Rating: 5 Stars (The item meets or exceeds my expectations)
This is my first time successfully using an ab wheel type of exercise equipment successfully, and I'm really enjoying it! As someone who never got her abs back after two pregnancies because I hate crunches, I've been trying to find something that will help me build my strength back without making me miserable and this is perfect. I've tried ab wheels in the past and I just don't have the strength yet to use one without risking injury so I had given up on it until I tried this out. It's much more stable, so it is gentler on me, especially as I reach the end of my range. It helps me have the confidence that I can go as far as I can because of its gentle assistance in helping to return to its original position as well.
I love that it also has two different positions that you can use it in for rolling. When I started with this I used it primarily on my forearms but have since been able to move to the handles, which is harder but still not as hard as an actual ab wheel.
The timer on the top panel is very basic but helpful. You can set it by minutes and seconds and it has a start/stop button. Something to be aware of, though, is that it doesn't beep when it reaches the end of the time set, so it's very easy to not recognize when your time has passed. For me, that has ended up being a good thing as I tend to get distracted and only check at the end of the song I'm listening to, so I've gone 1-2 extra minutes, but I can see that being a minor inconvenience for some.
Another thing to note is that the top panel is not held on in a bulletproof way. Occasionally I have put too much weight on the back and the top has popped up, but that has never been dangerous so I don't mind it, but thought it worth mentioning.
I have only been using this for a few weeks at the time of this review but will be sure to update if I find anything unsatisfactory over time.
