Very Old Thread.. But new-ish player here, started about 5-6 years ago and bought a Mach Lite maybe 3-4 years ago. Want to chime in for record keeping. What a great basket!! I had an injury which kept me, and the basket, down for about 10-12 months. But here are my opinions at least:
Pros:
- Sets up in seconds, literally 20 seconds maximum once you do it a few times
- Break down is also fast, not 20 seconds fast, but easy and the bag fits satisfyingly well, like a glove. Tip: Fold up the basket while on the base, put the bag on over the top and it's ready to go right back on the base next time
- 2 sets of chains + a mini 'X' set in the top area thus,
- Catches very well, both better and worse than varying course baskets (more to say below)
- Target size is great, it's PDGA approved!
- Very portable, the bag is quality mesh with a shoulder strap for the easy tote. Bag can be left on the basket while setting it on the stand.
- Looks pretty decent and holds together despite slight wobbly
- All materials are high quality, the mesh, the chains, connections*
Cons:
- The stand: Basically the only thing I have to say is the stand is a bit thin. Tripod design which is fine but the thinness of the legs can make the basket wobble a bit. It sometimes folds up on you if you try to move the basket also
- *Some of the small materials could be better. The small set screw on the stand to stabilize the basket is really tiny, doesn't seem to do much and tough to tighten, and the pin is just okay. The flag is also.. meh, but hey it's just a flag
Subjective
- I also has a small accident that bent one of the legs and while it could be bent back, it definitely added to the wobble and some permanent warping. It was my fault but that's when I really noticed how thin the metal was. Prior to the accident it had trouble folding up to nicely square, but now is a bit worse... a little manual finagling and it's okay though.
- The chains: Sure they are bit thin and slightly sparse for how large the target is, but any heavier and the portability goes down. They catch very well and discs on the edges of the target seem to just drop right down.
- Catching: Furthermore, The mesh bottom and top rim that covers the metal frame does some funny things to catching. Sometimes a disc will wack the front and sort of slither or bounce into the basket. Similarly up top.. hit the mesh just right and a normal basket would deny you with a ring, but the Mach Lite sometimes forgives and drops you in.
- The weight: While it's not heavy, it's not light either. It's definitely very easy to carry with the shoulder strap, a bit bulky, but obviously 10 times easier than a full basket. I would even think you could walk a few miles with it fairly easily. It's just not as light as a feather as some reviews might suggest.
- Price: The price sits on a fine line in my opinion. I made the purchase in store at Marshall Street but viewing the prices online, $160 seems a bit high, while $130 would be a decent deal. This margin is quite small but I just couldn't imagine paying $160 for it, that's all.
Anyway that's about it, it's just such a great basket and has served me well. I'm able to use it inside of a sizable shop and sneak in putting practice all the time which has improved my game immensely! 10', 15', 20', 25'... great ranges to practice this basket just catches perfect. It's love. If it wasn't for the slightly cheap stand it would be an easy 5/5. I place my rating at 4.5/5
