We purchased the SKLZ Fielding Trainer for our kids to provide them with a way to throw, field and catch in the yard, when we are not able to be out there with them. We found the SKLZ Fielding Trainer to be a high quality, large rebound net that is easily adjustable. Our 7 year old daughter can easily adjust the angle without any help from us or her older brother. The net is approximately 3.5 feet wide by 4.5 feet high, and has 3 angles to direct the balls, allowing for grounders, line drives or short hops (depending how hard you throw it), and pop flys. This is our second attempt at these types of pitch back nets, so we paid a lot more attention to what the net could do and the quality of it. The first one we purchased when our son was in Tee-ball was very poor quality and he quickly outgrew and broke it.
As we were researching options, we wanted to make sure we purchased one that would last, but didn’t want to necessarily spend hundreds on the screen either. After reading through reviews on Amazon, Dicks Sporting Goods, and other retailers, we opted for this SKLZ Fielding Trainer. Some of the aspects we liked were the fact that it folded up for storage, it weighed more than a lot of the other options we were considering, and it seemed like a design that would be easy for both kids to use. We were also hopeful that the larger diameter frame would provide a sturdier base with less flex, allowing for more consistent rebounds coming off the net. Additionally, the triangular shape design allows for the full area of the net to be used, instead of the alternative curved style where you throw near the top for grounders, the middle for short hops and the bottom for pop flys. This is very helpful for my daughter who is still working on her accuracy.
Setup was pretty easy. The instructions were straight forward, and we got it almost fully assembled in about 30 minutes. I say almost fully assembled because as we were finishing the yellow frame, we realized that we had 2 of the same parts (male ends) so they wouldn’t go together. This was a little disappointing as Daron was setting it up so our son could use it before baseball tryouts, but he was able to call SKLZ customer support, and after sending them a picture of the wrong part, and a copy of our invoice, they sent out a replacement pretty quickly and we were able to complete the setup. In all we lost about 10 days waiting to get this issue resolved.
We have had this net for about 9 months so far, and it is still in great shape. We keep it in the garage when not in use, but the fact that it folds up is great, as it does not take up a lot of space. At just under 10 lbs or so, it is light enough that our son can take it out and set it up on his own, yet it is sturdy enough that it doesn’t move when he is throwing or pitching against it, and the large area of the net is great as it allows our daughter plenty of surface area as she is working on her throwing accuracy. The net is held onto the frame by thick bungee loops, and neither the bungees nor the net show any signs of fatigue as of yet. The frame is made out of what appears to be 1 inch metal pipe with a powder coat finish. It provides a very rigid frame and after being hit by a few errant throws, does not show any dings, dents or chips in the paint.
All in all we are very happy with the SKLZ Fielding Trainer. For the price it is a very quality built product that we feel should last us quite a few seasons. While having to deal with customer support is never ideal, they handled the issue quickly and without hassle so overall we were very pleased with the outcome.
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