Body By Jake Tower 200 review

contingencyplan

The Tower 200 is basically a resistance band system similar to what Bodylastics sells. What sets the Tower 200 apart from other band-based systems is the fact that it is attached to a sturdy metal frame that attaches to your door. I can't fault it's claims because it does everything it claims to do. It gives you a total body workout with a lot of resistance options and it comes with a DVD containing a variety of different workouts you can do with it. It is, however, far from perfect.

1. The promo material on it claims that it has pads on it to prevent it from damaging your door. Only the part that wraps around the bottom half has these pads. The top half is straight metal on your door so it WILL scratch the paint.

2. The system itself is very sturdy and most of it is made out of solid metal. However, the retaining clips that hook the bands up to the handles are a cheap plastic and weaken over time through use. They will eventually snap on you while working out so it is important to inspect them periodically and replace them when needed. You can tell they are getting close to breaking because the plastic, which is normally a dark gray, will begin to get white lines on it showing stress marks. You will likely need to replace them once a year, and they're pretty expensive to replace. Failure to replace them when needed will result in snapping, which, at best, gives you a welt, and at worst, serious injury.

3. The biggest flaw with the Tower 200 is the fact that it is over-engineered for what it REALLY is. Every single thing you can do with the Tower 200, you can also do with a simple set of resistance bands and a door hook that costs far less. The metal frame (which is what you're paying for over a conventional resistance band system such as Bodylastics or Lifeline TNT) is basically a glorified, over-engineered door hook for a set of (admittedly heavy duty) resistance bands.

I give it 3 out of 5 stars because, as I said, it does everything it claims to do in all the promotional materials. It's a good, solid workout device that is able to give you a serious workout. But due to the high cost of buying it and maintaining it compared to a basic set of resistance bands and a door hook that can do everything this can and more, I can't recommend it.