Customer Reviews

Lifetime 71283 Height-Adjustable Portable Basketball System with 50-Inch Backboard

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Purchased as a christmas present for 12 y.o. daughter. Two positive things first of all: we were a little late in ordering, so was scheduled to ship after xmas, but actually arrived 5 days before; also the price was excellent from Amazon--local stores were selling exact same product for twice the price--free shipping.

About the assembly: I had read other reviews and was a little apprehensive, but I also checked the owners manual online (always a good idea) to check out the step-by-step before I purchased, and it seemed doable.

It was definitely a challenge and an effort, but not horrible. Instructions say you need 2 people, but it definitely helps to have more--often one person is needed just to sort through the parts while the other two hold the assembly. We had 3 adults and the 12 year old and everyone kept busy.

The biggest problem is that there are a lot of steps, but you can't intuitively figure out where the directions are leading you until you get to the end--it's a lot like doing your taxes. One very important recommendation: the parts come in numbered bags--the numbers correspond to steps in the assembly--DON'T TAKE THE PIECES OUT OF THE BAG UNTIL YOU NEED THEM. Another confusing aspect: one bag of parts might be used in 3 or 4 different steps and some of the bolts and nuts look very similar so you have to check, double check, and triple check before using them. In one step, the size of the bolt that is needed does NOT match the size-matching template printed in the instructions.

It took us 4 hours to put it together--this is definitely a process you do NOT want to rush through.

Once put together, it is a nice product. For those looking to purchase something like this, I would definitely not get anything smaller that the 50-inch backboard--it is not that big. It is sturdy for a portable, and the height adjustment works fine. We filled it with sand, which performs better, but which we will probably regret when the day comes to take it apart and we have to figure out what to do with 350 lbs of sand. However, this will be out in cold weather so water was out of the question.

I ultimately purchased this model because it seemed like the value and performance made it worth the rigors of the installation. I knew what we were getting into when we ordered it, and it worked out exactly as I anticipated. So, get some friends, be patient, measure-twice/bolt once, make sure you have someone with an analytical mind managing the parts, and in a few hours, you have a nice hoop.

I got this system about a month ago. It is easy to assemble. I put it together myself. The instructions say you need 2 people to help for certain parts but I put it together without any problems. Once it was together it worked perfectly. The pneumatic pump raises and lowers the system flawlessly. With the old systems you used to have to get a broom handle and raise and lower it that way. It is also easy to move without any help. I like the size of the backboard too. Some systems come with cheap 40" backboards but this is a good size and quality so you get a natural bounce off of the backboard.

OK first I must say that I am very mechanicaly minded and build furniture as well as houses and I have every tool known to man kind. I thought no way will this take me long, directions has actuall size photo's to identify bolts...that was where the directions stopped being good. I must have assembled, disassembled and reassembled some things a few times. the directions would show a close up but nothting to relate top to bottom or front to back. It took me a solid 4 1/2 hours. You definetly need 1 adjustable wrench and 3 sockets or wrenches in the 7/16th 1/2" 9/16" and 3/4. A drill for screwing and a mallet. I couldn't believe how confused I got. My wife kept coming outside amazed at how much trouble I was having. I could do another in less then an hour now...in fact I would feel better if I built another so I could know my average time down to a more respectable amount. But now that it is up it works great! BTW big 5 has it on sale until Oct 7th for $249.00 with a 10% off online coupon so I paid $225.00 hope someone gets in on that deal. I think this is the best one for the price...operates very smooth.

The lower rating is because of the horrible assembly process. 1)They sent the wrong parts - the self tapping screws they sent were the wrong size (too long and two wide and didn't match the "parts list") Called Customer Service who said it would take about a week for the right screws to arrive so we made "trip one" to the hardware store instead. 2)The directions are inadequate. (e.g. no reference to having to pre-drill pilot holes through the metal pole for the self tapping screws - this was confirmed by the call to Customer Service.) Hence, "trip two" to the hardware store for the right drill bits. 3) Apparently they ran out of the right size spacers because they sent 2 of the correct size and substituted 2 useless smaller ones. Didn't bother with Customer Service -made "trip three" to the hardware store. 4)FYI - when the package finally arrived the following week with the replacement screws, they were still the wrong size anyway - in fact they sent two different wrong sizes.
The end product is great but definitely not worth the trouble.

After reading the previous reviews and noticed the bad comments about the instructions, I took that into considerations and purchased it anyways.
Nobody was really talkin bad about the board.

Most of us have the urgency of putting it together w/out reading the instructions and simply just looking at the drawings. You have to approach this one differently.

I went ahead and borrowed a friend of mine and paid him with cold beverages because I defintely agree that you need at least 2 people to put this together.

The Instructions although not as detailed did mention that you MUST READ THE ENTIRE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY to assemble this item, failure to do so can delay your assembly because you have to disassemble and re-assemble again.

Finally, it took us 4 1/2 hrs to complete the assembly and based on my experience, it wasn't that bad at all. I only wish they added spare washers/nuts just in case you lose it.

Once its installed, I added water to it and let me tell you. Its supposed to be portable but w/ the base filled, its pretty heavy.

The board has a better rebound than other cheap boards out there but its not like the ones at the indoor gym. 50" is adequate for a home use, but you better have the apace for this. The base takes alot of room.

The ability to move the height up/down is as advertised. I can do it with one hand. Very nice!!!
I measured it from the rim to the floor and its accurate based on the height you adjusted to.

One thing I found out just now. This "slam-it" rim, you are not allowed to hang on it or it will cause you your warranty. I know because Lifetime answered my question I emailed out.
They do not have weight limits on these rims so do not attempt to hang on it.

I defenitely recommend this if your shopping for one.

After reading the horror stories of the assembly process/instructions I was a little worried.
Myself and my 12 yr old daughter put it together in about 3 hrs without issue. All parts were included, instructions were clear, she did the step check off's
The base took 400lbs of sand vs the 375lbs stated in the instructions

We've been using this hoop for over a month and it is wonderful. With children of different sizes, the height adjustment is fun and easy. The overall quality of the system is excellent.It came with all the parts. I read a lot of bad reviews about the instruction manual, but all positive comments about the completed net. When assembling be organized and have all tools layed out.Be methodical and really study the parts before assembling(both via the listed descriptions and the diagrams)It took 3.5 hours to put it together and I do a lot of construction work. We live in a cold winter climate so we put sand in the base. It helped to level the ground where the net would rest beforehand. Overall,the hoop was well worth the price. Thanks to Lifetime and Amazon

We have loved this basketball goal. It is very well made and the height adjuster is easy enough for a 9 year old. The frame is very sturdy and strong. We have spent hours as a family playing basketball.

The only draw back is, it took two grown men (that are very mechanical) 3 hours to put together. Let just say my husband was not very happy about that!:)

But all together, I love it!

I'm very satisfied with this Lifetime basketball system. Amazon's free shipping was great, but somewhat slow. I assembled and setup the unit by myself, but at times two people would have been convenient. If assembling by yourself, just be sure you have a few things like garbage cans or boxes to support it when needed. I even raised the hoop myself, which was pretty easy.

I found the instructions sufficient, not terrible, but not great either. The first thing I did was inventory the parts and nothing was missing. There were no extra parts either. I recommend you inventory the parts if no other reason than to become familiar with the many parts.

Some readers felt that an optional drill bit was needed. This isn't the case because all of the screws that self tap are also self drilling. I never used a drill bit. But be sure you have a good power drill to drill and drive the screws where needed.

I was careful and took my time to assemble the unit. I guess that my assembly time was about 6-1/2 hours, and I assembled it at multiple times. There was a few confusing steps but with a little thought it can be fiqured out from the drawings. The instructions are mostly assembly drawings rather than step by step detailed explanations of what to do.

The hoop mechanism raises and lowers with ease. I filled the base with water and the system seems sufficiently stable. I spoke with Lifetime and they recommend not using antifreeze. They said the base is designed to withstand freezing water expansion and contraction. I didn't use sand because the fill opening is so small that I imagine it would be quite a problem emptying the base's sand if I had to move the unit someday.

I think this system was an excellent value, but I noticed Amazon significantly raised the price since I purchase mine about 1 month ago.

I was a little concerned about buying this after reading so many reviews stating problems with assembly. I don't know if I just got lucky or possibly all of those negative comments got Lifetime's attention and they fixed the problems because I had a smooth assembly. There were a couple of times where I had to study the instruction manual and look at the parts to be sure I was doing it correctly but the longest delay was probably only 5 minutes.

As others have stated, it is a very good idea to keep the parts bags separated and sealed until the instuction manual calls for a part from that bag. There are a few bags that contain parts that are used in several steps so I only took out the parts when they were needed. The bags are numbered and the instruction manual tells you which bag the parts are in that are needed for assembly steps on each page. I am what I consider above average "mechanically inclined". For the most part, it was just myself and my 12 year old son. My wife helped out for about 45 minutes as there are some instances where it really helps to have 3 people. All total, the assembly took about 3 hours.

The unit is very well built. The base is large and seems very adequate for it's purpose. I filled it with water since I didn't have any sand available. I will probably change to sand in the next couple of weeks. It adds weight and would eliminate any concern with freezing. The backboard, bracing, hardware, post, etc. feels solid and sturdy. This isn't your cheap toy that you see in some stores. Rebounds off the rim and main part of the backboard are also solid. Rebounds off the backboard near the edges (farthest from the rim but still on the face of the backboard)cause the backboard to move back and forth for a few seconds. I don't believe it's a reasonable expectation for it to be rock solid that far away and besides you shouldn't be missing that much anyway :-). It's really not a complaint as the shaking is only momentary but I thought I would mention it. One of the key selling features for me was the quick and easy way the height of the goal can be adjusted. I have a 9 year old daughter and within 5 seconds (and using only her hands) she can have it adjusted to the height she prefers. Nice!!

In summary, Kudos to Amazon and Lifetime. When shopping for this item, I called Lifetime twice. Both times they answered the phone quickly. They were professional, nice and answered my questions completely and accurately. Amazon had this on sale for $200.39 with free shipping. I ordered it on Saturday night and it arrived on Thursday. It is now Saturday morning and my son is outside playing basketball with one of his friends.