I previously owned a Flexaball brand stability ball; I'm not sure if it was defective or just poor quality, but I needed to add air every time I used it, which became extremely tedious. Finally, I decided to get myself a high quality ball, and after much research (including many recommendations from others), I chose Thera-Band, and I couldn't be more pleased. I have the red 55-centimeter ball, which seems to work very well for my height (just under 5'5", but recommendations for ball height can vary widely). Unlike my previous ball, the Thera-Band NEVER needs additional air added; I've owned it for about a year now, and there has been absolutely no noticeable deflation. In addition, my new Thera-Band is burst-resistant, with material that feels thicker and more durable than my old ball. The only (minor) issue with this ball is that it does not come with its own pump; I just use my old one, but you could also buy one separately and/or use a bicycle pump. Overall, however, I've found this ball to hold up well under regular use (about once per week), and I would definitely recommend it. Thera-Band Exercise Ball, Green
As many of the reviews state, the Thera-band exercise ball is of good quality and comes with an excellent booklet of exercises and activities. After the ball finished outgassing (it smelled like vinyl flooring for about 12 hours) I came across a longer-term problem: size. I'm 6' so I ordered the suggested 65 cm/26" ball. Unfortunately the ball is closer to 20" in height. I thought I'd confused diameter and circumfrence, but after reviewing my geometry realized that wasn't the problem. These are small balls, no way around it. I recommend ordering a larger ball than suggested by the manufacturer.
I received my new red thera-ball about 1 week ago. I am approximately 5'1" tall, to give you a reference point.
The good things:
Very solid construction and thick material. I feel very safe doing strength exercises, especially since I know that the ball is burst resistant. The ball does not come with a pump, but does have adapters so you can take your own pump and easily plug it in for inflation. The ball also comes with an extra plug for the inflation port and a neat little gadget to remove it for deflation because you have to inflate it to pretty high pressure to achieve the ball's maximum size. There is also an interesting measuring tape type thing to make sure you don't overinflate the ball.
The not so good things:
The balls do eventually reach their maximum size as stated on the package. However, you really have to inflate them to a high pressure to reach that maximum size, which results in a ball that is very firm. If you like your exercise ball slightly squishy, order up a size or two so that way you have some wiggle room to leave it slightly deflated and comfy, but still the correct size. I ordered the correct ball for my height, but my long legs compared to my height make me feel like maybe I should have gone 1 size higher.
The things to be aware about:
Theraballs are intended to be used in a clinical setting for physical therapy, so when you receive your package, you get the bare minimum you need to get started, not a fully loaded consumer package. You'll need to add a bicycle pump or some other pump to this purchase if you don't have one. Other than that, have fun with your solidly built, very colorful Theraball! :-)
I purchased this ball to help with a recent back injury. I'm 5'10" and accordingly purchased the 65cm ball designed for people from 5'7" to 6'1". Even when fully pumped up, it was still too small for me. I know that it's probably not the ball's fault that I have long legs, but you should make sure that if you know you have long legs, you think about getting the next bigger size ball. I've got a friend who was willing to buy the ball from me, so I didn't have to deal with the return process. The ball itself was very nice, very durable and comfortable. If the ball weren't too small, I'd be thrilled with the purchase.
I think the ball is very high quality however I think the high cost of shipping is just a way for them to keep their prices low but still increase their profit. My ball arrived within a week and was shipped UPS but was packaged in nothing but a UPS shipping envelope and for this I paid $9.45 to ship a $13 ball! I WAS CONTACTED BY THE COMPANY AFTER POSTING MY REVIEW AND THEY ADJUSTED THE SHIPPING COSTS TO A MORE REASONABLE LEVEL. I WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE WAY THEY HANDLED THE SITUATION.
The ball itself is very sturdy but seems to be smaller than indicated. I am 5'3" and had a 65mm ball and found some of the moves very difficult because the ball was too large. I purchased a 55mm ball and now have the exact opposite problems. Sitting on the ball is fine, but when I need to lie over it or pull it into my side it's not large enough. If you're ordering you may want to consider the next larger size. - Exercise Ball - Ball Chair - Exercise - Balance Ball Chair'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
