Customer Reviews

Lifetime 71799 In-Ground Basketball System with 50-Inch Shatter Guard Backboard

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a cement-footer job, so it takes days to do right.

The build quality is not bad, but you get what you pay for. This is about 1/5th the cost of many in-ground backboards, so that is a huge plus.

The pole comes in three sections, and it took some serious wailing on them to get them to seat down as far as the instructions call for. Definitely do-able, but you'd better be in shape, and have your wits and a good sledge hammer. The final result seems sturdy though.

One bracket was omitted entirely. The manufacturer answered the phone during regular business hours, no trouble, and agreed right away to send the missing part. Still, it was a week's delay.

Certain holes were also not the right inside diameter. They may have been close before the powder-coated finish was applied in factory, but there was no way in he11 they would fit the provided bolts as delivered. I had to buy an over sized drill bit to fix that glitch. Then I had to grease those points heavily afterward as insurance against this freshly bared metal surface becoming a rust in-road.

I went the in-ground sleeve route (sold separately), thinking I might want to change the installation location someday, ... or maybe take it out entirely for severe weather. Both ideas seem silly now. You won't be pulling this baby up for any old high winds warning. Too heavy, and all the weight is up top. (And I expect the main pole to rust-seal to the ground sleeve within the first year.) Also, moving it to another spot would leave a nasty concrete footer behind. The main pole can spin in the ground sleeve, despite the provided tab and nut, but that seemed mostly to happen when I was moving it via the backboard (via a ladder), whereas a month of modest normal use hasn't spun it noticeably. And you can always tap a new hole in the main pole to secure it against rotation.

The height adjustment mechanism is well-designed and works easily enough. The highest position takes a little effort (leverage works against you), so your 10-year-old might struggle a little. But overall, that part gets an "A". (There are springs that act as a suitable "counter-weight" against the weight of the backboard itself.)

The finish seems good so far, the net good, the backboard seems durable and comes plastic-filmed to prevent scratches in factory/warehouse (be sure to peel it off).

It does seem to wobble just a bit when the ball hits it. Not like a kid's toy or anything. Just maybe not as solid as those rectangular beam models that run $1400.

And despite my most meticulous efforts, it does seem to lean just a little. Judging by my level, the problem is not the pole but the amount of play in the mechanisms that allow you to change the backboard's height. But it's a pretty minor tilt. A perfectionist sees it; a kid shooting hoops probably does not.

Would I buy it again? Yeah. It's NOT an eye-sore (can't stand those sand or water-weighted things), I expect we'll get years of use from it, and the price was very right.

For an in the ground basketball goal this is a great buy. It took me and my father about 3 hours to put it together. Instructions were adequate. It would have been easier if the larger pieces were labeled. I highly suggest buying the in Lifetime Ground Sleeve for 3.5 Inch Round Poles. It made installation easier and I can now remove the goal if we ever move or if a hurricane is coming.

I went to Lowes and bought a cardboard cement tube, four 80 pound bags of concrete, and four two foot pieces of rebar. I put the ground sleeve in the concrete per the instructions and let it sit for a few days before installing the goal into the sleeve.

I would say the biggest knock on this system is the backboard itself. I am sure the polycarbonate backboard will hold up fine, but it is just very thin.

The goal adjusts heights really really easy and that is a great thing for growing kids.

Received the box in perfect condition. I started putting the backboard and rim together but needed my husband's help when I attached the supports and poles. Directions were easy to follow and parts were easy to identify. It was relatively simple to assemble. After several bags of concrete and a few days setting time, it's a great basketball goal. Adjusting the height is very simple and easy. We lower it for our 6 yr old and raise it back up when my husband and I play. It's very sturdy and looks great. No problems what-so-ever and we've already reccommended it to a friend.

This is a very nice home use product. Shipped amazingly fast and the assembly was very easy. Using the in-ground sleeve I purchased, I was able to install this virtually by myself. Adjustment mechanism is very easy to use. I couldn't find a better value out there for the price.

My husband is very handy. It took him hours to dig the hole, and put in the cement. Few days later, it took him another 3 hours to assemble it. The pictures and the directions are aweful. I could not have understood them. My husband had experience, so he could understand them. The same part was named two different things at different times. I agree, there should be a video on how to put it together on their website.

The backboard is a bit wobbly.

We are very happy with the unit, though. The mechanism raises and lowers easily, and it is beautiful. It is a great product for the price.

For the price this is exactly what I was looking for. Assembly was easy for me and I didn't need help with it until I went to put it in the ground. Love that it goes from 7.5' to 10' which means anyone can play on it.

I agree with most of the reviews here. The package arrived pretty quickly...in about a week. Like others have said.....the directions and drawings aren't ideal. Go very slowly or you'll end up taking things apart and redoing them. The backboard looks nice but is extremely thin. Be sure and follow directions as far as the hole and the cement. I made my hole a bit larger....put in some rebar....and used 7 80# bags of cement. When you shoot and hit the backboard there is some wobble in the upper post. The height adjuster really works nicely as others have stated. I haven't tried slam dunking any balls because that thin backboard material worries me...although the rim is designed to bend down without affecting the backboard. All in all its pretty much what I expected thanks to the reviews I had read here before ordering it.

It only took my husband 2 hours to put this together by himselfe and 2 days to put it up that is just for waiting on cement to dry.
Very sturdy , my daughter and friends and family are having a blast with our new toy!

This goal as stated, is what it is. For the price, I am not sure you will find much competition. I am not a handyman but can read a set of instructions. On my own I was able to do 80% of the work; including digging the hole, pouring cement, setting the bottom pole in the cement and construct the backboard and pole mechanisms. I did require the help of another person when attaching the backboard to the poles and when setting the goal in its final resting place. Not accounting for the time for the concrete to cure, the entire process took approximately seven hours. Be sure to lower the goal to its lowest level when placing it on the bottom pole for final "erection." This makes the process a little bit smoother and less ackward to pick up. My biggest issue with the goal is the amount of "wobble" that is in it when a ball strikes the goal. The wobble appears to be coming from both the middle of the pole as well as where the arms that connect to the backboard meet the pole. However, for the price, I am not surprised and am ultimately happy with the purchase; as to completely circumvent the "wobble" effect one would have to spend at least an additional 6 to 700 dollars.

I bought this for my kids since they are into basketball now, I did not realize these items cost so much. I did not feel like spending over a grand on this so I settled for the lifetime products. I must say I was fairly impressed with the ease of assembly. I was a little worried after reading some of the other reviews, but to be honest, this was a very easy assembly. All the hardware bags are labeled and in the instructions, it states which bag to use (very helpful). It would have been easier if I could have had help in the assembly, but I didn't. It took me approximately 2.5 hours to completely assemble this system and another half hour after I dropped it into the ground sleeve for final adjustments. My only complaint is the assembly of the three tubes for the pole. I used a 10 pound sledge hammer and still had a hard time with it. I would highly recommend reading the instructions a couple times and laying out all the parts before assembly. Like I said, all the bags are labeled so dont rip them open until you know what is what. And if I can completely assemble the system and put it in the ground all by myself, anyone should be able to (3 hours or less to completely assemble)