Trampoline Buying Guide
Our preferred trampoline partner is: ALL TRAMPOLINES
Trampolines all look the same!
First of all: Not all trampolines are the same!
You may feel confident that you can get the same size and quality from a catalogue or popular online auction website for vastly reduced prices.
Please do not confuse the trampolines All Trampolines sell with inferior budget trampolines sold by some catalogue/mail-order companies, large discount stores, online auction sites and national DIY chains.
All Trampolines only supply trampolines from brands they have carefully selected and can trust. You will find unbranded or budget trampolines at cheaper prices than they sell but, there is a reason for this!
You will find with most budget trampolines sold by catalogue companies or online auction sites that when problems crop up you have to get the whole trampoline back to them (if they still want to know). Sometimes in the original packaging (if you are able to contact them that is! – or if they are even willing to help you). All Trampolines hear from too many people who have bought trampolines not fit for purpose and the seller cannot be contacted.
All Trampolines are in constant direct contact with manufacturers and are able through them, to send support directly to you if needed.
Common differences between the trampolines they sell and budget/unbranded trampolines are the jumping mat, padding, galvanisation (inside and outside) and frame thickness. Safety enclosures of budget/unbranded trampolines can be very poor. A cheaper price yes, but a less safe product.
Grade A Permatron is a highly callendered Polypropylene. Budget trampolines will generally not include a Grade A jumping mat and budget mats have a much rougher surface. These budget mats cause friction burns to any user if they should rub against the mat surface.
Trampoline Bed / Trampoline Jumping Mat
When All Trampolines say their jumping beds are American made Grade A Permatron (the only place producing such a high quality mat). That is exactly what they supply.
Some retailers state Taiwan Permatron, Permatron, Polypropylene, PP or don’t even tell you what it’s made from! These are budget jumping mats. It HAS to say ‘American Made Grade A’ AND ‘Permatron’
Choosing a trampoline with a budget quality jumping bed keeps the price down, but they tend to be very rough and increase the risk of friction buns and cuts if you slip or fall on the trampoline.
American Made Grade A Permatron is a highly callendered Polypropylene. Budget trampolines will generally not include a Grade A jumping mat and budget mats have a much rougher surface. These budget mats cause friction burns to any user if they should rub against the mat surface.
All Trampolines ONLY sell American made Grade A Permatron jumping beds on ALL their trampolines.
Trampoline Frame
The trampoline should be made from heavy duty galvanised steel (galvanised on the inside and outside), therefore suitable for year round use and at least 1.5mm thick.
Ensure the frame is a minimum of 1.5mm thick (anything thinner highly increases the risk of frame failure, but is an easy way to get the cost down for budget sellers). DO look for frame thickness when comparing. The general rule is if they don’t say what the thickness is, it is going to be less than 1.5mm.
All trampolines sold by All Trampolines use galvanised steel (both inside and outside) with a minimum thickness of 1.5mm, with most having a lifetime guarantee against rust and are more durable than powder coated frames used in cheaper trampolines.
Trampoline Pads
The thickness of the trampoline padding is the most asked question at All Trampolines. Some retailers should be ashamed calling their pads ‘padding’!
Ensure you look for at least 20mm (just under an inch) thick padding, anything less will not offer the kind of protection you would expect and want!
The majority of decent trampolines are at least 25mm thick and do not taper (get thinner like a cheese wedge) towards the jumping area.
The next important thing to look for in the padding is what is it made out of.
The foam should be closed-cell foam to exclude water and watch out for budget pads (very cheap and poor) covered in Polyethylene (PE). PE pads will crack as soon as the sun comes out!
Look for Polypropylene (PP), Laminated Vinyl, Rubber or Polyester.
Remember the golden rule, if it doesn’t say how thick the padding is or what they are made out of (or both), it’s usually because it’s woefully inadequate and not worth buying!
Trampoline Springs
Most budget trampolines have very small short springs on large trampolines (greater than 10ft in size) – this really helps to reduce cost as there is less steel to manufacture. However, this cost saving is not as great as it sounds.
Anything less than a 7 inch spring on a 10ft or greater trampoline will be increadibly hard to stretch and you may find having to work a lot harder than you should just to be able to get a tiny bounce. Most youngers are less than 10 stone and they will end up not having no fun!
Click here to visit All Trampolines – Our preferred trampoline partner.