Just arrived this Afternoon and I spent nearly 2 hours assembling, primarily because I was trying to figure out a better way to help stabilize the handle bar and also figure out why the bar that inserts into the Rebounder legs did not screw through to stabilize and simple tighten against the plastic insert sleeve that can come loose during use.
Note: There IS a little ingenious washer inside the rubber leg caps that keep the leg itself from cutting through the rubber cap after so many uses and body weight pushing down on the metal leg caps and cutting through. This Extremely Clever idea of a washer inset at the bottom does a very nice job of alleviating this.
This is the fourth Rebounder that I have purchased and each one has lasted me 5 - 7 years so I have a lot of experience with Rebounders dating back to 1994 when Al Carter, the Godfather of Rebounding came to our Church and showed us his fitness program, a folding travel rebounder that he would take around the world to train professional groups like the Hong Kong Police, Coast Guard and the like.
I know the Tremendous Benefits of Rebounding and it is one of those products that is undervalued, under marketed and can benefit everyone from children to elderly seniors who need to have mobility and stability while exercising and I had hoped that at this great price point I could recommend this to AfterSchool programs, Senior Centers and Rehabilitation Facilities as I truly understand the great health benefits.
First to the Rebounder itself - Love the quality and durable materials used and its easy unfolding and bending into shape for use.
Not so great is the screw in legs and threads that have been the curse of most Rebounders as this same design used on almost every Rebounder and typically on every one that I have had the threads on one or two of the legs wind up simply never tighten again and just spin in place and taking them off requires placing strong tension by pulling the leg firmly while holding the Rebounder in place and trying to unscrew simultaneously which never becomes easy and therefore a nuisance.
The better option is to have non-detached, foldable legs that can be pulled on and slide and lock into place with an inside spring and pin that enables an easy pull and fold for storage or travel.
The handle bar is a wonderful idea but has a few flaws that can be dangerous:
The bottom of the bar is nicely designed to be stable on the floor and doubles up and is designed to have you insert a leg into each end of the handrail bars that connect to the handle bar itself and used to wisely connect and stabilize the handrails' connection to the Rebounder - Great Idea.
However, what is lost here are two things - The First is that requires 14 adjustment knobs (admittedly nice design to be able to hand tighten or loosen which is excellent) but is a LOT of knob screws that need attention and as the old adage goes "A Lot of moving parts creates havoc."
The need checking before each and every use so this does not take long but takes away from the psychological aspect of people losing incentive to exercise because they have to pull maintenance before each use.
Not a long time but a slight inconvenience that can be avoided. There could be to units with One that is truly portable for travel like I was expecting and this unit with some improvements as well.
The most important issue here to me is the unstable design of the handrails that are connected to the handle bar which, even with the hand-screws completely tight and with washers in place, still wiggle as they have not taken in to account the length of the of the inside of each handrail that NEED to have a Much Longer Socket Caps as the 1 1/2" ones are fine for the legs - but not for the handrail because once the length of the handrail goes below Socket Cap there is a LOT of wiggle room for the rails to loosely move and this is why the design is flawed and disconcerting when in use because you wonder if the rail or bar will fall out.
Everything should be tight from the beginning and even the legs could have a simple slide pin that locks it in place during use and easy to pull off when not in use, for travel or storage.
Debated whether I should modify this and improve it myself but with the screw in legs, over a Dozen adjustment knobs and a one year factory warranty to worry about voiding I'll just return and keep looking. Bottom line is that this design has REAL promise and with a tweak of a few things mentioned, adding a carry back with a pouch for the handrail and bar would be the "Perfect" product for home and travel.
Let's hope that this happens sooner than later as it's price point is perfect for the many young families and their kids as well as the senior citizens, of whom MANY have budgets that need to be adhered to. BCAN shows that potential so let's see what happens with this review. They may ignore me completely or take up my critique and want to TRULY create an outstanding product that could literally transform the health of millions or simply be happy with a few dozen sales a month.
Would love to have the Rebounder without the handrail and handlebar for I DO need one for stability in the near future.
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 32.75 x 16 x 6 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 12.66 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 39.37 x 39.37 x 7.48 inches |
| Item Weight | 12.66 Kilograms |
| Brand Name | BCAN |
| Model Name | BC-FT001HBK-FBA |
| Color | 40-Black |
| Material | steel |
| Manufacturer | BCAN |
| Part Number | BC-FT001HBK-FBA |
| Size | 40-inch |
