Ironman ATIS 1000 arrived quickly. First unit had serious missing parts and damaged parts. Called 800 # in manual and they were great in sending a totally new unit that was perfect. So, I had to disassemble old and assemble new unit! Day first unit arrived Amazon dropped price and Amaszon IS IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTACT IN ANY WAY BEYOND INITIAL ORDER! Would appreciate the new price difference over what I paid! Ironman machine is VERY WELL MADE. Would not buy any unit which does not offer the 10 position locking table. Also, the ankle cuffs (standard on this Ironman) hold me very comfortably with no thought of slipping. Don't have to purchase separate ankle cuffs as with the Teeter units or most others. In summary: Although the 1st machine arrived with "issues", and although I directly called the West Coast Importer (PARADIGM) for another unit, it was still worth it. The machine has all the correct features and is well constructed. My real gripe is that Amazon is impossible to contact for any reason beyond their stock customer response issues. I find that scarry.

I purchased this table to help with my lower back pain. It took me about thirty minutes to assemble. After just a few minutes on it, I felt just as much relief (if not more) than a week's worth of visits to the chiropractor. Using Amazon Prime shipping, I placed my order on Monday morning, and Fedex was at my door before noon on Thursday. Very pleased all around.

Well-built. It took some time to put together, but the instructions are clear. I took the pad off as it didn't hit my neck at the right place, but it isn't necessary anyway. I weigh 200 pounds and feel very safe doing crunches while hanging upside down.

I just recently purchased the Ironman Inversion System - nice, very nice!

This review is in five parts:
1. About the inversion system
2. Assembling the Ironman Inversion System
3. Assembly Steps that deserve comment
4. Broken or missing parts
5. Health Warnings (added because I didn't see this anywhere until I read the manual).

About the inversion system

This is not my first inversion system; I have a Stamina Inversion Therapy Table where we spend our summers. I purchased that unit from Amazon in May 2007. If that model had been available, I would have just reordered it. Since that unit is no longer available, I had to search out a new inversion system.

The Ironman is better than the Stamina in several ways. Number one is the capability of locking the bed at desired angles.

1.) I like this when I'm in the inverted position because you can move your arms without the inversion system moving safely but annoyingly at the pivot. Also, because of my back problems at times when my back was really hurting I would lay on the floor with a pillow under my head. I thought I would try the Ironman locked in the horizontal position and by golly it works! I put my feet into the heel locks just as a safety precaution. Then I rotated the bed to the horizontal position and locked it. It is more comfortable than the floor but stiff enough that it works. I have also tilted it just beyond horizontal when my back is hurting. It feels good but I still have not decided how long to stay in that position.

2.) The foot holder is a lot more comfortable than my Stamina. It is mounted so that the orientation and position of what they call the "Heel Holder" is just right.

There are some minuses.

I like the head rest but this one is not adjustable. Ironman should fix this. I removed one bolt and rotated the headrest to an ideal position for me.

The Ironman folds up but it is big and heavy. If you have to put it away this inversion system probably isn't the unit for you.


Assembling the Ironman Inversion System

The Ironman Inversion System comes in a big box and it is heavy. The UPS guy brought it into my home and put it in the room where I wanted to set the unit up. I am an engineer and when I opened the box it scared me and I am fearless. I got my electronic camera and took several pictures of the opened box and even marked all the Styrofoam blocks in case I had a problem with the unit. As it worked out, I didn't have anything to fear. Every piece was wrapped. The screw, bolts, nuts and washers came mounted on one piece of cardboard held in place by shrink wrap plastic. Where possible they made sets by putting the nut and the washers on the bolts. Also on that board were the tools you need to put the unit together.

The part I was most concerned with - mounting the bed to the frame - turned out to be quite easy because it was designed for assembly by one person.

Regarding assembly; allow two hours. You have to take all of the parts out of the box before you find the manual at the bottom of box. When I looked at the manual I was comfortable everything would go together. The front and rear leg assemblies including the pivots were already together. I had to add the bed headrest, the boom that mounts the heel holders; these kinds of parts. Assembly is not a cake walk but if you follow the directions and are comfortable with a wrench in your hand, you should be able to assemble this unit.

Lay out the bolts in an area convenient to where you will be assembling the unit. Organize the bolts in the same relationship as the picture on Page 6 of the Manual. Do not disassemble the nut and the washer. They will be the right parts in the right quantity for each assembly position.

You can assemble the unit using just their tools. Although these are metric size nuts and bolts, the following are my tools that I used for assembly:
A 1/2 in. and 5/8 in. open end wrench
A Phillips screwdriver with a #1 and a #3 bit
A 10mm socket (3/8 in will work)

Assembly Steps that deserve comment

Step 1, Putting on the four feet - The directions do not refer to the F and the B decals on the feet. Put the F feet on the front and the B feet on the back.

Step 3, Place the bed into the frame - just as the picture shows. Insert the two #43 bolts with one washer on each side as shown in the instructions. Tighten lock nuts finger tight (they will just start). You will have to wiggle the bed to get the holes to line up. Don't worry; they have plenty of play. Then insert the two #44 bolts with a washer on each side as per the directions and put the nylon nut on finger tight. This way you will have everything loosely assembled before you tighten anything down. Tighten the #44 nuts and bolts a little at a time alternating between the left and right bolt. Then tighten the #43 bolts in the same way.

Step 7, the instructions have an error. The washer is shown on the nylon nut side but it should be on the bolt head side. The nylon nut side has a very nice hex retainer for the nut built in. Position the lock nut in the retainer then tighten the bolt.

Step 8, Screw #80 - fasten snug and back off about ¼ turn.

Broken or missing parts

One little plastic part was chipped. No big deal; everything would work but thought I should get a replacement. How easy this was! I called the phone number shown on the manual; pushed the button for service and my call was taken by a human being. He started to ask for the order number but when he knew it was ordered from Amazon he asked for my zip code and was able to pull up my record. He told me I would receive the replacement part by mail. Note: if I have a problem I will amend this report.

Health Warnings from Manual

Do not use this equipment without your physician's approval.
Do not use this equipment if you have any of the following
conditions or ailments:
Extreme obesity
Glaucoma, retinal detachment or
conjunctivitis
Pregnancy
Spinal injury, Cerebral Sclerosis, or acutely swollen joints
Middle ear infection
High blood pressure, Hypertension, Recent stroke or
Transient ischemic attack
Heart or circulatory disorders for which you are being treated
Hiatus hernia or Ventral hernia
Bone weaknesses including Osteoporosis, Unhealed fractures, Modularly
Pins or Surgically implanted orthopedic supports
Use of anti-coagulants including Aspirin in high doses.

We bought this Inversion Table as a result of my husband's recent back problems. We had no prior knowledge of Inversion Tables, and so we did a lot of research, online, as well as hitting a few stores to check out other brands. I don't understand the other "bad" reviews on this table, at all. The ankle holders are SO comfortable, as with all tables, it is recommended that you wear your tennis shoes. I chose this specific table for the padded headrest and padded ankle holders, which I feel make this table that much more comfortable than the rest. For first time users, this table is excellent because it has the hand rails on the sides for "added security" to aid in lowering and raising yourself, as well as the inversion bar at the bottom to aid you in reaching true vertical inversion. Yes, with a lot of products that you buy, you have to put it together. Frankly, my child's highchair was more difficult to put together than this table was. The "large pieces" of the table are already done for you, you just have to attach it all together. I do recommend that if you cannot lift heavy-ish objects, you have someone help you put it together. It does fold for storage, but, if you have back problems, and cannot move heavy things around, why would you want that? For those people that say that it seems to loosen everytime they use it, I suggest that they needed to tighten everything properly at the time of assembly, because we do not have that problem. This is a WONDERFUL product!!!

The only negative reviews I read about the product before I purchased, was that it was big and heavy. Well.... that made me want to purchase it, because if I am going to be hanging upside down I don't want something light and flimsy. So if you have the room (this product will not fold up) this is the only table I would purchase. I have had the product for a month and it is very stable and easy to use.

Bought this inversion table for my husband who deals with back and hip pain quite often, especially after standing on concrete for more than 15 minutes or a simple task as going to the store for casual shopping. We were to the point of going to a chiropractor when decided to purchase this as our last resort. Thank goodness we did just that. This has been a lifesaver! Definately not just another piece of equipment to hang your coat on! My husband swears by this!! We did a lot of shopping beforehand and after having this, he is so happy that he went with this particular model. The stops are so nice to have, especially when in a lot of pain to begin with. My husband has commented that he knows that he would not have been happy or felt secure with the other ankle braces which are available on the other tables out there. The entire table is made very well and it is easily adjusted for different heights. This table actually takes you upside down where as a lot of table only take you 3/4 of the way to being upside down. This table was well worth the extra money.

We received the table earlier then we expected. Shipping turnaround was very fast. My husband put it together and I would say it took him about 45 minutes and there was no cussing. We were both pleasantly suprised by just how substantial the table was and how well made. I did the research before we chose one to buy and this was the best we could find for the money. I love the multiple positions as it makes it easier for me to go upside down and then back up to an upright position. It also allows you to break from straight upside down - come level or upright and then back very easily. We have to adjust the height because I'm so much shorter than my husband, but that is easy to do. I'm able to use the table without any help. I do like the padded ankle cuffs as that helps with overall comfort. We are very pleased and use it frequently. I got near immediate relief from herniated disk in my neck and chronic pain with that injury. My husband does not go to chiropracter now that he uses the table once or twice every couple of days. He used it more frequently when we first got it for relief of his lower back pain, now just uses it to prevent the back pain from his work. He is a horse trainer and often has to wrestle with 1200 lb. animals. If you are looking for a good use of your money and you have back or neck pain you will not regret having an inversion table. For the price on this one AND the comfort level - just do it - you won't regret it.