8ft Powerslide Slide Board Lateral Exercise Trainer (Large Booties)

We got this in the mail and were never able to use it the "easy assembly" as they say was not so easy the screws on both ends did not catch and therfore the slide never assembled correctly. I was higly dissapointed i was so looking forward to using this slide it looks so fun. Oh well>.

I had a Reebok slide board for years and finally wore it out. I bought this as a replacement. I have mixed feelings about this board.pros - a great work out. It's easy to get my heart beat rate up, much easier than my exercise bike. It's kind of fun once you get the hang of it. I have the adjustable bumper set to about 6' distance which works well for me right now. It can be rolled up and stored in a closet, which is great since I live in a small condo. It's also pretty quiet compared to, say a NordicTrack ski machine.cons - it walks all over my carpet, does not stay still. I have to readjust it every few minutes (which doesn't seem to affect my heatrate anyways). I think it has to do with the slipperiness of the surface. I've tried cleaning it with limited success. New booties really improved things (they don't seem to last long), but I haven't tried Pledge. I have noticed that the slicker the surface the less it walks. Hopefully Pledge will do the trick.I found the strap to keep it rolled up to be useless, I removed it and used my own. Overall I like using a slide board for general aerobic exercise, but I wish this model stayed put. Then again my old one had the same problem. Maybe it's inherent in the design.edit: Well, after a year of semi-regular use, the bumpers began to crack. I ordered new ones, but those didn't hold up long either. Pledge definitely helped the side to side motion, but I wonder if bumpers just can't stand up to the extra force. They just aren't securely attached to the ends of the surface, and the plastic is lightweight, not too solid. I eventually threw the whole thing away and bought another model. I would no longer recommend this and unfortunately cannot change my rating.

You don't need the large slide

I agree with the earlier reviewer that it takes awhile to get the sliding technique down. However, I'm not much of a skater, and I got the hang of it after about 10 minutes, and have gotten even better since. My 11-year-old son likes it as well. I'm up to 35 minutes on the thing. I'm hoping that it will make each of us better skaters if it ever gets cold enough to form ice this winter. It's already noticeably improved my tennis quickness.I disagree with that earlier reviewer's contention that one could self-manufacture this device for $20. No, it's not as good as the professional slide board that I first used at the gym (which gave me the idea to look for one for home) and that costs $600 and would probably last 50 years. But it's not bad for $135.I bought the 10' model. The 8' model is plenty big enough, unless you're Mario Lemieux or Eric Heiden.

PROS:- Intense workout- Stores in a small space (I live in NYC)- Kinda fun when you get the hang of it- Easier on my knees than running- Different and pretty funCONS:- Hard to balance at first (could be dangerous for some)- Surface not slippery enough out of the box- User needs reasonable ice skating experience(hockey skating is best)- No illustrations in directions to show you best usage- Slightly overpricedAs the directions suggest as an option, I sprayed some furniture polish on the plastic surface so I could slide better. And then I realized why they don't have a marketing partnership with Pledge... it gets DAMN slippery! They probably have a few lawsuits on hand (I almost fell once). I found without the furniture polish, it wasn't very fun and it really didn't work.Make sure you WEAR SNEAKERS under your booties. Even if you have small feet that probably means you need the small booties (did I just type the word booties?). Wearing sneakers improves your balance and protects your feet from the contact with the end bumpers.My girlfriend, who was at one point a serious figure skater, had a lot of trouble with it in the first 5 minutes. I had a much easier time because I use hockey skates and this is very similar in motion.So, this is a pretty good item but I think you could make the same thing at home with some linoleum and a 2 X 4. the booties are just cheap nylon. Doing it yourself would probably cost under $20 as opposed to well over $100. It's definitely not a rip-off but in my opinion it should retail under $100.If you can't ice skate, DO NOT buy this. If you haver poor balance DO NOT buy this. Also, I would not recommend this item for older folks who may get hurt if falling down.Overall, this is a nice departure from the normal exercise routine and I'm getting a great workout in my NYC apartment while having a little fun. If you get it, try holding hand weights while using it. That makes for an even more intense workout.There were no reviews when I purchased so I hope this helps you!

Intense workout and fun, but.... once you work out on it a few times, the board gets scratched and therefore stops sliding, even when you use it according to the instructions as I did. It would be awesome if they made it more resistant to scratches, or, they made their own booties so that the seam does not scratch the item.

Bought for my sons. Probably could have used 6 feet. This is longer than they need. Good quality. Similar quality as the slide I used at PT