Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Update: I was initially very pleased with the unit - the frame is well designed: good ergonomics, compact but stable. The main failing is with the hydraulic pistons (although I learned the clock/counter will also fail if you sweat on it - best to wrap it with some plastic wrap). One of my original pistons started to squeak after about 3 months, and began to fail after about a year; it would not retract completely after it warmed up with a few minutes of use. I ordered a replacement - about $30, half of which was S&H. Six months later the replacement is going strong, but the other original piston developed the same failure - incomplete retraction (thus markedly reduced range of the step). So this time I thought I'd be smarter and ordered two replacements for about $45, including S&H. BOTH of the replacements have the same defect as the old failed ones - they won't retract completely after a few minute of use. After two weeks of ignoring my emails and calls, I finally got a response from Sunny customer service, and they agreed to replace the defective replacements. No joy. The replacements are as bad as the failed unit I originally wanted to replace. In the photo you can see how the right piston will not retract and what a big difference it makes between the two steps. Sunny claims there's only one supplier, but perhaps they changed suppliers or the manufacturer changed something. I have noticed all of the defective pistons lack the red warning label that the original and first "good" replacement have. Either way, these are far inferior, as you loose a large portion of the step range (which is the whole purpose of a stepper, after all). Meanwhile, I've wasted $45 on parts that are possibly worse than what they replaced. And I don't dare just buy a new unit, as I suspect any new ones will be shipped with these terrible pistons. -- Original review Stepper machines are my favorite aerobic exercise machine, but I'm kind of picky about them. Being used to multi-thousand dollar machines at the gym, I wasn't too hopeful about what I could get for around a hundred bucks. In fact, this is one of the more comfortable, well designed steppers I've used. It is a simple, streamlined design that provides what you need at a minimal cost. It has the just the right weight and footprint to make it very stable. On a tile floor it is solid. On a berber carpet with padding, it has just a tiny sway, which does not feel at all unstable. If you lean way back you can lift the front foot a bit. Leaning forward, it is not going anywhere. For my size (about 5' 11" and 180 lbs) it is very comfortable with good ergonomics. I was worried about the tilt of the footpads (fancy steppers keep them level) but it feels perfectly natural during use. The handlebars are well placed to let you lean into/hold onto them in a couple of different positions which lets you change up your stance (and vary the workout intensity a bit). The machine allows for a large stride/step, which I really appreciate. I've been on much more expensive machines that didn't let me take a long/high step. At first I had a tendency to lean forward and thus bump my knees against the rams. Improving my stepping posture to a more upright one fixed the knee-bumping and made me use a better stance on the machine as well. The hydraulic rams run smoothly and silently. I believe some reviewers have misunderstood the intensity adjustments: You can easily twist a knob to adjust the resistance from 1-12. The #1 setting gives the least resistance, but is the HIGHEST level workout. With less resistance, gravity (and your weight) lowers the pedal faster, which means you have to step up (using your muscles) faster as well. With more resistance (a higher number) your pace will be slower and easier. I'm in decent shape, but was away from aerobics for a year, so not in peak condition. At my weight and a level 10 setting, I am very ready to stop after 20 minutes. Someone who is much heavier and just building up their conditioning might struggle with the speed of stepping even at the maximum 12 setting. However, a side effect of using hydraulic pistons is that there is a built-in warm-up function. When the fluid is cold, there is more resistance and you will go more slowly. As you use the machine, the pistons warm up (actually, they get quite hot after a while), the resistance is reduced and you will be stepping faster and working harder. Over the course of 20 minutes, there is quite a difference. Keeping my #10 setting, I start out at about 56-58 full-range steps per minute. By the end, I am going about 85 steps per minute at the same setting. That's quite a difference. I don't know if it would get faster yet at 30-60 minutes; perhaps I have topped out the viscosity change by 20 minutes. The machine does lack any kind of a programming function, but as noted, you do get a warm-up "feature" due to the hydraulics. If you want to lessen the intensity a bit, without changing the settings, then you can lean heavily onto the handlebars. I find I can reduce speed/intensity about 15% that way, which lets me take a little breather. The digital readout is surprisingly good too. The clock starts automatically when you start moving. If you stop, it remembers where you were. It resets with a 3-second button push. It also counts steps (you have to lift your left foot almost to the very top of the range so that a little magnetic pickup can be triggered) and calories (probably not accurate, but anyway discouraging how few calories get burned). The numbers are large and easy to read. I don't bother folding it up as the footprint is already quite small, but it's easily done. So now I'm only hoping it will last without parts failures.There shouldn't be too much that can fail - possibly the seals on the hydraulics. I did get the 3 year extended warranty. If it lasts that long I will consider it money very well spent.