Excellent Home Gym - Best Value
by - Written: Jan 30 '04 (Updated Jan 30 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great value, low cost way to test the "lifestyle".
Cons: None, really.
The Bottom Line: An excellent value, and a great way to start on the fitness lifestyle.
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| lord_zoom's Full Review: Stamina Products Band Flex Gym 50-0202 |
About me
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I am 36 years old, 5'7", 175 lbs and have never really exercised at gyms or on any equipment. The reason I bought this machine is that I am beginning to worry about my health a couple of decades out. Moreover, my son is now one year old, and I want to be a bit more active for him.
Market Research
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To tell you the truth, I saw the Bowflex ads on TV, that that piqued my interest. Having no idea what exercises are necessary for the beginner, I was not sure that the starter machine at $1000 was right for me. Moreover, the "full" machine was even more expensive. So, in order to make sure I was buying the right one, I decided to look for customer complaints, and Googled Bowflex. That is how I found out about Bandflex. A full set of exercises, and a very attractive price made this my first purchase of 2004, on Jan 1st.
Purchase and delivery
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I bought it for about $310 (249+70) from Megafitness, and received it direct from Stamina. The cardboard box was in tatters in places - it is woefully inadequate for the stuff inside. I was afraid that the things inside will be damaged, but found that that was not so. In fact there are three types of components in the package - really strong large metal pieces which it will take some force to damage, some flexible pieces that cannot be broken, and a very tightly packed box of all the nuts, bolts, etc. Having said that, eventually I found that my package was missing two pieces - a 12" iron pipe used for the assembly of the preacher biceps curl, and a foam pad for the same thing.
Assembly
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I had read the reviews here about careful assembly, and they are absolutely right. There are mainly 3/8" bolts, and there are a LOT of them. I took an hour to unpack everything and lay them out in a space of about 3 yards by 3 yards (you do not need that much space). Then, over three days I spent about an hour each day to assemble it. The assembly instructions are techie type, e.g. the type you will get with self-assemble furniture from Wal-Mart. Couple of points:
a) Measure the bolts very carefully before using them,
b) Collect the parts needed before starting on each step,
c) All parts are covered with a thin film of machine oil (a good thing- prevents rust) so have a clean rag at hand.
d) You need two wrenches - to hold the nut and the bolt.
Customer Service
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After assembly, the gym looks really nice - I liked it. (In fact, I found the assembly to be quite fun, but that is just me :). However, it was not complete because of the missing parts, so I had to call Stamina customer service for the pipe and the foam pad that was missing, and two bolts that were of the incorrect size. They promptly sent me the parts, and I was able to complete the gym.
Workout
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The bands allow combination of 10,20 and 35 pound resistances; thus, you can get 10, 20, 30, 35, 45, 55 and 65 pounds. Since the bands are independent, some users have suggested replacing the lower resistance bands with higher resistance bands, e.g. 20, 20 and 35 to get 75 lbs. I don't think that should be carried too far since the main column, cables and other parts have probably been designed for 65 lbs (albeit with a safety factor). In any case, as more experienced folks have said, if you are already experienced and need more than 65 lbs, this is probably not the machine for you.
I have been working out on the machine for about 2 weeks now, and I do just the basic set of about a dozen odd exercises, and on the advice of my doctor I will stick to just 10 lbs for the first two months. There is some slack/play on the seat both when set in a position and when sliding (for the aerobic row), but that does not bother me very much.
I plan to get a basic book for the other 50 undiagrammed exercises this machine claims are possible, e.g. Fitness for Dummies. From the design of the machine I believe these can be performed on Bandflex.
Value for Money
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Overall, it is a very inexpensive way to start out with a home gym for me, since I do not have the time/enthusiasm to go to a gym regularly, and (having never been there) feel intimidated/ignorant. I know that the bands will wear out, but I am quite a while from that :) Moreover, if bands are the only operating expenses, then each costs about $10, so maybe $50 every two years or so is hardly anything to complain about.
Improvement Suggestions
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Firstly, kudos to Stamina for creating such an excellent machine at such a great price. Thanks to Bowflex they do not even have to spend on marketing.
Some suggestions for Stamina
1. Include an assembly video.
2. Include a workout video listing a starter routine, and also listing all the 67 exercises I saw listed on one site for this machine.
3. Put all the parts in the boxes in a tough plastic bag so that when the cardboard box frays (as it always will), the chances of a part falling out are reduced.
Recommended:
Yes
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