This pitch back takes a while to put together, especially if you're by yourself. Definitely would recommend two people. Bungee cords are relatively difficult to put on, but I would think a good product would be difficult to put the netting on to have enough tension for bounce back. One thing I didn't like was how there was no way to fold up. This is an enormous pitch back and the frame is super solid. I think it would be best suited to put in a backyard and leave it there. I however was going to store in my garage and it would take up a lot of space, not being able to fold the back stand in. The main reason I returned this was the fact that it didn't pitch back as I would have expected. This netting is the real deal, super thick, constructed with tons of reinforcements...but my 9 year old threw on it as did I, and it seemed like something this solid and well constructed would bounce a ball back way harder and farther than it did.

I bought this for my 9yo son who is obsessed with baseball and wishes I could be out playing catch with him in the yard 8 hours a day. I've played around with other pitchbacks as a kid myself and they've all been essentially disposable contraptions: Good for a season. Maybe two. Then they start to fall apart.

This Rukket model is just a different breed. The design is fantastic: You get a huge playing surface with a giant sweet-spot--meaning that it kicks balls back to you at high velocity even if you don't hit it dead-center. The angle adjustment allows you to concentrate on either grounders or fly balls. (And the adjustment mechanism is easy enough that my kid can do it himself.) And the inclusion of an edge guard means that balls mis-thrown to the edges don't slip past the bungies and out behind the pitchback.

Then there's the build quality: This thing is solid. *Really* solid. All the parts are heavy duty. The frame is substantial. And the machining is precision: All of the holes line up, all of the bolts slide in easily.

An incredibly impressive product, from conception to execution. The price point is higher than the average pitchback, but in my view the quality is so high that the Rukket makes for a much better value.

I purchased this product for several reasons, the main 2 being that I want a product that is rugged and can withstand weather, and so that my young son can practice at his own pace within his comfort level while I am busy with work while he learns the ropes of baseball. This is my initial review of this product and I will update it as I continue to gain more experience with the product. So, to really start the review, here we go:

ASSEMBLY

I assembled this inside my house because I got home late. Assembly was pretty easy with the enclosed assembly instructions. If you can follow instructions for other products on paper, you should be ok with assembly of this product as well (if not, there is a video that Rukket has showing the assembly). I laid out all the pieces in roughly the order they would be assembled in, then just started putting male ends into female ends, inserting the bolts, and attaching washers and nuts. The included wrench is small and cheap; I recommend using a 1/2" socket or box wrench, it will make quicker work of tightening fasteners.
Once the frame was assembled, I attached the net. Again, this process was pretty straightforward and simple. They provide plenty of bungees to alter the force of the rebound to your liking.
Overall, assembly took a little less than 45 minutes from start to finish. The next day, I simply removed the rear support box and carried the 2 pieces outside, reassembled the stand, and staked it into the ground. The unit seems to have enough mass to it so that it won't tip over - the stakes really seem to just keep it from sliding back during use.

TRAINING WITH THE REBOUNDER

After assembly and moving it outdoors I took my ball and gloves and tested the netting and several position settings for various drills and fielding options. Between the 2-position tilt and the adjustment of the rear stand, the options are great to produce pop-ups, line drives, one-hop ground balls, and a variety of other situations. Standing at an angle and tossing the ball allows for movement drills to chase ground balls or quick reaction for line drives just out of reach.
So far I am thoroughly impressed with the versatility of drills the unit can handle, as well as location of use. As I said earlier, it comes with stakes for the yard, but it also has rubber of the points that contact the ground, making driveway use a possibility. While I said the weight is good to keep it from tipping, it may be good to put a few sandbags on the front and rear to keep it from moving for sure (though I don't see it moving).

CONSTRUCTION

I am happy with the rugged feel of the unit itself. The metal pipes feel durable and rigid and the powder coat paint job feels great and covers every surface. As I stated above, I had to use pliers to fix a piece of tubing and the paint didn't scrape off.
The net seems to be made of a solid material. Its design take it right to the outer edge of the tubing, eliminating a gap between the net and the tubing where the ball can escape through if thrown too close to the edge. To me, this is a great added feature that can prevent a lot of nuisance ball retrieval.
After reading several reviews of other products the net was the biggest concern I had. I was worried that balls thrown too hard might go right through it, but I was throwing some heat on it (or at least whatever heat I can throw) and it took it just fine. One of my only concerns is that the clips on the bungees are plastic and sit toward the edges of the net. It is possible the balls thrown to the edges could inadvertently hit a clip and break it, only time will tell on this, and whether or not the net is able to hold up being outdoors for lengthy periods of time. I will store it in winter, but it is big enough to make me not want to lug it to and from the storage room or garage every time my son wants to use it.
Adjustment is done by two pull pins for the tilt. These pull easily from the rebounder, with minimal force and adjustment of the hinge. They reinsert back in easily as well, showing that care was taken during the milling of the pieces, ensuring that holes actually line up with each other. The rear support adjustment uses tension buttons (the buttons that you push into a hole, then adjust and the pop out the next hole you adjust to). These depress easily and the support slides up and down easily for adjustment. I did notice one button didn't quite pop back out when I made it to a hole, it took a bit of me tweaking the frame to get it locked in, but that could be due to the surface it was sitting on. Overall, adjustment is a breeze.

INITIAL TAKE

So far I am impressed with this product. I like the rugged construction and well thought out design. I feel like my money was well spent and that this will last for years. It is large enough to provide variety in training drills, but not too large to move around the yard. That being said, it is almost too big to transport to and from the fields to run drills for the little league team I help coach. However, because of the overall design and feel, I would feel comfortable pushing for the town to purchase some of these to store at the fields for practices.
In my title for this review I say it is worth the investment, and to me it is an investment. For my kids, they get one shot to be good at baseball and I'll gladly spend a little extra money to provide them with exceptional training aids to help them develop a variety of skills for the sport and hopefully help them find a passion for a game that has been a part of American culture for over 150 years.

UPDATE

After a few weeks of using this I can now say I am fully satisfied with this product. My son has gotten outside every day it has been nice and practices on his own when I'm not around. He enjoys the flexibility of having ground balls rebounded, or pop ups (which I'm surprised with because he has been afraid of the ball in the air for a while now).

I find myself outside using it on a near daily basis, just to help me wind down at the end of the day. There's something calming and meditative about being deliberate with throwing and catching with this rebounder.

On a use note: the stakes provided have held this solidly; I haven't noticed the net itself move or the stakes popping up, even during some fairly windy days lately.

I stand by my 5-star review and highly recommend this product.

This is a GREAT value product. Unlike the flimsy products from the sporting goods retailers that are manufactured with disposable mentality, lasting us only one or two season, this is meant for serious use. Heavy Gauge tubing, powder coated and quality hardware. Real metal nuts, washer and carriage bolts, assembly holes that are correctly position and lined up when you assemble--no flimsy plastic wing nuts. This manufacturer built this to last--no flimsy plastic pressure adjustments that fail after exposure to the elements. Attention to detail like tether cables on the adjustment pins and ground pads that won't fall off (Screwed on rather than just snap in) and they'll both protect the retention bungees that are on the frame portion near the ground from fraying due to kids dragging this around. Even the attention to detail of providing anchor pins to secure the pinchbeck to the ground. Others mentioned that they expected more tension, i think its gives great bounce back--it may be how the person assembled it. OH, and this thing is big--good surface area--we use it for baseball, but it'd be a great lacrosse target as well.

Purchased for my son's lacrosse skills practice. First I'll say setup was relatively easy; There was a video link but I didn't watch it and setup went fine. It took about an hour for the complete assembly. Much easier to setup if you've got a 1/2" wrench or ratchet [rather than using the provided little wrench].

I was a bit concerned about the tension on the net being enough for lacrosse balls, but it seems to work pretty well after a few practice sessions. I found that I don't need the included stakes to tie it to the ground; the Rukket is heavy and strong enough to bounce the balls back with out moving and no stakes [at least on heavy grass]. There are 2 adjustments / positions for the upper portion of the net; when the top part is vertical its good fro ground balls, and when the whole thing is tilted it bounces back in the air.

Once my son's friends come by and really give it a test I'll give an update. After a week; I'm very happy with the Rukket -- looks great, VERY well made and sturdy.