Customer Reviews

Best Fitness Sportsman Gym 10 (BFMG10)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am very pleased with the quality, looks and operation. If you are looking for a home gym under $500 in the 150lb category then I highly recommend this product. I am just as pleased with the very professional service from Fitness Factory and especially their sales rep Judy B. I ordered the item on the 18th and it was in my garage the 22nd! Do not hesitate to use Fitness Factory & ask for Judy B."

This product was being phased out when I bought it, so it was very attractively priced compared to other options. It is solidly built, and offers a moderate variety of exercises that is perfect for anyone looking to maintain fitness conveniently at home. The assembly instructions are difficult to follow, but better instructions are available on the internet for the next model up and that filled in the gaps relatively clearly. There were two places where component parts didn't fit perfectly, but it was easy enough to overcome with a little bending and stretching. Fitness Factory got the shipment out quickly.

Was looking for a very affordable small home gym and the BFMG10 fits all the requirements. The instruction on the other hand, well, are impossible.

If you get this unit be prepared to spend many hours assembling it. I took 3 evenings, 1 hour each night, to assemble the unit, mainly because working on it for more than an hour taxed my patients too much. The assembly instructions do not include a size diagram for the bolts, so lay them out and count them before starting. The instructions also have the wording on one side of the page and you have to flip the page to see the correct diagram. They skipped the instructions on some parts including mounting the seat.

As suggested by other owners, search online for the BFMG20 instructions and use those (first link on Google).

Once assembled, the unit performs wonderfully, and for the price it can't be beat.

Do your self a favor and don't waste your time. The instructions were beyond awful, the parts/pieces, screws, etc..were out of their package!?! The diagrams were way too hard to see so I had to go through and individually baggy the nuts, bolts and screws (which were all pretty much different sizes). I got the thing built and put up, and it looks great, but I can't utilize all of it because it isn't working properly. Now I have half a piece of gym equipment the other half...well I'll just censor for the kids). I actually bought a treadmill at the same time but from a different company. It had to be put together as well, but at least they had clear directions and the nuts, bolts, screws and washers were all properly labeled and numbered. Oh well, you get what you pay for.

I read the reviews and decided to purchase this Unit. I had already purchased the BF Adjustable Bench and was pleased with the quality of it. I purchased this discontinued model because it was available with free shipping. It arrived on a pallet in 4 boxes. It did take me 4 hours and 12 minutes to assemble. No parts were missing or damaged. The directions were adequate for assembly. The trick is to inventory and organize your bolts so you use the correct bolts at the appropriate steps. Double checking the bolts every time is where you really get slowed down on the assembly process. The machine is sturdy and solid, and the materials are excellent aircraft grade quality. This is the perfect machine for anyone who doesn't want to spend a lot of money on a small home gym. Sure there is better (and worse) stuff out there for a lot more money. This is an excellent product at an excellent price.

This purchase was not as easy as most but ultimately I was satisfied. Normally when I buy on line I receive a series of emails updating delivery status. One email arrived form Amazon showing the order but Fitness Factory didn't contact me. Almost two weeks went by and no word. I contacted Amazon and they told me to email Fitness Factory. They replied that the order had not been processed and shipped it the next day. I recommend following up early and often.

Like the other reviewers I wish the assembly instructions were improved. I found that spreading the fasteners out and identifying them by size and count helped make up for not having full scale images of the numbered items. Referring to all the diagrams at each step of the process also helped. In the end, I took my time and finished in about 4 hours.

The one complaint I have beyond a lack of operation instructions is the weight bars. They each weigh 15 pounds which makes the increments too large for most exercises. I found that hand weights can be attached to the bottom of the cable just above the weight bars to allow better adjustment.

I ordered this item primarily because of the reasonable price. It was a full week before the seller shipped the item. Add another five days for delivery, plus a whole day for assembly, and it was essentially two weeks from the time I placed my order to the day I was able to use the machine.

The instructions for assemble are poor. For example, diagrams are printed on pages that precede the steps, so they're not helpful. Also, the text refers to certain types of screws by numbers, but there's nothing on the screws or packaging that links them to the numbering system. You essentially have to fill in a lot of blanks to put this together.

The machine itself is pretty nice. I like how it looks and works.

The major problem for me is that NO INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE ARE INCLUDED. The product description in this ad lists 19 exercises. I can only figure out to do six or seven. A specific example: the product description lists ab crunch as an available exercise. I don't know how this would be done on this machine without some kind of a strap that links the body to the machine while you bend forward to make the crunch. The seller's web site does include some instructions for exercises, but they are generic and include material that doesn't apply to this model (for example, the strap that would enable the ab crunch).

I e-mailed the seller's customer service group and received only curt unhelpful responses, but I did learn from them that there in fact NO INSTRUCTION BOOKLET AVAILABLE FOR THIS MODEL. This surprises me, as I would think any vendor of exercise equipment would really want to "CYA" legally, since misuse of the equipment could result in injury. I asked again if the service agent could just describe to me how to do the ab crunch, and at that point I stopped receiving replies.

If you are a really experienced body builder and good at assembling machinery, this model might be an OK option for you, but if you are really experienced you are probably not going to buy this very simple machine.