Rating:  -
It's not expensive, I give it that, but the plastic is way too thin where screws tighen, especially the backboard. And the base HAS to have some weight either on it or in it, otherwise it can tip over very easily due to the inherent in-balance. The rolling wheel mechanism should also be secured by bolts and nuts instead of a shaft rolled into grooves. Otherwise it does its job, but never try to hang onto the hoop, the whole thing will break. I didn't bother to fill the base with water or sand and simply placed something heavy on it, but one time it was removed by accident and the stand fell forward. The V-shaped bracket behind the backboard promptly broke free from the bolt/nut secured to that thin plastic wall of the backboard. My mistake, but really wish it is built with higher grade material, or reinforce the nut area better or simply add thickness around that area.
Rating:  -
This Lifetime 1221 Portable Basketball System is excellent for small kids. It arrived within a few days of ordering from Amazon. Not being a great do-it-yourselfer, I made sure that I had everything I needed before trying to assemble the System: bought the several bags of sand; made sure I had all the tools as instructed; checked to make sure all the parts were included as listed.
As mentioned in other reviews, the most difficult part was attaching the rim to the backboard to the pole all at once. It took me and my wife and the two kids to get through it, but we made it through the sweat and tears (it was hot that day!). Make sure you only hand-tighten when first attaching the rim to the backboard to the pole; we forgot and had to un-do all our hard work before completing the last few steps. We filled with sand rather than water for the system to be more stable, and it sure is.
Not really for dunking I guess (but I haven't really tried), and the backboard doesn't provide great bounce, but really, nobody should be complaining about these minor items for this price. This is my first purchase of a "Lifetime" product, and I am impressed by its good quality, including the assembly instructions.
The kids are having a ball everyday... me, too! Enjoy!
Rating:  -
The Lifetime 1221 Pro Court basketball system is a reasonable choice for the budget conscious family. It is a free-standing basketball hoop that is great for light, family oriented play. Given the price, I think you will get more than you expected and your kids will be more than satisfied with the new source of summer fun.
But remember, this is not a professional set up. The backboard is made out of molded plastic. This is somewhat softer than plexiglass or wood and dampens the characteristic bounce that you might get with a harder surface. The fact that the base is weighted, rather than fixed to the ground, also increases the give on the backboard. Even so, the backboard perfroms competently. So unless your kids are budding NBA stars, the effect on play is minimal and the backboard is more than adequate.
You can fill the base with water or sand. Water has the advantage of being easier to remove whereas sand weighs more and would make the base more stable. However, even with water the hoop is far more stable than I would have imagined. It stays firmly planted even when the ball is thrown at the backboard with force.
Although portable, the structure is not easily collapsible. The hoop only reduces down easily to a minimum of 7 1/2 feet. So if you want to store it for the winter you will need to have enough room to store such a long structure, actually disassemble the hoop, or simply let it stay outside and brave the elements. It is not difficult to raise and lower the height in six inch increments, but this requires removing a screw and extending the pole assembly. Not too difficult, but more challenging than lever operated systems. The whole assembly is much lighter than you would expect, given the hollow, metal construction and molded plastic backboard, so it is actually easy to move around. Even with the base full of water, my 13 year old can tip the assembly back on its wheels and move the hoop easily on a blacktop surface.
In terms of assembly, things weren't too bad. Minimum equipment is required--a hex ratchet set and Phillip's head screwdriver are all you really need. The skill level needed is minimal (hey, I was able to put this together). Set aside an hour or so to put the thing together and make sure you have another adult (or large child) to help with the last steps. The directions are about average for this kind of do-it-yourself variety of product. The steps are multilingual, but really the most important aspect of them is the pictures. The drawings are clear enough to distinguish like pieces from each other, but certainly could have been clearer. On the bright side, Lifetime included life-size pictures of the hardware used for each step at the top of the page, so there is little ambiguity as to which screw or nut should be used. If you can put together the more simple Ikea furniture, you can certainly put this thing together without a problem.
The major difficulty in the design here is the hoop-backboard assembly. This is the part that requires two adults. 4 screws attach the hoop through the backboard to the pole in the last steps of the assembly. The pairs are, of course, going in opposite directions and it requires two adults and a lot of balance to hold the three parts in place while the nuts are being secured. The position of the bottom two screws is also somewhat awkward as there is barely enough room to fit the hex wrench around the head of the screw. Lifetime could simply have placed a groove on the end of the hex screw allowing you to use a screwdriver instead of a hex wrench.) Apart from this step, however, the assembly is simple and straight forward. Lifetime could have made it a tad simpler if all their hex nuts and screws were the same size, but this is a minor issue.
Given the price of this no-frills item, I think you definitely get your money's worth on this one. Once again, this is not a hoop made to withstand high levels of punishment, but it is a great choice for a backyard one-on-one with your elementary or high school aged child.
Rating: -
Pretty reasonable price ($99) and I would say you get what you pay for. It isn't as nice as the $200 models, but it didn't cost $200, so I don't think that is a fair comparison. I read all of the reviews on this site and others before setting up the hoop. By taking the advice of the reviews (ex. leave bolts in backboard loose until in place, use dry sand, make sure you know which pole you are using), it wasn't bad. I couldn't agree more about using dry sand. Overall, I am happy with the hoop, especially for little kids, since it is about as basic as they come. The only negative comment that I have is that the pole is connected pretty much directly to the backboard (versus separate poles separating the two), so it has the potential for injury if you you aren't careful when going for a layup. Overall, good value and I'm happy with the purchase
Rating: -
I bought this basketball hoop for my son on his seventh birthday. I think this was really easy to put together. I would recommend grabbing the WD-40 though, the top and middle poles come packed one inside the other and it was tough getting it out. Used the WD-40 and slid out like a charm. I do forsee buying another basketball hoop when he gets older, but for $99 this was a great deal, with no regrets.
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