Mini Steppers

Budget stair steppers and mini steppers

Dozens of mini steppers have flooded the market in the past few years, with most models costing between $60 and $100. Most mini steppers consist of a floor-level steel frame with foot pedals and attachable resistance ropes, but no handrails for keeping your balance. Mini steppers may be a good choice for the casual exerciser, but frequent exercisers should look elsewhere. The most common complaint about mini steppers is that they are cheaply constructed and break easily, especially with frequent use. You cannot adjust the resistance on most mini steppers, so there are few options to vary the intensity of your workouts.

There are many mini steppers that earn poor user reviews, but the Sunny Health & Fitness Twist Stepper (*Est. $65) is an exception. It posts excellent user ratings at a variety of review sites. The pedals on this mini stepper swivel from side to side in addition to moving up and down, which the manufacturer claims will help tone muscles in the butt and thighs. The resistance is adjustable via a small dial on the base, and a small LCD display tracks step count, time and calories burned.

Users at Buzzillions.com give the Sunny Health & Fitness Twist Stepper a 4.6-star rating after 75 reviews. Reviewers say the price is hard to beat, especially for those who can't afford a gym membership or a pricey piece of exercise equipment. The stair stepper is quiet and most say it is very sturdy. It takes up little space and is easy to store under a bed or in a closet. Reviewers are also pleased with the workout it provides. "I wear a heart rate monitor during my routine to make sure I am getting the same intensity I do at the gym and it hasn't let me down yet, especially when I turn up the resistance," says one user. However, some shorter users (under 5 feet 5 inches) say the attached resistance bands are too long and don't provide enough resistance.

If you prefer a mini stepper with handlebars, which help with balance, users also give high ratings to the Stamina SpaceMate Folding Stepper (*Est. $130). This folding mini stepper gets mostly positive reviews, especially at Walmart.com, where it enjoys a 4.5-star rating after more than 80 reviews. The SpaceMate Folding Stepper comes with foam-covered handlebars and a battery-operated monitor that displays steps per minute, total number of steps, time and calories. There are two adjustable-resistance hydraulic cylinders, but this stair stepper lacks workout programs and a heart-rate monitor. The Stamina SpaceMate Folding Stepper comes with a one-year frame warranty; parts are covered for 90 days.

Users at Walmart.com say the SpaceMate stair stepper is very compact, and they love that it folds so easily for storage purposes. Most reviewers also like the workout, saying it is far more challenging than they would expect. "I use the stairmaster at the gym regularly, so I am in pretty good shape... this kicked my butt," says one user. For those who can't afford an expensive stair stepper, most say the Stamina SpaceMate Folding Stepper is a decent alternative. "This does the job well for the price paid; it's nice to be able to stash this out of the way so you don't have exercise equipment dominating a room in your house," says one owner at Amazon.com.

Unlike the Sunny Health & Fitness Twist Stepper, the Stamina SpaceMate Folding Stepper requires assembly; however, users say it takes less than 10 minutes to put together. Unfortunately, some users say the mini stepper starts squeaking after a short time. In addition, some reviewers are disappointed that the handlebars don't move to provide an upper-body workout. We also saw a few durability complaints at Amazon.com, where users say the mini stepper broke after several uses.

As for determining the best budget stair stepper, the Sunny Health & Fitness Twist Stepper and the Stamina SpaceMate Folding Stepper are pretty evenly matched. So while they both get positive reviews, there is more evidence supporting the Stamina mini stepper. There are approximately 300 user reviews overall for the Stamina version compared to approximately 100 user reviews for the Sunny Health & Fitness.

The Mabis DMI Mini Stepper Exerciser (*Est. $60) has a low 12.5-inch step height and little else -- no handles, resistance bands or workout programs, although it does offer a basic, battery-operated display that keeps track of your total number of steps and elapsed time. The Wall Street Journal says the Mabis Mini Stepper is the best value out of the five steppers it reviews, and it gets high marks in about 20 reviews at Walmart.com.

On the plus side, reviewers think the Mabis DMI Mini Stepper is easy to use and quiet, so you can exercise while watching TV or listening to music. Most also report a challenging workout that gets their heart rate pumping. Like other mini steppers in this price range, reliability is an issue. Several consumers mention that the Mini Stepper Exerciser broke after several weeks of use, and a few users say the tension doesn't change much, even though it is billed as being adjustable.

Unlike the Mabis stair stepper, the Phoenix Denise Austin Mini Stepper Plus 99120 (*Est. $70), includes resistance handles for an upper-body workout while you step. The battery-operated display tracks time and number of steps, and stride length is adjustable via a small dial on the underside of the unit. Although this model has been discontinued, it can still be found at a variety of online retailers.

The Phoenix Denise Austin Mini Stepper Plus earns mostly positive ratings at Buzzillions.com (which culls reviews from a variety of other websites), where 120 users leave their feedback. Reviewers say the mini stair stepper is easy to set up and is very compact. The stepper is also quiet, and many users say they use it while watching TV. "It's a great workout if you like to do cardio in the privacy of your home," says one owner. Multiple users say the resistance bands don't offer much resistance and they can't be adjusted -- a common complaint we see for mini steppers with this feature. A few reviewers also say that the stepper gets noisy and squeaks after repeated use. There are also a few durability complaints at Amazon.com.

The Gold's Gym Mini Stepper with Resistance Tubes (*Est. $40) is one of the cheapest mini steppers available, but it gets high marks from users at Walmart.com. The Gold's Gym stepper comes with resistance bands and a small electronic monitor that displays calories burned, time, total steps and steps per minute. However, unlike more expensive mini steppers, the step resistance is not adjustable.

At Walmart.com, 91 percent of the 80 reviewers say they would recommend the Gold's Gym Mini Stepper to a friend. Reviewers love the inexpensive price tag, and most are pleased with the workout it provides. "This is great to have if you're pinched on space and budget," says one user. Overall, reviewers say the Gold's Gym Mini Stepper is good while it lasts -- just don't expect years of use. Many owners report broken components after several months of use.