A91-055

PACKAGING: I quickly received the product in several days. The box and product were undamaged. All the parts were in plastic bags, separated by foam dividers within the box. Nothing was missing. Loose parts were in a sealed envelope. All the fasteners were identified and plastic wrapped on cardboard. Each of the parts had a paper label with its part number on it. The instructions were included and easy to follow. The holes for bolts all aligned without issue. I think we had it assembled within 20-30 minutes. CONSTRUCTION: The product is solid and well-constructed. Welds are not an issue; I would NOT worry about welds failing (component parts are also bolted together for extra rigidity). It has a matte black finish and should be durable. Seats and pads are adequate. Floor to seat cushion height is a comfortable 20.5 inches. It is not the most comfortable calf-raise machine that I have used, but I am comparing it to commercial-grade equipment costing hundreds more. OPERATION: It gets the job done! MINUSES: Because of the design, the knee pads *could* eventually be prone to shifting a little. They can be easily moved back into position and retightened if indeed that happens. The unit sometimes seems wobbly because the long seat tube has a single connection point by design, but it is stable. WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT? Unless you are a heavy lifter, I think it offers a lot of value for the money.

It's cheaply built but it doesn't have to be a world beater for it to function as intended. I'm very satisfied with this machine, so far. The two inch adapter sleeves are functional not ideal. I replaced them with something better for $20. I wasn't expecting to have to do that. Truth be told, I didn't HAVE to do it. I could have made what came with it work. It just wasn't ideal.

I was pretty wary about purchasing this. A too-good-to-be-true price, not shipped from a Prime warehouse and typical Chinese quality? A lot could go wrong here. But, I disregarded the poor reviews (as the good reviews implored me to do) and I'm glad I did. I could not build one of these out of steel for the $100 I paid. Maybe out of lumber, but then it'd be huge and cumbersome. And I definitely couldn't do it if I factored in my time. I also couldn't ship the large 45 lb box it came in for $100. Yet, I ordered it on Monday and Aosom had it delivered by Wednesday. How Aosom turns a profit on these is a mystery to me. Box took the brunt of some carrier mishandling, but the product itself was unharmed. Assembled in 30 minutes. No pieces missing, all parts installed. I am a machinist / fabricator / light welder by trade. The welds are typical of cheap mass production. Not pretty, but functional. Unit is powder coated with a gritty flat black. It is completely sturdy enough. Note that the weights are on a 3-4' fulcrum, so you won't be putting hundreds of pounds on this; you won't need to. No modifications or tricks need to be done. I am completely pleased. $100 well spent.

Update Seller made things right. The whole situation isnt ideal but they didnt leave me hanging. When I messaged them, they replied almost immediately with various options. Ultimately too many parts were rusted, among other issues, but they were very fair and worked with me. I do feel bad. Before I got rid of the machine I did use it a couple times to check out what using these kind of machines is even like since I have never used one before. I liked it. This could have been a great addition to the home gym for a good price had things been better. The machine itself was simple to assemble, and fast. Its easy to set up and use, and the burn on the Soleus calves is incredible. So if you were on the fence on if you needed a seated calf raise machine, go pull the trigger on one. These are really great. Maybe spend a bit more money on one though. Original Review Below Covered in red rust powder. Inside the pieces is vast swaths of red rust patches, one piece internally was 95% covered. The instruction booklet was covered in rust powder. The plastic bags was full of loose rust powder. Deep red. Once assembled its extremely wobbly. Poorly made. Wobbles. No tools. Full of rust. Thin padding, uncomfortable. My advice, dont be a cheapo and spend a bit more on something better.

I am very happy with this for the price. It is made with very thick steel and works perfect. Some people complained in the reviews about the machine wobbling. The machine is very sturdy but if you put the washers, that go under seat, on the OUTSIDE of the bracket, then the seat and lifting part will have play in it and wobble some but it's not going to fail on you and may help with stabilizer muscles. However if you don't want some play in the movement of the machine place the washers on the inside of the bracket (even though it's challenging to thread the bolt) and the play will be completely gone. Either way its a great machine for the money.

I read some reviews that said it was wobbly. Simply tighten up all rhe bolts and it's fine. For the price it's great! Solid and more then does the job! Easy to assemble with or without instructions. Sturdy and easy to use. The catch for the weight is sturdy and clears the work out area. Make suet you tighten all the bolts all the way. Seat is Solid and is built like most others. I have assembled and used many pieces of equipment and this is just fine. Knee pads are fine. Don't expect heavy duty commercial quality and you won't be disappointed. For $130 it out performs equipment 3 times the price.

The only way anyone could write a 5 star review on this is if they were paid to do so. Assembly wasnt horrible even though some hardware nuts/bolt were mislabeled any reasonable person could figure it out. Then came securing the two bushings there is so much play and slop when tightend up I got some extra washers and placed them between the frame and the bushings on both sides to take up the play this was under the seat as well as the safety catch. Great I though that will take care of it. Unfortunately even snugged as far as they will go still enough play that the entire unit it wobbly. The cross member that gets mounted on the front to hold the weights also has play where it mounts to the frame. Not enough room there to slip in washers and the steel is too thick to bend to it stays loose. The knee pads are as tight as they can go but they still twist and turn so the pads collapse and the edges dig into your legs with just 90 lbs on the posts. And the entire unit wobbles because of the two loose bushing mounts plus sitting on level ground there is wobble at the base legs dont make even contact with the ground. With 90 lbs on it it feels like the unit is going to collapse under you when using Just absolute junk. I was not expecting commercial quality and i would be satisfied for the money if it wasn't such a death trap. I was going to just toss in the dumpster at this point and eat thee $100 since i have $100 of my time involved already so $200 in the hole. Instead I am going to drink a six pack so i get in the right frame of mind unbolt it all throw it in the box and send back and recoup the purchase price at least. Absolutely the worse purchase ever made.

Regardless , of what negative comments were made for this product, i give it 4 out of 5 stars overall. The only issues i have with this seated calf machine, is that the directions aren't the greatest and its not what you would find in a gym for quality. BUT, for the price of this compared to the more expensive versions, you Can't beat the price. If you are looking to build calf muscles, well don't overlook this model. It does its job, then some. Though it may work a little flimsy at times, its all about the control of the weight you are using, as like any lifting exercise you perform. It comes with the 2" plate adapters, but you really do not need them, for the 1" clips work just fine to keep the weight stable. Make sure you put this unit on a flat surface for the best stability, otherwise you will have a few problems. Other than that, it is a great addition to a home gym, and really doesn't take up much space. I am glad i spent for this unit over the more expensive ones on the market. Just remember, you do NOT need to load plates on this unit, for if the exercises are done properly and in a slow control manner, you will see the gains with just adequate weights . One last thing, it is great to use this machine near or at the end of a leg workout, where its just your calves doing all the work.