STOTT Pilates Merrithew At Home SPX Reformer Bundle Review

Touted as a great all round Reformer machine

The Stott Pilates Merrithew Home SPX Reformer is the ideal home reformer. Now with their home reformer bundle, there is no excuse for not having a reformer right at home and being able to tune in to one of their DVDs (yes, they come with the Reformer) or Pilates Anytime, for a huge range of Reformer exercises to choose from.

This is a long-standing and respected Canadian designed brand, by Lindsay and Moira Merrithew (nee Stott). Stott Pilates is now a branded version of the Pilates method and focuses on maintaining the neutral spine posture.

Here we go with reviewing the ins & outs of the Stott Pilates Merrithew at Home SPX Reformer Bundle.

Our Rating On STOTT Pilates Merrithew At Home SPX Reformer Bundle

 5/5

About the STOTT Pilates Merrithew at Home SPX Reformer Bundle

The Home SPX is a great all-round reformer that has quality railing, springs and carriage system, which comes at a reasonable price for what you get.

The railings are studio quality, which glide over C-channel aluminum rails and use a patented rolling mechanism. So this machine feels great when you are using it, you feel the smooth ride up and down the rails as you push away from the foot bar. The spring set is high quality, and you get 4 full tension and 1 half tension spring with the machine. You can’t have a high- quality reformer without a super smooth carriage ride and high-quality springs, the Stott Pilates Merrithew at Home comes to the party delivering both.

This is a reformer to fall in love with and you’ll find yourself wanting to keep up with your everyday practice right in the comfort of your home.

The external foot bar comes in 4 adjustable positions, it has 3 position gearbox which allows for 3 levels of spring resistance, and 6 carriage stopping positions to accommodate all users of varying heights. This machine really is built to cater for different body heights and shapes.

Now lets have a look what you get in the bundle,

Reformer box
Metal roll-up pole
Padded platform extender

The box and extender make nice extras and most brands will usually charge you extra for these. The box adds in a lot more exercises and variety to your practices and is often used in-studio classes. The padded platform extender is great if you are doing your side leg work and need more foot space. Stott & Merrithew also throw in 2 workout DVDs – nice to have and to start you off.

We would recommend getting the platform extender with the machine if you want to do any standing position with your foot on the plaform, as it’s quite narrow. The extra room will help you feel more comfortable being up on the reformer in this position.

A word on assembly of the machine

Wondering how am I going to assemble this machine? Don’t be. The SPX reformer comes 90% assembled and there is an assembly manual that also comes with the machine. The carriage and foot bar is already in place. Most people are very surprised how easy and quick it is to set up, and jump on and start their reformer practice.

You will need 2 people to help move the Reformer into place though. They are heavy machines! However, if you have wooden floors you can quite easily push and pull the Reformer around a bit.

A word about storage

Yes, the Reformer has wheels and you can probably lean the Reformer upright against a wall or in the closest to store, however, it’s not designed this way. It would also take some effort to store it upright like this. It’s ‘moveable’ but not built to store upright, nor is it stackable.

Product Specs For STOTT Pilates Merrithew at Home SPX Reformer Bundle

Height	10”
Length	96.5”
Width	26”
Weight	115 lbs
Foot Bar Positions	4
Carriage Upholstery	Durable vinyl & dense UVA foam
Carriage Length	From bottom to top including head rest = 39”
Box/Jump Board	Yes & yes, comes with box, jump board needs to be purchased
Portability	Comes with wheels, not stackable
Vertical Tower	No
Warranty	Lifetime on frame

What we like

This is a high-quality reformer for home use for the price. Quality materials are used for the railing and springs.

A great feature of this reformer is the 6 carriage stopping positions, so you can adjust the carriage so it comes further into the foot bar or stops further away.

The machine accommodates heights up to 6’4’’ and max weight capacity of 250 lbs.

If you like the look of the Scott Merrithew at Home SPX reformer, you may also like to compare it with the Align Pilates Pro Reformer series which we review, as the machine looks very similar.

How to measure where the stopper should go

Lying down on your back, heels on the foot bar, you need to ensure there is a 90-degree angle between your hip flexion and knees, when the carriage is parked. However, if you have had previous knee injuries, you should place the stopper further back.

This is a low lying Reformer and is designed to be stored under the bed or sofa. Just first check the dimensions!

The lifetime warranty on the frame shows this machine is built to last.

What we don’t like

The spring set – the standard spring set is 4 full tension + 1 half tension, this doesn’t give you a lot of choice in your practice, if you are wanting to load an extra ¼ spring, there isn’t the option! Most Reformers do have ¼ springs, so we are a little disappointed that the standard design doesn’t already come with this. However, you can buy the Enhanced Spring Power Up Package from Stott & Merrithew, which comes with 3 x 100% (full tension) + 1 x 50% (half tension) and 1 x 25% (quarter tension).

This is a very low lying reformer, so for some, it may be more challenging to get on and off the machine. This model is definitely a little lower & a little narrower than their regular reformer machines.

The foot platform is narrow and to do any lunge positions standing on the foot platform facing the back of the machine you are really going to need a foot platform extender, to ensure that your whole foot, including your heel, is comfortable on the platform. It’s then good to see that Merrithew has included the extender in the bundle here.

There is no vertical tower option with this model.

Our Buying Advice

This is a great priced quality home reformer, considering you also get the reformer box and cushioned platform extender included. These alone can cost you a bit if you are buying them separately.

The brand has been in the game of everything Pilates, not just putting out great quality reformers but also they live and breathe Pilates. They are great Pilates warriors and people from all over the world have both enjoyed and benefited from their machines, and also their teaching style and method.

Final Word

If you want to get moving and want a reformer that you’ll enjoy practicing on, the Stott Pilates Merrithew SPX will measure-up! Get that body moving today!