Customer Reviews

Sunpentown Healthy Swing Machine with Swivel Disc

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I purchased my first chi machine, an Exerciser 2000, back in 1999 for nearly $400. It's a fine product, but it only has one setting, which I discovered is just way too fast for my bad back to tolerate safely or comfortably. Needless to say, I regretted that purchase and consequently stayed away from chi machines for a few years.

By comparison, the Supentown AB-07 is under $80, it features up to 14 speed settings, and has an easy-to-use remote with multiple options. Now my only reget is that I didn't go looking for this thing sooner.

If you have never used a chi machine before, it's hard to describe the experience. They're simply unlike any other exercise machines I know of. The feeling is both relaxing and invigorating and for people like me, they're great way to help stay active without risking further injury.

If you have a chronic injury or are not in great physical condition, I highly recommend the Supentown (assuming your doctor or physical therapist agrees that chi machines are a safe option for your situation). It's the best value I could find on the market and has more features than many of the far more expensive models.

At the slowest setting, it's so gentle I can use it comfortably even when my back and neck are really hurting. And when I want to step up the pace, the remote makes it easy to increase or decrease the speed gradually, in small increments, so it's always easy to find a pace that feels just right.

I placed my order on a Sunday evening and recieved the machine by Wednesday afternoon using standard shipping.

Only two minor issues to mention.

1. The ankle rest is made of hard plastic, so some folks may want to use a little extra padding for comfort (like wearing an extra pair of socks perhaps).

2. The ankle rest is also a little smaller compared to the Exerciser 2000. I believe they had asian women in mind when they manufactured this model. Wearing a man's size 9 shoe, it fits me just fine. But I suppose people with much larger feet may find it a bit tight.

All things considered, this is one of the very best purchases I've made at Amazon.

I saw these machines on the Ellen Show and checked them out on the Internet. There are rave reviews as to the benefits of these machines aligning your "chi" (not into chi), helping fibromyalgia, diabetes, increasing metabolism, aerating the cells of your body, etc. Some of the machines are quite expensive. This is the best priced machine I could find. I bought TWO of them...one for me and one for my daughter who has fibromyalgia. I'm almost 68 and I love using the machine. The gentle motion is so relaxing, and you can feel movement all the way up to your head. But you have to build up your time SLOWLY. More is not necessarily better when starting out. It makes me feel invigorated, my usual aches and pains are gone, and it's so relaxing. My daughter loves her machine too. She says it really helps her feel a lot better and has eased the pain of her fibromyalgia. It has timers and intensity settings that are easy to use. The instructions are a little sparse, but there are great instructions on the Internet if you search for "Chi" machine. We both use our 2-3 times a day. It's a gentle easy way to move your body without having to do strenuous exercise. We don't use the swivel disk that comes with the machine, but purchased exercise mats that are "seconds" here at Amazon and they work great.

Due to the loan of a Sun Ancon Chi machine, we could make a direct comparison with that machine. The Supentown is a little bit noisier, but not objectionably so. The side-to-side motion is the same in distance. The motion of the Supentown has a little vertical motion; not noticeable or good or bad in real use. The maximum speed is very slightly (3%) slower than that of the Sun Ancon machine, again not a speed difference that is noticeable in use. No experience yet with the variety of speeds available in the Supentown. The overall quality of build is similar for the two; perhaps the Sun Ancon feels a little more rugged, but not in proportion to the price or in a way that gives a lack of confidence in the Supentown.

Bottom line: this machine delivers the desired effect at a very good price, leaving no sense that more expensive alternatives would lead to a better result.

We use the machine with a (baby's) wool 'pelt' laid over the moving element to cushion the legs. Makes it look and feel like a friendly oscillating sheep.

I think the healthy swinger lives up to its advertised claims and could actually brag a little more about its benefits. I use it 2-3 times a day to get temporary relief from arthritic stiffness and pain in my hips. It gives me more hip mobility than some of my physical therapy exercises without injuring me. My muscles are less achy. When I want to relax, I put it on a slow setting and let it gently rock me back and forth. When I want to be energized, I use the automatic setting which is delightfully envigorating.

I favored this product because of the disc. With my arthritic hips I thought I might need the extra comfort. I was right. It takes some of the strain off my hips as they move.

I also thought the price was marvelous after having seen how expensive some of the other offerings were.

Initially, there was discomfort to my ankles. Using some of the suggestions I had seen in other reviews, I tried thick socks and other cushions. However, what works best for me is to simply and slightly correct my body's alignment so that my ankles are resting perfectly straight in the plastic ankle cradles.

Of course, this is a simply product. You lie down, put your ankles in the cradle and turn it on. However, there are those of us who read the directions and try to carefully follow them, regardless. And, this is the only real complaint I have about the product. I couldn't understand clearly what was being communicated in some of the instuctions. For instance, it indicates that for arthritis, one should (among other things) raise one's hip off the floor. There is a diagram with a lady lying without a disc on the floor; ankles in cradle. Was this the time to use the disc? It didn't say so and the diagram didn't include the disc. So I tried to raise my hips off the floor without the disc. It works better to use the disc, so I do. Also, there is a fish movement demonstrated where it is written, "hold your fingers tightly and deep arms to the side of the legs". For weeks, I have been trying to determine what is meant by "deep arms". Today, I am thinking it is a typo. But, these minor setbacks haven't kept me from loving my healthy swinger. I want to always keep one of these in my house.

I don't know if the purpose of using this machine is to make you sleep, but right after I use it for about 30 minutes, I fall asleep like a baby. Great product and not too expensive.

We tried a similar type of machine while visiting my parents over the holidays. It really took the stiffness out of my hubby's hips and back while we were away so we made it our business to get one when we returned home. There is a wide price range. After reading most of the reviews for all the machines, we chose this one, in large part for the reasonable price. Having been forewarned by previous reviews, I was prepared to pad the ankle cradle, and set aside the disk that came with it. Although our chronic hip/back/leg problems are different, both my husband and I find this machine a great help. Hubby says it "loosens things up" and relieves the stiffness. Just 5 minutes on the pre-programed routine and he's able to easily touch his toes and walk without pain along the sciatic nerve. I, on the other hand, have too much curve in my lower back, and eventually discovered, to my surprise, that the disk that so many users call "useless" is very helpful to me. I had to experiment with it's placement, but found that it actually pushes my pelvis forward while working the joints and haven't had a single moment of the groin pain I'd been experiencing at work where I'm on my feet 8-9 hours a day. This has been such a help to us, I've already bought another one for my daughter for her birthday!
We consider this a really good purchase. The controls are easy to manage without having to look at them all the time, and I particularly like the variations in the available speeds. I start slow and "warm up", gradually raising the speed, for the first 5 minutes, spend the next 5 minutes at about 10 or 11, then slowly back down for the final 5 minuts or until the machine shuts off. I try to keep my stomach muscles contracted toward the floor as much as I can, and for this reason, recommend that your start with 5-minute sessions and work up to longer. I actually had sore muscles the first few times I used the machine, and know that like any other form of exercise, you need to start slowly and not overdo. This conscious contraction of the stomach muscles is actually helping to flatten my stomach! Experiment with positions, like slightly twisting to one side or the other if you have chronic discomfort on one side. Pressing my back as flat to the floor as I can is helping to reduce the curvature in the small of my back. If you have too little curve in your back, place a small towel, folded three or four times under the small of your back as you swing. Try different things and you can customize your workout to your own unique situation.

We use the chi machine daily. The control allows you to vary the time and intensity, and is easy to use. Since the ankle rests are hard plastic, we recommend padding between your legs and the ankle rest. We use two seat belt sholder harness padders; inexpensive and works well. Very happy with this machine, and believe that it provides great value for the price.

I ordered two as Christmas gifts which were a big hit. My 76 year old father wants one, so I am ordering him one, too. He gets no exercise and has diff breathing. He tried it and seemed excited about doing "something" that will get his blood flowing again and it helped with his arthritis. We use ours twice/daily for both exercise and relaxation. Was disappointed in the disc and don't use it much. Already knew we were going to use lambs wool over the hard plastic ankle slots, but figured it wasn't worth paying $200-$300 more just for the built-in "extra padding". Love it so far with no complaints with its intended purposes. Also was shipped promptly at N/C!!! Now can you beat that???

I like this product, I really like it... After 3 weeks of daily use, I still don't see or feel any of the lasting changes I had hoped to get. While I am using, though, I love the motion it produces: it's almost like gliding through water...
This machine is more versatile compared to other models (my mother owns one); this one comes wit a more complete control that allows you to not only set the amount of time you want to use it, but also the speed of the motion. I love the automatic mode, which combines different speeds of motion for the time interval you selected. It's funky!!!

I'll give it 4 stars for now, and once I see the long term health benefits I hope to get, I'll bump it up a notch to 5 stars.

Maybe it's just a matter of time...

This is a neat little device that actually seems to help an aching back. I've been looking at these "chi swing machines" for a while, but the $200+ price for some of them really scared me off. After doing a little research, I decided to try the Sunpentown Healthy Swing machine. It arrived quickly, and I started using it, with the factory settings, right away. The leg cradles take some getting used to because, as mentioned in other reviews, they are made of hard molded plastic. The machine does include a slightly padded cover for the cradle, which helps somewhat. I added my own extra padding by cutting sheepskin "patches" that I put on where my ankles rest, then covering them with the "cradle cover". This solved the comfort issue for me. The machine itself is quiet, and has the added feature of a remote control with a long cord so that you can adjust both the speed and time while you are using the machine. It also has a handle built into it if you wish to move it from room to room. It is light weight, and rather small, so storing it out of the way between uses is not a problem. I started out with 5 minutes at a moderate speed twice a day, and have increased both the length of time and speed over a period of a few weeks. The way my body feels at the end of each "treatment" is incredible...very tingly and engergized. I found the disc to be pretty useless, and I've only used it once as it doesn't seem to add anything to the experience. I would recommend to Sunpentown to drop the disc thing, and put that money into padding for the ankle cradle. Overall, I recommend the Healthy Swing Machine to ease an aching back, and it's just fun and easy to use. The under-$100 price was nice, too. Give it a try.