When I am looking at exercise equipment cheap I break items down into two main categories:
1. A category where the manufacturer and the general condition of the equipment does not matter that much.
2. A category where the manufacturer and shape of the equipment matters a great deal.
Types of cheap fitness equipment where the manufacturer and condition do not matter that much:
Generally speaking, objects that do not move fit into this category. The best example is free weights—all they do is weigh something down. They do not move, do not require any special technology, and can really be made by anyone. In this case then I would look at the exercise equipment for cheap first and see how much money I could save. Of course, you don’t want anything that is rusting, but overall the shape of the equipment doesn’t matter that much, and it’s pretty hard for a weight to not be able to perform its function of weighting something down. Other types of equipment that would fall into this category (again just a general rule) are: pull up and push up bars, jump ropes, weight benches (just be careful for torn areas), and balance balls.
Types of equipment that you should be careful of buying cheap:
Again, very generally speaking, but when you are looking at cheap exercise equipment for sale be careful with anything that fits into the following categories:
1) Costs a lot of money
2) Has a lot of moving parts
3) Has any type of computer in it
The best example I can think of would be a treadmill. New or used, you will have to make a judgment call as to what quality that you need. However, be aware of the discount brands (such as Sportcraft)—it is very hard to build a good, solid treadmill at cheap prices without cutting corners (hence the recalls with Sportcraft treadmills). You can still find a good, cheap treadmill or even a good, used treadmill cheap but you will need to do your homework and thoroughly inspect all the moving parts, computer, etc. before you buy it. Other examples of fitness gear that you need to be careful with include: elliptical machines, bowflex-type machines (the rods tend to wear out over time), recumbent and regular exercise bikes, and basically any other type of equipment that falls into one of the three above categories.
