This ball pickup basket works great. It was designed quite well in nearly every regard I think. I was able to assemble it in no time. Make sure you follow the assembly instructions that come with it. The instructions are super short, but following them makes putting it together easier. Just make sure you have all the screws put in. It is easy to overlook them since putting it together is so easy and goes so fast. All you need is a hammer and a phillips screwdriver.
The basket is built solid. I think you could throw and slam it down on the ground and you still likely wouldn't break it. The plastic rods at the top and bottom are made out of a solid plastic that returns to shape very well. I don't think they will warp or bend. And they are even less likely to because the design allows the rods to rotate which helps also keep the fuzz on your tennis balls better. My main piece of advice is not to over tighten the screws. You don't want to strip out the plastic or crack it by tightening too tight. Just get it snug.
The 80 seems quite stable. And the lack of rubber hose on the handles tends to make it more stable. Some people complain about the bars at the top being a little hard to open and close. It's not all that bad. And if they were easier to open and close, I don't think they'd lock in place as well and you'd have balls toppling out of the unit. I actually like the bars at the top because it makes it easy to carry a drink. I just lay the drink on its side and the bars hold it nicely in place. So no extra hands needed to carry your racket ball basket and drink. If you have balls sliding out of the bottom, just make sure you have all of the screws in. I had mistakenly missed one. So if you think you have an extra screw, make sure you keep it around.
The only minor flaw I saw with the basket was locking the handles together in the up position. Sometimes one will pop out. But that's very minor. This seems much better designed than a wire pickup basket.
One person mentioned about the brackets for the legs breaking. I haven't had a single problem with mine. However, I know in plastics that you can get bad batches of plastic that weren't cured properly and that can crack easily as a result. That may have been the case in that instance. Or if you left it outside all the time the sun can after a good while cause the plastic to get brittle and crack. Using something like a car interior proctectant can help avoid that. They have what's called plasticizers in them that help keep plastic bendable and non-brittle. Plasticizers are what give a car its new car smell.
I have no hesitation at all recommending this product. It is made quite well, especially for the price.
| Brand | Tourna |
|---|---|
| Material | Polypropylene (PP) |
| Color | Black |
| Age Range (Description) | Adult |
| Item Weight | 2 Pounds |
| Sport | Tennis |
| Item Diameter | 29.5 Inches |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 25.3 x 14 x 1.8 inches |
| Package Weight | 2.4 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 25 x 14 x 1.75 inches |
| Brand Name | Tourna |
| Model Name | BP-80 |
| Suggested Users | unisex-adult |
| Manufacturer | Tourna |
| Part Number | US-BP-80 |
| Style | Black |
| Included Components | 1 Ball Hopper |
| Size | Size 7 |
