Top 5 Tables

I appreciate a good table.

Tables are reliable, useful and, in most instances, stable. They are also incredibly underrated.

While, chairs, beds and even bars receive most of the attention, tables come to work every day and are always there for you if you want to sit down, eat a meal, play a game, do your homework or just set down the junk mail.

Tables are amazing! Plus, there are so many of them that you use every day! I’m happy just thinking about it! At the same time, I can’t tell you how often I hear someone say, “But, Nick, what is the best type of table?”

In order to answer this timeless question, our judges have put together this list of Top 5 Tables.

5. End – The end table rightfully takes its place at the end of the Top 5 list due to its legendary team-ups with chairs, sofas and beds. While they can’t usually hold a lot, end tables do outstanding work as a place to set down books, magazines, drinks, keys and even snacks.   The uses for end tables are endless. The small size of the end table and the fact that small shelves, dressers and even milk crates can sometimes replace them will keep them, for now at least, from climbing any higher than No. 5 in our list.

4. Ping Pong – We are also including tables for air hockey, pool and foosball at the No. 4 ranking. These specialized game tables are very fun and can make a basement, game room or other place memorable. The size of the tables can be a drawback, though, as they sometimes take up the whole room. They can also be a huge pain to move. Finally, the fact that I usually end up losing at pool, ping pong, air hockey and foosball hurts the overall ranking. So, if you think they should be ranked higher, blame my stupid brothers.

3. Of Contents – I love using the table of contents when I am reading a book or researching something. It makes everything so much easier. I wish that more items in life had a table of contents.

2. Card – Nearly perfect, the card table is portable, easy to fold and fits in any room. Everyone loves a card table, and it was even immortalized in the song, “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers. (While he did not specify which type of table he was using, he was clearly playing cards). The only drawback to the card table and the reason it has not climbed to the No. 1 spot yet is because at family gatherings it often becomes known as the “Kiddie Table.” If it can overcome this image problem in the future, our judges could see it rising to No. 1.

Before we announce the No. 1 choice, let’s recognize a few of our Honorable Mentions that have been tabled up until now:

Coffee – Coffee tables are fine for putting drinks, magazine and feet on, but sometimes people don’t want you to put your feet on them, which is frustrating. Also, they pose a grave danger to shins.

Water – The water table is an underground boundary between where air and water fills the spaces between sediment and rocks and where water fills all of the spaces. When I looked up the definition to see if I was right about this, though, I also discovered that a water table is an amazing looking toy they sell online for kids where the outdoor table has water coming out of it.

Data – Tables of data can be incredibly helpful or frustrating, depending on how you use them.

Bargaining – People love to sit down at the bargaining table to work out a deal. No one is sure what an actual bargaining table looks like, but that’s because no one can get a good look at it after everyone puts all of their chips down on it.

Now, let’s check the No. 1 spot in our countdown!

1. Dinner – Landing at our No. 1 spot, the dinner table really has it all. It’s the place where families and friends gather for meals, conversations and even board games. The dinner table is a key to holiday gatherings, family reunions and even dinner parties. The dinner table also amazingly versatile, as they often can get larger or smaller. It’s fun to have a dinner table that can change sizes, and even better when you can store the extra leaves inside the table! If you had one of these tables in the Middle Ages they would have thought you were a wizard! Speaking of the Middle Ages, King Arthur and his Knights made the round dinner table famous way back then, and dinner tables have appeared in paintings, songs and great literature over the years. The dinner table is truly where it’s at, and it is No. 1 in our data table of tables.