While this is the first topic we will cover in the basketball hoop purchasing guide series, this is not necessarily the place you need to start with your shopping. The maker of the basketball hoop you are interested in just makes for a great logical sequence to proceed through to discuss the ins and outs of buying an appropriate basketball system for your home or organization. Each basketball hoop manufacturer, if successful, tends to target a particular market segment to fit the needs of a market segment better than anyone else. Thus, if you are wanting a high-end hoop, do not expect to find great options from low-end producers, and vise versa. The following list of common basketball hoop makers will help you sort who caters to your particular needs.

Lifetime Products

Lifetime Products is possibly the largest manufacturer for consumer-end basketball systems in the world. They have accomplished this status through perfecting the basketball hoop features catered to a low-end budget. Do you own, or have you seen, a basketball hoop that can be raised and lowered? Chances are you are looking at a system made by Lifetime Products. Lifetime is who made raising and lower the backboard common place in a residential basketball goal. Lifetime Products has the most extensive product selection in the low end compared to just about any other maker. Their systems can be seen priced as low as $100. Due to their success at the low end, Lifetime has also dabbled in the high end. Their high-end basketball goals are called Mammoth basketball goals. These types of goals are typically priced in the $1000 to $1500 range. Mammoth basketball goals are very comparable to most any other manufacturer of basketball system in the high end of products.

Spalding / Huffy

If you ever see Spalding or Huffy basketball systems, first thing to know is that websites frequently use these names interchangably because they are both owned by Russel Athletics. In general, you will likely see Huffy label on low-end basketball hoops and Spalding on higher-end hoops. However, Spalding goals can be priced anywhere from $250 to $2400. Huffy and low-end Spalding basketball goals typically have a plastic, acrylic, or polycarbonate backboard materials. On Spalding’s high-end basketball systems, the backboards are either tempered glass or acrylic. To know when you have reached the high-end basketball line, you will typically see the brand product name Arena View. The Arena View basketball systems have very comparable specs to the Mammoth basketball line from Lifetime, but also include several models that have larger poles, thicker backboards, and stronger rims.

Goalsetter

Goalsetter is unique among most any high-end basketball hoop manufacturer in that they are one of very few that manufacture their hoops in the United States. Based in Iowa, Goalsetter makes a very unique basketball hoop product. Their poles, which they term as off-set in design, have a portion of the pole that is vertical and an upper portion that angles back. At this part that agnles back and returns to a vertical position, the mounting arms for the backboard come forward back in front of the pole. This type of design is unique to Goalsetter and easily identified when looking for a basketball hoop. One other thing of note with Goalsetter basketball hoops is that each of their systems is available in tempered glass and acrylic.

Goalrilla

Goalrilla makes high-end basketball system with 54, 60, and 72-inch backboard models. Goalrilla also makes a few mid-range systems under the brand name Silverback. Their pole sizes are comparable to Mammoth; however, they differ considerably in their lift mechanisms. All Goalrilla systems will have a bolt-down anchor pole. The 60-inch glass Silverback system will also have a bolt-down anchor kit. All other Silverback systems will have an in-ground pole

Just as a note, there are other basketball hoop manufacturers out there. We have simply covered the major ones. Until next one.