Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

So I spent roughly 78 hours non-consecutively, researching inversion tables. I am a disabled combat veteran of Iraqi Freedom. When I came home I had severe issues with my lower back, left shoulder, neck and severe debilitating migraines. That was 2009, the VA tried a few of it's standard, here's a rubber band now use this to stretch and build muscle. Yeah right ok whatever you say. Here it is 2015, The VA finally recognized via MRI's, EMGs and CT scans what I had been telling them for the last 5 years. I have 6 herniated and/or slipped discs and straightening of the lumbosacral whatever up to the middle of my back. Because the VA had not done their jobs right the first 5 years of my suffering I now have two enormous muscular spazzed balls on each side of my lower back at the belt line. I also have 3 herniated and/or slipped discs in my neck at the base of my skull. I am now 100% VA rated and I am now Medically Retired. That being said, I always read the 1 star comments first to get a feel for how a product performs or it's condition when delivered. I then go to the 3 star reviews to see if there's any baseline truths to the 1 star reviews, finally I go to the 5 star reviews and see what the percentages are from 5 star down to 1 star. This product has nearly 2000 reviews and only a fraction of them are negative. So my review of this product which I just received today after I had ordered it from amazon two days ago, is currently 5 stars and here's why: 1) When delivered there was one single tennis ball sized hole in the box which was banded really well to keep things together. I was then worried about some of the 1 star comments who had similar but more severe issues. This thing weighs 80 pounds and it's large, I see it getting easily damaged because one delivery person has to handle it. The guy that delivered mine via UPS, he was like 70 years old and this inversion table must have weighed more than he did. To my surprise when I had opened the box there was a lot of block stirafomes (sp?) It had been extremely well packaged so as to not allow parts to be damaged through delivery. This made me extremely happy. 2) A few other reviews said the holes didn't line up, or a carabineer broke or something had failed on their table. The carabineers that I got with this table appears to be either light steel or very well made aluminum. Either way, if the table is forced to the 180 degree position (upside down) with or without someone physically on it, I could absolutely see them breaking, so my suggestion is if this is a major worry for you, go to a sporting goods store, buy two mountain climbers carabineer clips and use those. The strap that is supposed to keep you from inverting 180 degree's again if misused and/or forced hard I could see that breaking too especially for some of us larger guys because i'm sure the strap is only rated for 300 lbs maximum 350. It's not flimsy but it's not a tow strap either. If this bothers you, go to a hardware store and buy some chain links, you can adjust them by clipping through various lengths of the chain. 3) Some reviews said they could not put it together because of misaligned holes or it takes to long or I don't have someone else to help me put it together, etc. My comment, you must be a moron if you can't figure out how to put this thing together, it's certainly not rocket science. The directions show you EXACTLY step by step how to put it together, heck you don't even have to be able to read, just look at the flipped pictures. Anyhow, the directions say it will take you roughly 60 to 90 minutes to put it together with help from an additional person. I put mine together in 23 minutes all by my onesies. Truly not that difficult! I realize I've only had this table for one day at the point of this review, I've used it 5 times today in intervals of 5-7 minutes. Probably too soon to comment on if it works or not, but the first use, I could feel the extreme pain as I was roughly 130 degrees inverted. PULL YOURSELF UP SLOWLY OR YOU WILL BE DISORIENTED AND OR MOTION SICK! I did that and the room spun for a minute because I pulled up to fast. The boots that keep your feet held, I think those things are more comfortable than my 90 dollar sneakers, I used it 3 times without socks or shoes! I hope I can come back to this posting to re-comment and/or edit in the near future after several uses to let you know if it worked for me and or if the carabineers and/or the strap breaks. Even if it breaks, you can still pull yourself up with the supplied hand bars on both sides, so those that "freak out" if this happens, grow a pair, calm yourself and use the hand bars! Oh yeah, as for the bar that you close which has the shin boots, seems like it locks extremely well to hold you safely in place. There's also directions in the book that tells you what to do IF it seems like the bar wont open, hasn't happened to me... yet? I guess if it does I have a pair so I won't be freaking out, it's a simple push the plastic head down, twist it either direction, then pull it up towards your torso and push back down to open it. It seems like there are quite a few safety features that keeps this thing from inverting you by accident, even the bars that hold the table to the lower frame can be adjusted so as to not make you completely inverted if the belt breaks. I know there's a lot to read in this post, but I sure hope it helps you decide if this is for your or not. If you want photo's of this product close up I will be more than happy to post a few.