Ab Circle Pro Review from an Unhappy Customer

Here's a long review we received from a not-so-happy Ab Circle Pro customer...

Hi. I'm sending you this review because another site I posted it on took it down after just a couple of days for some reason. I assume that's because it reveals that the Ab Circle Pro isn't all it's cracked up to be! I've noticed that almost all of the published reviews and testimonials for this product are positive, which makes me think that someone is doing their best to keep "negative" reviews out of sight. I hope your blog isn't like that and that you do post this so that my own experiences can help others.

First off, let me just say that I think the idea behind the Ab Circle is a good one. I was told by a personal trainer friend of mine that abdominal exercises that require flexing the spine and "rounding" the back are very bad and can cause serious back/spine problems over time. So the way that the Ab Circle Pro keeps your back straight while allowing you to exercise your core muscles is good... at least in theory.

Here's the problem with this product: it's not made very well! At least many of them aren't, including the one shipped to me! The thing started falling apart on me literally the first day I used it. Both kneepads had cracks in them, paint started flaking off in bunches, and the rollers stopped rolling smoothly around the circular track.... all in a matter of hours. Also, the plastic electronic timer/calorie counter would not stay on the machine at all, no matter what I did. It started falling off within the first 10 minutes of my first attempted workout. After just a couple days of use other small parts started falling off as well.

Could I still do the ab workout routines? Yes. Was it enjoyable trying to exercise on a cheaply made machine that was falling apart during use? No, not really! The strange thing about the Ab Cirlce is that the steel it's made from is pretty heavy duty. As I believe the commercial says: "gym quality" steel construction. That's fine and great. But if you attach a bunch of cheap, low-quality plastic junk onto that heavy duty steel it really doesn't make a difference now does it?

I can't say for sure that ALL Ab Circle Pros are made as badly as mine is. A girlfriend of mine bought one last month and swears she's had no problems with it... yet. I've also seen other Ab Circle Pro reviews that swear it's the best home exercise machine out there. So maybe it's just the luck of the draw and you just have to hope you get one of the "good" ones. But for $200 dollars I don't think it is too much to ask for a decent-quality workout machine that doesn't fall apart as you're using it!

Jeanette J.