Customer Reviews

Lifetime 51550 Courtside Portable Basketball System with 48-Inch Shatterguard Backboard

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My son and his friends (ages 8-15) have been using this goal for about 6 months with no issues. They get pretty rough out there and so far, so good. It was easy to assemble and set up. I did a lot of research and review reading before I purchased this basketball backboard and feel I made the best decision in my price range and you can't beat free delivery to your door!!!

This basketball hoop was purchased for my sons sixth birthday. It took my husband about three hours to put it together with no problem. We like how the height can be adjusted with one hand and that it can be moved from one location to another with little difficulty despite the base being filled with almost 300 pounds of sand. Our only disappointment was when we discovered the material surrounding the backboard is molded plastic. The Amazon product description does not mention this detail and in person it looks cheap.

I bought the $100 42-inch model for my 5 and 7 year olds for Christmas and when I took it out of the box, the backboard was hollow formed plastic and just didn't seem like it would be a good long term solution to grow with the kids, so I exchanged it for this model. Again, when I opened the box the backboard was 1/4" plexiglass (polycarbonite), I was skeptical. From all the positive reviews, I decided to go ahead and assemble it and give it a try.

First, assembly is not for the timid. You will need multiple sets of tools to put this together. The instructions will state to use (2) 1/2", 7/8" or other size wrenches. The reality of it is you will probably need a wrench set and a socket set. I was lucky enough to have both at hand. The wrench is good for the holding the nut and the socket is much better for the tightening. Some of the lock nuts are very tough to tighten down. You will also need a socket extension when you assemble the height adjustment bracket. Without these, it will be a struggle to assemble it correctly. Secondly, the instructions are very detailed, but some pages are very hard to follow. There are many bags of parts, but none are labeled and sometimes it took a few minutes to figure out which parts went with which section of instructions. Also, there is not one picture of a fully assembled unit and some of the pictures leave you making an educated guess as to which parts go in what direction, etc. Once you do figure it out, you will find that most parts fit snugly and appeared to be machined well. No rough edges and only one screw that was a bit out of line on the backboard.

It took about 2 1/2 hours of continuous work to put it all together, so be prepared to spend an afternoon putting this together (along with impatient kids waiting to play on it!). That said, I was pleasantly surprised with the finished product. My worries about the backboard disappeared with the first shot. It does have some wobble as would any portable backboard and it is a bit dead (meaning you can make a shot off the backboard with a bit of force and it will die softly into the net). I didn't see a lot of wobble and even with my shots, it seemed pretty true with the exception of the weak backboard. The best thing about the goal is the height adjustment. It is literally just a aqueeze of a handle and the backboard moves very easily to the height you want. I was very impressed that it worked so easily and didn't take anything away from the sturdiness of the goal.

If you want to make an investment in a portable goal, then spend the extra money and get the larger, polycarbonite backboard. It is worth the difference. I found that, once assembled, it looks great, is sturdy enough for rougher play should sit in out driveway for many years. I think once you work through the assembly you will be pleased with the goal.

NOTE: The 5 digit models (51XXX) come with the easy adjustment. The 4 digit ones (13XX) require bringing the goal down and unscrewing bolts to raise or lower. It took me a bit of investigation to figure that out and it isn't stated in some of the model descriptions, so I hope that helps.

Pro's:

* Upgraded model well worth the cost over the "base" units.
* Height adjustment is very easy to use.
* Very stable and sturdy, strong rim.
* MADE IN AMERICA!!

Con's

* A bit of a struggle with assembly.
* The pole and wheels aren't really attached. They just kind of snap to the base and if moved, they can pop out, which could be hazardous and should be fixed.

Hey, Landmark, if you read your reviews, I would love to edit your instructions to fix some of the things that need further clarification and labeling the bags with numbers to match the instructions would be a plus as well. Other than that, good job!!!

I put this hoop together over a couple of days for a total of about 3.5 hours.

They do a good job of packing the small parts in labeled bags so that you can find what you need. The instructions have helpful parts lists on each page detailing the parts that will be needed for each step.

Still, it can get confusing, so give yourself some time. And have plenty of socket wrenches around.

I'm very impressed with the sturdiness of the hoop and the ease with which it can be raised and lowered.

When the snow and ice melt, I'll even get to shoot some hoops with the boys.

I purchased this game for myself to play in the yard. It takes some time to put together but if you follow the instructions carefully, you should have no problems putting it together. I put it on a slab in the yard and it is strong enough for adults to play. It adjust easily in height. The only problem I have had was that I get very strong winds where I live and I filled the base with water. The winds actally moved my game about two feet. You may want to use sand in the base as it may be heavier. Other then that I am pleased with this setup and I am glad I purchased the game.

Built the hardware over 3-4 hrs on a Sunday, but filling this thing with sand is taking several evenings after work. It would be much easier if the fill holes were larger and located at better locations. Those holes are fine for filling it with water, but I'm using sand because of the warning that a slow leak might leave this large contraption unstable and subject to falling over.

As a design engineer the instructions and hardware packaging were well done, but the hole design for filling with this thing with sand to me is poor/not well thought out. Fix that and you have a five star "design for assembly" product. Given the relative complexity of the design, and time involved for assembly, that's important.

I'll try to come back later and review the game performance later on ...

Overall, I'd say the Lifetime 51550 Courtside Portable Basketball System is an excellent choice for anyone looking to buy a portable hoop system.

PACKAGING:
The box itself is pretty big, although I'd say it's as small as they could make it while still containing all of the parts, the largest pieces being the base and the backboard itself. There's a lot of little hardware, but all of it comes packaged in several bags, all of which are clearly marked and numbered.

INSTALLATION:
I rate the quality of the installation instructions very highly. The first few pages indicate all of the individual parts, which numbered bags they can be found in, and what that part is used for (backboard assembly, pole assembly, etc.) so there is no confusion. Then when you actually start the assembly, at the top of each page, they show what tools should be used and what parts you will be assembling. It's really very easy to put together, and I read online that others estimate around 3 hours to put it together. I took my time, though and it probably took me about 5 hours, including the time it took to go through and make sure I had the right number of parts for everything.

TO FREEZE OR NOT TO FREEZE? (UPDATED)
Another point to note is that while Lifetime indicates you can fill it with water or sand, others online recommend against sand because it is very difficult to get out if you ever need to. I would definitely recommend going with water. Others online also recommend using a combination of water and anti-freeze for colder climates, but Lifetime specifically indicates that you do NOT need to use anti-freeze, that the base is made from a material that will expand if the water inside freezes. (UPDATE: I've had the hoop set up since the summer, filled with just water, and as of 2/1/2012, it's still fine. Our winter temps so far have been around 15-35f, with some crazy daily fluctuations causing regular freezing and thawing, and the base is still in perfect shape.)

MISC:
As others have noted, once the unit is assembled, it's very easy to adjust the height of the backboard using a one-handed operation. The backboard itself is of a decent size, and the rim is built to withstand jams. It also comes with a nice wrap-around pad to protect kids from smashing their head into the pole, and a height adjustment sticker that shows the adjustment from 8' to 10' in half-foot increments.

CONS (UPDATED):
One thing I have noted is that there is a good amount of "give" when the ball hits the backboard (i.e. the backboard wobbles), so the rebound ability of the ball is affected. Not greatly, but don't expect the same rebound response that you'd get from a permanent backboard. It could just be that I need to get up there and tighten all of the bracket bolts, but they were pretty tight when I first assembled it, so I assume it's just an effect of the portable system. (UPDATE: I've since determined that most of the wobble is due to the fact that I have the base on an somewhat uneven surface, and so it doesn't have the same stability as when it is on a flat surface.)

IN SUMMARY:
Still, a great buy. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a portable hoop.

Fairly straightforward to put together. This unit is fine for my 12-year old stepdaughter who has shown some interest in basketball, but I would not advise it if you have older teenagers constantly playing a tough school-yard game.

It came nicely packaged. Assembly was straight forward and took me about 4 hours. I filled it with water, trusting that it wont break if it freezes (per the user guide). I really dont think I will need to fill it with sand - it is very solid with water in it. It is very sturdy and easily height adjustable. I do not think it would stand up to constant slam dunks , but my kids are only 10 and 5. My kids (and the other kids on our block) love it. The clear backboard and orange rim make it look very pro legit. I think we will be playing lots of hoops this spring/summer!

Probably the best value for the price. Backboard is a little thinner than I hoped but acceptable and better than the similarly priced Spalding. Be careful installing the handle; if you don't put all of the screws in and tighten before releasing your (hand) grip on the two pieces the spring will likely strip the plastic threads and it won't function properly.