Inversion Table Reviews
There are many inversion tables on the market today. Choosing the right one for you can be a tough decision. Here are some reviews to help you find your way.
Gym Master Inversion Table 
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Many thanks to Pauline V. of London, England for sending us this review. To the left is a picture of Mat modelling the Gym Master. |
So many inversion tables – which one to choose? I was advised by my acupuncturist, who is also an osteopath and, incidentally, uses an inversion table himself for his four (yes, four) prolapsed discs. The one he owns has flaws, and he recommended that I choose one with long handles to aid my return to an upright position, and an adjustable strap to select different angles of inversion. I picked out a few I liked the look of, and emailed him the links. He rejected them all (!) and suggested the Gym Master. I bought it and this is what I think of it.
Basic Information:
- Supports weight up to 300 lbs
- Maximum height adjustment to 6’6”
- Long safety handles
- Adjustable safety strap to alter angle of inversion
Purchase information:
£99.99 (approximately $153), including post and packing, from e-Bay – UK
Delivery and transport:
Brilliant. It arrived the day after I’d ordered it. Can’t fault that.
Contents:
Bewildering. Oh, and inaccurate. Missing a couple of long bolts, we think, but (see below) the assembly was so difficult this could have been our incompetence in putting the wretched thing together.
Assembly:
Dreadful. There is no indication about where the table was manufactured, but English clearly isn’t their first language.
My daughter’s boyfriend volunteered to put it together. It took him more than two hours, even with helpful comments from his girlfriend and me (I can’t understand why he looked more tight-lipped as the evening progressed). He was unable to tighten the foot-rest sufficiently as the instructions bore no resemblance to the pieces he had to assemble. The foot-rest works okay and is perfectly safe, but is not as rigid as it should be as there was no way to secure it laterally. Nor was there a way of securing the head-rest to its supporting arm at one end. This doesn’t matter, either, since it is perfectly secure, but is a minor annoyance.
Clarity of instructions:
The instructions are unintentionally hilarious, but unfortunately not helpful. What to make of, “It must make all angles nylon belt tightness” or “When stands upside down, what attention is the forehead whether bump into the ground” or, my favourite, “Do not using where there are babies and old men around”?
This did mean that there was a certain amount of trial and error in getting the table to its best angle for me. I found that an angle of about 30 degrees worked best for me, but that I needed to set the table at a higher adjustment than my actual height, or the pivot point didn’t work for me and I was stranded upside-down until somebody came to help!
Ease of use:
Great (once I’d worked out what I needed). The bar is easy to adjust and the height marked clearly in centimetres. It has a safety pin to lock the bar into place. It took a while to work out how to buckle the safety strap, but once that was established, it was easy to adjust to get the correct angle.
I was warned to wear a couple of pairs of thick socks to counter the pressure from the foot-grips on my ankles, but on this model the grips have thick foam padding and I didn’t find it too uncomfortable at all (although that may be because I’ve yet to invert beyond 30 degrees, so there’s less pressure anyway). There is a nice long handle to position the grips over the ankles without having to bend down too far.
This model also has nice long handles so that returning to an upright position couldn’t be easier.
Verdict:
Pros – it’s good value for money, it’s sturdy, it works and it has a lot of good features, including long handles and an adjustable strap.
Cons – a nightmare to assemble, and it doesn’t fold for storage so takes up a lot of room.
Conclusion
I’m glad I bought an inversion table, as I’m already feeling the benefits, but I think there are probably better models out there, albeit more expensive.
Thanks again to Pauline V. of London, England.
The IronMan Gravity 4000 Inversion Table
Reviewed by myInversionTable.com
The IronMan Gravity 4000 is built with an extra-wide tubular steel frame to support users up to 350 lbs. Features a memory foam vinyl-covered backrest. Extra-long safety handles provide easy return to an upright position.
- Extra wide tubular steel frame
- Scratch resistant powder coated finish
- Foam covered extra long safety handles
- Tough rubber non-skid floor stabilizers
- Memory foam vinyl covered backrest
- Ergonomically molded ankle holders
- Inverts up to 90 degrees
- Supports up to 350 lbs.
- Three adjustments for different starting inversion angles
- Folds for storage
- Height adjustment up to 6' 6"
- Easily adjustable safety tether strap
- Patented easy-reach "Palm Activated" adjusting ratchet ankle locking system
- Safety vinyl side covers
Purchase Information
$243 from Wal-Mart. Free shipping with Site-to-Store.
Box Size (Ease of delivery and transport)
We ordered our IronMan Gravity 4000 online from walmart.com and had it shipped to our local Wal-Mart for free through Site-to-Store. We needed to go to our local Wal-Mart to pick up our inversion table. There is no way the box could fit into the trunk of a car - luckily we were able to use a pickup truck with a 6' bed. The box fit easily into the pickup truck. The friendly people at Wal-Mart loaded the inversion table into the truck, and after that we were on our own.
The box was large, heavy, and required two people to move. Make sure you have a clear path to wherever you plan on completing assembly. You also need to be careful when going through doorways and making sharp turns while carrying the box.
Contents
Upon opening the box we were greeted with the neatly packed contents. The backrest was visible, along with a smaller cardboard box that contained all of the nuts, bolts, washers, and caps required for assembly. The package even included a screwdriver and wrench for assembly so there's no need to worry about having the right tools at home.
Assembly
We were surprised to see that most of the major parts of the table were already assembled. All we needed to do was assemble the parts to one another. The A-frame served as the starting point to which everything was attached.
The order of assembly was simple. Attach the feet to the bottom of the A-frame. Attach the backrest and handles to the A-frame. Insert the leg support bar into the backrest. Install the heel and ankle supports onto the bottom of the leg support bar. Attach the safety strap, place the optional lumbar cushion on the backrest and you are ready to invert.
It is possible to assemble the inversion table completely by yourself, but having someone there to help you definitely speeds things along.
Clarity of Instructions
The instructions were simple. The combination of illustrations and words made it easy to understand how the pieces fit together. The only setback was that the instructions called the nuts, bolts, and washers by number, yet the parts themselves were not numbered. We constantly needed to compare all of the pieces and pictures to see which length of bolt and size of washer to use.
Overall the assembly process was easy and within an hour after starting, we were ready to invert ourselves.
Ease of Use
The IronMan Gravity 4000 is extremely easy to use. It's simple to set the backrest to your proper height. The bar is cleary labled in 1-inch increments. A spring pin locks the bar into place.
The heel and ankle supports are easy to adjust. You simply push down on the tip of the adjuster bar, and the ankle supports unlock and swing outward to make room for your feet. Once your feet are sitting on the foot rest, you pull the adjuster bar toward you until the supports are tight against your ankles.
The large, rubber coated handles allow you to slowly and comfortably invert yourself. They also make it very easy to find the leverage needed to return to an upright position.
Durability
The IronMan Gravity 4000 feels strong and sturdy. The metal frame is tough, heavy and provides you with plenty of support - both physical and mental. Not once did we feel nervous about inverting ourselves.
The memory foam padded backrest is covered in heady-duty vinyl. The heel and ankle supports are molded from dense rubber. It's easy to tell that when you're using the IronMan Gravity 4000, you're using a REAL machine - not some cheap immitation.
First Use
Most of my life I had suffered from constant back pain. I was eager to try out our new inversion table.
I couldn't believe how easy it was to use the IronMan Gravity 4000. I was able to invert myself immediately. I used the safety strap to prevent full-inversion and laid at a 45-degree angle for about one minute. I didn't feel much at all while laying there other than slight dizziness.
I was able to easily pull myself back to the upright position. I unlocked the ankle supports and went to sit on the couch. The instant I sat down, I noticed how amazing my back felt! There was no pressure whatsoever, almost like a curse I had been carrying around for most of my life had been lifted. This feeling lasted for almost an hour before the pain and pressure returned. I never experienced relief like this before.
Results
I now invert myself twice a day; once in the morning and once at night. My back has improved tremendously. While the inversion table has not yet cured my back pain, it makes me feel like a new person.
I am extremely satisfied with the IronMan Gravity 4000. It's sturdy, fun to use, and it really does help my back pain. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for relief.
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