Why Buying a True Commercial Product Is Important
A lot of companies are now claiming commercial status on their Vibration Training products - piggy-backing on the engineering success of others. Some players that have been in the market for years selling “Professional” models are now only trying to develop machines that can be used in this demanding scenario.
Why Go Full Commercial?
The expense can sometimes put people off buying such a product or getting involved in a commercially designed machine or company. It is tempting to fill studios or gyms with medium-grade machines to cut down on set-up costs (especially if your accountant is not educated in the value of commercial equipment).
Failing to do your homework or go cheap is simply suicide -
Think about this:
(1) The average business loan is 3-6 years depending on the amount needed for start-up.
(2) If the product is only of a low standard the unit will need replacing before the loan term is up.
Below is a statement from an award winning European company with a very good reputation.
“The Professional unit which you will be familiar with, is a very reliable piece of equipment and is researched and engineered to exceed the useful commercial life expectation of 2-3 yrs” ( approx $15,000 NZ).
Or This:
I have a list of serial numbers of machines advertised as commercial units sold to businesses in N.Z. and tests offered in court for a legal dispute in which I instigated in 2005 against another well known brand (of which they claimed they all operated perfectly). I have proof that not a single original unit tested is still in operation. How can this possibly be right ?
Unless of course they completely lied to the consumer in the first place.
It would be wise to see if any company has claimed commercial status of their units in the past and it has turned out not to be true.
(3) It is important to note that no bank will give you a loan to replace equipment you have not yet finished paying for. This is a financial trap that forces you to continue buying lower quality products over and over again.
Even if you have learned your lesson by this stage, there is no way out. In the 3rd year when you should be finally getting a return on your investment, you have to re-invest in new machinery just to stay open.
(4) This is not a mistake on the manufacturers part, it is deliberate and it continues to be most companies policy to produce goods with a limited lifespan. Why?
Take an example:
When the first fridges were produced , they were designed to never break. But it was quickly realized that this would lead to a saturation point in the market, so they started to design faults so it became cheaper to buy a new fridge than fix your old one. These companies now work on the assumption
you will need about 9 fridges in your lifetime upgrading to their new model as they release them .
Now this is all fine unless you need the fridge in your restaurant business in which case you go and by a coolstore that doesn’t break.
(5) This cycle of using under-rated machines will stop you ever achieving a debt-free business, and definitely put a kink in any expansion plans you may have had to start with.
(6) The other advantage of getting involved with a commercial brand is the ability to refurbish the product to “as new” looks when the time ever comes to sell the business. A “going concern” is only attractive if the machines look good and are still “going”.
(7) Performance related issues due to low quality will also lose you customers over the long term as they will not see the results you advertise. They will hear and read about excellent results from other companies and just think you are ripping them off. Bad word of mouth travels faster than good.
Final Word
My advice is to take the time to visit a commercial premises running the machines or using the company you are looking at getting involved with. Make sure it has been running for some time (at least 6 months) to get an idea of how the products hold up to high end usage. Do not trust the “showroom shine” appeal of a brochure or website.
If there are none of those exact units running in your country yet get someone to pop into a studio overseas - even if you have to pay for this service - it is well worth it.
Written by Lloyd Shaw on April 13th, 2008
47 Comments
- Natalie
May 30th, 2008I am looking to buy wbt machine but after extension searching on the net I can not find any information on a supplier in Perth, WA. I would really like to deal with someone in my area and view one of these machines prior to purchase.
Natalie - Natalie
May 30th, 2008sorry should say Perth WA Australia
VibroGym have reps in Australia with a list of locations you should be able to see units at work.
- Chrystal Orr
August 4th, 2008Hello all
I would like to share with you my recent experience with Josh Hayon and the team at Hypergravity Fit-n-Flex in California.
As an independent trainer I have been involved in the vibration training industry for over four years as a trainer / educator in the commercial sector throughout New Zealand, Australia, UK and South Africa. As such I have had the opportunity to work and try many different vibration units including: Vibro-gym, Gallileo, Nemes, Body Shaker, Body Coach, Body Pulse, Pulse Trainer, Vibra-Train, Fit-X, Fit-vibe Excel, Power-Plate and Crazy-Fit Massager (and its various guises).
I have just had the chance to spend an amazing few days with Josh and the team from Hypergravity Fit-n-Flex and try out the entire range of Hypergravity Fit-n-Flex units (from home unit to full commercial). I was also shown the factory and Josh took great time and care in showing me how the machines and the motors were manufactured. As an independent trainer and educator I have the luxury of working with some very knowledgeable and passionate people in this industry and had heard of the exceptional quality of the Hypergravity Fit-n-Flex units from many different sources. I can now say with great confidence, that the entire range of Josh’s units impressed me greatly with their consistency and their power and to my wonderful surprise, surpassed my expectations.
I have tried great machines and some not so great and although I have not had the opportunity to try EVERY machine out there on the market I feel excited to know that there are people in the vibration training industry who are dedicated to supplying the consumer with quality machines and good service. Only quality machines combined with education and training will ensure the survival of this incredible technology. Poorly or cheaply constructed machines, poor service, incorrect marketing and little or no education can only serve to harm those who need this technology the most.
Kind regards
Chrystal What is needed……
(1) Decent units for retail.
(2) Universal Safety practices and programs.
(3) Regulating body.
(4) Independent courses.
Now we have commercial units for sale , our next big task is to stop all the weird and wonderful moves trainers are coming up with on these platforms. Its almost as though they think “inventing” a new pose is an achievement.
Does ” if you can imagine it ,do it ” sound safe because that’s exactly what they are preaching.
Like a recent poster put up , that he could come up with 100 different things to do on my machines and that I was underutilizing them. Not thinking for a single second that maybe they had already all been done before and I am smart enough to “not” allow them.
So our focus for the next while will be to clean this up.
- Dan
August 27th, 2008Hi Llyod,
You helped me out once before, I have a studio in Western Canada and we utilize the Vibrogym Professional.
I have been following you and your efforts to clean up the industry and applaud you for your seemingly untiring efforts.
I am very interested in the IVTRB, how do I go about registering my company with the IVTRB. Is there an agreement, I reviewed the points above and completely agree. You can email us directly at revibe@live.ca.
Best Regards,
Dan
May 20th, 2008
No , it was for Andy.