Fitterfirst Duraball Pro Exercise Ball

I have used the Duraball product for 18 years now and the quality is always top notch. In my opinion, the best exercise ball on the market... hands down. This particular purchase was even sweeter because the seller offered a deep discount and although it was an open box purchase, the ball was in brand new condition and is working out beautifully.

The DuraBall Pro Plus is different from other exercise balls but, in my opinion, in good ways.Make sure that you inflate it per the instructions. It is a stiff material and it takes time for it to stretch out. If you go directly to the use size, it will become oversized. It took about five days for the wrinkles from being deflated and packed to go away. The plastic smell was strong enough that it was banished to the garage for two weeks before it could come into the house full time.I have had it a month and it hasn't deflated from the original size. I found that the arm of a dining chair was exactly the right height. The ruler is held flat against the underside of the arm and the ball is rolled under the ruler under to check the size. Quick and easy!I was concerned about the stiffness of the material but found that it compresses the same amount as other balls. There is a good contact patch. The surface finish also makes for good contact.Because it is stiff, it does go out of round if you put weight on it. Tomorrow, it will be back to round. I use the ball on its equator and rotate it just for good measure.The DuraBall Pro Plus is not bouncy like all my previous balls. You couldn't use this ball as a handle-less hoppy ball or dribble it. It is much slower to respond to input and takes more effort to make it move. This makes it more stable. It is pitched as an experienced user's ball but it seems to me that the stability would benefit beginners even more.If it is your first ball, be aware that it does not come with a pump.DuraBall is manufactured by AOK Health of Australia. I found that the DuraBall.com website was the most complete website for exercise balls that I found. My sense is that they are serious about exercise balls.The information regarding maximum weights, testing, replacing, failure rate, maximum weights, etc. sold me on the DuraBall Pro Plus. I did have a concern over the DuraBall Pro Plus being characterized as being "firmer" actually meaning "harder". It turned out not to be the case.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you own or are thinking of buying a stability ball, check out my guide "Be better informed about Exercise Balls". It has additional information gleaned from additional manufacturers' web sites.The most direct way I found to navigate to "So you'd like to..." Guides is to run a product search. Select any one of the "Listmania!" offerings on the left. A "More So You'd Like to..." box with a search box will be located on the lower right of the page. Put "Be better informed about Exercise Balls" in the search box, with or without quotes.

I bought this ball with the intention of using it in the office to improve my posture and have more comfort and flexibility than my office chair offers me.First of all, I was very surprised that this expensive ball doesn't come with a pump. I guess I shouldn't have just assumed it would come with one, but I have never heard of an exercise ball not coming with one. I also didn't count on the fact that the ball had to be blown up for several hours/overnight before you could use it. I had to make a special trip to the store after the ball was delivered just so I could blow it up with enough time to use it at work.I got the recommended diameter for my height and with a ball that says it's burst resistant up to 2000lbs, I wouldn't think that even the heaviest user would harm this ball (especially considering the price tag). But I was wrong again. After sitting on the ball for only 5 minutes, I got up because I felt like I was sinking lower - and what do I see? It's not just that the ball sank, it actually became misshaped. It became an oval shape and I had to turn the ball on it's other end to try to even out the shape...only for it to become misshapen again.I'm very disappointed. I thought this would be an excellent ball and I was very excited to use it on a daiiy basis. I don't know if I just have a defective ball or what, but I'm going to have to return it. Definitely not worth the money!

Great sturdy material--way too expensive for what it is (a plain old exercise ball), but I wanted my dad top have something nice. Perfect gift for my dad who is 6'2'' 200 lbs. Be careful not to throw away the plug for the ball--we had to retrieve them from the box in the trash because they were not tapped to the ball or visible in the packaging.

I sit on an exercise ball at work. This is by far the best one i have used. Of course there are much cheaper ones, but i love this one because it feels the most sturdy. I did have one pop on me after many years of use, but it didn't deflate instantly like most of them. I was actually able to catch myself so i didn't fall down. If you are going to use it everyday like i do, definitely worth the extra money to get this one rather than a cheap one.

It arrived without a plug. Now what??

The Fitter Duraball is about twice to price of cheaper balls out there, but the real question is: "Is it worth the extra cost?"I purchased mine as a chain replacement at work, and I'm a big guy. The 65cm size is just about the perfect height for my desk, and the ball is very firm when inflated properly. Several others at my office have bought other balls, and they tend to "mush" much more than the Duraball, even when fully inflated.The ball does not include a pump, and it does require a stretching period when first inflated, but that's because the material from which it's made is so much more thick than that of most balls. It feels very solid, and after having used it as a chair for a month, I've do doubt that it's going to last for many years.So, is it worth it? If you're going to use this for trainer/professional level fitness (instability for bench press, etc.) or want something that's going to last a long, long time, then yes. However, if you need something for more casual use (sit-ups, stretching, etc.) then it's probably not worth the extra cost.I'm very happy I bought it, but that's because I use its unique abilities.