Croquet is a fun game where you hit a colorful ball through a series of wooden hoops with a mallet.
There are different variations of the rules, but essentially the first one who gets their ball through the hoops and back is the winner.
It’s a fun game that both children and adults can enjoy.
If you want to try your hand at the game, you may be quite surprised to see how expensive croquet sets actually are.
Considering that it’s just a bunch of wooden hoops, a mallet, and some balls, you may wonder what makes it so expensive.
Why Are Croquet Sets So Expensive? (10 Reasons)
While you can find croquet sets for as low as $40, you can also find some sets selling for as much as $600 and even more.
Certain factors like the materials used in the sets, the packaging, and whether it’s an indoor or outdoor set can impact the price.
Let’s look at these factors in more detail.
1. Croquet Ball Materials
A croquet ball may look simple in design, but it’s a bit more complex than just that.
Traditionally, croquet balls used wood.
They were either hollow or dense wooden balls that manufacturers painted.
The problem with wooden balls is that they used to paint them to give them color.
Through use and abuse, the paint would slowly chip off the ball.
Manufacturers realized that they needed a new type of material to make the ball last and look great.
They started using plastic croquet balls to solve this problem.
Tournament-approved croquet balls use a composite core that gives the ball a certain size and weight.
All balls used in tournaments must have a specific diameter of 3 5/8″ and a weight of 16oz.
The exterior of the ball is plastic.
Recreational croquet balls also tend to use plastic.
However, some also come with grooves that help your mallet grip the ball.
This makes it easier to hit the ball and send it in the direction that you want it to go.
Because croquet balls these days use a bit more processing than just carving a ball from wood, they also tend to be more expensive.
Tournament-ready balls, in particular, have to undergo a lot of testing to ensure they’re useable.
It even needs to have the right rebound for it to qualify.
As such, a manufacturer ends up investing a good amount of money to ensure their balls meet tournament standards.
Recreational balls don’t have quite as stringent controls, but they do match a tournament ball’s size and weight.
Since the croquet balls cost more to make, it makes the overall croquet set more expensive, too.
Croquet sets are expensive because of the material and process used to make croquet balls.
2. Croquet Mallet Materials
The material of the mallet is another expense that often determines how expensive the croquet set is.
The mallet is one of the most important parts of the croquet set.
If you don’t have a good croquet mallet, you won’t hit the balls accurately.
That can impact your performance in the game.
The mallet also acts as a status symbol.
When you play competitive games, for example, the wood used in your mallet is something that some people judge.
Like all materials, there is cheap wood and expensive wood.
The type of wood used to make the head of the mallet, in particular, can say a lot about your status in life.
As such, you can find mallets for sale for around $250 and more.
If it uses an expensive type of wood, it’s going to be an expensive mallet to produce.
That’s because the manufacturer has to source the wood.
If they’re paying a lot of money to use the wood, you’re paying them a lot of money to cover the cost of sourcing the wood.
Some mallets are more works of art than actual equipment.
Proud manufacturers will put some sort of brand on the mallet to indicate that it came from their craftsmen.
Some wood also provides better performance.
Denser wood, for example, can hit balls a bit harder.
Wood that isn’t as dense may even break if it strikes the balls too hard.
As such, you usually pay for the kind of performance you want to receive out of the mallet.
Croquet sets are expensive because mallets are sometimes expensive.
3. Croquet Hoop Materials
Along with croquet balls and mallets, another vital part of a croquet set is the hoops.
Officially, they’re called wickets.
They’re three pieces of wood that form a rectangle.
Wickets have pointed ends on their vertical parts.
This allows them to be pressed into the ground and remain in place.
The material of the wicket depends on what you’re willing to pay.
You can find cheap wickets that use wire or cheap wood.
More expensive sets tend to use high-quality metal or high-quality wood to make their wickets.
Metal is often used because of its durability.
Since the goal of croquet is to hit the balls through the wicket, there’s no question that wickets see a good amount of abuse.
The balls often hit the wicket instead of passing through them.
The metal ensures that the wicket remains held together no matter how hard the ball hits it.
Wire, on the other hand, isn’t as strong.
It can bend under pressure.
While it may still hold together, it won’t always retain its shape as well.
Wood is the traditional material used to make wickets.
Expensive croquet sets tend to use high-quality wood since it harkens back to the original style of croquet.
It’ll often use an expensive type of wood that looks great and has great durability.
Both high-quality wood and high-quality metal are expensive.
Even if the wicket, itself, is quite small, it still uses expensive materials.
As such, the manufacturer has to offset those costs with an expensive price tag.
4. Number Of Mallets In A Croquet Set
The number of mallets that you have in the croquet set can also determine its expense.
For example, if you have a lot of high-quality mallets in your croquet set, it’s going to be expensive.
That’s because you’re not just paying one high price, you’re paying it many times over.
A croquet set that has a $250 mallet will quickly cost anywhere from $500 to $1,000 depending on how many mallets it has in it.
Even cheaper sets with mallets that only cost $30 individually are going to add up in the end.
If you have three mallets in the set, for example, that’s almost $100 due to the mallets alone.
Some croquet sets come with a few mallets in them.
The goal of those sets is to equip a group or family with all the mallets they need to play the game.
If you have a large group or family, you’re going to need a lot of mallets.
As such, you’ll buy a croquet set that has a lot of mallets in it.
Unfortunately, it also means you will be paying for a more expensive croquet set.
Croquet sets are expensive when they contain a lot of mallets.
5. Number Of Hoops In A Croquet Set
While the number of mallets in the set can certainly impact its price, the number of hoops, or wickets, can as well.
Because the wickets, on their own, can be quite expensive, the more wickets you have, the more expensive the set is going to cost.
Some sets have a small number of wickets.
These sets tend to be on the cheaper side.
They’re usually geared toward children and beginners.
Since there are fewer wickets, it means the children don’t have to become too frustrated when they can’t get the ball through the first few wickets.
Children also have short attention spans.
They might end up becoming bored with the game halfway through.
As such, it doesn’t make much sense to have a lot of wickets in the set.
Other sets, however, can come with a lot of wickets.
These sets tend to be for adults or those who play croquet competitively.
It’s also useful for larger families.
The more wickets that the set has, the more challenging the course becomes.
That’s because players have more chances of not making it through a wicket.
Those who participate in competitive croquet likely choose sets with the same number of wickets as used in tournaments.
This ensures that they’re able to practice under the right conditions.
Croquet sets that advertise themselves as tournament-ready sets also tend to be more expensive.
Croquet sets are expensive if they have a lot of wickets, or hoops, in them.
6. Indoor Versus Outdoor Sets
There are different variations of croquet sets that you can find.
Some are for casual players while others are for competitive players.
There are also indoor croquet sets and outdoor croquet sets.
Traditionally, croquet is a game played outside.
The wickets come with sharp points specifically to drive into grass or turf.
Because the balls are both hard and heavy, hitting them with the mallet can also cause damage in an indoor space.
That’s why some manufacturers make indoor croquet sets and others make outdoor croquet sets.
Indoor croquet sets tend to be cheaper than outdoor croquet sets.
That’s because they don’t need to use materials that perform well in certain weather conditions.
For example, wood tends not to like water.
If a croquet game is occurring in the rain, any wooden pieces could deteriorate.
Manufacturers have to coat their wooden mallets and wickets with something to protect them from water.
Since it adds another step to the production process, it becomes more expensive.
Indoor croquet sets don’t have that problem.
They’re also lighter to mitigate damage.
As such, they tend to use fewer materials.
Croquet sets are expensive if they’re made for the outdoors.
7. Croquet Bag
The actual croquet bag that the croquet set comes in can also be quite expensive.
Some croquet sets come with a wooden or plastic holder or case.
It allows you to hang your mallets and store the balls in a safe, contained, area.
Other croquet sets have high-quality bags.
The bags are expensive because they usually use waterproof materials.
Since the manufacturers know that some people will leave their bags in an area where water or other liquids can come into contact with it, the waterproof material protects the equipment inside it.
Some bags also have pouches or other means of attaching the equipment inside them.
This helps keep everything orderly inside the bag.
The more sophisticated the bag is, the more expensive it’s going to be.
8. Adult Croquet Versus Kid Croquet
Just as there are croquet sets for indoor use and outdoor use, there are also croquet sets for adults and kids.
Kid croquet sets tend to be a bit cheaper.
Manufacturers know that children are likely to break their equipment.
As such, they don’t want to waste expensive materials to make those items.
They use cheaper materials instead.
Adult croquet sets, however, tend to be more expensive.
That’s because manufacturers know that the adults who buy their croquet sets are likely either competing or just enjoying the hobby.
Competitors are willing to pay high prices to ensure they can practice for a tournament.
Hobbyists don’t mind splurging on something that they love.
Some also see expensive croquet sets as a status symbol.
If the mallet, for example, uses a unique type of wood, then they don’t mind showing that off.
Croquet sets are expensive if they’re advertised for adults.
9. Warranty
Some croquet sets also come with a warranty.
If something breaks, they can either offer you a refund, repair the item, or replace it.
Warranties are great for customers, but they can make a business lose money.
If too many problems occur, they could find themselves paying more money to fix those problems.
As such, businesses that offer warranties need to charge enough for their products to protect themselves.
Croquet sets that come with warranties tend to be more expensive.
10. Mallet Head Type
A final reason croquet sets are expensive is that the mallet uses an expensive head.
There are tons of different styles when it comes to mallet heads.
Some use brass rings and others don’t.
Some use brass or other types of metal as a face covering and others don’t.
Some use dense wood while others use carbon fiber or steel.
Some mallets are one piece with the shaft.
Others use a screw to screw it in place.
Other types of mallets use other ways of attaching to the shaft of the mallet.
All these different details can make a mallet more expensive.
When the mallet is more expensive, the croquet set is more expensive.
Croquet sets are expensive when you use an expensive mallet head.
Conclusion
Croquet is a fun sport and hobby shared by adults and children.
However, the materials used to make the croquet set, including the bag, can make those sets very expensive.
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