Lifetime Crank Adjust In Ground Basketball Hoop
Lifetime Crank Adjust In-Ground Basketball Hoop: 7.8/10
We are really excited to bring you our review of the Lifetime Crank Adjust In-Ground Basketball Hoop. Lifetime is a company with a long history of creating good quality basketball hoops that most families can afford. The Lifetime Crank Adjust is at a price point we find appealing because it is more expensive than most low-cost value hoops, but also less expensive than the premium in-ground systems from Goalrilla and Spalding.
Due to this price point, we feel that this basketball hoop is great for homes where you have a serious basketball player, but don’t want to drop $1,000+ on a hoop. The Lifetime Crank Adjust has two backboard size options: 54 inches and 60 inches. The price of each ranges from about $700 to $800.
A strength of the Lifetime Crank Adjust In-Ground Basketball Hoop is that it features a tempered glass backboard on both the 54 inch and 60 inch versions. This is the best material for a backboard that money can buy. However, the tempered glass featured on this hoop is not the most thick that we’ve seen. To get an in-ground basketball hoop with a thick tempered glass backboard you’d need to be looking at a hoop such as the Goalrilla GLS. Either way, for the price we like the backboard on the Lifetime Crank Adjust Hoop.
Another component of this hoop we like is the rim. It is a quality spring loaded breakaway rim that has a cover to protect the springs from rust, and also from injuring any players attempting to dunk. While not as heavy-duty as a breakaway rim in the gym, this basket will meet the needs of the vast majority of recreational basketball hoop buyers.
The crank mechanism of the Lifetime Crank Adjust Basketball System allows owners to adjust the height of the hoop from 10 feet to 7.5 feet in infinite increments. Having a height adjustment mechanism on your hoop allows for younger players to develop proper shooting skills and mechanics so that they don’t resort to throwing the ball at the hoop. Also, lowering the hoop makes for fun activities like dunk contests. Although for this hoop we would not recommend hanging on the rim for extended periods of time due to the potential for long-term wear and damage.
The support pole is a two-piece design that does a really nice job of minimizing excessing shaking. This support pole is 4″ squared, which is a good size to support this unit. Padding also aligns the bottom of the backboard offering enhanced safety during play, however, there is no padding included for the support pole.
What We Like About This Hoop
- A good in between price hoop for those who want something better than entry-level performance but don’t want to spend an excessive amount of money for a premium in-ground hoop experience
- Tempered glass backboard that performs better than acrylic or polycarbonate
- Backboard padding offers enhanced safety
- 4″ square support pole with bolt down technology so that they hoop can be transported if you move
What Would Make This Hoop Better
- We would like to see some support padding included for the support pole
- Backboard is not the thickest we’ve seen
What a unique hoop in terms of price and performance. We are really glad that Lifetime has decided to make a hoop like this because we feel it fills a void in the basketball hoop market. Some other basketball hoop options in a similar price range include the Spalding 60 Inch Portable Basketball System and the Silverback SB In-Ground Hoop.
