BFMC10B

I own a gym and I was using the climber to see if my clients would like me to purchase the versa climber (5000 dollars or more) This model was just a tester to see if they enjoyed using the exercise type. I read the previous reviews and since this has the highest weight limit of the lightweight versions, I wanted this as most other company models allow for 250-300 lb people. Key points: 1) Lubricate the crap out of the areas where I took pictures to eliminate paint scraping. That definitely would have been a problem if I did not perform this maintenance at the beginning. 2) DO NOT smash the pedals into the bottom of the slides. This will damage the urethane wheels that everyone says have a short use life. USE the machine as a slider not pushing through the range available, slide back and forth without hitting the end-stoppers 3) use your arms and core heavily balancing the weight and body pressure between the core not just looking for speed of motion. This is not a MAX SPEED machine, but an engagement/climbing simulator not a sprinting simulator. Use it for its purpose and you will get a killer workout. It fits right in with the other equipment next to it in the picture that are thousands of dollars worth of equipment and this is less than 200. I will use this as long as I can!

To start, this is the third vertical climber I bought this month, the other two (Maxi-climber and Relife) were returned for poor construction / manufacturing. Maxi climber has poor wheel composition and break apart due to friction heat and none existent customer support (#1 complaint by customer reviews) ; Relife climber slides friction bind during heavy use and just seem to be getting worse. Best Fitness vertical climber wheels are like roller skates, hard rubber adhered to sealed metal bearings (but have issues, see cons). To be fair for this review, the people using this were within the equipments use specifications; I am 53y/o, 6'2" and weigh 225 lbs and my wife is 5'3" and weighs in the mid hundreds. I am very aggressive in my workouts and my wife works out in moderation and these machines are used daily from 10-30 minutes. Pros: Overall construction appears much better then the other two. Assetically, the appearance almost looks like something that might go in a gym. Larger and thicker tubing. Nicely painted. Heavy duty leg foot pads. Less bending to make adjustments and put in storage position. Upper handgrip adjustments are at chest level and easy to change. Sliding mechanism (shuttle) is smooth and inside the square tube. The foot pads are a little larger, smooth (can use barefooted) and parallel with the ground, no slipping around. (The competitor's are bent forward and even with sharp spikes, I slipped forward during my workout and had to continuously adjust.) Additionally, the footpad construction is very sturdy and won't break apart as I have read in other reviews. The two side slide shuttles are linked by a chain (not a cable) and not readily accessible by my grandchildren's little fingers. Double upper handle grips that allow for long reach and lower reverse grip for pull down movement. The angle is not so steep that you feel (or hit as I have) your chin on the upper handles. (Also a CON) It easily folds up with one pin mid support, not at the bottom like the others. The main square tubes are constructed close enough to not get in the way and have you spread your legs unnaturally. ***Great customer service, answered their phone immediately and addressed my issue without question. (I address the issue later in the review) Cons: The workout angle is a little shallower then the others and actually bothered my knees because they moved forward more versus upwards. I adjusted the support bar between the two legs up 8" and narrowed the stance and increased the angle, problem solved. I'll drill new holes in the rear leg to make this safe and hold the angle. This should be a change to the product to allow different angles for different body movements. Step timer / counter is mounted in front at waist level and unreadable during use. It could be mounted at an angle behind handle bars that would allow visual access during the workout. Upper adjustment handgrip bars could be 6" longer to reduce loose movement (sloppiness) when fully extended. Main issue so far is the shuttle wheel construction, on day two of use during a 30 minute workout, one of the internal shuttle wheels separated from the bearing and started grinding against the tubing wall. There is a lot of twisting stress and friction put on these moving parts while working out. Additional wheels at 90 degrees should be added at these pressure points to assist in alleviating this stress. (As a plus, more wheels are being shipped and hopefully fix the issue for good.) Overall, great machine for ther price and I would recommend others to buy.

I don't know much about exercise equipment, but I needed something that would fit in our tiny house, and give me a work out without causing pain to my feet (have metatarsalgia). My orthopedist suggested something low impact, like swimming or rowing, neither of which I have easy access too. Walking is good, but it doesn't help me burn many calories. After looking a dozens of reviews and watching videos on vertical climbers, I chose this for one simple reason; it uses a chain, instead of cables, and the chains are covered, so no risk of catching long hair or anything else. I've had it two weeks, and so far I love it. I can get on it several times a day or whenever I want, and although I don't spend much time on it (I run out of breath asap), there is no pain to my feet, I can feel muscles building where I had none, and I know I'm definitely getting a work out. When folded, it fits in a corner out of the way, but is very convenient when needed.

I has high hopes based on the reviews. I wanted something simple, sturdy, no frills. The construction seemed solid initially. I am 200 lbs and hope this would be a good cardio tool for me. It was a good workout but is not built well. After 2 weeks bolts started to loosen so I loctited them back into place. Then I found there to be a clicking noise near the lower right foot pedal. The noise would be worse when I pulled on the handles (a force that adds some level of twist). I am very mechanically inclined and found that the center pin for the pulley on the right track was sticking out too far and catching on an existing hole in the rail so I hammered it in a couple mm with a punch which seemed to resolve this issue. After this I started my routine again only to have more scraping and grinding with the right track. I am someone who fixes things and now I am stuck with a project. I would NOT buy this Chinese machine. Very disappointed. Wish I could return it but discarded the original boxing.

Save yourself. Came damaged. Besides that, it not even worth $100