The trend sport Roundnet has increased rapidly in popularity in recent years and continues to grow. Dozens of manufacturers have of course recognized this and want to surf the hype-wave. Where there is demand, there is also supply - there are now around 20 different Roundnet sets on offer. From €19 to €100, everything is included. For newcomers, there are hardly any differences, because most of the time the set looks almost the same as that of the leading Spikeball brand. Many cheap knock-off products have even used the same yellow. But there are crucial differences, and here we want to bring them closer to you.
The quality
Believe it or not, there is a lot of research and development going into a good roundnet set. Many materials are tested to achieve the best possible play experience. Especially when it comes to the net and the ball, there are huge differences between cheap imitation products and those of serious manufacturers. Inexpensive imitations only pursue two goals - produce as cheaply as possible and sell a lot with as little effort as possible. The sport behind the game is usually completely irrelevant to these manufacturers and they are probably not even aware of it. Often even the game rules supplied are far from the correct game rules.
Special example: mobile net hooks
Some manufacturers offer nets with sliding net hooks. We have not yet discovered any advantages with such constructions - disadvantages are the short lifespan and the unevenly tensioned net if the hooks are not perfectly evenly distributed around the ring. As a result, the net has different tension in different areas, causing the ball to bounce unconsistently. Rallying - which is the most fun - is even harder to achieve.
The guarantee and the service
In addition to the poor quality of the material, the manufacturers of the imitation sets do not offer a real guarantee. Spare parts are only available in the form of new sets. The serious manufacturers, on the other hand, usually have a lifetime guarantee. So a slightly higher one-time investment, but no worries in the future if, for example, part of the frame breaks.
The ordering process
A final crucial point is how the cheapest products are sold - and basically exclusively through Amazon. That says a lot about the background of the sets - as mentioned above - cheap purchase and just ride the wave. The reach of the Amazon channel is used to reach as many unsuspecting and misinformed buyers as possible.
Prominent manufacturers have their own website and are also integrated into the scene of the sport. They work with the clubs and federations and also encourage the growth of the sport. Notable brands where this applies in Germany are Rashball, Bamball, Spikeball and Wooden-Roundnet.
Final word
Even for beginners it makes a difference to be considered which net you play with. If a cheap set is used, it is much more likely that the playing experience will not be as fun as with a good Roundnet set. The ball is weird, flies out erratically and the material breaks quickly. The set will probably be put aside quickly and Roundnet will be forgotten - we don't want that!
So it's better to invest a tad more and start with the right playing experience. Everything you can find in our Shop, we carefully select and can of course warmly recommend it. In addition, you also support a small local shop as well as the manufacturers for whom the sport is really important, and not just the giants of the market like Amazon and Co.