HomeBest SellersSpalding Portable Basketball System - 54" Aluminum Trim Glass Backboard |
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34 of 35 found the following review helpful:
 Portable Basketball Systems Jul 10, 2009
By T. T. Dodge
I extensively researched all the available portable basketball systems. That included reading independent reviews and visiting Dicks and Sports Authority to see and test the various makes and models. Although, Spalding's "The Beast" was far and away the best portable unit that I examined, its cost is $250 more at Amazon. This unit was not difficult to assemble. My 13-year old son and I accomplished that task in about four hours (he is much more handy than I am). The unit is rock solid. The 54" glass backboard is the real advantage that this unit has over the competition. It is just like playing in the gym. There is no backboard movement on shots that hit high off the backboard. It is just like playing on an in-ground unit. I only wish that moving it was easier once assembled. The Spalding Beast allows you to lower a handle which lowers the wheels and easily move the unit wherever you wish. Moving this system once the reservoir is filled is not an easy task. But, for the money, you will be happy that you spent the extra two to three hundred dollars for a system so beefy and a big glass backboard.
18 of 19 found the following review helpful:
Nice goal - confusing instructions Apr 30, 2010
By J. Huffman
I don't often review products simply due to time but I have to get the word out about this goal. First off, this is a great portable goal. It's well built, the frame is solid, backboard is solid, the base once filled with 500lbs of sand is solid. My kids love this goal. All around, its great and it would have received 5 stars had it not been for the installation instructions.
All that said, assembly went well at first. I had two other adults helping so it went fast at first. Be sure you follow the instructions precisely for pounding the 3 poles together. If you get it wrong, you are hosed. Now, there are two things in the instructions that everyone needs to know but of course Spalding doesn't tell you. First, the hardware spacers #30 that get assembled on Section A, step 11 are plastic spacers but they look nothing like the hardware identifier chart on the top of page 7.. The width is correct in the drawing but the circle circumference is WAY off. This slowed us down while we double and triple checked to make sure we had nothing else that matched that #30 spacer. The second and most frustrating part of assembly was Section B, Step #2. Parts 51 and 27 were NO WHERE to be found in the box. We spent the better part of an hour searching for these parts. We finally gave up and I resolved myself to having to call Spalding for replacement after the weekend. We continued our installation for the remaining sections which went smooth. When we finally stood the goal up, we noticed that the #51 spacers were already in the backboard covered by part 27 which turned out to be a foam pad. First of all, there is NOTHING in the drawing to indicate this is a foam pad (it looks like it should be metal from the drawing) and secondly, the drawing clearly shows that parts #51 and #27 need to be assembled into the backboard when in actuality, Spalding did it for you at the factory. I hope this saves someone out there time.
17 of 19 found the following review helpful:
OG Player Jan 29, 2011
By DERRICK AIKEN
I would recommend this systems to anyone who wants to avoid a cheap basketball system. I bought this goal from Amazon and it was delivered within a few days. I read the instructions, so I thought thoroughly but missed focusing on the bouncing of the pole part. Please know it is not necessary to bounce the pole for as long as I did. The instructions say subtely, that when the poles stop moving you can stop. They should be about 1.5 inches from the sticker that tells which pole is which (i.e., bottom, top, etc.). I figuered that out and moved through the directions. Everything went as designed. Be advised again, this sytem is heavy which is great because you know you have a quality system. The instructions will tell you there will be parts left over because the bolts, screws etc., that come with it fit several systems. I think I used just about everything. The directions also talk about using a saw horse to assist with the assembly. I have standard size saw horses and they were not quite high enough to support all of the assembly. So anticipate that. Rested mine on our plastic X-mas storage boxes to install the the backboard by myself. Once the back board is on, this thing gets real heavy fast. Make sure you have someone to help you get it back upright and note that the base bacuse it is empty will roll. I almost coudn't get it back up by myself and I consider myself pretty strong. Now the really great parts. The 60 inch back board is great. Even though its acrylic, the bounce in the center is perfect. The sides seem to give a good bounce as well. It is solid and does not reverberate like some of the cheaper systems. The base is huge, holds 40 gallons and the entire system will weigh about 450 lbs when done. Haven't moved it around yet. I will definitely need another strong man to move it. Once again stability is why you are buying this unit. Can't say enough about the screw jack system. It works very well when making height adjsutments. Love the fact the handle can be removed. This feature will stop the neighborhood kids from changing the height. There is water indicator that you can read and I think it will work well letting me know when to add more. Overall a great system, the four was because of the lengthy assembly process. It took me 6+ hours. This will be faster with help from a friend. Used rachets, an ajustable wrench, and ruber mallet throughout the process. Oh yea, the 20 degree angled pole let's you go under the basket for lay ups without hitting the pole or the base similar to being in a gym. Looks phenomenal in my yard!
Update:
It has been one year since I had the goal and it still looks and performs great. It has been in a forty plus mile per hour windstorm and only moved about 2 feet from its original position. The height adjustment still works great and there is no problem moving from the lowest height setting to the highest with the cork screw mechanism. The net still looks brand new even though it gets used all the time. The backboard is still solid and I have no problem dunking like a pro (at the lower levels of course). The breakaway rim is still functioning fine as well. So I am still completely satisfied with the goal. I would certainly recommend this to anyone.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Great portable system Dec 12, 2009
By G B
"Garrett"
Wow!! Surprised at how much we enjoy this portable basketball system. I read the reviews and most were positive but I was still suspect and was concerned about the assembly. Not only were the reviews that were favorable accurate but I assembled it with my 8 and 9 year old sons and it was easier than I thought and having their participation was a great father and sons experience. All of the parts were included. The labeling of bolts and screws might have been a little better but that maybe added five minutes to the work. The quality of the system for a portable is great. Much more stable than I thought it would be and the backboard is by far the best for a portable. If there were anything I would change to this product, it would be the hole for adding water or sand in the base. We chose sand as we live in a colder climate and feared freezing. There is only one hole which is very small and required a lot of effort to fill. This would have been much easier with water but since they provide sand as an option I would have thought they would have made the entry larger or added a second hole at a better location(the very end). Be warned that with the overall quality and glass backboard it is very heavy and does require two strong adults to move, but once in place it is very secure and stable. I strongly recommend this product and could not be happier.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Spalding hoop May 24, 2011
By Long island mom
Purchased this item with amazon prime shipping on Monday afternoon and the hoop arrived at my door on thursday. I began putting it together myself on Thursday evening. I am a 5'6",135 pound mommy, and I put this together on my own with the help of my rubbermaid Christmas storage container, a mallet, a six foot ladder, and a ratchet wrench (I think it's called). It was definitely difficult and I suffered a setback when I put the poles together without lining them up with the "dimple". I lined them up using the holes, which was wrong and had to pull the poles apart with the help of a friend, my Landrover and a tree, but other than that, I did it all myself. When i had the pole together and attached to the base, I laid the whole thing down to put together the backboard. It solidly took me about 7 hours to put this thing together. I spent a little extra to buy a hoop that I wouldn't mind looking at in the front of my house on a daily basis. I am glad that I did. It is really a very high quality hoop and looks great in my driveway. It is very substantial which I expect will do well in the high winds that we get off the Bay. In sum, I am very happy with this purchase. I'm happy I spent the extra few hundred dollars to get a high quality hoop. This was not an easy item to assemble at all, but it can be done with very little angst as long as you have patience and read the directions carefully. The ratchet wrench also made the assembly go more smoothly.
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