Recently there has been widespread debates and concerns over the Chinese gym equipment manufacturing process. The TracFitness knowledge center is here to break the taboo and finally tell you what's the truth behind everything.
Let's Get Started
Meanwhile in China
In recent years China has been getting the bad rep for manufacturing poor quality fitness equipment products. In the fitness market we have seen numerous products and machines go bad. Plates have broken, bars have bent and come apart, and even machines have left users sadly disappointed. So there you have it, MADE IN CHINA must mean skip the deal.....Well it's not quite simple.
The Truth | Where is Gym Equipment Manufactured?
The truth is that nowadays it's hardly impossible to pickup a common object in your house and not find the "Made in China" lettering. There a many reasons for this. China is a country that had an abundance of resources and materials. Many American companies (Apple included) go to China to keep manufacturing costs down. They have strict control of the quality of products going into their units and make sure its final assembly occurs in the USA. In a similar manner, high end companies have gone overseas to keep prices low. Many companies go to countries like China and Taiwan to minimize the cost of producing high end products.
Everyone is Guilty
Everyone is guilty of it, including LifeFitness, Matrix, Precor, and even True. Now just because the manufacturing occurs in Asia does not mean these $5,000 machines are poor quality. In fact, the opposite is true. Well established companies have representatives constantly travel to these countries to inspect the quality of production. Believe me, they make sure everything is perfect before it gets shipped out to the United States or Europe.
Is Gym Equipment Still Manufactured in the USA?
There are companies that do manufacture gym equipment in the United States. These companies choose to keep their manufacturing local as they can much more easily monitor the quality of their products. Since it is more costly to manufacture in the United States, it wouldn't make sense to manufacture cheap products. The only ones who are able to bring the prices very low ( you may have seen those $30 bars) is China. American companies won't manufacture poor quality products because they wouldn't be able to compete. Therefore, everything made in the USA is usually premium.
Be cautious
China is a tricky country in the sense that you can have both good products and bad products. Keep in mind that the quality of your treadmill, machines, and even plates are dictated and designed by AMERICAN COMPANIES. Chinese companies are not designing these units. As a matter of fact China often copies what has already been designed and patented.
There are many popular brands that actually thrive on selling poor quality products. You may have seen them on Walmart or on Amazon or even at your local sporting goods store.
Conclusion
Company history is everything. If you are stuck between a few brands, check out the company's history. Make sure you read reviews and look at the quality of manufacturing. Not everything on paper or in the description is accurate. It is always recommended to contact a professional company that deals with multiple brands (TracFitness) or to visit a gym where you can actually see the product. There are many new brands that manufacture at the same quality as veteran brands and there are others you should completely avoid. If your product is coming from a guy sitting in his computer and ordering generic products from Alibaba, the best bet is to avoid it at all cost. But if you're stuck with two high end companies, choose the one you like the most!