I’ll be honest: compulsory gift giving is not my favorite thing. My absolute biggest pet peeve is being stuck at Christmas, obligated to give gifts to people who don’t need a thing and no time to spend racking my brain on something creative. Gross. Birthdays aren’t quite as bad, because it’s a day to celebrate just one person rather than having a whole list. But it can still be challenging. Enter UncommonGoods.
These guys have been one of my favorite online shops for awhile now, and they were gracious enough to send me a super fun product for review. I had the boys in mind at first, but then the box hit my doorstep the day before hubby’s birthday, which was a total coincidence. Perfect!
Bouncing the ball all the way across the room
I knew I was getting a portable ping pong table set, but I didn’t realize just how portable until I got it. The paddle handles slide inside themselves, and the net retracts so that it all stacks up into a nice little space. It even came with a carry bag! We haven’t taken it anywhere yet, but it has been great to just pack it up and put it away when it is time to be done…particularly because the boys aren’t quite big enough to do more than knock the ball off the table and across the room. The game is a little more physical than I remember, with lots of running (but what game isn’t, with little boys?).
The kids and I were absolutely enamored with it. Our table is 9 ft long, which just happens to be the right length for a ping pong table. But it’s quite a bit narrower. No big deal – the net can open and retract to fit any table. A shorter table would work, too. We played with the leaf pulled out and with it left in.
Hubs and my dad have both played a bit more ping pong than I have, so they brought the criticism part of this constructive criticism. Apparently, the paddles being hollow for the handle to slide in leaves a “dead spot,” and the balls (it came with 2 that fit right inside a cubby in the net base) were a bit warped. To be fair, the kids could have warped the balls that quickly after we opened it up. It’s been done before. All in all, though, everything is super sturdy and such a nifty idea that it is a total win. If you are wanting to get snazzy with backspin and such, you can always get normal paddles to stay at the house or travel with you. There is plenty of room in the bag, anyway.
Verdict? Total win, and so on my radar for the hard-to-buy-for person that will inevitably show up on my list this year or next.
Click over to page 2 for more about UncommonGoods and a $50 gift certificate giveaway!
My brother-in-law.
Definitely my father!
My husband is the hardest person to shop for
Hmmm… I am the hardest one for folks to buy for, but my oldest son is next.
My husband!
My sister is the hardest person to buy for. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
my gf. she always says she needs nothing and never gives hints
Probably my dad. I find most guys a bit difficult to shop for!
my mom since she already has everything
My daughter is hard to shop for. She never seems happy with what she gets.
my mom
My sister-in-law.. she gave us a very nice living room set and i have no idea what to gift her in return. we really needed the couch, ottoman, and chair as we had a cheap futon for months… and she is the girl with everything, so i am lost on what to do to say thank you.