Comparison
Jump Your Way to Health & Fitness
Facts about Needak Rebounders
Purveyors of Asian built rebounders have been known to attack Needak with half truths and generalizations. They are fond of using “Comparison Charts” to tear away at the many “defects” of Needak rebounders. We don’t like to attack people or organizations. Even when the attacks are unfounded or ridiculous it is just not our policy to run others down. However, our loyal customers are scandalized by the gross errors out there and have begged us to respond. So here goes…..
| Competitor Claim | The Facts | |
| Warranty | Lifetime All-component Warranty | Competitor’s “fine print” severely limits what they will replace. Warranty refers to the lifetime of the rebound unit (never defined) not the purchaser. Needak offers a Manufacturer’s Warranty covering all components. Unlimited replacement of components during the specified period. Covers the lifetime of the original purchaser. |
| Hinges | Traditional hinges are an outdated design. Only the “latest” design works. Externally welded. Bulky, unsafe, pinch fingers. | Needak is using the hinge design we began with in 1990. Why abandon something that has never seen a failure. External welds are very secure and quality issues are easily revealed and corrected. It doesn’t matter how pretty the hinge is when it is covered by a good spring cover. We have yet to hear a customer complaint about the rebounder hinge being unsafe or pinching a finger. This is purely a scare tactic to generate sales. |
| Frame Paint | Spray Paint | There is nothing wrong with a spray paint finish. However, Needak uses a baked on powder coat finish that is certified Lead Free. You know how many problems there are with Lead based recalls on Asian imported products today. |
| Jump Mat | Permatron | Permatron is one of several tradenames to describe a very tough polypropylene fabric. Needak uses permatron as do many others. This is merely a category in a comparison chart for the competition make an impressive appearance |
| Soft-bounce™ Springs | Name dropping | Needak introduced the Soft-bounce™ spring in 1992 and revolutionized the rebounder industry. Soft-bounce™ is a trade name for the Needak spring. Some importers use other names for their spring copies and others just use our name. No one has matched our balance of softness and spring life. |
| Bounce | We are the best | What else can they say. Bounce is subjective and difficult to describe. Needak can make the same claim and it is just as meaningless. However, no marketer can beat our track record of consistent results. |
| Spring to Mat Connection | Outdated Bullhorn design with exposed metal edges | Bullhorn was standard for many years. However, Needak introduced a straight metal cleat many years ago which offers no safety concern. Another scare tactic. |
| Circumference Bands | Outdated stitch pattern with too few stitches and passes around the edge. | An argument of no consequence. Needak utilizes several preparatory (and time consuming) steps which stabilize the polypropylene material. Asian imported units do not do this (to save time and keep costs down). In an attempt to prevent the material from separating they have to use unusual stitch patterns, more stitches, and excessive passes around the edge to hold the material. The extra steps in our intital prep allow us to use fewer stitches and achieve a more stable jump mat. |
| Spring Cover | Plastic like thin nylon | Needak abandoned vinyl as a spring cover material in the late 1990s. The more flexible vinyl is, the faster it degrades and outgasses noxious fumes. Standard foam padding used to beef-up the look of a spring cover also breaks down and degrades. Needak does not use plastic for spring covers. We use an industrial nylon fabric in our spring covers which is actually very strong and does not emit any foul odors. It even holds up well in commercial environments. |
| Leg Length | 10 inches | Because Needak offers a more consistent spring with even tension on the coils, we can offer a rebounder with a 9 inch leg length. |
| Spring loaded folding legs | Yes | Every model since Needak was founded in 1990 has had a folding leg. More marketing company filler. |
| Quarter-Fold Portable Model | Revolutionary design | Quarterfolds have been tried many times over the last 20+ years and they have consistently had problems. Claims of fancy engineering still cannot overcome inherent flaws and instabilities. We don’t trust the idea and refuse to enter into that market. |
| Spring Cover design | Yes, tears are common. | We are not sure what they are getting at. Our spring cover utilizes velcro straps which make it easy to remove for folding. |
| Rubber leg tip | Needak tips are 33% smaller? | Our measurements show that the tips weigh the same. Our tip does have a shorter leg attachment which logically puts more rubber on the floor for longer wear life. |
| Endorsed by Al Carter | No | Sam West taught Al Carter most of what he knows about rebounding. Al Carter is a brilliant promoter and brought rebounding to the masses. Carter endorsed the Needak rebounder when he sold units produced by Needak under his ReboundAIR label for many years. West’s organization promotes Needak and Needak is endorsed by many other prominent people such as Dr. Morton Walker, Dr. Tina Wellman, Linda Brooks, and Brian Schwager. |
| Accessories | Some | Usually refers to the fact that they offer a carry case. We have a carry case and also offer a stabilizing bar, hand weights, and educational materials. |
| Educational Materials | Some | In fact we carry titles from many authors. Our competitors only carry materials they have authored and that promote themselves. |
| Other Comments | “Al Carter and a team of engineers designed Needak in the mid 80′s…Cellerciser copied Needak in the mid 90′s…”
“Both Needak and Cellerciser are owned and operated by Al Carter’s former students…” |
This is a somewhat inaccurate statement. Needak was founded in January 1990. Al Carter was our first customer. His Asian produced rebounders were a disaster and he chose to purchase a higher quality rebounder from an American company. Needak built to the design specification produced by his Asian engineers. Having given Needak the rights to the design as part of the deal, Needak has made a number of improvements ranging from higher quality materials and processes to the safety cleat and Soft-bounce™ spring. The founder of Cellerciser left the employ of Mr. Carter in the Mid 90′s to work as a salesman for Needak. After having learned our trade secrets, he left Needak and is producing a copy of our improved design in Taiwan.
Although it is true that the owner of Cellerciser got his start in rebounding with his association with and was trained by Al Carter, no one in any ownership, management, or any other role with Needak has ever been trained by Al Carter. Only one person associated with Needak has even met Mr. Carter. |
| Web Page support | Yes | Obviously more filler |
| Same-Day Shipping | No-Unregulated and variable shipping outcomes? | This one doesn’t make any sense. Inventions to fill up chart space perhaps. Needak ships primarily through UPS and secondarily through USPS. Obviously an order that is received after pickup time cannot be shipped the same day and therefore we suggest “same or next business day shipping”. |
Bounce your way to better health with a rebounder for weight loss, rehabilitation, cardiovascular fitness, and bone strengthening. We will help you meet your fitness goals with consultations, demonstrations, and personalized rebounder programs for you or your agency.