Spalding Performance Acrylic Backboard & Rim Combo

As of the time I purchased it, the product info stated that it "comes with everything you need to mount to a 3.5" pole" which is not true. After I complained, Amazon was quite good to me and covered the cost of the required mount because of this misleading product info. This product itself is very sturdy and in my experience (mounting to a pole) will require two helpers to lift the board while a third person tightens the U-bolts to keep it in place. If you use the adjustable Spalding U-Turn Lift System Bracket, I suggest that you don't put the height level sticker on the lift tube until after you raise the board and set the bolts in place, if you care to have an accurate final indicator of rim height. I gave assembly ease 4/5 because it is ridiculous to have to drill your own holes (six of them) through the metal frame to mount the plastic guards on the underside of the board. The instructions were clear and I was able to fully assemble the board and the lift on my own. 1/5 for mounting system should be 0/5 because it doesn't come with this product. 5/5 sturdiness - you pay a little more to avoid the flimsy polycarbonate backboard. Excellent investment for my family that should last years.

The only reason I didn't give it a 5 is the assembly. It is much easier to install with two people. Be careful to purchase the correct mount for where you'd like to place it. We didn't the first time because the information led me to believe we didn't need it but there was a different mount required to space the backboard from our pole so the player doesn't hit the pole.

I recently bought this backboard and goal and I was not unhappy with the quality. I don't know how long it will hold up, or if cold weather will weaken the plexiglass, but it seems solid based on a couple of weeks of use. The goal in particular is high quality, and the backboard looks sharp mounted prominently above my garage.The one flaw is that the rear mounting brackets are located low on the board and are narrow, only 2-3 inches apart (you can see them in the pictures above). They are solid, but they have no hope for keeping the board "rigid". This isn't a deal breaker for me. And to get a more "rigid" board you likely will have to spend more money. The lack of rigidity results in any shot that hits wide off the backboard shaking the board noticeably.After much shopping I could not find a board with the quality/price compromise anywhere close to this one. They were either much more expensive, or they were flimsy/cheap looking. I have no problem recommending this board.

I was debating between a cheaper and smaller model but decided upon the 54" from spalding due to the strength of the rim and for the responsiveness of the acrylic backboard. So far it's working out well and I mounted this with the U-Turn system (great mount by the way) on my roof.The installation went fine and one problem I ran into was the size of the screws that attach the underside rim cover. Not sure how they are supposed to fit since the mounting holes have no threads. They wouldn't go in so I had to drill the holes out a little more and eventually they screwed in place. I would recommend 2 people to do the install as you'll need another person holding up the backboard while you insert the two 10" mounting bolts.The other problem I had was the first 2 backboards that were sent to me were damaged in delivery. The first one I ordered had a crack near the rim (walmart.com) and the second backboard was completely in pieces when it arrived. Not amazon's or walmart's fault because the packaging that spalding uses is horrible. There is no foam padding on any of the sides and any slight pressure during delivery will result in a crack! I read this in other peoples reviews but took a chance anyway and by the third one, it arrived undamaged.So I would recommend spending a little extra on this 54" model over the 52" or anything smaller assuming you have the room for it. The steel frame coupled with the 3/8" acrylic provides a good bounce off almost all parts of the backboard with very few if any dead spots.

For the money this is the one! It’s a very solid and attractive backboard. I mounted with the U-Turn system on a 4 inch pole, and assembly was pretty easy. Be sure to use the extension plates that are included with the backboard packaging. These plates come with the U-Turn system, however so do a lot of other extra parts for various mounting situations (wall, etc). The directions are very confusing and you will have no idea what parts are supposed to be used for each mounting option. It took a while to figure out which parts I was supposed to use to mount on a pole. Other than the confusing directions regarding which parts were needed for installation, I am very happy with the final result.

Product arrived in good condition. I was worried about getting a glass board from all the reviews of the board showing up broken or breaking upon installation so I went with the acrylic board. Installation was fairly straight-forward. I paired this up with the Spalding 316 bracket and am very happy with the final product. The bounce off the acrylic is not nearly as good as glass but it's much less expense and seems to be fairly tough to withstand kids throwing the basketball at it and other things. Mounting points seem be to normal in the industry, it would be nice to have some support on the extents of the backboard but it would be tough to do with the adjustable mount. The rim attaches securely but isn't locked down in place as I would like, it's held in with a single heavy duty spring for the 'break away' action. This allows the rim to slightly rotate from side to side where the rim isn't perfectly level. This isn't much rotation and is hardly noticeable but something to realize. I don't think it affects any playability or shot bounce. The fit and finish of the unit looks great and seems like it will last a long time. The rim itself is very strong and comes with a nice heavy net. I would recommend this and would purchase again.

El tablero se instaló en un parque público y se ve de maravilla, llegó perfecto, con el detalle que la orden era de 2 y solo llegó 1, parece que el proveedor ya no está surtiendo y ahora tengo una cancha incompleta! :(