Newgy Robo-Pong 1040 Table Tennis Robot - Review
The Robo-Pong 1040 is one of the two mid-range table tennis robots offered by Newgy, coming in at $US 299. The other mid-range robot Newgy offers is the Robo-Pong 1050, which offers extras such as digital remote control, 64 pre-programmed drills, and the ability to use randomness in drills, but for an extra $200 (RRP $US 499). According to the Newgy website, the Robo-Pong 1050 is identical in every way to the Newgy Robo-Pong 2050 (except that it doesn't have the Recycling Net System), so anyone interested in learning about the capabilities of the Robo-Pong 1050 can check out my review of the Robo-Pong 2050.
The accompanying picture shows the front view of the Robo-Pong 1040. You can see the Bucket Extender (a metal mesh that attaches to the solid black bottom bucket), which improves the ball capacity of the Robo-Pong 1040 up to 200 balls from the Robo-Pong 540's capacity of 90. This is an important improvement, since the 1040 does not have a ball feed recycling mechanism, so the extra 110 balls really make a difference when performing drills.
The bucket extender is easy to attach, and is anchored in place with a butterfly nut system, so it is by no means flimsy. It also makes a convenient handle for picking up the 1040. It's probably better to use the black main bucket to carry the 1040 around, but I must admit I find it easier to use the bucket extender, and provided you are not throwing the robot around carelessly I don't think you'd have any problems with breaking it.
I'd recommend this robot to just about anybody on a budget who is looking for a robot for some serious practice, whether you are a basement or advanced player. The ball capacity is large enough to allow for long drills, after which you will probably be glad for a short break while you refill the ball bucket - try doing 200 forehand loops in a row and you'll see what I mean!
One thing I will add is that you will need to buy a separate catch net - the 1040 does not come with one. Personally, I'd recommend bypassing the Newgy Catch Net II (which is complicated to assemble and does not fold up all that compactly) unless you intend to keep the robot set up permanently, and go with the IPONG catch net instead (which does a slightly less good job of catching the balls, but is much cheaper, easier to set up, and disassembles quickly and compactly).
After being spoilt by the Robo-Pong 2050's great remote programming control, and ability to introduce randomness in drills, I do miss it in the 1040, but you can get great use out of the robot without this feature. I've used my own Butterfly Amicus 3000 for over 10 years to improve my training, with only minimal use of its random features, so I would be perfectly comfortable doing this with the Robo-Pong 1040 as well.
All in all, the Robo-Pong 1040 has the features to provide a great training experience at a relatively low price. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Newgy's more expensive models, but it still has what it takes where it counts.
Interested in purchasing a Newgy Robo-Pong 1040? Buy Direct
Newgy Robo-Pong 1040 Specifications
Weight: Around 8.4 pounds.
Max Ball Throw Frequency: 94 balls per minute.
Max Ball Speed: Around 60 mph.
Max Ball RPM: Unknown, but at max settings it's as heavy (or heavier) than any loop drive, I can vouch for that.
Ball Capacity: 200 balls.
Programmable Drills: No.
Spin Capability: Topspin, backspin, or sidespin. Can combine sidespin with topspin or backspin.
Requires the player to manually rotate the robot head to adjust the spin type.
Warranty: 30-day unconditional money-back guarantee, Limited 1 year warranty (product to be free from defects in material and workmanship for 1 year from date of purchase), 5 Year service policy.
Oscillation Ability: Yes, excellent table coverage, with 8 possible settings.
Robot Adjustable: Yes, can tilt robot head up or down to change throw angle. Can also use the separately available Robo-Caddy (a separate robot stand) to change the height of the robot, and move it away from the table.
Remote Control: Yes, easy to use, with bracket to attach the remote to the table near the player.
Ball Recycling: No.
There's not a lot I need to say about the remote - it's easy to attach, simple to use, and works well.
You can't ask for much more than that!
Newgy Robo-Pong 1040 Ball Throw Head
Here's a close up view of the Robo-Pong 1040 throwing head. As you can see, it's basically the same setup as for the Robo-Pong 2050 , with a rotatable head that can be set by the user to achieve any mix of topspin/sidespin, or backspin/sidespin. As for the Robo-Pong 2050, the main two things to be careful about are to not move the robot head manually while it is in use, and also to make sure that you don't accidentally wrap the long cord around the robot head when rotating the throwing mechanism.
Oh yes, and be careful with rotating the throwing head - it only rotates 180 degrees in either direction (which gives you a full turning circle), it doesn't just endlessly rotate around.
Pictured here is the oscillation setting mechanism. While it's not as fancy as the Robo-Pong 2050's digital remote control, it still does the job quickly and easily.
At the bottom of the photograph you can see the number 1-6, with plastic tabs over the numbers 3 and 5. These plastic tabs are the control levers which are used to select the oscillation range you would like to use. In the photograph, the control levers are set on 3 and 5, which means that the robot will throw the ball between the middle of the player's right court and his far left court, according to the legend located just above the control levers (you can click on the image to view a larger photograph).
By moving the control levers to positions 1 and 4, you can change the oscillation setting to just the right hand court of the player. It's simple, easy to use, and effective. To make small adjustments, you can always rotate the robot itself a little, which when combined with the 8 basic settings, gives you a wide variety of oscillation ranges.
The amount of topspin generated is about as heavy as you could ever want, although of course it is linked with the speed of the ball, since the Newgy is also a one head robot. More importantly, the amount of topspin vs speed is set just about right, so that you don't get too much speed compared to spin, or vice versa.
The amount of backspin vs speed is perhaps a little heavier than I would like, meaning that in order to get the ball deep on the table, you end up with a very heavy amount of backspin. But since adjusting between topspin and backspin is just a matter of turning the robot head around, I'm not sure if there is a simple way to fix this. I'm thinking that Newgy made the best compromise they could, giving a better topspin stroke simulation at the expense of the backspin ball.
I mentioned in my review of the Newgy Catch Net II that there is a tendency for balls that you hit directly at the 1040 to bounce off the robot straight back at you, which is a bit distracting. I've had a reader suggest that placing a little bit of folded cardboard in front of the base would solve this problem, which seems like a cheap and effective solution (thanks Mark!).
I should also make note that the effectiveness of the 1040 increases even further when used in conjunction with the Robo-Caddy, which allows you to place the robot off the playing surface, and improves your ability to simulate an opponent playing advanced strokes such as the counterloop, deep chop, or lob.
It's definitely worth considering if you are looking to buy a Robo-Pong 1040.
Interested in purchasing a Newgy Robo-Pong 1040? Buy Direct
The Robo-Pong 1040 is one of the two mid-range table tennis robots offered by Newgy, coming in at $US 299. The other mid-range robot Newgy offers is the Robo-Pong 1050, which offers extras such as digital remote control, 64 pre-programmed drills, and the ability to use randomness in drills, but for an extra $200 (RRP $US 499). According to the Newgy website, the Robo-Pong 1050 is identical in every way to the Newgy Robo-Pong 2050 (except that it doesn't have the Recycling Net System), so anyone interested in learning about the capabilities of the Robo-Pong 1050 can check out my review of the Robo-Pong 2050.
The accompanying picture shows the front view of the Robo-Pong 1040. You can see the Bucket Extender (a metal mesh that attaches to the solid black bottom bucket), which improves the ball capacity of the Robo-Pong 1040 up to 200 balls from the Robo-Pong 540's capacity of 90. This is an important improvement, since the 1040 does not have a ball feed recycling mechanism, so the extra 110 balls really make a difference when performing drills.
The bucket extender is easy to attach, and is anchored in place with a butterfly nut system, so it is by no means flimsy. It also makes a convenient handle for picking up the 1040. It's probably better to use the black main bucket to carry the 1040 around, but I must admit I find it easier to use the bucket extender, and provided you are not throwing the robot around carelessly I don't think you'd have any problems with breaking it.
Summary
It's easy to compare the Robo-Pong 1040 to the Robo-Pong 2050, and focus on what features are not available in the cheaper model. But rather than looking on the negative side, I think it's better to keep in mind just what features you do get for a $US 299 price tag, including a 200 ball capacity, 8 oscillator settings, excellent speed and spin generation (both in topspin and backspin), good ball feed frequency range, and the famous Newgy reliability and ease of maintenance. Not too shabby at all!I'd recommend this robot to just about anybody on a budget who is looking for a robot for some serious practice, whether you are a basement or advanced player. The ball capacity is large enough to allow for long drills, after which you will probably be glad for a short break while you refill the ball bucket - try doing 200 forehand loops in a row and you'll see what I mean!
One thing I will add is that you will need to buy a separate catch net - the 1040 does not come with one. Personally, I'd recommend bypassing the Newgy Catch Net II (which is complicated to assemble and does not fold up all that compactly) unless you intend to keep the robot set up permanently, and go with the IPONG catch net instead (which does a slightly less good job of catching the balls, but is much cheaper, easier to set up, and disassembles quickly and compactly).
After being spoilt by the Robo-Pong 2050's great remote programming control, and ability to introduce randomness in drills, I do miss it in the 1040, but you can get great use out of the robot without this feature. I've used my own Butterfly Amicus 3000 for over 10 years to improve my training, with only minimal use of its random features, so I would be perfectly comfortable doing this with the Robo-Pong 1040 as well.
All in all, the Robo-Pong 1040 has the features to provide a great training experience at a relatively low price. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Newgy's more expensive models, but it still has what it takes where it counts.
Interested in purchasing a Newgy Robo-Pong 1040? Buy Direct
Newgy Robo-Pong 1040 Specifications
Specifications
Dimensions: Width - 13 inches, height 20 inches, depth 9 inches.Weight: Around 8.4 pounds.
Max Ball Throw Frequency: 94 balls per minute.
Max Ball Speed: Around 60 mph.
Max Ball RPM: Unknown, but at max settings it's as heavy (or heavier) than any loop drive, I can vouch for that.
Ball Capacity: 200 balls.
Programmable Drills: No.
Spin Capability: Topspin, backspin, or sidespin. Can combine sidespin with topspin or backspin.
Requires the player to manually rotate the robot head to adjust the spin type.
Warranty: 30-day unconditional money-back guarantee, Limited 1 year warranty (product to be free from defects in material and workmanship for 1 year from date of purchase), 5 Year service policy.
Oscillation Ability: Yes, excellent table coverage, with 8 possible settings.
Robot Adjustable: Yes, can tilt robot head up or down to change throw angle. Can also use the separately available Robo-Caddy (a separate robot stand) to change the height of the robot, and move it away from the table.
Remote Control: Yes, easy to use, with bracket to attach the remote to the table near the player.
Ball Recycling: No.
Remote Control
As you can see from the photograph, the Robo-Pong 1040 uses an analog remote control, which allows you to quickly and easily set the ball speed, ball frequency, and oscillation speed of the robot. It uses a bracket to allow easy mounting of the remote control on the side of the table near the player.There's not a lot I need to say about the remote - it's easy to attach, simple to use, and works well.
You can't ask for much more than that!
Setup and Take Down
There really isn't any setup and take down worth discussing in regards to the Robo-Pong 1040. The only thing that requires assembly out of the box is the bucket extender, which is an easy 5 minute job (if that!). Other than that, the Robo-Pong 1040 is a one-piece robot with nothing to set up or take down - you simply lift it off the table when you are done, and put it away.Mobility
As mentioned in the specifications, the Robo-Pong 1040 is light (around 8.4 pounds) and compact (W/H/D 13/20/9 inches), so it's very easy to transport around. It doesn't come with a tote bag, but you could probably use a large plastic bag to keep off the dust, and still be able to easily hold the bucket extender through the plastic when carrying the robot.Newgy Robo-Pong 1040 Ball Throw Head
Here's a close up view of the Robo-Pong 1040 throwing head. As you can see, it's basically the same setup as for the Robo-Pong 2050 , with a rotatable head that can be set by the user to achieve any mix of topspin/sidespin, or backspin/sidespin. As for the Robo-Pong 2050, the main two things to be careful about are to not move the robot head manually while it is in use, and also to make sure that you don't accidentally wrap the long cord around the robot head when rotating the throwing mechanism.
Oh yes, and be careful with rotating the throwing head - it only rotates 180 degrees in either direction (which gives you a full turning circle), it doesn't just endlessly rotate around.
Manual
The manual that comes with the Robo-Pong 1040 is comprehensive and easy to follow, and the one that I received included a sheet of paper with some addendums to the manual, dealing with the removal of the 38mm ball switch, and what effect this has on the manual. It's all still quite straightforward though, mainly a matter of instructions that no longer apply since there is no ball switch anymore (the switch was phased out, since it's now over 10 years since the introduction of the 40mm ball).Pictured here is the oscillation setting mechanism. While it's not as fancy as the Robo-Pong 2050's digital remote control, it still does the job quickly and easily.
At the bottom of the photograph you can see the number 1-6, with plastic tabs over the numbers 3 and 5. These plastic tabs are the control levers which are used to select the oscillation range you would like to use. In the photograph, the control levers are set on 3 and 5, which means that the robot will throw the ball between the middle of the player's right court and his far left court, according to the legend located just above the control levers (you can click on the image to view a larger photograph).
By moving the control levers to positions 1 and 4, you can change the oscillation setting to just the right hand court of the player. It's simple, easy to use, and effective. To make small adjustments, you can always rotate the robot itself a little, which when combined with the 8 basic settings, gives you a wide variety of oscillation ranges.
Maintenance and Durability
As I mentioned previously in my review of the Robo-Pong 2050, it's difficult for me to give a comprehensive review about the durability of the Robo-Pong 1040, since we are generally talking about years of use, not a few weeks. So I'll simply repeat my statement that I've heard of very few problems with the reliability of Newgy Robots, and plenty of stories from Newgy robot owners complimenting the after sales service and repairs.Notes on General Usage
The Robo-Pong 1040 is easy to use, and more importantly, it's pretty good at what is supposed to do, throw balls at you to provide a good training session.The amount of topspin generated is about as heavy as you could ever want, although of course it is linked with the speed of the ball, since the Newgy is also a one head robot. More importantly, the amount of topspin vs speed is set just about right, so that you don't get too much speed compared to spin, or vice versa.
The amount of backspin vs speed is perhaps a little heavier than I would like, meaning that in order to get the ball deep on the table, you end up with a very heavy amount of backspin. But since adjusting between topspin and backspin is just a matter of turning the robot head around, I'm not sure if there is a simple way to fix this. I'm thinking that Newgy made the best compromise they could, giving a better topspin stroke simulation at the expense of the backspin ball.
I mentioned in my review of the Newgy Catch Net II that there is a tendency for balls that you hit directly at the 1040 to bounce off the robot straight back at you, which is a bit distracting. I've had a reader suggest that placing a little bit of folded cardboard in front of the base would solve this problem, which seems like a cheap and effective solution (thanks Mark!).
I should also make note that the effectiveness of the 1040 increases even further when used in conjunction with the Robo-Caddy, which allows you to place the robot off the playing surface, and improves your ability to simulate an opponent playing advanced strokes such as the counterloop, deep chop, or lob.
It's definitely worth considering if you are looking to buy a Robo-Pong 1040.
Conclusion
The Robo-Pong 1040 is a very good table tennis robot, and considering the features it includes, it is available at a very reasonable price. While it is subject to the natural limitations of one head robots (speed linked with spin, so no ability to produce float balls at decent speed), and missing some of the advanced features of the more expensive Newgy robot models (such as ball recycling and programmed drills), it nevertheless has more than enough capability to provide an extensive and useful training session for the most advanced player. For $US 299, you still get a robot with 200 ball capacity, 8 oscillator positions, excellent speed and spin generation (in topspin, backspin and sidespin), a good ball feed frequency range, and well-known reliability and ease of maintenance.Interested in purchasing a Newgy Robo-Pong 1040? Buy Direct
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