Frames made up of many pieces will not maintain a rigid shape. As each frame piece needs to fit inside/overtop of another, some degree of “wiggle room” is required. The more “wiggle room” the more the frame will flex. As the frame flexes it absorbs some of the energy from your bounce; decreasing the maximum level of height achievable, introducing more delay or “lag” in your bounce and increasing the amount of effort required in each bounce. The feeling is best visualized as running on sand vs. cement. The very best bounce would come from a 1-piece frame, though this would be impractical for several reasons, transport being a main reason. Ultimately the fewer frame pieces the better.

Due to their shape, round trampolines have the inherent nature of drawing the jumper to the center of the bed. This may seem ideal, as jumpers who bounce close to the perimeter will feel the course of their bounce lead them back to the center. In reality, this natural feature exists due to spring layout of round trampolines. The only place where you will be able to maintain balance on a round trampoline is dead center, where you are an even distance from all the springs. This is known as the “sweet spot”. Everywhere else on the bed you are likely to be off balance and less able to accurately control the progression of your bounce.

When sharing the jumping surface with multiple jumpers, these issues become worse.All the springs are being used simultaneously when jumping on a round trampoline, causing springs to be shared when multiple users are jumping at the same time. You will notice your balance and control are even more affected, and the tendency of being redirected to the center of the trampoline increases the chance for collision among jumpers.

A note of caution when purchasing round trampolines: while there are quality round trampolines available, many carried by department stores are low cost/low quality models. Pay careful attention to maximum frame and spring weight capacity. We have replaced many springs on these types of models due to overextension, & are frequently asked to repair or replace BROKEN frame sections from other manufacturers.

The 4-sided frame of a rectangular provides the best bounce. More so than a square shape as the shorter span widthwise provides an incredibly stable, incredibly reactive bounce while the increased length offers tons of space to jump around. Rectangular frames give the most consistent & controlled bounce.

The most effortless bounce is also achieved with a rectangular frame. With regard to multiple users, the risk of accident is decreased the most with a rectangular trampoline. Jumpers bouncing simultaneously on opposite ends of the trampoline bed work mostly independent springs, and therefore have significantly less chance of affecting each other’s bounce. For the same reason, rectangular trampolines are ideal in situations when multiple jumpers with large variances in body weight jump together. Although again we do not recommend multiple jumpers on the bed at the same time.

Rectangular trampolines do have a drawback in that their shape is not self-supporting. This issue is enhanced when frames are outfitted with strong springs. However, a heavily reinforced frame makes all the difference. While priced higher, well-built rectangular trampolines give you the most bounce for your buck.