I had read several reviews of other batting tees, so I was careful in making my purchase. As a result I avoided other brands. This was the same type tee I had as a child, and is very sturdy. My 18 month old son and 5 year old daughter have been using it for 2 months now and it works well. The vertical tee is supported on the bottom with an aluminum shaft. The base is heavy duty rubber/plastic. Based upon other posts I'm trying to be careful picking this up as the tee is merely supported by a bolt on the bottom plate. Very sturdy. The plastic vertical Tee is holding up well but realize my kids are not 8 year old sluggers. So far it is working well and we are having a great time with it.
Now 2 years later this tee is still holding up well. Although the kids are not using it as much as when it was new, the bolt holding the shaft has held without a problem. We have only used a plastic bat with this tee but again it is very sturdy.