Zero Gravity Explorer Trampoline

Is the Zero Gravity Explorer Trampoline worth buying?

Yes, the Zero Gravity Explorer Trampoline is worth buying at £159.95 if your garden catches the wind, because the net comes down by hand in under five minutes and the round mat spans 3.05 m with a 100 kg jumper rating. It suits a family that wants a big mat but is tired of wrestling a sail-shaped enclosure every time a storm is forecast.

It is not the buy for anyone chasing the lowest price per foot or the thickest pile of owner feedback. At £16.00 per foot it costs more than the two other 10 ft trampolines on this page, and 59 owners have rated it so far, fewer than either of them.

What does the 5-minute STORM-SAFE net actually change?

The enclosure is the part of a trampoline that catches the wind, and the STORM-SAFE system takes it down in under five minutes with no tools at all. That is a winter job you can do in a coat and wellies before the forecast turns, rather than an afternoon with a socket set. On a garden with no shelter, it is the difference between a frame that sees out five years and one that ends up on its side against a fence.

The price of that convenience works out at £16.00 per foot of frame: £159.95 for a 3.05 m mat. The HyperMotion 10 ft costs £112.80, or £11.28 per foot, and the MERACH 10 ft costs £129.99, or £13.00 per foot. Both are round, both are the same nominal size, and both leave you to lower the net by hand, which is the trade you are making.

What comes with the Zero Gravity Explorer Trampoline and how does it fit a garden?

You get a round 3.05 m frame, a polypropylene jumping mat and an inner enclosure net around the inside edge of the mat, so feet stay clear of the springs and the frame rail. The frame stands 65 cm off the ground, low enough for a child to climb in without a ladder and high enough to clear a lawn. It needs a clear 3 m square before you allow for a walkway around it.

Zero Gravity keeps a range of compatible replacement parts and accessories for this frame, so a net or a mat that perishes after a few summers can be swapped rather than scrapping the whole trampoline. The company also runs customer service from the UK, which matters when a part is missing halfway through assembly and you need an answer the same week. Step-by-step instructions come in the box.

Where does the Zero Gravity Explorer Trampoline fall short?

Fifty-nine owner ratings at 4.4 is thin evidence for a £159.95 purchase. The MERACH 10 ft has been rated by 94 owners and the Kanga 8 ft by 1,535, so you are buying this one largely on how it is built rather than on years of other people's use.

The 100 kg user rating is the second limit, because the MERACH 10 ft takes a 150 kg jumper for £29.96 less. And at £16.00 per foot it is the dearest 10 ft trampoline here, £4.72 a foot above the HyperMotion. Budget for a 3 m square of lawn as well: on a small garden, an 8 ft model such as the Kanga fits a 2.44 m space and carries 100 kg on 48 springs.

Zero Gravity Explorer vs HyperMotion and MERACH: which should you buy?

The HyperMotion 10 ft at £112.80 is £47.15 cheaper, brings a 2-year manufacturer warranty and covers the same 305 cm of lawn, but it leaves the net standing through every gale. Buy the HyperMotion if your garden is sheltered and the money matters; buy the Explorer if the trampoline stands in the open and you want the net down in five minutes without tools.

The MERACH 10 ft at £129.99 is £29.96 cheaper and takes a 150 kg jumper, half again as much as the Explorer, with a basketball hoop, three balls and a pump thrown in. Choose the MERACH if a heavy adult will bounce alongside the children, and choose the Explorer if that hoop would sit unused while you fight the wind every January.