Customer Reviews

Lifetime Double-Shot Arcade Basketball System

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm kind of surprise I'm the first to review this unit here at Amazon. There are some many systems in the $150 range, but I spent the extra $100 for hopefully a solid build. And I was not disappointment by the build quality. It is definitely sturdy. Just watch the Lifetime video, it doesn't lie. The frames are solid, the rims are nice and thick. By looking at the pictures of the other systems, you can just imagine the flimsy frames shaking when you shoot because their frames are thin and the rims don't look thick either. So this Lifetime product is definitely worth the extra money if you're looking for a rock solid structure.

Now here is my complaint. These types of arcade games are useless without accurate score-keeping. You need to earn a certain amount of points to get bonus time, and it's very frustrating to not get any bonus time because the thing can't count properly. And when you're competing with friends, it's no fun having to keep track of the baskets the machine didn't count. You have to trust what your friend tells you, and they have to trust what you tell them. You get into conversations like, "Well, I really won cause I'm missing 10 pts here!!" You might as well shut off the electronics! I've never owned an arcade type basketball game, so I don't know when infrared score keeping took over the older system, which I read was some sort of clicker in the middle of the rim. When the ball falls through the basket, it falls on the clicker and that's how it keeps count. I read that the negatives about the old system is that the clicker can break and you'll have to replace them. Make sense and newer technology is always better, right? Well, I'm not so sure. I think I want to find an old system just so I can compare. If the clicker is more accurate, then I'd rather have a clicker that I have to replace once in awhile, than an infrared system that never works.

In conclusion, the Double Shot Basketball ended up being a $250 indoor hoop. If I didn't want score-keeping, I could have bought an over the door hoop for $25 bucks and custom make my own ball return net. So this has been a disappointment. If Amazon or Life-Time offers me a $100 credit, then I'd keep it just for the awesome hoop, but for $250, I want the score-keeping accuracy!!

BTW, it took me over 3hrs to build. I did it alone, but definitely a helping hand that you can call on anytime would help. I've contacted Life-Time to ask them if this infrared system is inherently error prone, or if I have a faulty system. I hope it's faulty, which would mean a new electronic component will make this the perfect arcade system. But if this is just inherently error prone, then I will no longer trust any infrared basketball system. Believe me, it is frustrating when you're 2 pts away from bonus time and the machine doesn't count your last 4 made baskets. I was going John McEnroe on the machine as if it was a person.

Lets see how Lifetime can help me. I will keep you guys updated. I will either have a perfect system, or this whole thing is going back to Amazon.


12/23/2010 UPDATE!!
Life-Time is very good with replacing parts. Along with the defective score-board, 2 of the 7 basketballs deflated overnight no matter how much you pump. So they sent me 2 new basketballs too! I got the new scoreboard and unfortunately, this one was defective as well. However it was an improvement. This time the score-keeping on the right is perfect, except for during it's transition in giving you bonus time. It usually gives a bonus sounding alarm, if you make a basket simultaneously at this moment, it doesn't count your hoop, but still a vast improvement, and something you can accept knowing that it's probably by design. However, the score-keeping on the left is as bad as my first unit. It will miss at least 5 to 8 buckets in a span of a game. So we just take turns shooting the hoop on the right, and it's very fun and I see the potential. I asked Life-Time if they want to try a third time. Not sure if they'll do it, if not, no sweat.. this thing is going back to Amazon.

12/30/2010 UPDATE!!
The 3rd Scoreboard functions properly! I imagine many units are sold with scoreboards not counting properly but some people don't care probably cause it's for their kids, who also probably don't care. But for the competitive adult buyers, get ready to go through a few rounds of exchanges. I finally got a scoreboard that counts every basket, so don't give up. This is still the best system out there in this price range. When you miss on the cheaper systems, you hear a "CLANG" on the flimsy frames. When you miss on this system, it's more like a "THUD" cause it's just constructed better.

1/1/2011 UPDATE!!
After playing around with it some more, the infrared still misses shots, but they are few and far between, and does not effect game play. The faulty ones will miss 4 to 7 baskets within the first 30 seconds. The one I have now will sometimes not miss at all, but then other games it may miss one or two when you go deep into the game. I suspect this will be the case with all infrared systems, it's not going to be 100% perfect especially at this price range. I recently also tested out old school ones with the clicker. Though the clicker is more accurate, I prefer the infrared with it's minor inaccuracies over the clicker because I realize the ball gets stuck more often than the infrared misses shots. It's no fun when the game is interrupted, or you have to start over because of a stuck ball. The clicker system would work perfectly if you don't play with a net, but that's no fun. I know some of you may say, "Man, this guy is picky!" Yes I am. This wasn't bought for kids, we bought it for grown-ups. So for all the big boys shopping around for a hoop, I hope you appreciate this info.

I recently purchased the Lifetime Double-Shot Arcade Basketball System from another website because it was cheaper but this system is far superior in quality (thicker frame & rims) and scoring accuracy compared to a Sportcraft model which is what I replaced and I am very happy that I did. The infrared scoring is a night and day difference compared to the clicker scoring found in the Sportcraft models. It very rarly misses any baskets. Also, with the clicker scoring you would run into many problems of the net getting tangled with the clicker and then the balls would get stuck in the hoop and if you shot too fast many of the baskets wouldn't register. That is why I decided to upgrade to this game after less than a year with the Sportcraft. I would recommend this product to anyone. I have had absolutely no problems with the infrared scroing so hopefully in the previous review it was just a faulty product.

I love the Lifetime double shot! We actually had the old Lifetime double shot and were excited when they came out with the new version. This is much better than the other cheap units on the market. It comes with a thicker backboard, thicker rims, a wider ramp, and the new infared scoring system! This is a very quality unit and has kept score for us perfectly. I love to have competitions with my brothers to see who can get the highest score. It has two bonus rounds if you score 30 points and then 60 points. When we first played it we were getting in the 80's. Now the high score is 159. It is fun to try and keep raising the bar. It is also good times when two of us play at the same time. I would highly recommend this item!!!!

Very high quality, durable product. You'll love it once you have it up and going.

It does take a lot of time to assemble, about three hours for me, and I'm very experienced in assembling and constructing a wide variety of furniture, sporting goods, and other items.

But once you're finished, you'll love it.

This was our kids' big Christmas present this year, and it's been a nonstop hit for the past month. It's sturdy, sensors continue to work, the side-by-side hoops make it interactive, and it actually gets your heart beating a little to try to top your best scores. We have it in a basement with 9' ceilings which is great, but the balls literally never hit the ceiling so I would imagine this would work just fine with typical 8' ceilings. I normally like to share the pros and cons in my reviews, but we just couldn't be happier with this product. It completes our game room and gets more play than the pool table or ping pong table, at a fraction of the cost.

This is one of the few basketball arcade systems that allows 2 heights to fit ceiling heights.. The quality of the product is worth the extra money because of the solid construction.
The nets are well made and if you notice at the bottom it allows for a ball catch. It was easy to put together and the parts are marked. My 3 boys and I love it and so do their friends.

Initial feedback: 7/5/2011
I just assembled my Double-Shot, and had similar experiences to others that have left feedback.

- The system is very rugged - thick steel frame, solid construction.
- Assembly took me about 3 hours (working alone). Directions were clear.
- The sensors on one of the baskets is not working correctly and only senses about half of the baskets.
- One of the rims was built incorrectly and is angled downward (1") when mounted.
- The game electronics are very simplistic, offering one game format. Additional play options would make it more interesting.
- Two of the basketballs lost air quickly.

I've written to Lifetime's customer service and I'm hoping for resolution. I may raise my rating (from 2 stars) once these issues are resolved.

Update: 8/3/11

Lifetime customer service was very responsive, and send a new rim, electronics and 3 basketballs within 1 week. After using the system for several weeks, everything is still running great. Sensors detect 99% of all baskets. If they could deliver a fully functioning system on day 1, this would be a 5 star product.

Quality of system was lower than expected. One rim was welded improperly (too much to the left and not centered) and a bolt in the rim could not be installed because of this. Rim was also bending down when installed. 3 of the balls do not stay inflated (5 minutes of playing and they are real soft). I expected the balls to better than this (after all, it's NEW). One is so bad that you can hear the leak after inflating. Some of the pin locks were off. After just three times the unit was placed in the storage position, the one pin lock went into the pipe and to get it back in place required a major disassembly of the unit. So far the scoring system is working but 'at times' the system does not count a ball. Kids are from 8-12 years old and they enjoy playing with it. Setup was not difficult. Overall, it took about 2 hours to install (slow pace). Summary: several balls don't hold the air and the quality check before packaging and sending out was "NOT" there. Balls do have the feel of a real basketball but they just don't stay inflated. Kids love playing with it but system is not worth the listed price. I got this system at 25% off the normal Amazon price and I feel that it was still too high of a price for what it's worth.


Update (8/17/11): I called customer support about the rim and balls and they replaced them in a flash. I'm impressed to see that the company wanted to make it right. System is holding up nicely and the new parts work fine. The scoring system still misses "at times" but the kids don't mind it. If the QA check was done right in the beginning, this rating would have been higher (4 or maybe 5 stars).

We love this game! Fun for the entire family. Sturdy and durable. Two hoops and timer make family competition a blast. Younger kids can stand on a step stool to play. Basketballs are good quality, not flimsy. Took two adults to assemble..one leg came dented so a little hammering had to be done for it to fit. To large to repack and ship back for something minor. Make sure to read dimensions.

I was looking for a very sturdy and affordable arcade basketball system for my nephew. As I was doing my search , I came across the Lifetime Double Shot Basketball System. I read the reviews from customers who purchased the system and decided to buy the Lifetime Double Shot Arcade Basketball System.Once I received the system , I decided to put it together by myself but I would strongly recommend a second person to help assemble the system. It took about three hours total to assemble the system.After I put the system together ,I played it for a while just to see how it operates and check out the electronic scoring which seems to be part of the problems with some of the arcade basketball system.The electronic scoring worked for about a month and then the right side of the basket wouldn't keep score so I contacted Lifetime and they replaced the electronic scoreboard and now it's working perfectly. Lifetime customers service was very nice and they replaced the electronic scoreboard within 3 days.Overall, I'm very pleased with the Lifetime Double Shot Arcade Basketball system and I would recommend it to my friends.It may cost a little more then some of the other arcade basketball systems but it's well worth the money.