Pros
60″ tempered glass backboard, pro-style breakaway rim, 5-inch square pole, overhang, no installation
Cons
2-piece pole, difficult setup, reports of leaky base
Overall Rating
The “Beast” is the most expensive portable basketball hoop sold by Spalding. It features a 60-inch, 1/4 inch thick tempered glass backboard and a 5-inch square pole. The gray inset cover acts as a handler and rebounder during play. The base holds up to 50 gallons of water or sand. Also featured is a pro-image breakaway rim with heavy duty wrap around support. It adjusts infinitely from 7.5 feet to 10 feet with the ScrewJack lift system. The Spalding 74560 is backed by a 5-year limited warranty. Dimensions: 56 x 32 x 20 inches ; 150 pounds
What To Like
- Portable. A heavy-duty basketball hoop like this one that can be moved is advantageous. One of the downsides of most portable models is that they tend lack stability. While this one certainly won’t be as stable as a similar in-ground model, it’s heavy enough that it won’t move while shooting or dunking. The added benefit is that you can move it to another spot if necessary. This is not a luxury with in-ground models.
- Infinite adjustment. You can adjust it anywhere between 7.5 and 10 feet. This is ideal for children under 10 years old, but also for adults who would like to dunk on it. The crank adjust is also very durable, though some effort and time is required to crank it up and down.
- 60″ tempered glass backboard. At 60″, it’s plenty big for children and adults. It’s big enough for a 2 or even 3 car driveway. The backboard provides a nice big target to shoot at from all angles. Tempered glass is the best material you can get. It’s less susceptible to movement because it’s so heavy, and it’s the most rigid backboard you can get.
- 1/4 inch thick backboard. The NCAA and NBA have 1/2 inch backboards, so this is not far off from those hoops. Considering the fact that it’s portable, this is about as thick of a glass backboard as you could probably put on this hoop.
- Pro-style breakaway rim. This rim is similar to what you would find on professional hoops.
- Overhang. I couldn’t find any specifications in regards to overhang, but I can tell that it’s at least a few feet. I know that just by the strength of the pole alone that it extends out far enough to play underneath or even behind it.
- 5-inch square pole. Now this is heavy-duty, especially for a portable hoop. Most lower-to-mid priced hoops have on average a 3.5 inch round pole. Square poles are superior to their round counterparts because they are more stable. A 5-inch pole is what is necessary to hold a backboard this big and heavy.
- No installation. It’s a portable model, so you don’t have to worry about pouring cement.
What Not To Like
- 2-piece pole. This is an upgrade over the common 3-piece pole you see often on some lower to mid level hoops, but one-piece is still best for performance.
- Difficult setup. A common complaint from customers was that the setup was a bit of a challenge. One customer noted that it will take 2-3 people to put it together, and will require a good 3-5 hours if all goes well. The hardest part seems to be putting the two piece pole together. More than a few customers said they hired a professional to assemble it.
- Leaky base. Although we did not have the same problem with our system, some customers have said that the base leaks. This may be after a winter of frozen water in the base, or it may just be a design defect on some of the hoops. You can find tips on wintering your Spalding hoop here. Personally, it is a minor problem not a major one.
Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVghtTSH3og
Reviews from Around the Web
Amazon.com: 5 Stars – ‘Best Portable System I’ve seen….’
Amazon.com: 4 Stars – ‘It Leaks’
Amazon.com: 1-3 Stars – ‘It’s wobbly, a little shaky and it leaks”
A few others did say theirs leaked also. Not a huge problem, but is rather annoying. This shouldn’t happen on a model priced this high. But it’s one of the issues with portables.
Summary
From a pure performance standpoint, the Spalding 74560 Beast is as good of a residential portable hoop as you will find. It’s one of the very few portables with a 60″ glass backboard available. The pole is very strong, and the rim is high quality. Basketball enthusiasts will enjoy the way it performs.
The “Beast” is the Best. This is the best Portable Hoop System that I have played and in our opinion, the best one on the market. Don’t stop here though. This hoop may not be for everybody, but for us, it is #1. It is still a “Portable” Hoop system and so it is not as sturdy as an inground hoop, but it is the most like an inground hoop of any of the portable hoops on the market. It also has a tendency to leak and installation is a little more tricky than other portable hoop systems. However, if I’m buying a portable hoop, this is the one I’m buying.
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