| |
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 Rebounder Price |
$240 |
$700 |
$230 |
$90 |
| Country of manufacture |
USA |
Germany |
Asia/China/Korea |
Unknown |
| 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 |
Unknown |
Push-away hinge |
Unknown |
| 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 |
No |
| 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 |
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. |
