I did a lot of research before I spent the money on this system. YouTube comparison videos, customer reviews, and in person comparisons at the big box store that locally sells them. There is no comparison as far as quality, build, and value. Hands down! If a tornado or hurricane hit my area, this would be the last thing left standing. First of all it’s beautiful when set up. The pad is quality around the pole, the rim is robust and well built, the pole and mechanical parts are very beefy and the ground mounting system although it make look the same as other systems, is not. It’s built a lot better and with better material like the pole and backboard on this system. I did pay to have someone install the hoop and I don’t regret that at all. To install this correctly takes a lot of digging and a lot of concrete, but when a ball hit the rim or backboard it is as solid as a hoop in a college gym. It came packaged very well, but ensure that you have somewhere to store it. It comes on a long pallet. I used half of my garage. Oh and it’s heavy as all get out so if you’re planning on moving it around, you’ll need two people. Lastly, the ease of raising and lowering the system is awesome. My 5 year old does it’s with no problem AND you can remove the handle if you don’t want the kids or anyone else messing with it. Overall, yes it’s almost $2K for a bball hoop, but it’ll last a lifetime(not the brand, but like…forever). If you bought a “GOOD” portable hoop, it would cost you between $500 and $700, so why not spend more and get better quality that lasts forever and won’t blow over in your yard and hurt someone or something. Mega Slam has made me a life long customer and ambassador for their product.