Customer Reviews

Stamina Pilates Home Studio System

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just finished teacher training on the arc barrel and loved it so much that I really wanted one for my home studio, but the Stott ones I trained on cost anywhere from $175-225. I found this one on Amazon and was a bit dubious about the brand, thinking that for this price it could never be decent quality. Well, I was WRONG! It is really a nice quality item: it's nice and heavy-duty and can support my heavier clients with no problem, the padding seems a little heartier than the Stott barrel, and it has a nice maple finish on the sides that looks expensive. The Stott model is a few inches wider than this one, but so far that doesn't seem to be a problem for workouts and actually makes it a little easier to store.

The included fitness circle is good quality and a nice medium tension that would be good for any level exerciser. The mat is decent; it has more padding than your average yoga mat but seems a little bit small to me. If I were buying these items one-by-one I might be disappointed in the mat, but considering how inexpensive this set is, I feel like I'm really getting the fitness circle and mat for free so I really can't complain. The barrel actually sticks to the mat fairly well for many exercises, I just won't use this particular mat for taller clients.

I did not watch the videos so I can't comment on them. I highly recommend the Stott professional training videos (for teachers) if you want to learn to use any type of Pilates equipment - they're boring and expensive, but they really are thorough. The Stott manuals are even more worthwile. I'm not sure I'd really know what to do with the arc barrel if I hadn't been through the training.

That said, if you're interested in an arc barrel, this one is GREAT! The quality is excellent and the price can't be beat, plus you get an extra mat and fitness circle. I can't recommend it highly enough!

I bought this product because at the price, who can beat it? From the perspective of "you get what you pay for", I was pleasantly surprised to find that I not only got what I paid for, but what I paid for was of much higher quality than what I expected. First, the barrel appears to be very well made and sturdy, with nice cushion to it. It appears as though the cushion will be long lasting, which is very good. Next, the Pilates mat, which is nice and feels like it would absorb some shock. Lastly, the ring...it's pretty well made, but I did hear a small crackling sound when I squeezed it with some force. I would be worried to squeeze it too hard, but what can one expect out of a plastic ring? Finally, the video, which as the other reviewer here states, is less than great. It appears to be fairly low budget, which wouldn't kill it for me, except that there is no menu. I haven't yet tried to skip scenes manually during a workout, which seems like a pain, but if I can't, the disk will go straight to a junk drawer as soon as I find a good video. That being said, this deal deserves five stars. The barrel alone is worth the 29 dollars, and this comes with so much more to make it worth your dollar, bad video nonwithstanding.

This is an unbelievable price for such a well made piece of equipment. The barrel is very sturdy and has plenty of cushioning. The mat is high quality, and the ring is very effective and fun to use. If you love pilates do not hesitate to order this. The only complaint I have is the DVD that comes with this is very low quality, it starts and stops so much that it is annoying. It will teach you the basic moves but that's about it, but well worth the price even without the DVD.

Beginner beware, this is truly a workout. Well made and presented but a little cumbersome. I would not recommend it to anyone just starting out who has back issues.

The is a great and solid system. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the pieces. I found that the CD w/ workouts for the ring didn't work, so I called the company and they sent a new one in less than a week. Again, great product and worth the money!!