| |
Needak
Manufacturing |
Bellicon |
ReboundAir |
Urban
Rebounder |
| Company Description |
Needak is one the most popular
rebound manufacturers in the world and has been around for many years. Aside
from improvements here and there the Needak Rebounder has maintained the
same tried and tested design for a number of years. Needak Manufacturing
is an environmentally friendly company based in Nebraska, USA that has a
reputation for receiving extremely positive reviews from customers and unsolicited
endorsements. |
Bellicon is a European company
that makes pricey high-end rebounders. Their rebounders appear to focus
on cosmetic and impractical benefits over the Needak, such as rope rings
instead of steel springs to eliminate rebounding noise. However, with their
very limited warranty, the longevity of their products remains a concern. |
ReboundAir appears to be a
marketing-centric company that purchases rebounders from manufacturers in
Asia for resale. Their website makes lots of claims about the rebounders
they sell and appears to bash competitors as selling inferior models while
touting theirs as the best. Their warranty is very misleading. They are
not a manufacturing company unlike Bellicon and Needak. They sell products
manufactured in Asia and brand them according to their company. |
The Urban Rebounder appears
to be more focused on the videos and routines of the exercise than the rebounder
itself. It is called the 'Urban Rebounding Fitness Program' and appears
to be marketed for the workout as much as the rebounder. |
| Approximate Base Rebounder Price |
$239 |
$690
|
$229 |
$99 |
| Country of Manufacture |
USA |
Germany |
Taiwan/Korea |
Mainland China |
| Soft-bounce |
Yes |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Unknown |
| Jump mat material |
2 layers of Permatron® polypropylene
stitched with high grade nylon |
Unknown |
Permatron® |
Permatron® stitched with high
grade nylon |
| Spring to Mat Connection |
Straight metal cleat |
Metal hook |
Rectangular plastic |
Bullhorn cleats |
| Spring Cover |
Industrial nylon |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Unknown |
| Leg Length |
9 inches |
Unknown |
10 inches |
8 inches |
| Folding legs |
Yes |
Unknown |
Yes |
Yes |
| Quarter-Fold Model |
No, too unstable |
No |
Yes |
Sometimes |
| Half-Fold Model |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Rubber leg tip |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Carry Case |
Yes |
Unknown |
Yes |
Yes |
| Same-Day Shipping |
Yes, if orders received by
cutoff time. |
Unknown |
Yes, if orders received by
cutoff time. |
No. Orders take 4 weeks to
be delivered. |
| Lead-Free |
100% |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Unknown |
| Switchable intensities |
Yes, with hard-bounce springs |
Yes, with tougher rope rings |
No |
No |
| Warranty |
Lifetime on frame, 5 year on
mat, 2 years on springs |
2 years on frame and mat, 1
year on rope rings. |
Lifetime warranty only on
'manufacturing defects'. 1 free replacement of springs and mat, customer
pays shipping. |
4 years on frame, 1 year on
everything else. |
| 30 Day Money Back Guarantee |
Yes, with 10% re-stocking fee |
No |
Yes, with 15% re-stocking fee |
No |
| Our Impression |
Based on our dealings with
Needak Manufacturing we've found them to be honest. They seem to be less
versed in marketing tactics that make your competitors look bad and appear
to govern their business by the idea that if they make a good product they
will be a successful company. Their website is not as flashy as competitors.
However, since they are both based and manufacture in USA, their liability
and control towards the quality of their products is more reliable according
to us. |
Bellicon seems to be pushed
as a high-end rebounder but based on their poor warranty and the fact that
they use bungee rope instead of springs gives us the impression that although
you can probably rebound on them, unless you don't mind buying replacement
cords and even a replacement rebounder repeatedly, there doesn't seem to
be much benefit to going with this company unless cosmetic decadence is
really important to you. We get the impression that the unreasonably high
price of these rebounders is because of the brand, not the rebounder. |
Throughout the ReboundAir
website you are bombarded with statements such as 'Lifetime warranty', 'Most
Qualified Staff', 'best rebounder in the world', and 'superior engineering'.
Given that their warranty is in fact worse than even Bellicon's, the overall
impression of their level of honesty makes us uncomfortable. They claim
to be associated with the 'American Institute of Reboundology', which turns
out is their own company. Their '30 Day Return Policy' requires a 15% re-stocking
fee which will end up costing the consumer upwards of $60 with shipping.
They appear to be popular in the media, but we get the impression that they
give their rebounders to organizations at discounted rates solely for promotional
purposes. They do claim to have a hinge in their fold-able rebounders that
avoids pinching fingers, but we've never had an issue with folding or unfolding
rebounders that don't. Overall, we just don't trust the reliability of ReboundAir
products, and feel that their customer service after the purchase will be
equally unreliable. |
Given that the Urban Rebounder
costs so little compared to the other brands, we believe it is probably
made with cheaper materials that make it both unreliable and unsafe. Although
it touts an effective workout regime we've never had a need for an intricate
set of lessons to use our rebounders. If you want a guided exercise routine
it might be better to buy a better rebounder and purchase rebounding workout
videos which are readily available everywhere. Overall, we feel the Urban
Rebounder is gimmicky, its use is short lived, and targets impetuous purchasers. |
