Portable Basketball Hoops Made Easier To Find

New Portable Basketball Hoop Page

Competitive Edge Products recently created a new portable basketball hoop website to help customers more effectively compare products between Lifetime Products and Spalding. The website effectively separates the different basketball systems into manufacturer, level of system, price, and size. Making a choice of which portable system best suits you just got a whole lot easier. Visit our new portable basketball hoops website at theportablebasketball.com.

Lifetime Basketball | Atlas Basketball Hoops

What is the difference between the now discontinued model 1557 Lifetime Basketball Hoops and the current 1558 model?

There really is not difference between these models, though we often get questions from customer about them. What the 1557 model was was an attempt to liquidate a large inventory, which Lifetime Products held, of packages of the 1557 portable basketball hoops and the 0501 hoop chute. Because of this, and a great liquidating price, we would always point our customers to our 1557 listing instead of the 1558. This continued for several months until yesterday, 11/10/2009, when Lifetime officially ran out of stock of the 1557 package. Lifetime Products has indicated to us that they will not be bringing back this package. To help with the transition back to the 1558 model, we have dropped the price a considerable amount for the upcoming holiday season. Please let us know if you have any questions about this or any other model of portable basketball goal.

Related Lifetime Basketball Portable Basketball Hoops Posts:

Portable Basketball Hoops Product Comparison.
Lifetime Basketball Spalding Basketball.
Lifetime Basketball.

Goalsetter Basketball Hoops | Captain vs. All-American

Of all of the Goalsetter Basketball Hoops Systems, only the Captain and All-American models overlap on size of backboard. What is the difference?

Goalsetter manufactures many different inground basketball systems ranging in backboard size of 72" all the way down to 48". Of all of the Goalsetter basketball systems, only the Goalsetter All-American and Goalsetter Captain models compete for the same backboard size. At first look this might be confusing, but a closer examination will show some important differences. I will show only the differences below, as the similarities are not they key factors in making a buying decision.

Goalsetter Basketball Hoops All-American:

• Pole size is 5 x 5 inches.


• Backoard to pole clearance is 3 ft.

Goalsetter Basketball Systems | Captain

• Pole size is 6 x 6 inches.


• Backboard to pole clearance is 4 ft.

Product Comparison Summary:
When comparing these two models, do not let the similarities fool you; these are different products. For the Goalsetter Captain model, they followed the same general structure and features as the full size 72 in. MVP model, in that both the Captain and MVP models have 6 x 6 inch. pole and a 4 ft. backboard clearance. Because of this, you can expect to pay at least a couple hundred dollars more for the Captain than the All-American. Goalsetter designed the All-American to offer a fairly large system - 60 inch glass backboard - to a larger crowd by shrinking the size of the pole and lowering the overhang of the backboard. These changes do not effect the stability of the unit so much as the playability. In most cases 3 ft. of clearance is fine, but when players become older and more advanced, they will likely need more space to play around the hoop. Good luck shopping!

Related Goalsetter and other Basketball System posts:
Goalsetter Basketball Systems | Mammoth Basketball Hoops.
Mammoth Basketball Hoop.
Mammoth Basketball Goal | Institutional System.

Poolside Basketball Hoops | Product Comparison

Which of the 3 poolside basketball hoops that we carry is best for you?

To start off, Spalding and Lifetime Products, as I have mentioned before in other posts, are each others' main basketball equipment competitors. Because of this, many of the features and designs are very similar between the 3 products. I will simply go through a few features that are the same, and a few that are different to aid you in the selection process.

Spalding | Poolside Basketball Hoops.

Model Number: 77054.
Backboard Material: Eco-composite Plastic.
Adjustable rim height: Yes.
Pole Size and Shape: 3" diameter Round.
Rim: Breakaway.
Base: Portable.
Base Capacity: 28 gallons.

This poolside basketball hoop is great for any situation, in that it features higher end items such as a breakaway rim and a full size base. This unit also comes with a swimming pool basketball. With that said, you will get these added features at a premium costing you about 15-25 dollars more than the Lifetime 1306 Acrylic Backboard and about 30-40 more than the comparable 1301 Lifetime plastic backboard poolside baskeball system.

Lifetime Pool Side Basketball Hoops | 1306.

Model Number: 1306.
Backboard Material: Acrylic.
Adjustable rim height: Yes.
Pole Size and Shape: 3" diameter Round.
Rim: Static.
Base: Portable.
Base Capacity: 26 gallons.

The Lifetime 1306 Poolside Basketball system is the highest end swimming basketball hoops Lifetime Products offers. The unit save you some money as compared to the Spalding system or the Lifetime 1301 basketball system, while giving you a better backboard material as far as rebound goes. With this system compared to the 77054 you lose the breakaway rim and the size of the base is slightly smaller as well. You will also need a basketball since this unit does not come with one.

Lifetime Poolside Basketball Hoops | 1301.

Model Number: 1301.
Backboard Material: Polyethylene Plastic.
Adjustable rim height: Yes.
Pole Size and Shape: 3" diameter Round.
Rim: Static.
Base: Portable.
Base Capacity: 26 gallons.

This unit, while not having the same features as the 1306 and the 77054, is still a great unit for most situations. The pole size is still the same as the other units and the base is the same size as the 1306. Where you lose against both units is on the backboard material when compared to the 1306 pool side basketball system, and on the breakaway rim and base size on the 77054 poolside basektball hoop. All is not lost, however, as you will save anywhere from 20-25 dollars on this system compared to the 1306 and 30-40 dollars compared to the 77054.

So, what should you ask yourself before making a purchase? First, does price mattter to you? If not, than you can safely exclude the 1301. Second, what functionality is more important to you: breakaway rim or better rebound? If dunking is big for you, the 77054 is a great fit because of the breakaway rim. If the playability of the backboard is essential, than the 1306 is your best option there because of the acrylic backboard. Lastly, the size of the base is important in that the weight and stability increases with a larger base. The 77054 give you the largest base, but only by 2 gallons. In most cases this weight difference is minimal. The only reason to really want a larger base is if you anticipate very aggressive play, in which case the 77054 is your best bet. Please keep in mind that no matter how large the base, there is always a possibility of tipping the unit over so please never hang on the rim on any of these systems. Good luck shopping.

Related Poolside Basketball Goals Posts:
Poolside Basketball Hoops | Basketball Backboards | Types of Materials Comparison.
Lifetime Basketball | Spalding Comparison.
Basketball Hoop | Acrylic vs. Glass.

Competitive Edge Products | Infopia Comparison

A Quick Explanation of Our Main Website and Infopia.

We often get questions about two sites people run into that have our logo and products on. They do not have the same pricing.

Competitive Edge Products, Inc. Purposes:

Our main website is where we do most of our business. For this purpose, the majority of our offerings will have very competitive pricing and certain guaranteed offers such as free shipping. The example I wish to illustrate here is concering our Lifetime Sheds category page and the resultant pricing.

We had a customer order a shed size measuring 11' x 21' over the phone. On our website, we do not have a shed listing measuring 11' x 21'. In fact, Lifetime Products does not even make a shed that large. To achieve this size, we take the base model, 6415, and than add 2.5 ft. extensions until we reach 21' in length. At the bottom of our Lifetime Shed category page are a series of links for specifically sized sheds, which are larger than the base models. To simplify the process for those shoppers who wish go it alone, we link to those sizes on our Infopia site.

Competitive Edge Infopia Site Purposes:

The Infopia site exists for two purposes: 1, it allows us to quickly list products to eBay and 2, it allows us to list multiple SKU's to the same page. So, in the example of the 11' x 21' Lifetime storage shed, we see that there are a series of SKU's that make of that product page, a 6415 and 3 qty. 0125's. This page allows a go it alone customer to quickly add the product to their cart and checkout. However, you will notice both on the Lifetime Shed category page on our main website, as well as at the top of the Infopia site, there are no guaranteed free shipping offers on these sheds or any other product listed on Infopia (though many products are listed specifically as free shipping on Infopia). This goes back to purpose 1 of the Infopia site on eBay. eBay charges fees for the final value of your sale price. To minimize these fees, and by implication lower the price for the customer, we sometimes do not include shipping in the Infopia shed prices because eBay will not charge selling fees to shipping costs. So, in the case of the 11' x 21' Lifetime Shed the price is $2699.99 with shipping at $375.00 for a total of about $3075. However, if a customer were to call in and speak with a salesman, we would put together the same size shed for about $2895.00, as of the date of this posting, by using the pricing on our main website and putting to together the different models to form the 11x21.

This business practice is not meant to trick or decieve, which is hopefully plain from the fact I am publicly writing about, but is meant to offer convenience to those who want convenience, and better pricing for our eBay customers.

Please leave your comments here if you have any other questions concerning our pricing methods.

Related Competitive Edge Products, Infopia, and Lifetime Shed Posts:
Lifetime Sheds | Resin.
Competitive Edge | New Products.
Competitive Edge | eBay.
Lifetime Outdoor Shed.
Lifetime Sheds | Product Reviews.

Basketball Backboards | Types of Materials Used

What material is best for your Basketball Backboards' system?

Basketball Backboards Overview:

I have previously posted on this information concerning basketball backboards' materials used on basketball systems. In this post I will try to go beyond what I had previously said and go into brand names and manufacturers.

Basketball backboards in the market currently have just about the exact same materials between manufacturers. These are mainly glass, acrylic, polycarbonate, and plastic. under each of these headings are several patented names, but not much real difference in construction.

Glass Basketball Backboards:

Glass is glass no matter who you go to for your basketball system. The only real things to be aware of when you are shopping for a your basketball hoop are: how thick is the glass, and how thick is the frame.

Thickness of the glass is important for many reasons, which I will not elaborate on too much here, but not for the rebound of the ball. Thicker glass typically only gets better strength in the event something were to collide with the backboard; i.e. a rock. Many salesmen will try to sell you on better rebound with more thickness, but this is not neccessarily the case. The bigger determining factor is actually the thickness of the frame. Typically, if you are getting a glass basketball backboard you ought to be getting one that has at least a 2 inch thick frame. This will assure you the most optimal rebound. Anything less than this will possibly cause a wiggle in the backboard throwing off your shot.

Acrylic Basketball Backboards:

Acrylic is considered to have the next best rebound, though the difference betwen arylic and polycarbonate rebounds is minimal. Acrylic backboards were more prevalent a few years back, but many manufacturers have moved away from their production in hopes of increasing the strength of the backboard using other materials. Just like glass, acrylic is acrylic except for this time there are some brand differences in the market. Whenever you see the word "fusion" in the name of a Lifetime basketball system, this always refers to acrylic. Spalding and Goalsetter each only use acrylic in the names, so there should not be any confusion with what are getting through these 2 suppliers.

Polycarbonate Backboards:

Polycarbonate was designed into basketball systems for its increased strength. Polycarbonate is said to be 30x stronger than comparable acrylic models. Acrylic, over time, has been known to crack when exposed to UV radiation after many years, thus losing its strength. Polycarbonate is supposed to eliminate this, creating a longer last basketball system. Polycarbonate is the same material used in the production of bullet proof glass, though none of the basketball systems, which use this material, would be considered bullet proof. Polycarbonate is mostly used by Lifetime Products and Spalding in some of their lower end systems. Polycarbonate is polycarbonate, but with Lifetime the patented name is Makrolon and Lexan. Spalding just refers to it as polycarbonate.

Plastic Backboards:

Plastic has the most diversity in available types, i.e. plastic is not the same plastic between suppliers. Lifetime Products uses what is called polyethylene plastic, which is a polymer of the alkene, ethylene. Spalding uses what they call eco-composite, which essentially is recycled plastics. Because of the source of the plastic used by Spalding is not really well known, it is hard to determine what is the plastic's chemical makeup. Both manufacturer's use this material to make a quick, cheap basketball backboard for their lowest end models. With this material you get the cheapest of options and a beginner system, but you also get a potentially very long life. As evidence of this, consider Lifetime Products claim of their plastic (HDPE), which they state ,"... will not fade, crack, or peel when exposed to the sunlight." Plastic would have what is considered the worst rebound of the choices already listed.

Hopefully this gets you a good feel of the materials available on basketball backboards. Please leave any comments if you have any questions or any other helpful differences you know of between these options.

Basketball Backboards Related Links:

Baskeball Hoop | Acrylic vs. Glass.
Portable Basketball Hoops.
Goalsetter | Mammoth Basketball Hoops.
98865 Basketball Backboards | Mammoth Style System.

Lifetime Chairs | Color Difference

There is no difference in design between the 2803 and 2804 Lifetime Chairs other than color.

We get questioned fairly often on the 2803 and 2804 Lifetime Chairs on what the difference is between the models. The difference is very simple - color. The 2804 is what is called by Lifetime Products white granite, and the 2803 is called almond. But, that is it. The structure and design are the exact same. The weight and dimensions are the same.

Probably the confusion that some folks are having with these models is that Lifetime Products previously had what they called an Accent model. This model, 4409, featured similar looks and design but the seat and back were both shorter than the full size 2803 and 2804. Also, this model was only available in Almond coloring.

Why buy the 2804 model Lifetime Chairs over the 2803 model?

Of the 2803 and 2804, the 2804 model is the more popular product for us. This is probably due to the neutrality of the white granite color of this model. White granite refers to a white color with tiny grey speckles. This allows the chair color to go with a larger variety of color schemes in a meeting room than the Almond color, which tends to need more specific surrounding colors to make it work well.

If you have any other comparisons between the 2803 and 2804 models, please leave your comment on this post.

Related Lifetime Chairs Post:

Lifetime Chairs | Padded Seating.
Lifetime Chairs | Accent vs. Full Size.

Goalsetter Basketball Systems | Mammoth Basketball Hoops

How do Goalsetter Basketball Systems compare to Mammoth Basketball Systems?

This will just be a quick point counter point post to illustrate that gains and losses of either system.

Goalsetter Basketball Systems: Reasons to buy:

• Goalsetter warranty also covers dunking in the breakage clause (as of the time of this post).


• The offset pole design used on their basketball hoops features a more durable design and better weight distribution for heavier models like the SS MVP and SS All-American.


• Greater selection of high-end glass backboard models with many variations - there are more than 5 different basic models to choose from, and several options on each of those models to customize the system.


• Different options are avialable on the lift mechanism providing you opportunities to either save money, or have a more convenient way to change the height of the backboard.

Mammoth Basketball Systems: Reasons to buy:

• Lifetime Products includes their rim in their Limited Lifetime Warranty whereas the Goalsetter rim warranty is graded based on the quality of rim.


• A Mammoth Basketball Hoop is about $400-$800 cheaper on average than comparable Goalsetter models.


• These have a lock mechanism the prevents tampering on the height adjustment mechanism.


• Lift mechanism on the Mammoth Systems are easier to use, just squeeze the handle on the back of the unit and push it up or pull it down. The Goalseeter adjustment mechanism is a crank and can be somewhat cumbersome to adjust.

There are many other point and counterpoints that could be mentioned here, so please feel free to comment if you know of other relevant comparisons.

Related Posts:
Portable Basketball Hoops.
Mammoth Basketball Hoop.
Lifetime Basketball vs. Spalding Comparison.

Camping Equipment | Kodiak Canvas Tents

Kodiak Canvas Tents vs. Traditional Material Tents.

Kodiak Canvas Tents are among our top sellers on our website. These tents tend to be more pricey than traditional tents, even when comparing tents of the same size. This will be a short post just to explain some differences between canvas and traditional synthetic material tents.

Canvas Tents, to start off with, tend to be a lot heavier than other tents. Most of the weight is due to the canvas material, which is a very thick and heavy fabric. To give an example, the 6055 10 x 10 ft tent we carry weighs about 75 lbs. whereas a tent with the traditional synthetic material of the same size would weigh around half of that 75 lbs. Because the fabric is so heavy, the pole structure also tends to be a lot heavier than the synthetic tents, since those tents tend to have poles that are skinny and held together by a narrow bungee cord like cable making them very light weight.

Another point to consider with purchasing a canvas tent is that canvas tents do night wick water on the inside. If you are a regular camper and use a synthetic material for your tent, you have probably noticed in the mornings that water has accumlated on the inside of the tent. This is because most synthetic tents do not breath through the walls, meaning the water vapor you exhale while you sleep gets trapped on the inside of the tent because the air is unable to escape. Canvas, while still being water proof, tends to be a lot more breathable so you do not get that kind of water accumulation on the inside.

Finally, while you might pay upwards of $100 or more for a comparable sized canvas tent, canvas tends to have a lot longer life than other tents. For that reason, Kodiak Canvas Tents offer a limited lifetime warranty on their units. This tends to eliminate fear of tears and weaknesses in the construction of synthetic tents since all parts of the tent are built to high standards of construction. To emphasize this point of how well constructed these tents are, our supplier recently had a contract with the United State military where the government purchased 100 of these tents and sent them for the Army to use in the Middle East where the climate can be very harsh.

Portable Basketball Hoops

When do you need Portable Basketball Hoops vs. Inground Basketball Hoops?

There is a time a place to use a portable basketball hoop and when to use an inground basketball hoop. The implied uses from the product names makes a very clear distinction that one is portable and one is not. But why the choice? Hopefully we can give you some things to think about as you make your selection.

Portable Basketball Hoops Reasons to Buy

Starting off with portable basketball hoops, this design is revolutionary for the consumer basketball line since it gives people great flexibility in when and where they set up their basketball court. If for instance you had a small driveway which limited your space to play basketball and park your cars, using it for either one or the other, the portable basketball system would allow you to move the hoop out of the way to park your cars and move it back into place to play basketball. If you do not own your property on which you live, the portable system gives you the option to still have a basketball court since you would not have to put the system into the ground. Do you get bad, windy, stormy weather during a certain part of the season? A portable basketball hoop will allow you to easily put your system down to keep it from blowing over, which could have done damage to both the system and your property.

Inground Basketball Systems Reasons to Buy

Inground basketball hoops have a slightly different use than portable basketball hoops. Inground systems are perfect for when you have dedicated space to use as a basketball court such as a sport court or a larger driveway. Use an inground system when you do not foresee needing to set up and take down your system on a regular basis. An inground basketball system is also great when you do not have to worry about bad weather damaging your system or trees falling on the system due to the bad weather. Because portable basketball hoops are portable, they do have a possibility to tip over if the unit is abused during play; having an inground system largerly removes that problem since the pole is either anchored or partially emerged into ground. Related to this would be the materials and varieties available in either an inground basketball hoop or a portable basketball hoop. Inground systems have many options that provide you a glass backboard (same material as used in the NCAA and the NBA). Because glass is heavier than a comparable size backboard in acrylic or polycarbonate, nearly all portable basketball goals do not have a glass backboard because the exceeding weight that puts on the rest of the system and the increased likelihood of tipping over. So if playability is a major concern, an inground system that provides a glass backboard would be another good reason to look into an inground hoop.

With that said, there are probably a dozen other reasons to go with either an inground hoop or a portable hoop. Hopefully this has touched on some of the reasons you need to consider before making your decision. Any questions or any other advice, please comment in the comments section.

Related Posts:
Lifetime Basketball vs. Spalding Basketball.
Mammoth Basketball Hoop.
Glass vs. Arylic Basketball Hoop.

Lifetime Chairs vs. Padded Seating

Lifetime Chairs comparison vs. Padded Seating Folding Chairs

We get a lot of questions about which folding chair would be best for a particular situation. We have several suppliers for folding chairs and all of them differ in quality and comfort. If we are ever asked about which seat is most comfortable, we almost always direct them to Lifetime Chairs. The next question we inevitably get asked is "Are those padded?" When we answer that no they are not, most every customer turns their nose up at them and asks for a different model. On the surface, this make sense, but hopefully this post will enlighten future folding chair shoppers of things to consider.

Let us first talk about folding chairs in general. In nearly all cases, folding chairs are made for convenience. They are to provide a quick option to set up a room for a meeting or get together and quickly be able to take down the room for clean up. Comfort has really not been at the top of the priority list, otherwise folding chairs would probably more likely resemble La-Z-Boy recliners. Because of this, most chair designs have had convenience more than comfort in mind. If this is not so, please inform me of a time when you sat in a cold metal chair for a couple of hours and actually felt comfortable and relaxed in it. My guess is those instances are few and far between. With that in mind, we will examine design features of a typical metal folding chair and Lifetime Folding Chairs.

Because of the convenience factor, and low cost for production, metal folding chairs have traditionally had a mostly flat seat and a short, slightly curved back. In most all cases, people do not share these same features. Most people's butts have some curvature to them and their backs most likely have a slight arch going up and then arching forward at the shoulders. Because of this, a metal chair design naturally goes against that natural shape of a person's body. As mentioned before, this is probably most likely because of low cost for production, but it might also be that metal does not give you a whole lot of room for shaping that other materials might offer. Now consider the same metal chair, now with just an inch or two of padding on the seat, and typically an inch or less of padding on the back. Although this will be more comfortable than just the metal chair by itself, the pressure points are still the same because the flat metal seat and slightly curved back are still pressing on your body in the same unatural places, just with a pad to soften the blow.

Lifetime plastic folding chairs seek to get rid of these traditional problems by changing the makeup of the chair itself. By nature of the beast, blow molded plastic, like what Lifetime uses on their products, gives you a lot more flexibility in design since plastic can be shaped to exact specifications with a mold. The design of Lifetime Chairs is to provide a natural shape and curvature so it supports the butt and back in all the right spots. Having sat in both a Lifetime chair and a metal folding chair with padding in a church setting, i.e. multiple hours at a time, the Lifetime chair is by far the most comfortable seat. You also need not worry about sturdiness since these chairs also have a steel frame.

With that said, Lifetime folding chairs come at a cost as well. On average, they are usually priced about $5-$10 more per chair than traditional metal folding chairs. The back on Lifetime chairs are also taller than those on metal folding chairs so they usually require either the Lifetime folding chair cart, or a larger cart to accomodate the high backs. Also, blow molded chairs tend to be upwards of 3 times the thickness of a metal chair and about 2 times the thickness of a padded chair meaning more space is needed to store Lifetime Chairs. If these costs are worth it to you, the Lifetime Chair is more than suitable for your needs. If any of these these costs are a problem to you, you ought to stick with the traditional metal folding chair.

Lifetime Chairs Related Links:
Lifetime Folding Chairs Products Comparison.

For more information on ergonomic (back and butt) support, please see our posting below:
Office Chairs Bungee Band Seats Reviews.

Lifetime Storage Sheds vs. Other Vinyl or Resin Shed

We get a lot of questions from customers about how Lifetime Sheds stack up against other plastic or vinyl sheds. This is a particularly important to understand when one is considering a shed that will greatly enhance the longevity of the unit when compared with traditional wood sheds. It seems the best way to illustrate the difference is to explain the materials Lifetime Products uses in their construction. In particular, Lifetime uses what is called High Density Polyethylene Plastic (HDPE). This material has the longevity of plastics in general, but is more flexible than vinyl. This is not to say that Lifetime Sheds are weak in the least as the walls and roofing are all steel reinforced, along with the roof, which has all steel trusses.

The reason Lifetime went to this material was to allow it to hold up better to day to day use and potential accidents. When talking to Lifetime Products about this material in particular, we discussed a test, though not entirely scientific, that was performed on HDPE and vinyl. The test consisted of people pitching baseballs as fast as they could against both of these materials. What they found was HDPE tended to absorb the impact of the baseball, never breaking it, and the vinyl tended to shatter due to its inherent rigidity. This test has plenty of application for day to day use with your shed. For instance, if the kids are out playing with a baseball, rocks, or any other hard object around the shed, it is likely if they were accidentally hit the shed, chances are you will not be replacing a wall. Or, if during your use you are storing something that is particularly hard to move around inside and were to hit the wall, chances are you will just have to maneuver it again instead of putting a hole through the wall. In general, these sheds are going to hold up better overall when compared to other vinyl and resin sheds.

Lifetime Basketball vs. Spalding Basketball

What are some differences between Lifetime Basketball and Spalding Basketball Products?

Lifetime Basketball Products and Spalding Sports are essentially direct competitors when it comes to residential basketball systems. They go after similar target markets, i.e. home and personal sport courts, and thus have very similar products. Some of the comparisons below for their basketball line jargon should be helpful.

Lifetime Products' Quick adjust is comparable to Spalding's Exacta-Height The Exacta-Height probably has the advantage over the Quick Adjust because the Exacta-height uses a handle, whereas the Quick adjust requires a broomstick. Both are difficult to use however.

Lifetime Products' Action Grip is comparable to the Helix Lift from Spalding. Both of these are squeeze handles that are gripped and then pushed up or down. These allow height adjustments with a little less effort The Quick Adjust and Exacta-height methods.

Lifetime Products' Power Lift is comparable to the Spalding's U-Turn mechanism. Both of these allow the user to move the hoop height up and down between 7.5 ft and 10 ft with infinite increments. Lifetime's Power Lift probably has the advantage in that they use the handle method that is used the Action Grip and Helix lift, but instead of moving in 6 inch increments, it allows the user to release the handle at any point, essentially giving you infinite height selection. The U-Turn system is a turn crank located below most backboards on the Spalding system. This mechanism tends to be more awkwardly placed and a little more tedious to use since you must turn the crank many times to move the backboard up and down.

If you have further comparisons that might be helpful for customer's information in purchasing, please leave your comments below.

Related Lifetime Basketball | Spalding Basketball Posts:

Lifetime Basketball | Atlas Product Comparison.

Atlas Picnic Table vs. Lifetime Picnic Table

In an attempt to get more product variation and better prices suited to customer's needs and wants, we were able to secure a supplier of some alternative picnic tables to our Lifetime Picnic Table. We have long sold picnic tables from Lifetime Products, even since about the very beginning and they have suited peoples needs wonderfully for the 9 years Competitive Edge Products has been in business. Due to their high popularity online and the difficulty in finding these in a retail setting, particularly when purchasing these in bulk quantities from local and national retail chains, we have long been a supplier of choice for scouts groups, churches, schools, and other organizations. Needless to say, the prices of these picnic tables has gone up a substantially over the years. We decided to get an alternative, that might lose a few features, but could possible save customers hundreds of dollars with the purchase of many of these tables.

The tables we decided to purchase was the Altas picnic table. The materials used and the structure of the picnic table frame and table top is very similar to Lifetime picnic tables. The major and most obvious feature lacking is the ability of these tables to fold flat. The Atlas picnic table is permanently set up and therefore, depending on your needs, might need fit your situation. However, if you do not need to store these picnic tables anywhere, or move them around a lot, at someplace like a campground, these are an excellent, cheaper alternative. A 10 pack for Lifetime Picnic Tables is a few hundred dollars more than a 10 pack of the Atlas picnic tables.

Another thing that is lost on a little bit is the warranty. Lifetime Products provides a full 2 year limited warranty whereas the Atlas picnic table only comes with a 1 year warranty. This is not say that the Atlas table is of poorer quality, but due to its imported status, our supplier is only able to provide a 1 year warranty.

Other than these 2 things, the picnic tables are very similar. The measurements may be a couple inches difference here and there due to manufacturing processes, but they match on essential features such as length of the picnic table (6 ft., sits 6 comfortably) and similar bench and table heights.

Lifetime Picnic Table For Kids

Many customers for about a year were looking all over for the old chidren's Lifetime Picnic Table, but were unable to find it. The old one was perfect for seating 4 children and had fun kid colors (red and blue). Lifetime Products for some reason stopped production of these tables and we could no longer provide them. However, this was not meant to last. About a couple of months ago we were able to list the children's Lifetime folding picnic table again. It is the same basic structure, and for all intents and purposes, is the same model, except for they no longer have the kid colors but have resorted to almond (a tannish color). Why they made that change we are not sure, but we do know that the old one is not going to be coming back any time soon. In the meantime, sales have been pretty good for the new model as customer's get used to the new color. The old model number was 28210, and the new model number is 80094.

Competitive Edge New Item Mango Mattresses

Competitive Edge has acquired a new supplier providing a revolutionary product called the Mango Mattress. Since this a newer item for us, we have not yet received much feedback on the quality of these items. So for this post we will refer you to the supplier's website where they have posted a couple of informative videos. These videos show how the mango mattress system works. In words, the mattress itself is compressed with a patented technology, and the air in the plastic covering is removed. The mattress is then rolled up and put into a box, making it one of the most portable mattress purchases ever, just put it in the back seat of your car to bring it home. When you unpackage the mattress, it will immediately begin to return to its original form within a few moments. If you have purchased a mango mattress from us, or anywhere else, please leave your product feedback here so others can understand the benefits and shortcomings of this unit.

Folding Picnic Table

Lifetime Products Folding Picnic Table - Round Picnic Table

The Lifetime Folding Picnic Table features a great deal of ingenuity. There are essentially 3 different models offered, rectangular folding picnic table in green and putty colors, and a childrens folding picnic table. They also offer a round picnic table that has swivel benches for storage and seating purchases, but these do not fold.

We will make a quick comparison between the round picnic tables and the rectangular folding picnic tables. The round picnic tables have 3 benches separate from one another that can swivel in and out. This allow you to store these easier then if they didn't move and change seating configurations. While these are meant for adult heights and weights, because the seats can swivel in and out, smaller children can also take advantage of this picnic table. The rectangular folding picnic tables fold flat, unlike the round tables. They have longer benches and more surface area to eat on. They tend to be more bulky and heavier then the round tables. If you want kids to be able to sit at these tables, you will need to get the children's version.

Both products have a steel reinforced frame, and both have the Lifetime patented polyethylene plastic table top material. These are suitable for indoor and outdoor use. They are durable as we get a great deal of purchases and inquiries from camp grounds and similar businesses about these products.

View our Folding Picnic Table selection for additional specs and information.

Lifetime Basketball

Lifetime Basketball Hoop - Spalding Basketball System

Here is a quick comparison between Lifetime Basketball and Huffy / Spalding Basketball. Lifetime Basketball systems have overtaken the consumer basketball hoop industry. Because of this, Lifetime Products offers a far larger range in basketball hoops than is currently offered by Huffy. It is typically easier to find the right match with Lifetime hoops than with Huffy because of the larger selection. They offer many types of basketball backboard and rim combos to portable basketball hoops to inground basketball systems. And within each of these categories, Lifetime Basketball offers a large assortment of products from begginer level hoops to professional size glass backboard systems.

Huffy offers similar products but much fewer of them as compared with Lifetime Basketball. Huffy does offer great systems, since they have been around longer. They have major contracts with colleges and professional leagues to provide basketball equipment for stadiums. These things certainly make their line worth looking at and comparing. More on these products later.

View our Lifetime Basketball line here.

View our products review for Lifetime Basketball Hoops.

Competitive Edge

Competitive Edge Products, Inc. vs. The Competitive Edge

This will be a quick post hopefully to help out current and future customers. We often get customers who call in or email us and ask us about products like scales and similar fitness items. While we, Competitive Edge Products, Inc., do sell similar items there is a similar company called The Competitive Edge that these customers are actually looking for. The dead give away is when they ask for scales, which we don't carry and never have carried. At the same time, after talking to some reps from The Competitive Edge, they get customers asking them for basketball hoops, which they don't carry, who are actually looking for us. Please visit our Competitive Edge storefront site if you are looking for camping equipment, basketball hoops, Lifetime Products, folding tables, folding chairs, office equipment, and fitness equipment.

Competitive Edge Related Links:
New Competitive Edge Items.

Lifetime Products

Competitive Edge Products, Inc. supplier Lifetime Products

Lifetime Products is a leader in the basketball and table and chair industries. One thing that differentiates Lifetime Products from the rest of the basketball hoop industry is there large selection. Within their Lifetime Portable Basketball Hoop selection, they have a large variety of systems to choose from. These include children's basketball hoops all the way up to 54 inch backboard power lift systems extending up to 10 ft. high. The range of basketball systems from Lifetime Products that are inground are even more diverse. They have units as small as a 3 inch diameter 3 piece pole with a 42 inch backboard, to a full sized 6x6 inch post with a 72 inch glass backboard system. Whatever you are looking for in these systems you will likely find it. Lifetime Products also offers a 5 year warranty on most systems, and a limited lifetime warranty on their Mammoth Basketball Hoops.

In the table and chair category, Lifetime Products gets the nod for innovation and quality for a low price. Lifetime Products folding chairs are among the best their are. When comparing their contoured seating design with a padded seating, which is the design for most cases, the countour seat is far more comfortable than the padded seat. Both their folding chairs and folding tables are made from polyethylene plastic, which will not fade, crack or peel in the sunlight makes these products great for indoor and outdoor use. This material is also very easy to clean. The the only thing they have found so far that is difficult to get off this plastic is paint; other than that, no problem. Both the chairs and tables have a steel reinforced frame making them very sturdy and while Lifetime Products doesn't publish any weight limits on their products, we have seen some pretty heavy things on both the folding tables and folding chairs and not fold under the pressure.

We are one of the largest suppliers of Lifetime Products on the web. Check out our line and competitive pricing.

Lifetime Products Related Links:
Lifetime Products Folding Table.
Lifetime Products Picnic Tables.
Lifetime Products Storage Sheds.

Lifetime Folding Chairs

Lifetime Products has a great folding chair selection. Their folding chairs are great for most any setting. There are, however, 2 different models of folding chairs to choose from.

The Lifetime Accent model of folding chairs are the low end model offered by Lifetime Products. The Accent folding chairs have a more shallow seat, measuring 16" x 16.5". They are not as large of a folding chair as the other model offered by Lifetime. Each Accent folding chair weighs about 12.5 lbs. These Lifetime folding chairs are still great for a many situations, they are just not as large or sturdy as the upper end model.

The upper end model of Lifetime folding chairs doesn't feature any kind of fancy name but does offer some more impressive features. The seat is larger than the Accent model and the back is taller making it a more comfortable chair. The steel frame is more supportive allowing these folding chairs to hold more weight then the Accent model. Each of the upper end Lifetime Folding Chairs weighs about 15 lbs.

Things in common between both models of folding chairs:
- seats and backs made of high impact polyethylene plastic
- frame is steel reinforced
- both have mar proof foot caps
- both models will fit in the 6525 Lifetime Folding Chair Cart

View our line of Lifetime Folding Chairs.

Mammoth Basketball Hoop

Lifetime Products Mammoth Basketball Hoop features some of the finest consumer basketball systems there are. This will be a quick comparison guide for you as you look through the different systems.

The 98856 Mammoth Basketball Hoop is the smallest of the goals. It features all of the same mounting equipment as the 2 larger mammoth basketball hoops but differs in the size of its backboard. The backboard of the this hoop measures 54 inches wide, 36 inches high, and 2 inches thick. This backboard is made from tempered glass. You can view our Acrylic vs. Glass comparison posting here. The other difference you will see is the size of the basketball pole. The pole measures 5x5 inches square. This is a great introductory size mammoth basketball hoop.

The 98862 Mammoth Basketball Hoop is the mid range size system. The distinguishing difference with this basketball hoop is the size of the backboard once again. This backboard measures 60 inches wide and 38 inces high and is made from tempered glass. The pole size is the same as the 98856 mamoth basketball goal, 5x5 inches square. You jump up some 300-400 dollars to get the larger backboard but this will get you closer to the actual size of an institutional size system. If you want to get the larger size backboard but don't care about the material of the backboard, you might consider the 98865 basketball hoop, which features all of the mammoth basketball hoop equipment except the backboard is acrylic.

The 98874 Mammoth Basketball Hoop is the largest of these systems. This system features specs that are closest to an institutional system, i.e. NBA, NCAA, and most high school systems. The backboard is 72 inches wide and 42 inches high. You also will get in larger mounting post measuring 6x6 inches square for added stability. All other specs are similar in size.

Things in Common with all Mammoth Basketball Systems
- Mounting Equipment for the Backboard
- All Mammoth Basketball Hoops use the same 0090 anchor kit from Lifetime Products
- All Mammoth systems have glass backboards
- Limited Lifetime Warranty, compared to the typical 5 year warranty offered for most systems
- Height adjustments for the Rim have infinite leves from 7.5 feet to regulation 10 ft.

View our Mammoth Basketball Hoop listings and other accessories.

Basketball Hoop

Here is a helpful Basketball Hoop Selection Guide.

This will be a comparison guide for portable, inground, and backboard / rim combo kits for basketball systems. Hopefully this will guide you in finding the right basketball hoop system for you.

To start out with let's get a feel of what system specs are used professionally, in college, and in most high schools. Regulation hoops are fixed at 10 ft. above ground. The rim has a fixed diameter large enought to fit a basketball measureing 29.5 inches in circumfrence. The backboard is made of glass and measures 72 inches across and about 42 inches high. The backboard thickness is about 2 inches.

With that understanding lets talk about different basketball hoop setups. The most common for residential use is an inground basketball hoop. Please check your system's instructions for installation specifics, but in general the pole is about 18 or so inches in the ground for most systems. There are 2 different types of poles to look for for inground systems. The poles are either square or round. The round ones are typically cheaper than square posts. The round poles typically come standard 3 inches or 3.5 inches. The difference you will notice between a round pole and a square post is that the square post basketball hoop will have less "wobble" when in use than a round pole. The square posts come in 4", 5", or 6" sides. The square posts are usually found on systems with larger backboards and backboards made out of glass. With these systems, for the right price, you can achieve a system very close to what is used in the NBA, collegiate level, and in most high schools.

By portable basketball hoop, it is meant that the system is mobile because the pole does not go into the ground, although some of these systems allow you to bolt the portable base to concrete if you so desire. Basketball hoop selection for portable systems is a little more tricky. Things to consider for portable basketball hoops is who will be using it, how will they be using it, and how often will they be using it. If you have older, heavier kids playing on these hoops you must consider that these hoops are able to tip over if someone were to hang on the rim. These hoops are adjustable like the inground basketball hoop. If players of any age plan to just shoot on the hoop and won't be aggressively attacking the rim, then the portable system would suit most situations. Portable systems have more movable parts and therefore can wear out quicker. This worry is offset slightly in that most manufacturers offer at least a 5 year warranty on their systems. These systems rarely have a backboard over 54" wide and so you are unlikely to ever achieve the professional specs mentioned above. Also, there aren't any that come with glass backboards.

With the backboard and rim combos, you must understand that you are giving up specs for flexibility. The backboard and rim combos can be attached to a wall, roof, or existing pole. To accomplish this you must also purchase matching mounting kits and brackets. With these basktaball hoops, you cannot get a glass backboard; it's just too heavy. You also can't get one over 54" because of the weight factor once again. Please also be aware that these systems must be matched up with the mounting kits from the same manufacturer otherwise you are likely to have compatibility issues. The other tricky thing about these systems is getting the right height placement to achieve the 10 ft regulation height. Great attention must be paid to the instructions, and realize ahead of time that you might not be able to get it exact.

View our Basketball Hoop Glass vs. Acrylic comparison for additional information.

View our Inground Basketball Hoop listings for specific products.

View our Portable Basketball Hoop listings for specific products.

View our Backboard and Rim Combo listings for specific products.

Related Basketball Hoop Posts:

Lifetime Basketball | Product Comparison.
Lifetime Basketball.
Goalsetter Basketball Systems | Productd Comparison.
Goalsetter Basketball Systems | Mammoth Basketball Hoops.

Lifetime Outdoor Shed

View our listings for the different sizes of Lifetime Outdoor Shed available.

There are many options for outdoor storage sheds out there. Right now we just don't have a whole lot of facts gathered on other options for your shed needs so we just want to talk about the Lifetime Outdoor Shed line. We will post more specific comparisons at a later date.

The Lifetime Outdoor Shed is unique among sheds in that they don't follow the typical vinyl or wood building material format. Most sheds availabe on the market use either of these two methods. I am sure you have seen the Tough Shed commercials where the motorcyclist drives up and down a long line of wood Tough sheds until he finally gets to the vinyl shed and comes crashing in. This would lead most people to believe that anything other then a wood shed with an A-Frame support, or a T-Frame support, has no structural stability. Also they point out how ugly vinyl sheds look. The vinyl shed industry then fires back saying that your pretty wood shed won't be pretty for long. Give it a year or two being exposed to the elements and that pretty wood will look like the witch's cottage from Hansel and Grettle in no time.

Once again, this is not a shed by shed comparison, but rather an synopsis of what a Lifetime Outdoor Shed has to offer. Lifetime Products was able to take the best of both worlds from the wood and vinyl shed industry. Their sheds are actually constructed out of a material called polyethylene plastic. This material acts like a vinyl but can be made to look like wood. So you get the attractive look of wood while having the long lasting effect of vinyl. Also, this plastic is high impact plastic and therefore provides added stability and durability. The walls, roof, and floor are all reinforced with steel framing, making the Lifetime Outdoor Shed comparable to most wood sheds as far as strength and stability go. Because they are made from this plastic, it is also very easy to add on to the structure, making the Lifetime Outdoor Shed the most versatile as far as increases size and adding features.

There are a great assortment of Lifetime Sheds to choose from. Click the link above to view the different sizes and configurations available, as well as additional specs for each model.

View our products review site for reviews on the Lifetime Outdoor Shed.

Folding Tables Lifetime Products vs. The Rest

While Lifetime Products got its start with consumer basketball systems, they have since branched out and found success in a number of arenas. What makes this company such a formidable competitor in so many areas is there innovative attempts to create a better and better product. They were able to patent a material and production method for producing folding tables unlike any other. One way they approach their designs is by finding out what aspects of the current folding tables are frustrating to a consumer. In the case of folding tables, many out there are - 1- meant for indoor or outdoor use, not both, 2- have a tendency to rust if used outdoors, and are very heavy if used indoors, 3- are very difficult to clean up.

The material used for these chairs is polyethylene plastic. This material is hard and dense, but is still light weight. They have an attractive design as well. They work well in both indoor and outdoor uses because polyethylene will not crack, fade, or peel when exposed to the sunlight. These tables are also very sturdy because of their framing is made of steel. You don't need to worry about these tables rusting any time soon because the steel parts are all powder coated to help prevent oxidation. Polyethylene plastic is stain resistant. You can use these tables at home, at a school, church, restaurant, or park setting and never worry about permanently messy tables.

If this were all the things that were improved for folding tables by Lifetime Products then you would have an awesome table; but they did more. Lifetime applied these design improvements to round tables, rectangular tables, personal tables, and even picnic tables. Their entire line of rectangular picnic tables all fold completely flat! They also added yet another feature to one of their lines of folding tables - the ability to fold in half. On these tables the legs will fold, but the middle of the table also folds, giving you an added way to compact these folding tables for easy storage and transportation.

This is not to say that Lifetime Products has a monopoly on the folding tables' industry. Other manufacturers are also in the run. Correll, Inc. has done well with creating folding tables for all sorts of situations. They have also perfected a folding table that has folding legs and has adustable height settings. The only down side to Correll's production is the lack of choices available currently. Lifetime's downside to folding tables is that they do not offer anything fancy making their tables usable mostly in a recreational setting.

Basketball Hoop Acrylic vs. Glass

What are the differences between Acrylic and Glass Basketball Hoop Backboards?

Consumer Basketball Hoop lines have increased in number and evolved a great deal over time. Materials for backboards have changed with it. Lifetime Products and Huffy / Spalding both have glass and acrylic systems and both tend to be very expensive. Which one is right for you? You can be the judge of that.

Professionally, in the NCAA, and in most High Schools glass is the backboard of choice. The reason being is the rebound of the ball of the backboard. The tempered glass used on these basketball hoops tends to not give as much and therefore provides a superior rebound when the ball hits it. This is great for agressive play and with more advanced players. A bank shot is much more effective on these units. The acrylic on the other hand tends to absorb more of the impact of the ball, making you have to train your shot to be a little bit harder than you normally would need.

Why go acrylic? Acrylic systems are typically cheaper in cost, making these basketball hoops great for family and home use. Unless you plan on training a future collegiate player, or always need the best money can buy, the acrylic hoops are suitable for most situations. Because most companies that ship basketball hoop orders do not have any way of setting the system up for you, the customer can have quite a daunting task ahead of them. Tempered glass weighs a great deal more then acrylic of comparable dimensions does. For instance, the 98865 60" acrylic basketball hoop from Lifetime Products weighs a little over 200 lbs. The 98862 Mammoth Basketball Hoop 60" glass backboard system weighs nearly 500 lbs!

If you have any other differences you know of between Glass and Acrylic Baksetball Hoop Backboard materials, please leave your comments here for other shoppers to view.

Related Basketball Hoop Backboard Material Acrylic vs. Glass Posts:

Basketball Backboards | Materials Used.
Lifetime Basketball | Model Comparison.