Stair Steppers

Budget stair steppers and mini steppers

Since stair steppers have declined so much in popularity, many fitness-equipment manufacturers are simply no longer making them. Icon Fitness, the largest fitness-equipment manufacturer in the U.S., now makes only one stair stepper, the NordicTrack MTN 740 (*est. $1,000). Nautilus is the second-largest fitness machine manufacturer. This company used to make the highly regarded Schwinn 305p stepper, but this model is now discontinued. Nautilus does own the StairMaster brand, and it still makes five models under that name, but these models start at $2,600.

If you don't want to spend $2,600 on a club-type stair stepper, your choice is mainly limited to mini steppers. Mini steppers are a good option if you travel a lot or have very little storage space. Most mini steppers consist of a floor-level steel frame with footplates and attachable resistance ropes, but no other handrails for keeping your balance. The Wall Street Journal tested five of these mini steppers, and testers found that they felt surprisingly stable, even without handlebars. The Brookstone Fold-Away Cardio Stepper (*est. $200) has a 16-inch step height, a telescoping handle for extra stability and a digital display with pulse monitor. The Brookstone wins Best Overall from The Wall Street Journal, in spite of the fact that the display stopped working after the first try in their testing. User reviews are mixed for the Fold-Away Cardio Stepper. The vast majority of the owners who supply reviews say it works as advertised, but a few owners complain about flimsy construction.

The Mini Stepper Exerciser from Allegro Medical (*est. $50) has a low 12.5-inch step height and little else -- no handles, no programs and no display. Still, The Wall Street Journal awards this model a Best Buy designation. Another option, the Kettler Vario Stepper (*est. $120) has a computer that tracks time, speed, steps climbed and energy consumption, but you'll have to bend down to floor level to see it. Both get a few reviews at Amazon.com; the Mini Stepper Exerciser gets much better overall reviews than the Kettler. However, the Kettler Vario Stepper has been discontinued. The only Kettler stepper still being manufactured is the Power Stepper (*est. $700) , which does not have any reviews by professionals or by owners.

Over the last couple of years, Denise Austin's Phoenix Mini-Stepper 1358 became a hot item on Amazon.com, both because of its small price and its small size. The replacement model, the Phoenix Denise Austin Dual Action Mini-Stepper 98107 (*est. $90) is also getting great reviews. Owners say the hydraulic resistance steps are quiet, although the arms have no resistance and can fall to the floor if you're not careful. Most owner reviews say you can get a good workout on the Phoenix. There is no heart rate monitor (as with the Brookstone stepper), but the battery-operated electronic display keeps track of time and number of steps. This stepper has a capacity of up to 250 pounds. There isn't much of a warranty -- just 90 days for the parts and one year for the frame.

If you like the idea of a stepper that folds up when you're not using it, the Stamina SpaceMate Folding Stepper 40-0069 (*est. $120) does just that. This mini stepper has an electronic monitor that counts the steps per minute, steps during a workout, workout time and calories burned. This mini stepper has casters, so it is easy to move around. There are two adjustable-resistance hydraulic cylinders, but there are neither programs nor a heart-rate monitor. At Amazon.com, all owners praise this mini stepper as a good value. Stamina offers a one-year warranty on the frame and 90 days on parts.

The NordicTrack MTN 740 (*est. $1,000) has the appearance of a club-style stepper, with a heavy base, eye-level control console and handlebars. It also has a pulse monitor, a built-in fan and is iFit compatible. With iFit, you can download workout programs from the Internet. The programs can help vary your workout by controlling resistance and speed. The NordicTrack stair stepper comes with a one-year warranty. We didn't find reviews on this model, however, not even a user review at Epinions. The NordicTrack MTN 740 has a maximum user weight of 250 pounds. On our last visit to the manufacturer's website, this stepper was listed as out of stock.

Top-of-the-line stair steppers

If you're not new to stair steppers and want a durable club-type machine, reviews and owners recommend the StairMaster PT line. The StairMaster FreeClimber 4200PT (*est. $2,600) has many of the same features as commercial stair steppers, including four workout programs, 20 levels of resistance and the same electronic brake system used in commercial machines. This stair stepper has upper handlebars for stability while maintaining proper posture. An LED display keeps track of time, distance, calories burned and floors climbed. The StairMaster comes with a reading rack, a water-bottle holder and an accessory tray. There's a 300-pound user weight limit, so it's stable for most everyone. StairMaster offers a 15-year frame warranty, three-year parts warranty and one-year labor coverage. You will have to place the StairMaster 4200PT near an electrical outlet, since it requires an external power source.

The StairMaster 4600PT (*est. $3,400) has a more extensive handlebar that runs the length of the machine. It also has an LCD display instead of an LED readout. This stair stepper includes a heart rate monitor and has six workout programs instead of the four workouts of the 4200PT. It has the same 20 resistance levels, bottle holder, accessory tray, 300-pound user weight limit and warranty as the 4200PT. The StairMaster 4600CL (*est. $3,500) is identical to the 4600PT, except that it’s cordless and comes with a battery charger to power the display.

Fitness professionals prefer stair steppers that allow your feet to remain parallel to the floor at all times. The StairMaster models have leveling foot pedals so your weight is never pushed forward, and your center of gravity is always over your heels. Less expensive machines do not have leveling pedals. At the top position of these lesser models, pedal and foot are at an angle to the floor. These steppers are less expensive to build, but may feel less stable to some.

Important Features: Stair steppers

Experts say to look for the following when choosing a stair stepper or climber:

• Check stability: Feeling secure is key on a stair stepper. Test-driving a model in a store is your best bet. Naturally, a wider, heavier base will help, but these models are more expensive and take up more floor space.

• Noise: Whether it's powered by hydraulic pistons or by cables and chains, a stair stepper should be reasonably quiet. Hydraulic pistons tend to be noisier.

• Heart-rate monitor: Many stair steppers include a heart-rate monitor, since exercisers may want to know if they're in their target heart rate zone while working out. You can always use a separate heart-rate monitor (or time the rate yourself with a clock that has a second hand), instead of buying a stepper with this included feature.

• Upper body accessories: Some models include handlebars or bands that allow you to simultaneously get an upper body workout. Some people like these, while others find the coordination difficult.

• Programs: Look for a variety of programs, including hill, heart rate and custom workouts.

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

# of Picks	Model (With Retailer Links)
1 each	StairMaster 4200 PT , Bowflex TreadClimber , Brookstone Fold-Away Cardio Stepper , Kettler Vario Stepper, Denise Austin Mini Stepper , Airclimber , Stamina InStride Electronic Stepper

Stair steppers are not nearly as popular as they once were, and we found very few reviews for currently available models. In older reviews, we found good ratings for the Schwinn 305p, the StairMaster 4400 PT and the Tectrix/Cybex CardioTouch 2000. However, these models have been discontinued. To identify the best models, we checked top picks in reviews against owner reviews at Epinions and Amazon.com.

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