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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
68 of 70 found the following review helpful:
 Awesome, excellent stepper. Good as anything at the health club. Nov 23, 2006
By Pamela Rice
I wrote the following when my stepper was still new. Over months of use I have changed my mind on the product. First, the two most important bolts on the product were not made of galvanized steel. Both simply broke in separate events, mid-step. I replaced those bolts at great inconvenience... Eventually, the entire unit had to be replaced because the gear wheel groove wore down so that the pedals no longer came up to the top anymore, no matter how tight you screwed in the back knob. Call me stupid, but I repurchased the unit. I'll keep you posted to see if these long-term problems have been rectified.
My current evaluation: General design is excellent. Materials doubtful.
Following is my original review....
I rarely do this. Who has time to review products? But with this item, I feel the world needs to know how great it is. I can't say I know every home stepper out there, but I have been burned before. And I used to pay a lot for a health club membership, largely because it had a great step machine. My advice for now: Just buy this one. It's as good as the one I used at the health club; I mean it! You will not find anything better. And here's why. Smooth, quiet, compact, solid (well made), adjustable, and consistent. I include "consistent," because one stepper I owned was almost impossible to operate until it heated up - imagine that? But not the Mini Stepper Exerciser: Get on it, and your first step is just like your last, and I'm on the equipment for as much as an hour at a time. A long time, you say? That's nothing. Because the hardest part about exercising is finding time to do it. And a lot of people don't want to dedicate that time. And that's what's good about the Mini Stepper Exerciser. You can do it while you do something you probably already do: watch TV. Imagine working out your calves, thighs, and all the way up to your butt and even beyond while you watch Dexter. Now, just two important tips I'd like to mention about this machine. Your stepper can start to squeak. Don't put up with it; you can get it back to total quiet mode with teflon lubricant (from the bicycle shop). If you don't find the "spot," keep spraying every moving joint. Sometimes it takes overnight for the lubricant to reach the squeak. Also, read the directions about adjustment: To get to the highest, hardest step level, raise both steps at once to their highest level, then turn the knob. You may need to keep turning, even if you think you've got it all the way if you want to step high and hard. I wasn't raving about this machine until I figured out how to get it to a worthwhile level. Oh, and here's a trick for those athletic types (yes, I'm one of those): put an old pillow under the feet when you step. Really. The new thinking with exercise is, be off balance when you do it. Using the pillow this way is the equivalent of running on sand in your bare feet or doing crunches on a stability ball. Instability works the deeper, smaller muscles that simple movements, alone, don't give you. Hey, get off that couch, boys and girls. It's so important. And sure, watch the tube, but become a stepping potato from now on. This item is your answer to all your exercise dilemmas.
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Age doesn't matter Dec 27, 2008
By Andrea Bearden-Kuhns
"Shutterbug"
I do as much research on a product as possible before I buy, Amazon has never steered me wrong. There are lots of mini-steppers out there, and not being able to try this before purchase, I had to rely on reviews from others. So, I am 2 months away from 70 and try to walk, some hiking weather permitting. However, getting on the stepper beats a walk on the beach. I was amazed at the weight of it, my husband, a retired engineer was sceptical when he first saw it, but the weight and solid construction changed his mind. I felt the burn right away, I thought I was in fairly decent shape, not.
Two things - first, I have a trekking pole which I found helpful in balance, secondly, I turned on my iTunes visualizer on my iMac and pumped up some disco.
The company which sold this was excellent in communicating with me regarding shipping. Worth the price I paid.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 decent stepper Jan 07, 2009
By Tracy
First, thanks to an earlier reviewer, Pamela, for her advice on lubricating the stepper.
This is a decent little device -- doesn't take up a lot of room, great for using in front of the tv and then sticking in a corner later. You can work up a sweat if you use it for awhile (I do 40 minutes to an hour) and keep up the pace. I don't think it replaces a real workout, but it's excellent for the days when you don't have much time or can't get to the gym.
Two problems:
1. You can't really adjust the tension. The knob just doesn't do much.
2. After awhile, it develops a truly hideous squeak -- so loud and irritating I was afraid to use it while my husband was sleeping, in case it woke him up from two rooms away. WD-40 did nothing. However, another reviewer here recommended trying Teflon lubricant from a bike store -- I did that, and the squeaking is gone. The machine isn't totally silent, it still makes a clicking noise (I believe from a plastic part interacting with a metal part) but it's usable again. If you have this problem, apply the teflon lubricant liberally to every part that looks like it might squeak and leave overnight. It should be fine again in the morning.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Small equipment providing big work out Jan 16, 2009
By Terry B
I bought the mini stepper because I had a store credit and couldn't find anything else. Much to my surprise, it is terrific! It quickly gets my heart rate to target and is great for buttock, thigh, and calf muscles. The best thing is the size. It can easily be moved around the house depending on where I want to work out. It fits easily into a coat closet and can go on road trips for great workouts away from home. It makes me want to try the mini elliptical too. I love that I can get the benefits of the big machines without having to crowd them into my bedroom.
7 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 Good product, lousy company Jan 27, 2009
By Sarah L.
2 stars -- 4 for the product, 0 for the seller.
The stepper is working fine after 6 weeks of regular use. However, the included "computer" never worked out of the box. I sent the seller -- Allegro Medical -- 3 emails to their "customer service" address. No response. Allegro did list an 800 # in a shipping status email sent before the stepper arrived, but this sort of poor service disgusts me to the point where I haven't called. (And frankly, I never saw the computer as much of a benefit -- but that's hardly my point.)
Furthermore, once Allegro had my email address, they sent me spam newsletters every day. I had to un-subscribe to stop them. If this callous disregard of their customers' welfare is another indicator of Allegro's attitude toward customer service, then they're hardly a company I can recommend doing business with.
Good product (computer aside), lousy company. If you don't need the computer, buy this stepper. But buy it elsewhere.
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