What to look for when buying a rebounder, lymphacizer or minitrampoline

Rebounders, sometimes called mini trampolines are wonderful accessories for the home gym.  The Rolls Royce of the rebounders is the New Zealand made "Lymphacizer", by the way.  I won't go into the health benefits here.  This article is about giving you a shopping guide.

There are many rebounders on the market ranging from a $50 machine up to the heavy duty 48 spring Gym R-48 Lymphacizer which sells for as much as $400.  Needless to say, there are huge differences in features, durability and feel.

When purchasing a rebounder there are number of key manufacturing features to look for, such as a heavy duty bed.  But how do you tell a heavy duty bed from a light duty one?  When shopping, I find the easiest way to sort through the rebounders is to look closely at the springs and the way they are fitted to the frames.  If the manufacturer has got this right, you can be pretty sure the rest is of comparable quality:

How do the springs fit onto the frame?

How the Lymphacizer R-36 springs
attach to the frame via welded
brackets.  The R-48 is similar.

If the springs are hooked into holes drilled into the frame tubing, you have a problem from the first use: With little more than a few hours use:

• The springs will begin to chew into the frame, causing the bed to become increasingly soft and spongy.
• The springs will wear quickly at the sharp point of contact with the frame and will soon snap.
• The frame will eventually be damaged beyond repair and only good for the refuse dump.

The  extra heavy duty springs that are found on the
Lymphacizer Gym R-48 model.  Note that
the springs come in pairs and are wound in
opposite directions.

Look for a machine that has a heavy duty tube framing with strong steel brackets that are welded to the frame and which the springs hook onto.  The springs must not hook directly onto or into the steel frame tube.

Look for heavy duty springs and at least 36 of them - no less!

Whether you are light or very heavy, repeated bouncing, walking and jogging is a huge stress on the springs. You need heavy duty springs made of the highest quality steel, that fit onto welded frame brackets (One bracket per two springs) - and lots of them!  The more the better.  

If the rebounder has less than 36 springs and if they look tiny, they simply will not last very  long at all.

Rebounder springs must be fitted in pairs with each wound in opposite directions - one is clock-wise and the other anti-clockwise.  This prevents torsional twisting of the rebounder bed, improving the experience of the user and reducing wear on the rebounder bed and frame.

Another feature of the springs is they should be tapered, narrow at the ends and widest in the middle, so that the stress of the repetitive expansion and contraction of the spring  is evenly spread over the full length of the coil.  If not, the springs will soon snap at the neck.

What weight can a rebounder model tolerate?

R-48 Gym Lymphacizer

A rebounder that does not have the heavy duty features described in this article will rapidly wear, become spongy and there will be repeated spring breakages.  The bed may also fray due to the uneven tension and may eventually tear which is a safety concern.

The heavy duty construction of the Lymphacizer R-36 and the Gym R-48 will easily handle 100Kg and replacement springs are available should you break one.  If you are over 100Kg, then fork out the little extra and purchase the more heavy duty Gym R-48.

Any questions?  Send me an inquiry via this website, thanks.

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.