The Lifetime 1221 Pro Court is an inexpensive, low end basketball system that is good for home usage.

The Pole

The pole is a single piece and about 3 inches in diameter. It’s basic and black in color with a rust resistant coating.

The Backboard

This system features a 44 inch rectangular backboard fashioned from polythylene. The backboard is not unnecessarily heavy and is extremely sturdy. The art work on the backboard has been done with a type of ink that won’t fade with long term exposure to sunlight.

The Base

The Lifetime 1221 portable basketball system is light so the 27 gallon capacity base is more than adequate. We normally don’t recommend that owners use sand to fill in the bases but because the 44 inches of backboard that this system brings is larger than normal for a hoop of this size, sand might not be a bad idea.

The Height Adjustment System

Ugh! Forgive me, but I can’t stand telescoping height adjustment rigs. They are usually difficult to deal with and the one provided with the Lifetime 1221 is no different. As will most height adjustment systems, the Lifetime 1221 can be lowered to a minimum of 7.5 feet and raised to a maximum of 10 feet. Changing the height on this system is a two person job.

The Ease Of Installation

With two people on hand, the Lifetime 1221 shouldn’t take much longer than 2.5 hours to setup. That said, putting this system together was more difficult than most of the larger systems we’ve an opportunity to work with. The instruction manual is adequate be could definitely use more detail. The lack of detail wasn’t helped by the fact that we were also missing a few small pieces. So yes, Lifetime’s shipping/packaging department needs to tighten up!

The Warranty

This system comes with a 5-year limited warranty.

The Summary

The Lifetime 1221, when used strictly for home recreational play, is more than serviceable. It has a large and sturdy backboard for it’s size that works well. The system is pretty steady provided it is put together properly which, as we noted in the installation section, can be a bit challenging. If you’ve got younger kids and you think they’d like to shoot hoops at home then this system might be for you. Did we mention that it’s very inexpensive?

The Lifetime 1239 is another beginner style portable basketball goal. It boasts quality parts and can be assembled very quickly.

The Pole

The Lifetime 1239 has a round pole that must be assembled from three pieces. The pole itself is three inches in diameter and it also has a powder coated, rust resistant finish.

The Backboard

The backboard is 42 inches in size is made of clear, acrylic material. The backboard has been reinforced and is fairly strong and break resistant. It also features lettering that is fade resistant.

The Base

The base has a 27 gallon capacity. We would consider this to be on the small side but the backboard is only 42 inches in size…so it’s acceptable for moderate levels of play.

The Height Adjustment System

The Lifetime 1239 has a telescoping pole system which allows you to adjust from 7.5 ft to 10 ft in infinite increments. A telescoping system usually means that the pole itself must be adjusted into the appropriate height. Unfortunately, with this system, you can really only accomplish this by laying the system on it’s side. …and you can imagine how much of a pain that can be once the hoop is completely put together.

The Ease Of Installation

Lifetime, in general, provides quality parts for their sports equipment. This basketball goal is no exception. In fact, the unit we put together had all of the required pieces which fit together with relative ease. The entire build took us about 45 minutes. Seriously, this goal can be assembled by a high school junior if they take their time.

The Warranty

There is a five year limited warranty on this product

The Summary

Quite a few good things can be said about the Lifetime 1239. It is a good looking goal, it’s easy to install and the backboard (despite being acrylic) is strong and provides great rebounds. However, the system is not perfect. The classic rim that ships with it is susceptible to bending and therefore, is of average quality…at best. The base has too small of a capacity (27 gallons) to remain stable during more aggressive play. That said, the Lifetime 1239 is a decent, beginner style portable baskeball system. It’s not available from many vendors now but if you can find one, you’re sure to get a great deal. This goal is similar to the Lifetime 1269.

This Huffy system is designed for beginners. If want a portable basketball goal that will hold up to dunking or highly competitive play…stop reading now.

The Pole

This goal has what is known as a “gooseneck” pole.  Basically, it looks like a question mark but the curve isn’t so dramatic.  “Gooseneck” poles provide a bit more overhang and room for under the basket play.  The pole shape is round and it has a diameter of about 3 inches.

The Backboard

The backboard is rectangular and on the small side at 44 inches.  The backboard is made of an eco composite material.  Take note that this usually means that the backboard will be weaker than those featuring acrylic, poly-carbonate or glass make ups.

The Base

The base has less than 35 gallon capacity…but can still be filled with your choice of water or sand.  The smaller bases are common on beginner goals such as the Huffy 44 inch and the system should not be expected to be ultra sturdy.

The Height Adjustment System

The height adjustment system is of the telescopic variety.  There are no lifts or springs involved…the pole itself can be raised or lowered in much the same way as a telescope is extended or contracted.  Again, you’ll find these on less expensive systems.

Ease Of Installation

We hate to generalize but it seems that Huffy doesn’t do a good job of shipping portable basketball goals with all of the appropriate parts required for assembly.  We’re not sure why…but we can only speak from our experience.  That said…we were missing pieces when our package arrived.  Thankfully, Huffy customer service was pretty good and they shipped us what we needed.  This is a beginner goal and we think that one person should be enough to put it together.  Just make sure that you read and understand the installation manual before you go pounding things in the wrong place.  It is easy to do…trust us.

The Warranty

There is a one year warranty on the system.

The Summary

The Huffy 44 inch portable basketball system; is great for low impact play in a driveway or backyard.  The system is particularly good for youth (under 12 years of age) as it would have no problem standing up to even the most aggressive play from that age group.  With beginner systems, you get lower grade backboards, rims and height adjustment systems…but it’s justified by the prices you pay.  With a little bit of extra focus while installing you can get a couple of years of great fun out of this basket.  Incidentally, if you don’t like the red/gold backboard colors, this same model is available in a blue/gray combination here.

NOTE: The system comes with a installation DVD…if yours didn’t/doesn’t then call customer service!

The Huffy Sport 48 inch portable basketball system (which is actually the Spalding 72354), outside of having a backboard that is 4 inches larger, is the exact same basketball goal as the Spalding 72351. You can read the full review for that system here.

Categorized as a residential portable basketball system, the Spalding 72307 has the potential to perform above it’s classification. In fact, if assembled properly, the 72307 is an excellent product for it’s price.

The Pole

The pole is round and comes in three pieces.  The pole is silver…which is sort of cool.  The set comes with a pole pad which is a nice touch but it is not very thick.  The pole is of the straight up and down variety which does not provide room for under the basket play.  So, you get the pole pad as they expect people shooting layups to bang into the pole.

The Backboard

The polycarbonate backboard is of pretty good size (52 inches) and is backed by a steel frame.  The backboard also comes with a board pad to prevent you high flyers from banging shoulders, etc. on the backboard when dunking over multiple opponents.

The Base

The system features a “Hercules”, which is normally fitted to competitive style portable hoops, and can support 37.5 gallons.

The Height Adjustment System

The EZ Touch lift system is outstanding.  It provides infinite height adjustment from 7.5′ to 10′.  Truthfully, it’s one of the better height adjustment systems being placed on portable hoops now and you’ll find it used on a variety of other systems including some made by Lifetime and Huffy.

Ease Of Installation

Be advised that putting this system together may take you about 3 hours.  That said, the installation process for the Spalding 72307 really isn’t so difficult.  The instructions were clear and straight forward.  Remember to use a piece of wood (or some other type of buffer) when putting the 3 pieces of the pole together as you don’t want to damage them on pavement.  The parts of the system we assembled were of good quality and fit together well, which made for a relatively painless installation.

The Warranty

There is a five year limited warranty on this system.

The Summary

The Spalding 72307, in our opinion, is a good system.  It can definitely stand up to any recreational level of play and should deliver years of fun…if assembled correctly.  And just to reiterate, the EZ Touch lift system is fantastic.  The standard break-a-way rim is awesome as well. That said…we did notice a couple of things that we want potential buyers to be aware of.  The backboard, while strong, is still on the thin side and it may not stand up to high temperatures lying on the ground.  In other words, if you’re putting the system together during the summer you may not want to leave the backboard out unattended to prevent warping.  In addition, the size of the backboard warrants that the base be filled with sand instead of water.  We highly recommend doing so if you want the Spalding 72307 to be as sturdy as possible.

There is a nice (albeit short) demo of a kid shooting on this hoop here.

Pole Type/Overhang/Pole Shape

This system features a round, steel pole that is 3.0 inches in diameter.  The pole also comes in three pieces.

The Backboard

Rectangular in shape, 44-inches in size, poly-carbonate makeup. The backboard for this model is a bit thin and depending on what kind of basketball you are using…can appear to be on the flimsy side.

The Base

The base can hold 37.5 gallons of water or sand for maximum stability.

The Height Adjustment System

The Spalding 72351 utilizes the Pro Glide system which provides height adjustments from 7.5-ft to 10-ft in 6-in increments.

Ease Of Installation

Like many portable basketball systems, the installation guide for the Spalding 72351 could be alot better.  Fortunately, we’ve put together quite a few hoops over the last couple of years, so we were able to slap ours together in about 2 and a half hours.  The instructions call for at least 2 adults…but that probably isn’t necessary.  That said, pay attention very closely when attempting to assemble this hoop as you can easily end up putting something in backwards.

Warranty

Five-year limited warranty

Summary

If you’re looking for an ultra sturdy, competitive style basketball goal then the Spalding 72351 is not for you.  However, it is a fairly decent residential portable basketball hoop. We mentioned previously that the backboard was a bit thin but we were generally pleased with the ball response (e.g. ball bouncing back from the backboard). The base has a nifty little capacity indicator which let’s you know if you should put more water or sand in it.  One big drawback we noticed was how useless the wheels become once you fill the base.  The wheels are small (a little more than 3 inches in diameter) and close together so they have difficulty handling the pressure of the full base.  So our advice is to get the hoop to where you’d like it to be before you fill it.  Otherwise, the Spalding 72351 portable basketball system is a decent pickup for the money. You should be able to purchase one for under $200.

The Reebok 51457 is an intermediate level, competitive, portable basketball system.  This model has been available since early 2007.  This goal features a “Power Shock” rim and “Reactor Rebound” system, both of which were developed by Lifetime Products Inc.

Pole Type/Pole Shape/Overhang

The pole shape is round and approximately 3.5 inches in diameter.  The pole is one contiguous piece instead of 2 or 3 separate parts as you see in many systems.  The pole type is “straight” which means that the Reebok 51457 provides very little room for under the backboard play.

Base Capacity

The base can hold approximately 31 gallons (this is assuming we are talking about water.)

Backboard Type

The system features an acrylic “Reactor Rebound” backboard.  The backboard integrates an acrylic playing surface with a high-impact polyethylene frame.

Height Adjustment System

The Reebok 51457 employs the pneumatic “Power Lift” system to raise and lower the height of the goal.  It can handle any height you desire between 7.5 and 10 feet.

Durability

The durability for this model we actually found to be sub par.  The goal, when actually assembled, looks impressive but was surprisingly unstable…even with sand in the base.

Ease Of Installation

You can expect most portable basketball goals to take several hours to put together but the Reebok 51457 might give even the most battle tested basketball hoop assembler fits.  The installation manual is pretty confusing.  In fact, we spent 5 and a half hours trying to put it together only to find out that several pieces wouldn’t fit together properly.

Warranty

There is a five year limited warranty on the parts.

Overall Quality Of Product

This goal, assuming you can put it together properly in one day, looks fabulous.  The “Power Shock” rim is rather awesome and it gives the entire goal a stylish feel.  The rim performs great too.  The backboard itself felt very sturdy but the rebound lacked some of the bounce we expected from a hoop in this price range. For a competitive style goal, the 51457 did not seem to be as stable as we would have liked but it’s passable as long as you fill the base with sand.  The Reebok 51457 usually retails between $499 and $599.

We hope this review was helpful.  The choice is yours…besides what do we know?

Once you’ve had the misfortune of being stuck playing with a heavy, over inflated, rubber basketball…you’ll understand that using a good basketball is pretty important.  Not even Kobe Bryant can make 5 baskets in a row with a ball like the rubber one mentioned above…and if you’re playing outside then it’s going to be brick city all day long.

So what type of basketball is right for you?

Basketballs, generally, are fashioned from 4 different types of material.  Each one has different levels of flexibility and durability.

Rubber Basketballs: Rubber basketballs are well suited for outdoor play because they are extremely durable and water resistant.  Rubber basketballs usually have a deeply contoured surfaces which makes them fairly easy to grip.  These balls also come in a variety of sizes.

Synthetic Leather Basketballs: Synthetic leather basketballs are pretty good for indoor, as well as outdoor play.  They are made from a unique material which gives them the look and a feel of an actual leather ball, but with more strength and water resistance.  Synthetic leather basketballs are perfect for general play or practice.

Composite Basketballs: Composite basketballs have become rather popular due to their excellent tackiness, feel and playability.  They are also much less expensive than leather basketballs.  The covers on composite basketballs are a blend of leather and synthetic materials.  They are suitable for indoor use and are ideal serious competition.

Leather Basketballs: Leather basketballs are the most popular type of basketball.  They deliver the best performance, with a sure grip and playability that will elevate your ball game.  Leather basketballs are usually the official basketballs in competitive organizations.  They are perfect for serious competition and serious practice.

In summary:

• The rubber basketball is durable, great for indoor/outdoor recreational play.
• The synthetic leather basketball has the feel of leather, good overall hardiness.  It’s a nice game ball for schools.
• Composite balls are top quality.  They are for indoor use only and they don’t need to be broken in.
• Leather basketballs are the best quality basketballs available.  They, like composite balls, are for indoor usage only.  They are the most expensive basketballs on the market.

What size Basketball is right for you?

*(Size 6 is the official Women’s Size Basketball)
**(Size 7 is the official Men’s Size Basketball)

If you’ve ever spent time on a basketball court shooting by yourself, you know what it’s like to go running after the ball time after time.  Sometimes you still find yourself chasing the ball down even after you’ve made the basket.  It can definitely take the fun out of shooting practice three pointers when you have no one to rebound…but what’s worse is that you end up wearing yourself out tracking the basketball.

Hoop Chutes (also known as “basketball returns”) and Guard Nets (also known as “backstop nets”) can eliminate the aforementioned issues.

Hoop Chutes, specifically, are best utilized in lone practice sessions so you can focus on your shots and not ball chasing.  A hoop chute will direct the basketball back to the player and many of them can be adjusted for angled shots.  You can expect most basketball hoop chutes to be very sturdy as the majority consist of a steel or alloy frame covered with rubber or plastic material.

Guard Nets, on the other hand, can serve two different purposes.  A guard net can be used as a “basketball rebounding system” or it can be used as a standard backstop.

When used as a rebounder, guard nets do not attach to the rim (like hoop chutes) and instead are connected to the backboard with a harness.  When employed in this way, the basketball guard net provides very good rebounding even though they may not be as accurate as a hoop chute.

Guard Nets can also double as backstops for your court.  So if you don’t need rebounding but prefer to prevent basketballs from going into the street or ruining flower beds, you can set the netting in other locations.

The main purpose of the site is to provide reliable reviews and comparisons for portable basketball hoops.  We use the following areas to evaluate each of the basketball systems: pole type/overhang/pole shape, durability, ease of installation, base capacity, backboard type, height adjustment system, warranty, overall quality of the product and miscellaneous extras.

Pole Type/Overhang/Pole Shape

Your portable basketball goal’s pole type will greatly affect the amount of overhang that your basket exhibits.  The overhang is the distance from the backboard to the pole.  The more overhang you have, the more room there is for baseline and under the basket play.  The amount of overhang is also important as the space will prevent drives to the basket ending in with a player slamming into the pole.

Pole thickness contributes to the goal’s overall sturdiness (or lack thereof).  In addition, many portable basketball hoops are now accompanied by square shaped poles which make for a steadier basket.

There are 3 main pole types portable basketball goals are manufactured with: “goose-neck”, “straight” and “20 degree angle”.

Durability

How well your basketball hoop stands up to prolonged play over a period of time.

Ease Of Installation

The degree of difficulty for assembling/installing the portable hoop using the instruction manual only.

Base Capacity

Every portable basketball goal comes attached to some sort of base which is meant to be filled with either sand or water.  The size (in gallons) of this base has more that a little to do with the stability of the system.

Backboard Type

Acrylic, polycarbonate and glass are but a few of the materials that often make up portable hoop backboards.  There are pros and cons for each.  A shoddy backboard can ruin the experience of playing on an otherwise decent system.

Height Adjustment System

We judge how easily, quickly and intuitively one can raise or lower the height of the basket.

Warranty

Any company not willing to back it’s product for at least 5 years will likely get a low score here.

Overall Quality Of Product

Things such as whether or not the goal was packaged and sent while missing pieces, had holes and bolts that didn’t line up properly, etc. will weigh heavily into the quality score.