We always had a basketball hoop in the yard, and always had to leave it behind when we changed houses. So, we decided to get a portable one, which can go with us. We decided to go for Spalding Acrylic 52" hoop with the whole system -pole, net and board - packed together.

It took some effort to assemble this hoop and it required too grownups and a bunch of tools. It did not help that the kids were all over it, eager to get started. But, we managed without a hitch in couple of hours.

The whole frame is made of solid steel, which looks heavy-duty and is hopefully long lasting and weather resistant. The pole is 3 inches in diameter and is assembled of three pieces. It is painted nice silver color. The net is made of heavy nylon and the board of acrylic, which we thought better than glass, considering that the kids will be playing with it.

The height can be adjusted from 7.5 to 10 feet, so it will be able to grow with our grand-kids. It is extremely easy to adjust, even with one hand. Maybe too easy, since our grand-kids keep fiddling with it to adjust it to their particular liking.

The base can be filled with water or sand, and it can fit 37.5-gallons. We filled it with water, since we are still not sure where to keep it, and it looks solid and stable enough. It is just a bit wobbly when extended to its full height, but not to the point of falling down. We will see what happens when the kids grow taller and do some slam-dunking.

We paid $550 for it at the basketballgoals.com, but found later that Sears sells them for less than $400. It shows how important it is to shop around.