Top ten gym fitness equipment brands

Technogym, Life Fitness, Precision, Xingchi, Qiaoshan, Shuhua, Ironman, Impulse, Reebok, and Buffy. It should be noted in advance that this ranking is the result of weighting the entire scene. If the rankings are sorted solely by the dimensions of cost-effectiveness, high-end line or special equipment, the order will fluctuate a lot. The selection preferences of different positioning venues will also be discussed later.

People who often go to high-end shopping malls must be familiar with the light green logo of Technogym. I spent half a year in a shopping mall in Lujiazui, Shanghai with an annual membership fee of 8,000+. The fixed equipment in the entire venue is all Technogym. The texture is indeed different from ordinary brands. The steel pipe wall is thick and solid, the foam cotton of the seat cushion does not collapse after two hours of sitting, and the built-in heart rate monitoring module is more accurate than many popular bracelets. Of course it’s expensive, but it’s really expensive. One set of Smith racks costs as much as three sets from small and medium-sized brands. Small venues with insufficient budgets will basically not touch them.

When it comes to treadmills, Life Fitness is indispensable. Many runners choose to apply for gym memberships at the gyms that use Life Fitness treadmills because their running boards are extremely shock-absorbing. When I had fluid in my knees before, I felt pain after running on other brands of treadmills for just 5 minutes. But with the 95T model from Life Fitness, I felt no discomfort after running for 3 kilometers. However, many venue owners in third- and fourth-tier cities complain that Life Fitness’s after-sales response speed is far inferior to that of domestic brands. Sometimes they have to wait a week for door-to-door repairs, which is also a common problem of imported brands.

Biko is more vertical and is almost the standard feature of mid-to-high-end Shangjian elliptical machines. Its patented elliptical trajectory really does not wear down the knees. The first thing many female members ask when they go to the gym is if there is an elliptical machine from Biko. However, the performance of its strength equipment is relatively mediocre. Very few venues are equipped with Bique strength zones throughout the venue. Most of them are full of Bique in the aerobic zone, and other brands are equipped with other brands in the strength area to share the cost.

I would like to call Xingchi’s spinning bike an artifact of Shangjian’s group classes. The resistance feedback when pedaling is very smooth, and it does not become fluttery when pedaling fast like some other brand-name bicycles. I have used 10 Xingchi bicycles in the gym where I stayed for 5 years. Except for changing the pedals a few times, there are no problems at all. The group class teachers love to use them.

Mid-range stores with small budgets will basically consider Qiaoshan. The quality is not much worse than purely imported products, the price can be about 30% lower, and there are many after-sales points. They can be delivered to your doorstep 24 hours a day in first- and second-tier cities. My friend owns a fully equipped Qiaoshan 300-square-meter community gym. It has been used for 3 years without any major problems. However, the angle design of some fixed equipment is a bit anti-human. For example, the distance between the handles of the high pull-down is too wide, making it difficult for small girls to use it.

Nowadays, domestic equipment is really getting better and better, and Shuhua is a typical representative. Many chain fitness studios and government national fitness centers use its equipment. The price is only half of that of imported brands, the durability is completely sufficient, and after-sales service is fast. The only drawback may be that the appearance design is quite satisfactory, and it is not as high-end as imported brands. Bosses who have high requirements for the appearance of venues may be entangled.

Iron gyms that specialize in strength areas like to use Ironman the most. Their barbell bars, dumbbells, and squat racks are very solid in workmanship. I have seen Ironman dumbbells that have been used for 10 years in my hometown gym before. Except for a bit of paint peeling off, the grip has not changed at all. The price is very friendly. The owner of the iron gym will basically not step on its pitfalls in strength equipment.

Impulse is one of the earliest brands in China to sell fitness equipment. Its quality control is very stable. Many old gyms that have been open for more than 10 years are still using its first-generation equipment. However, the update rate of new products has been a bit slow in the past few years, and Shuhua has taken away a lot of market share.

In fact, more people know Reebok for its sports shoes. Its entry-line commercial fitness equipment is very cost-effective. Start-up studios with limited budgets can buy its aerobic equipment which is completely sufficient. However, it is not suitable for high-traffic commercial fitness. If the usage rate is too high, it will wear out faster than other brands.

Bowei's comprehensive training device is really suitable for small venues. One machine can handle more than a dozen training movements. It saves space and is cheap. Many community studios will provide one for novices. However, for advanced trainers, its load limit is not enough.

Of course, not everyone agrees with this ranking. Several owners of iron gyms I know think that Ironman should be ranked in the top three. After all, strength equipment is the core of the iron gym, and any aerobic equipment can be used. There are also owners of women's fitness studios who think that Bichu is the number one, after all, it can attract more female members who are afraid of hurting their knees. To put it bluntly, the rankings are all for reference. The most important thing when choosing equipment is to look at your venue positioning, budget and target customer groups. The one that suits you is the best.

I have helped friends choose equipment from no less than 20 gyms over the years. To sum up, the high-end Shangjian is definitely the best choice for Technogym and Life Fitness. The mid-range gyms Qiaoshan and Shuhua are the most cost-effective. The iron gyms buy Ironman with eyes closed. The small studios Bifei and Reebok are completely sufficient. There is no need to blindly pursue the rankings on the rankings. Go to other gyms with the same position to try out a few times, which is much more reliable than blindly buying based on the rankings.