Hi JJ,
Thanks so much for the info. These are all things I'm considering, as
this is a very expensive machine, and it's very hard to find any good
info about it, or this company on the web, which I find very
surprising in this day and age. After finally getting them on the
phone this week (it took 3 tries for someone to pick up); I know
exactly what you mean by poor customer service. Every question I
asked about customer satisfaction was like a complete run around. I
asked a question about the machine, and they said, why don't you just
try it for a year, or it seemed the guy got annoyed that I was asking
about results. By the end of the conversation, the only question he
did answer was admitting that approx. 3 1/2 % of the machines were
being returned for a refund, which he said himself was kind of higher
than they expected. (That's more than 3 out of every 10 machines
sold !) By the end of the conversation, he was willing to give me a
discount of first $250, and then $500 off the $3400 price just to try
it for a year, so I'm not so sure about that price of steel claim
they made. Just a very strange conversation. I think I'll wait a
little longer, because in time, the true word always gets out on the
web if this machine gives the results I'm looking for. Thx again.



--- In Explosive_Fitness@yahoogroups.com, "jj_muscle_lady"
<jbienn@l...> wrote:
>
> To All People Considering New XF7000:
>
> I used the old equipment for just under a year and then bought the
new
> equipment. I've only been using XF7000 for about 4 months. I don't
> know if I can comment on results yet or not. I haven't had any
muscle
> gains yet, but I'm not worried yet about that part either.
>
> I CAN comment on the quality of the machine and how it lives up to
the
> marketing. I've been waiting to write out all my experiences
because
> it will be a long message. Also, I wanted to use the machine long
> enough to give it a fair chance. Plus, I apparently am having a
> minority experience since no one else seems to be having the
problems
> I am having. If I'm the only one with these issues, should I take
up
> internet space?
>
> Then I saw your e-mail and realized that people are thinking about
> buying the new machine. I feel they have a right to the minority
> experience if they are interested. My bottom line is this: I am a
> committed, firm believer in the whole concept of static contraction
as
> a way to build or at least maintain muscle strength. However, the
old
> XF machines will do the job as good as the new and have A LOT fewer
> drawbacks.
>
> Here is a very quick list of some of the problems I continue to have
> with the XF7000 - in direct contradiction to the marketing:
>
> 1) Physical PAIN
> I feel like I need a tetanus shot after using the XF 7000. If I am
> not getting cut up by the rough edges on the machine, I'm getting
> different body parts pinched. Every pinch and scrape is painful,
and
> at 3 times it's been bad enough to cause bleeding. Why don't I just
> be more careful? Well, I try! How many times have you tried to
> carefully open up a bag of potato chips only to have it all go
flying?
> You try a little bit of pressure. It sticks. You try a little
more.
> Try a different angle. A bit more pressure. Etc. Next thing you
> know, the thing gives very fast and there goes the chips/body
parts.
> For a machine of this incredibly high price, it is unacceptable to
> have to deal with sharp edges and poorly fitting pieces.
>
> 2) Amount of SPACE needed
> Intuitively it looks like XF7000 needs less space than the old
> machines. Taking up less space is one of the big marketing points
for
> XF7000. But what isn't explained is that in order to actually use
the
> XF7000, you need more space than the older machines. In order to do
> the leg press, it takes up more space on my floor than the other two
> machines combined. And to make matters worse, at least with the old
> machines, the space did not have to be continuous. XF7000 needs a
lot
> of CONTINUOUS space. And it needs a lot more side room/space. The
> old machine could be put up right close to the wall. On the new
> machine, you have to roll it around and tilt it (to get lap straps
> under black bars) to do various set-ups. I can testify that if you
> don't give it enough space, you'll end up hitting your walls.
XF7000
> takes a lot more space by itself than the old upper body machine did
> by itself.
>
> 3) 20 Times HARDER TO USE
> I struggle with the machine every time when it comes to setting up
for
> each exercise. Unlike the old machines, it is impossible for me to
> set up the bar where I want it by myself. In the old machines, the
> bar held in place on the chain so you could take your hands away and
> put in the pins. On the new machine, there is no way to set up the
> bar exactly where you want and have it stay there while you then put
> in the pins. Also, if you have to put the machine on carpet, oh boy
> are you in for a world of difficulty. You can't slide the lap
straps
> under the bar, you have to try to tilt the machine. Try grabbing
> those side/vertical poles and lifting without cutting up your
hand...
> Try just doing it at all and still being able to reach the black
bars
> on the bottom and not hitting your wall... Also, getting the bars to
> slide into the back-plate for the leg press is an exercise in
> frustration. On the old machines, I had a big party where I had a
> strongest person contest. It was fun and easy to set up the old leg
> press for each person. I'd never be able to do that contest with
the
> XF7000. Etc.
>
> In addition to struggling each and every time to get the positions I
> need, the XF7000 is difficult from a physical perspective to set-
up.
> They advertise it as a machine you could get your parents. In the
old
> machine, the most I had to do was slide the bench around and lift
the
> bar. In this machine, you have to live a very heavy bench and place
> it just so in and out of some tiny holes. It puts a lot of pressure
> on my lower back. The same kind of pressure/pain is exerted to get
> the 26 pound back-plate in place for the leg press. Getting the
> machine to slide into the back-plate for the leg press is also a
bear.
> A big, nasty, frustrating, depressing,
> embarrassing-when-your-trying-to-show-your-friends, heavy bear.
> XF7000 requires a lot more heavy lifting and maneuvering than was
ever
> needed in the old machines. I'd never buy this machine for my
parents.
>
> 4) Takes A Long TIME
> All of the above not only translates into mental frustration (I've
> told friend after friend how much I hate the new machine. They ask
> because I was so excited about it coming that I told them all about
it
> up-front) when I use the XF7000, but it take a lot of TIME. One of
> the benefits of using static contraction is that you are suppose to
be
> able to get the whole work-out done quickly. I wouldn't be
interested
> otherwise. And yet it takes me a lot longer to use XF7000 than the
> old machines.
>
> 5) Unreasonable Cost And Poor Customer Service
> I'll give you two other semi-related thoughts: When selling the old
> machines, the company kept raising the price on the excuse that
steel
> prices were going up. This machine uses a fraction of the steel,
but
> they continue to raise the price. It is a machine that is lower
> quality, poorly thought-out design, and fewer pieces and yet they
want
> to charge more than the older version. Buyer beware.
>
> While I had one good interaction with the company in terms of
customer
> service, I had many, many other bad interactions. One e-mail
response
> I got was so unethical that I considered reporting them to some
> government agency. I'm sure the company is not run by bad people,
but
> I'm still waiting after over 3 months for them to fulfill two
> promises. They promised me some end-caps for one (out of several)
> spots with really rough edges. They also promised some kind of free
> upgrade. They did not explain the details of this upgrade, but I
was
> hoping it might solve some of the user-friendliness/set-up problems
> with the machine. I'm still waiting. It's like dealing with a
> mom-and-pop company, but one with questionable values. Where's the
> up-side to dealing with this company?
>
> I could go on and explain my issues better and give more issues to
> boot, but I think you get the point. If you have a chance to get
the
> old machines, go for it. I'm so sorry I sold my old machine.
>
> Sincerely,
> - JJ
>
> --- In Explosive_Fitness@yahoogroups.com, "rule1red"
<mikemusk1@o...>
> wrote:
> >
> > Hi,
> > I was on the verge of buying the new XF7000 machine, and was
wondering
> > how people are making out with it results wise. I'm hearing that
a
> > pretty high percentage of machines are being returned to EF, due
to
> > lack of people's progress with it. People had been offered a 1
year
> > trial to gain 20 lbs. of muscle, or 12 lbs. for women, by using
the My
> > Strenght Coach, and are not coming close after only 6 to 9
months, and
> > are looking to return it, or have already returned it for the
full
> > refund. Has anybody in this group had similar issues ?
> > Thanks in advance for the info.
> >
>