Merax Vertical Climber Exercise Folding Climbing Machine for Home Gym Folding Cardio Workout Machine

I needed to replace my stair stepper and decided to try out a climber instead. I've never used one before so I researched a bit and it came down to the Merax or the Maxi. I chose the Merax because it was $60 less and there were several comments about much sturdier it is. So here's my take on it after using it a couple of times: 1) It's not too difficult to put together. I'm a small woman and it is a bit heavy and awkward, but I managed on my own, with terrible written directions, to get it all together and put in it's permeant spot. It took me a total of 20 minutes and I only had 1 nut and 1 bolt left over (cross my fingers they were just extras!). 2) I'm only 5' tall. I think this machine is meant for people taller than I. One of the reasons I bought it was it's "adjustable height" which in retrospect I think was meant that taller people would be happier with this machine, especially since it also has a much higher weight limit than the other machines. I have it at the shortest setting and I feel a bit awkward with the height of the hand grips. 3) It takes up a lot of space. I didn't realize how much space it would take up. I'd fold it up and put it aside but that seems like way too much work since I plan to use it daily, and doesn't actually fold up to a small, compact size. 4) It's not smooth. I've never used a climber before, so I'm not sure how smooth one is supposed to be. I read that this is common with all the brands so I won't mark this against the machine itself, just a comment for other people who've never used one. It's a bit jarring at first, but you get used to it. 5) It is a great workout. When all is said and done, I got on this machine for 5 minutes the first time I used it, and I could feel the burn. It was a much more intensive workout than my stair stepper and I look forward to getting on it again. It worked all the muscle groups I wanted, much more effectively than a stair stepper and was a good cardio workout as well. While the machine isn't perfect, I like it and will enjoy my daily workouts a bit more than before.

The media could not be loaded.  Currently have doubts so I'm giving a 3-star for now.Pros:1. It's a climber. (Something to do while I watch a movie or anime)2. The timer/step counter auto turns off after a short time.3. Small amount of assembly required. The hardest part was unscrewing the nut for the cable attaching.4. 99% of the climber arrived unharmed despite one of the zip ties in box came undone/cut.5. Best bang for your buck6. Fast shipping (thanks amazon prime! <3)Cons: (in order from most important to me)1. Manual images and directions are terrible. I had to look up a video on installation of another climber to figure out which end the long/short leg goes. Everything else was by intuition.2. The right pedal came sideways out of the box while left pedal is already chipping paint off the pedal stand3. Pedals do feel flimsy (like other reviews specified) since they are made out of plastic.4. Cable can easily misalign. This can be fixed, but I feel that's an accident waiting to happen.5. Cannot adjust climbing difficulty. (I can move both steps with one hand.)6. Need your own wrench.7. Battery for timer and step counter was dead. (figures) Luckily I just bought batteries for my cat laser pointer.8. You'll need to figure your way around installing the handles if you don't have a high ceiling. I simply folded and leaned the climber onto my side. Then I had to shimmy the metal handle into its socket. To adjust the handles, push handle inwards after pressing onto the hole of the stopper.In summary, I feel I got what I paid for. I am 5'5". I would not recommend this climber to anyone taller than 5'6". Only difficulty I currently experience while using is I need to tilt my left foot outwards more so my knee doesn't hit the bar. (I have a sideways left knee.) Definitely wear shoes. The bumps on the pedals start to hurt over time. Lastly, I hope customer service is helpful if a pedal breaks... I'm testing my luck with this climber. I will update if that time comes.

I gave this product five stars mainly because it's a great value. It isn't a perfect product, but for the money it is hard to beat. There doesn't seem to be too many of these climbing machines out there right now. I looked at the Maxi climber which looks significantly smaller than this product. I am a guy about six-foot-three and 220 pounds so I needed something a little bit more stable than some of the smaller products that were available. For a smaller frame person it might be a little bit heavier than some of the competition but I found it it was fairly natural motion as long as you had it placed in the right settings. On the steepest incline the arm and leg motion works well and it's smooth, however if you go to the less inclined position the motion becomes more difficult. I also noticed in the lower incline level that the plastic shavings from some of the parts were coming off if you did the exercises incorrectly and pushed down on the arms themselves.From an assembly standpoint, there are about six bolts that you have to put together and that's about it. The instructions weren't great and there were some misspellings in some of the literature but it was easy enough to put together. I didn't find it very difficult and all the holes lined up correctly.Overall, the product isn't perfect, however it represents a great value and you really feel like you're doing something after five minutes of using the machine. It looks to be on par with the other climbers that are out there, with the Maxi climber maybe being a little bit smoother and more suitable for a smaller person. If they added some ball bearings at the top where the plastic hits the retracting arms, it would make the motion more foolproof. The other climbers look to have the same type setup. That's really my only complaint about the product, but it's hard to beat for the money and surprising that there aren't more of these types of machines available for reasonable prices.