Your Bargain Hunter: Wobble/Balance/Core Board

Linda writes:


"I'm looking for a wobble board. They are around $40 at target. I would have a used one if I could find one."







Here are your options:

1. Amazon.com sells the same one that Target sells for $40: GoFit Ultimate WobbleBoard.

• Cost: $29.99 + free shipping
• Rating: 4.4/5 stars on amazon.com

2. The amazon.com marketplace offers the Isokinetics Wobble Board.

• Cost: $12.00 + $8.95 shipping
• Rating: not reviewed

3. mysupplementstore.com sells a Balance Board by Valeo Fitness.

• Cost: 13.95 +$5.00 shipping
• Rating: 4.1/5 stars

4. ebay.com has a used Cory Everson TKO 14" Balance Board This is a "Buy It Now" item, so you don't have to wait for an auction to end.

• Cost: $10 + $7.40 shipping
• Rating: 4.0/5 stars

5. If you don't want to wait for the wobble board to ship, your local Play It Again Sports has the same Valeo balance board listed above.

• Cost: $24.99 + tax
• Rating: 4.1/5 stars

6. Finally, since a used balance board would work for you, you can periodically check your local thrift stores or craigslist.com. This option probably will take the longest, because this is an item that may be less common at a thrift store (but you might get lucky!).

WWBD: I would go with #2, the Isokinetics board, for a total of $20.95 (a savings of 50% compared to Target). Even though the wobble board hasn't been reviewed, all the other products sold by Isokinetics have received good reviews. In addition they have a great seller rating, so I feel comfortable ordering from them. Even though the balance board from mysupplementstore was the cheapest new balance board I could find, their customer service got mixed reviews--enough negative feedback to scare me off. Since the used one on ebay.com is priced only $3.50 less than the new, I would opt for the new.

Tips:

• Try various search terms. Keywords such as "wobble board," "balance board," and "core board" each returned different results.
• Start with a general search, then get more specific. Starting with a search such as "exercise equipment" will encompass all of the options for the item you're searching for. However, in this case, the options will also be overwhelming. Then, get more specific (ie, "balance board" or "core training"), and so on. If you find one specific model you want, google the entire name to find the cheapest price. The reverse of this tip works as well.