Transformative Experience
I was a Kickstarter backer for Speediance. I initially had my reservations, and I ended up pulling the trigger. That was one of the most exercise transformative decisions I ever made. The machine has been a very effective resistance training tool, and I use it almost daily. The reason for this effectiveness is the ease in the ability to increase or decrease resistance, the ability to combine eccentric and chain modes in my workouts, and the surprisingly good exercise videos, which are very easy to follow. Build Quality: This has been excellent. I have had no problems with the main machine except when I had Bluetooth connectivity issues with the exercise handles—more on the problems I had with Bluetooth connectivity are below. Software: The experience has been great. There was a software overhaul and a refreshed interface. The experience improved heavily based on the company's feedback from the Facebook group. Customer Support: This went from lackluster to excellent in my experience. The company promptly replaced some missing parts of my rowing attachment and replaced my Bluetooth handles with the recently released Bluetooth ring when their Bluetooth connectivity worsened. According to the company, new Bluetooth handles are currently in development and scheduled to be released soon. Also, based on other people's experiences, I am confident that if any issue should arise with my machine, they will promptly help me get it fixed. My cons - No voice control. I wish I could say, “Hi, Speediance, set the weight to 40 LB.” - The platform is heavy. It locks in place when raised and lowers after pressing a release button. A Hydraulic to slow down the platform's descent would have been marvelous. I also wished the platform was a little longer. Most aftermarket benches are often longer than the platform. - I wish more “smarts” were added to the software, slightly lowering the weight to allow you to complete a rep and slightly increasing it in real-time when it detects that the weight is light based on your speed and effort. Yes, there's a spotter mode, but what I described above differs. So far, the Speediance is an all-around resistance training machine with excellent build quality, support, and software without a subscription currently.