I like the machines, sometimes they make these cracking noises. I have four, two of them are not so smooth, I have taken them appart to tray and see if I can make it better but no luck
I just put mine together... it’s a good option for a home reformer. I needed to WD40 the wheels and track because it was not smooth but it seems ok now. The pulley system is also a little rough so I am exploring options for how to make it smoother. The unit itself is good quality and seems sturdy. I have only used it two times so maybe it would be better for me to give a review in a month or so. I’m glad I upgraded to the wood... it looks much nicer than the ones that are basic black metal....
Carefully scrutinized the photos of this product before buying and determined that the rollers would probably "bump", in the middle, where the rails join together - and sure enough it did. It's not bad though, just a slight bump as rollers cross over this area.
Shipping pack was pretty good - but not good enough to prevent rubbing on the rails and chassis.
The screws used to connect the two rails together were coated with blue loctite (to prevent screws from backing out once installed) - HOWEVER, there was TOO MUCH blue locitite which made it hard to get some screws started in the mating threads, and in the case where screw could be started, it felt like threads might strip out due to excessive force needed to overcome the blue loctite. Therefore, excessive blue loctite was removed before installing. This worked - but took a lot of time.
I absolutely love my new pilates reformer. Love the beautiful wood design and the cushion is soft and does not hurt my knees. I love having springs vs. the chords, the adjustable foot bar, and the shoulder rests, head cushion, along with the carriage are made of great material! It was easy for me to put together as well! Very sturdy and beautiful design! Excited to build muscle without having to lift heavy weights and to get my cardio on!
This is a good home machine- much better than the corded versions. I have back issues that demand everyday attention through Pilates, and since I can't get to a class everyday, I purchased this so I can do in between home workouts. It's not as good as a studio machine, which is reflected in the price difference. I would suggest adding more springs for varied weight, and the footbar needs more padding. I used 3m hooks to hook the pulley straps to the carriage or else they just dangle. I wish the footbar came all the way down too. Would love to see some more accessories for this such as a tower. Overall good machine for the price.