ProForce Stretchmaster II

product works good, incriments are small so you can go as far as you can without hurting yourself. Look forward to seeing my progress. Was almost completely assembled; had to add on the wheels under the legs and the steering wheel. No instructions, but it is not too hard to figure out. It comes with tools that you need, too.

This is my second stretching machine and this one is much better then my old century ratcheting model. The wheel action allows for a much more precise and controlled stretch. It also let's you relieve pressure gradually when done stretching. The century model releases all at once and makes for a more painful exit. This is a great tool for martial artists of all ages trying to increase flexibility.

This is all around a solid product. If you're looking for a way to increase your flexibility, this is it. I give it four stars instead of five for two reasons. The first is that the support beam for the back rest isn't very strong. If you lean back too far on it, you'll bend or break it - be aware of that. The second is that the wheel is a little wobbly when you're turning it to expand your stretch, and can come off of the base a little easy. It's easy removal seems like a good thing, but I'd prefer a snap-lock mechanism. Because, when you're in full stretch, pushing your limits, yelling to the heavens and giving yourself a mighty pep-talk, you might shake or wiggle a little bit... And that wheel coming off in the moment you're trying to end your stretching pain is a tad frustrating. But all in all, just don't lean back in your stretching too much, and don't be a wobbly tense shaking yelling kind of stretcher so the wheel won't slide off, and you'll be fine.

This stretcher does exactly what it advertises. It requires no assembly and has worked flawlessly from day one. The only thing I would like is a degree of stretch indicator but that can be overcome by simply counting the number of turns of the wheel. I have seen significant improvement in a very short time but that improvement only comes if you are willing to push yourself.

Wow this thing really puts the stretch on. I'm no where near as flexible as I thought I was. The Jean-Claude Van Damme Volvo commercial gave me the motivation to buy this. If that dude can do the splits at 50 something years old, I sure as hell can get there at 40! I use this in the evening after my workouts. It's nice to sit in the living room and watch a little TV while stretching. Wear sweats and socks when you're using it. Bare skin tends to stick to the leg rests and it will not allow your legs and heel to slide freely when you're really cranking it down. Trust me, sweat pants and socks make for a better stretching experience. The only assembly involved with this item is installing the hand wheel. It just slips on, can't get any easier than that. You can remove it too and this allows you to lean forward or grab your toes for that super stretch. I don't know how long it's going to take me to achieve Jean-Claude Van Damme flexibility but I know one thing for sure, this thing will get me there, eventually.... Awesome device, get it!

I don't usually rate a machine but based on the super high reviews I am always skeptical if they are written by employees of the manufacturer. Let me start by saying, if you need instructions to put this together you are an idiot. This comes completely assembled minus twisting a few wheels on the bottom and screwing the handle into the steering wheel. That is amazing for a product like this. Quick background on myself... I'm a runner/triathlete so I bought this to help me stretch and add to my routine. It does feel amazing to stretch a bit, remove the wheel and lean forward, then repeat. Once you feel stretched, twist the wheel to release stretch and do it again. You can definitely see improvements. Here are the most annoying things about this high quality stretch device: 1. The plastic wrap. What the hell is going on? It was pre-wrapped and assembled at the factory with the wrap on so there is no way to get rid of the plastic covered without disassembling it. Why would you do that? Why not take a razorblade and cut a slit to allow you to screw the bolts in without locking the plastic wrap in place. 2. It has a cheap mesh that will eventually rip on the back of the pads. Not sure why but just get rid of it, it doesn't do anything 3. Lastly, the pads are not adjustable. There either needs to be a cutout for your knee or some way to adjust the pad. It will put strain right on the muscle outside your knee cap. The more you crank, the more pressure you get. Either adjustable pad or a slit in the existing pad would have fixed this. Like I said, highest quality one you can currently purchase and worth the extra price but not perfect.

I was skeptical before ordering this product. But, now I'm in love with this stretcher. It's well built machine ready to take beat. Highly recommend to anyone with flexibility issue especially for Martial art.

It pains me to write a good review for this product because it is essentially a medieval torture device and I've been experiencing a lot of pain at its hands, but I am using it voluntarily and it seems to be achieving its intended purpose. This gets four stars from me because it could definitely be better. I'm going to tell you how, but I'm not sure why I'm even bothering: this thing is undoubtedly the best such product that exists (which isn't a super high bar, given that there seem to be exactly two such products out there), so just buy it. I've had access at a martial arts school to the other kind where you push the handle to ratchet your legs apart, and it's absolutely not worth it. The lack of granularity as you get farther out makes it way too hard to push yourself to the limit. The wheel crank on this version, on the other hand, has effectively infinite granularity which is great for just pushing yourself that extra little bit of the way when you think you can't go any farther. Now for the things that could be better: 1. If your legs are just the right length that your ankles want to slide into the gap between the two parts of the leg rest, that can be painful. I prefer to wear shoes when using it to mitigate that. 2. The back rest is short. When I'm on the settings that lean back I pretty much have to support myself with my hands to avoid arching my back farther than I'd like over the back of the back rest. Not a huge deal, but I wish it would just support a little higher. 3. The base is bare metal and WILL SCRATCH YOUR HARDWOOD FLOOR. Make sure to put some mats under this thing. 4. When you're setting the back rest up at its highest setting, it's easy for the support to get stuck a little bit short of the point it's supposed to fit into (you'll see what I mean once you have it in front of you, this is hard to describe), at which point it will bend and potentially break when you put pressure on the back rest. Always be careful to settle the back rest support directly into the ridges it's meant to fit into.