Customer Reviews

Spalding 88307PR In-Ground Basketball System - 52" Acrylic Backboad

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

 

 

UPDATE 3/18/2010:
I bumped this to 5 stars because this thing is incredible strong. Last week we had 60mph winds and a 60 foot tree fell into my driveway and landed on the backboard. It balanced there for 4 days until we got our power back and I was able to break out my chainsaw and get rid of the tree. With all this has gone through, I am simply amazing how they can put out a product like this at this price. Talk about quality. If it can stand up to a 60 foot tree falling on it, I'm pretty happy! I can post a picture if anyone is interested.

First let me say that dealing with Dazadi was excellent. My delivery came with the box in ripped open and what looked like large punctures. I opened it, checked for all the parts and then noticed the backboard was cracked. I called Dazadi and in a week I had a new backboard. The rep on the phone was VERY helpful, spoke clearly and was very helpful. He assured me that would stand behind their sale...and they did. Dazadi gets 5 plus stars! I just had to mention that....now on to the review.

Aside from poor packaging by Spalding, the directions are almost horrible. The real problem is checking all the parts and identifying everything. I had so many bolts, etc., that were not listed, and some were just slightly longer than the other and I had to guess (wrongly...of course) and then change everything. Still, putting everything together took me about 2 hours (my 4 and 6 year olds helped me, or else it might have been a bit faster). The handle to raise and lower the hoop is really great and works very nicely and very easily....putting the springs together was not so easy. The key is to read the directions several times BEFORE you start anything. Start to finish. Even mock it up first to make sure you find the parts of the directions that do not really make sense and you identify the extra parts (that you will use). They have a partial picture id guide for some of the parts, but not all of the parts, so you will have to read the descriptions for each part number. Also, putting the long bolts can be a chore. Use the bolts to ream out or loosen up the extra paint that does not allow the bolt to get through. Do it to all of the holes BEFORE you start and it will make things much easier.

At its lowest point, my 4 year old daughter can through a full sized basketball easily into the hoop, and at it's highest....well, it's pretty high! It is a lot of fun. You should buy some kind of pad for the pole because you don't want anyone running into it. You can buy special pads that will wrap around it easily. I'm glad that I purchased this, and it is very sturdy with no real vibration (my friend has a portable one and it has a lot of vibartion when the ball hits). I would like to have taken off 1.5 stars for terrible directions, but one is all I could do, and I didn't want to leave it with 3 stars.

As for value, this is a great deal. The quality is very good, and we will see if anything cracks or breaks when the winter comes....but I doubt it. I am happy with my purchase and thrilled with Dazadi!

If you have questions, Dazadi will help....and if they cannot, they will give you a number for Spalding.

I purchased an in-ground system because I did not want the pole or backboard to move. I followed the directions for assembly, and my backboard will move up to two or three inches. This unit uses a plastic sleeve that you set in concrete, then place the pole inside the sleeve which only goes about 16 inches down into the concrete, wish I had known that before purchasing, maybe this will help someone who is thinking about purchasing this system. I am really disappointed, but as I said I did not want my backboard to move.

Pro - we bought this for my son's 13th birthday and had him research all the available models and choices. He chose this one and it is a great hoop. Inground is key for stability, durability and regular play. The plexiglass backboard looks sharp. Components are well made.

Con - the instructions are terrible! we hired a professional to assemble it, and he was incredibly frustrated with the instructions, components and fit. The instructions made no sense, parts had to be sanded and ground for assembly, holes for screws were missing, pieces didn't fit together, a mess. Our professional tried several times to call Spalding and they do not answer the phone. They called him back days later, after it was assembled, too late.

Despite the poor instructions and hard work assembling, we now are very happy with this hoop. Advice - hire a pro to assemble and give him a tip.

This is a fantastic hoop and backboard. So easy to install. My kids love it and so do I. It is a very sturdy unit and when you fill the tube with concrete it really helps.

I guess the important thing is that the end result is excellent. However, when the system hadn't arrived within 5 days of when it was expected, I was worried. So, after much time on the phone with Amazon, and they spent time on the phone with the Shipper, it was discovered that it had arrived on time, but when the Shipper was removing it from the truck, found that the system had been damaged in transit. Leaving no note for the recipients (my son and daughter-in-law both work days), we had no way of knowing that they had even been there. I would have appreciated that, and it would have eliminated all the frustration of trying to find out what was going on. Ultimately, the system did arrive within a week after that. All is well, and the kids (and adults) are loving it.

Assembly and installation wasn't to hard but there were a couple brackets missing. When I called the customor service # they seems to be 'expecting' my call and quickly took my address to send me the missing parts.

I have been very pleased with the product. It arrived quickly, had all of the parts and nothing was damaged (make sure you look in every tube for bolts/parts you think may be missing). Despite other reviews, I found the instructions to be accurate. The only thing I modified was installing the pole before pouring the concrete into the pole. The entire family has enjoyed the system, and it appears to be very durable. Lastly, I live in a very windy area and there have been no issues with the hoop turning. I have absolutely no regrets with this purchase!