it has done its job of protecting the table. The cover gets full sun in the afternoons, but still. The holes were caused by minor nicks due to the weakened material.

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