I was pretty excited when Rukket Sports contacted us to do a product review on their new lacrosse goals, which come in a 6×6 and 4×4 model both of which are very affordable, and after speaking with the representatives from the company I couldn’t wait for them to come in. The products shipped extremely quick and included a 4×4, a 6×6 and a shot target that Brian Dougherty helped design. Anything with Doc’s name on it had to be good me and my nephew figured, we were right. These products are light weight training goals that are so easy to assemble a 10 year old could do it (maybe younger too but 6×6 is tall). First I will be reviewing both goals and then the shot target separate, I feel these go together so well that it works better this way.
Portability 7 out of 10
These goals fold up very quickly and easily simply pushing the corner across and down creating a triangle shape. They weigh only a couple of pounds and are light enough to be carried by a child of any age. The only reason they are not 10 out of 10 is they do still take up a good bit of space as shown in the picture next to a 6×6 traditional metal goal. The 6×6 net does not yet come with a carrying bag and is about ¾ the height of a standard goal but can easily be transported in a standard SUV or pickup truck (James featured in the video drives a Chevy Colorado and it fit just fine) and can easily be carried by a teenager or adult, in the case of a younger child it may take 2 but just because of size definitely not from weight. The 4×4 goal is solid for movement anywhere and perfect for training or even a beach lax trip, being only a couple feet in height once folded it does come with a carrying bag that has straps to accommodate 2 sticks on the outside making travel even easier. Overall the 7 out of 10 is purely based on the fact that sedan would most likely not accommodate these goals and that younger children may need a friend to help carry but they are still incredibly light weight and portable.
Versatility 10 out of 10
The nets on these goals are durable, the manufacturer does state they are for training not for repeated crank shots but they held up well for us during stress test, the poles are sturdy and appear to be a carbon material with metal corners and they base of the net has locations for the ground stakes that are included. This makes it sound like it is purely an outdoor goal and that is where the guys over at Rukket got creative, the base has built in pouches for holding weights that in an indoor setting would hold the net in place. The squared off base of these nets leaves a good portion of material flat that benefits the net in the case of a beach vacation, we live in Florida so this is getting put to the test here on the coast. The 10 out of 10 stands strong here these nets held up to a high school juniors 80+ mile an hour rips without having to be reset up and the 4×4 took shots on a concrete floor without too much slide with weights added.
Durability 9 out of 10
Anyone who’s ever used a fold-up goal knows that durability is not exactly their strong point. Strong shots fold frames, tear nets, difficult setups destroy joints, and weight is just insane. Well like I’ve said these are super light weight at just over a couple pounds and the folding is so simple and easy it does not create any strain on the joints or confusion during setup for players cutting out a couple of those issues. The 4×4 I expected to handle shots without folding due to its small size, to which it more than lived up to including the net which has yet to rip, but the 6×6 held my fears. I worried that the frame would snap on a hard pipe shot or a corner shot would fold the net in 2. Never fear because this didn’t even come close to happening, as shown in slow motion in my video it barely moved back a foot when hit from 10 yards at 80+ mph, so we tested it again to see if it could handle more than one shot without being reset in place. 10 shots later we didn’t have to move the goal back into place (the stakes did lift on the front corners but the goal never moved) and it never folded back up. The 4×4 handled the shots even better during a test trying to hit the pipe it launched a ball into the air rather than into the goal and showed no signs of stress or strain on the post. The one thing making this a 9 out of 10 product; while these nets are new there are no replacement nets if they rip as of yet but never fear the makers at Rukket are looking for an easy solution to this once they have a larger fan base and interest so it is coming guys and with that it would easily be a 10 out of 10.
Setup 10 out of 10
Out of the shipping box we had the goals both set up in under 15 minutes, including time to read the letter written by the manufacturers thanking you for the purchase. Folding up or opening these goals occurs in literally seconds as shown in the video James accomplishes a full setup and tear down in just under 30 seconds without any signs of rushing. Rukket has designed what we initially thought was a carry strap on these goals but turns out to be a flip strap designed to flip the nets outward and in almost one motion opening them ready for use. These goals could not be simpler 10 out of 10.
Cost 10 out of 10
A fold up goal traditionally could be one of two things, portable or affordable. Rukket has fixed that in an effort to grow our game and provide affordable training equipment they have made extremely portable training nets that are so affordable I may be picking up a few 4×4’s to use in our next team event for a fun box setup. A 6×6 runs $129.99 and a 4×4 $79.99 their shot target also is reasonably priced at $49.99 nearly half what the competition charges. This is a perfect Christmas gift for the upcoming season. Definitely 10 out of 10 these are affordable for most any lacrosse family.
Overall 9 out of 10
These goals are affordable, well made by a great company that cares about its product, and easy to use. Despite the warnings about crank shots they did hold up through many shots and have yet to rip so durability doesn’t seem much of an issue at the moment. The guys over at Rukket even have an ambassador program for up and coming youth programs like ours to get on board to learn about and in some cases even test their products as they are developed. The company wants to hear from its customers and is looking to improve their products based on the responses from customers. I would recommend these to any up and coming program that needs a foldable goal or any family looking for a net that doesn’t have to constantly be standing and is looking for a fun travel accessory on vacation. I would recommend Rukket for any lacrosse player or multisport athlete as they make products for other sports as well.
Rukket Shot Target
Durability 7 out of 10
The shot trainer is well designed and utilizes Velcro fasteners like many shot targets do these days. The Velcro I have found is great for younger lacrosse players but in the case of middle school through adult players that have a decent shot Velcro tends to come loose. This is easily remedied by using elastic fasteners which are available from many companies on the market and the target does have pre-cut eyelets for fasteners though they are not included. The target itself holds up well but the Velcro does come loose leading to a 7 out of 10 in this category.
Design 10 out of 10
The shot target looks cool, looks may not be everything but hey it helps. The important factor here is that the openings are spaced very well creating a difficult shot and forcing the shooter to look for good placement. Dougherty definitely was a great team member to get on board with for this design as the targets I’ve used in the past worked but typically left such large openings that sometimes it was easier to cheat. The angles on the openings are sharp for sure and make you look for a desirable location before letting it rip. The sunburst design may actually aid in this a bit too as it draws your eyes towards a distraction which requires you to focus on your desired location when shooting, whether this was intentional or not when working with my men’s team the Sparrows and my local youth players from Blue Skies Lacrosse we all noticed it and it stopped more than a few shots without fail. The design of this shot target makes it a top level accessory for any team looking for great shooting practice without tearing up their goalies 10 out of 10.
Cost 10 out of 10
As discussed before this trainer is extremely cost effective at $49.99 even with a bag of elastic fasteners added on it would still be cheaper than almost any quality shot trainer on the market. Easy 10 out of 10.
Overall 8.5 out of 10
The Rukket Shot Trainer is high quality though it may benefit from included elastics it will push your desire to be accurate higher and make shooting practice on your own or with a friend more challenging and fun I definitely recommend this product.