Review : Mini-stepper exercise machine

Review of mini-stepper exercise machine
Brand : One Body (A 'Tesco' UK brand, I believe)
Cost : £23/$35 (I presume it was on sale)
Marks out of 10 : 6
Marks out of 10 for price : 8

Updates ...
Read more... Update (Nov 13) : Tension adjuster quickly decreasing in tension : I mention that the tension quickly decreases as you workout as the 'nut' turns anti-clockwise as you use it. I bought an extra nut of the same size to fit the tension adjuster bolt in the hope it can stop it from 'unwinding'. So far it seems to be working, and has stopped the tension unwinding while in use

Update : Aug 2015
Cable wheel broke but probably my fault. The cable wheel snapped in 2. I think it was due to me adding an extra nut to the mechanism which caused too much strain on the cable pulley. So probably my fault.

Update Aug 2015
The step counters are often hard to read due to location or light, or they miss steps, so I now use a tap counter app on my phone. I use free TAP COUNTER by WHIZZBANG on my ANDROID phone. Link to app

Tip : read/watch a tablet/phone while stepping to pass the time

Battery : This stepper uses an AG13/357 battery. See below for further details.

Summary : I think a mini stepper exercise machine is a good addition in a house with little storage as you are likely to keep using it as a 'walking/climbing' exercise and it take up little space and makes little noise.

Mine is a side swing stepper with computer and bungee cords to exercise the upper body. Basic cheapest models are not side swing and usually do not have bungee cords (or presumably bungee cord connectors).

Maximum weight for use of this stepper :  100kg

The stepper is a bit like walking up a slight hill, with all the pressure on the front foot. On my model the computer estimates I am using roughly 1 calorie (4.2 kj) per step at a rate of around 48 steps per minute. I have had this stepper for 2 months and used it almost every day.

Links for mini steppers :
Amazon USA search "mini stepper"' in 'sports & equipment'
Amazon UK search "mini stepper" in sport & outdoor

Computer : The computer is a great addition. It works on a button battery. It include step-counter, calorie counter, steps per minute, time taken in seconds. It auto starts-stops when you start-stop. One annoyance is that when the 'resistance' is low you need to make sure the step counter sensor is passed or it will not count the step. This is not a problem if you always hit the back stoppers but if you don't it may miss some steps.

V-fit air-walker (/free-walker/free-glider) review

air walker by V-fit

V-fit air-walker/free-walker/free-glider exercise machine

Conclusion :  Quiet and relatively inexpensive and foldable for storage but you are hardly doing any work other and can't increase the difficulty, and storage position is a bit precarious. Don't buy it.

Overall Score : 2/10
Score per cost : 4/10

Knowledge of product : consumer
Price at time of purchase : £79 ($125) from Amazon UK including delivery

Looking to lose a bit of weight with some low-impact aerobic exercise I can do anytime in the home. Priorities were price, quietness, storage and keeping it interesting. I had not heard of air-walkers/free-walkers/free-gliders until I started searching for suitable equipment. The obvious options were an elliptical machine or a mini-stepper but then I noticed an air-glider and this seemed interesting.