Carrom Balance Board

I really wanted this to be as awesome as the vintage bongo or mertel boards. NOPE! Didn't notice in photos or reviews that you assemble the roller/rock. Bolt barely fit. Seems odd the board's guide binds constantly on the roller no matter how smooth you are.It's ok on soft surface. Watch yourself on hard surface. Slides then stops!! I could spend a good couple hours improving this thing. Chamfer/router the track. Beeswax it up. Counter sink the bolt use round discs not square ones for strength and looks. Plus glue or add a second bolt or dowels. I just want to practice my balance for surf snow skate without hurting myself more. . C'mon I had so much hope in this unit.Simple look Wooden. MADE IN USAWas so excited Sadly it's going back.If I had a wood shop I'd keep it actually I'd make my own. It may work for some others but not me.

I got this board for my 9 year old niece who is an avid snowboarder. I also have a 9 year old and 7 year old and 5 year old who gave it a whirl before we wrapped it. I read the reviews and followed suggestions from people who had previously purchased the board. I wanted the board to be ready to go for her once she opened it.I put a row of duck tape on the underside of the board surface to each side of the center rail to prevent the wheel from slipping not on the rail but on the board. No issues with slipping then. I decided to have my husband use his sockets to wrench down the bolt as far as he can get it and put lock tight on the bolt before doing so. This should prevent the bolt from working its way loose and has so far. It is a lock nut but it will not reach the lock part even if you tighten it down as far as you can. So lock tight is a good idea.I am 160lbs and I tried the board out and seemed to be fine. I do see what some say, if you twist a bit the roller will rub the rail, but for the kids actually provides a bit more friction enabling them to use it more easily. The grip tape placement comes on this board already in place and is a bit far apart for my 9 and 7 year olds to spread their feet. I will probably head out and get some more to add a couple more strips to the pattern of 2 already started before I give it to my niece. We used it on carpet, the carpet in the photo below and the kids had a lot of fun. My 9 year old could handle it on her own, not balancing long, but she was able to maneuver it and did so while enjoying a 30 TV show. Great fun workout right in front of the TV. My 7 year old son was not as successful and needed more direct supervision like mom holding his hands. My 5 year old fell on his butt. :) I wouldn't recommend for kids under 9 for sure. 9 is pushing it, and the grip tape needs to be modified for sure. The kids who didn't have shoes on, instantly took off their socks as this improved their grip on the board and their ability to feel where it was going and allowed them to take a stance that was more comfortable for them. With socks on, it is obviously way too slick of a surface in the absence of the extra grip tape. I went with the plain board after hearing how cheesy the sticker decals were. I decided to give her board a custom paint job with geometric triangles. I simply sanded and wiped the area I was going to paint, did my painting with painters tape to guide and used paint pens, then once dry gave it a clear spray top coat to seal it. Since it is her fav. colors I know she will love it, and I don't think it came out too bad personally. I like it much better than the decal choices, the natural wood is really a nice color I was pleasantly surprised. I can't wait until she opens it so everyone can try it out.

I have wanted a balance board for a long time. But they typically are out of my price range since most start at about a hundred dollars. We took a chance on this one. We have friends with a Bongo Board - I tried comparing them against each other -The Carrom board:1. Much more difficult to master, the spindle and board are both wood so there is going to be slipping - making balancing all that more tricky. So, this could be a negative at first, but long term better.2. Not recommended for younger children, firstly to be safe you need to keep your feet on the grip tape and you need to be adult size to easily handle this. Secondly, the spindle tends to shoot out to the side if you loose your balance, which can cause you to fall rather hard. Our kids use this with close adult supervision.3. For the price, I am glad we bought this board.4. This board is a great core workout. We have been using it daily for about a month - and we all enjoy it and you can feel your core getting stronger -as you can control the board longer each week.5. It takes practice to get this down. We started on thick rug and have worked to the point we can use it on wood or tile floors, but it's still a challenge to stay up for longer then a few minutes at a time. Our legs and core are tired after every use.The Bongo Board:1. Much better safety features - the whole board is grip-taped, the spindle is rubber coated so it "sticks" to the board, there is a bungee-cord that attaches the spindle to the board (so not shooting the spindle episodes like the Carrom).2. Both back and forth and side to side motions - the Carrom only rolls back and forth along the length of the board. The Bongo's spindle is also beveled side to side, so more balancing options. But we have noted that the wooden spindle of the Carrom board is actually much more challenging to balance - because there is no forgiveness and the wood will slide easily if you are too fast or off balance even the smallest amount.3. Great looking board.4. Big price tag.5. Instant usability - you can just jump on this and go. We didn't need any coaching or practice - instant gratification and fun. I am sure you can do more tricks on the Bongo Board - and have tons of fun.Conclusion: If I had unlimited money to spend, I probably would purchase a different board. But our goals were to get a starter board to work on core strength, have fun, and see if these balance boards are really going to keep our interest. The Carrom fits our criteria. If I was getting this for children to use, I would have to recommend the Bongo Board to start, but for adults who will take the time to learn and practice, the Carrom is fine. For the price, we are very happy. I will eventually upgrade to a Indo Board or a Bongo Board or Vew-Do - but right now we are satisfied.

My balance board came on time and the packaging was well done. I didn't notice a lot of wasted materials and yet the product was very securely placed. I was not missing any pieces plus the instructions were present and easy to understand! Once I had everything out and inspected before I start to build I was concerned with the rough spots on the wood blocks. I didn't want splinters in my hands or on the ground I planned to use the board on, so I spent about ten minutes gather my sand paper and smoothing out the rough spots. Once that was done I was able put the product together within minutes and began using it immediately. I found a little bit of wobble in the strip that connects the roller and the board to be a tad annoying. Eventually I will probably have to do some adjustment to repair that, but for the price I paid... it isn't the end of the world.

I have had a balance board for more than twenty years. In my most recent move, I lost the roller for my original Merdell balance board, so I had to order this one. I love it, but am not enamored with the construction of the roller. You stack ten small pieces onto a central bolt and then secure both ends of the bolt with nuts. The first few times I used this, I had to keep tightening the nuts because the movement on the board loosened the nuts. I think now, after 50+ rides, I'll only have to check the nuts once in a while. It just seems to me that the construction of both the board and the roller could be a bit more refined. Still, I love this thing. I'm a 61-year-old woman, a former athlete turned weekend activity pursuer, and this board helps me to maintain an excellent sense of balance. Highly recommend it, but be sure you use it on carpet; hardwood floors are a sure recipe for falling with this thing.

It's ok considering it is cheaper than the more expensive boards but it has some flaws. The board has a central spine that rests between two of the wheels on the roller and this has its plus and minus. On the plus side for new users is it prevents the board from spining sideways off the roller. However the downside is whenever the board does twist a bit the resulting friction between the boards spine and the roller really ruins the fluid movement that is the enjoyable part of using this thing. The other flaw is that the roller and board have wood on wood contact, after some usage the wood surface on the board compresses and become very smooth and slick and starts to slip across the roller instead of rolling and makes riding no good. I think both flaws can be fixed fairly easy and cheap so don't totally avoid this board. I rubbed some parafin wax on the edges of the spine that make contact with the roller and that really helps get rid of that sudden grabbing friction. I have not actually solved the second issue but plan to simply find some thin rubber and contact cement it to the bottom of the board, this should give ample grip and allow the roller to do its job.

Its a little overpriced for what it is. A grade 9 could make it in shop class for $10.00. The roller could have been made better, it will work; but it looks like something you made not bought. The staples used to hold the bottom rail are questionable, though they might have been for alignment while a glue dried. I thought it would have been a little better quality for 89.99. I would have been much more satisfied at 59.99 with current quality. This is very difficult to use as well, and based on quality it’s for home use, it wouldn’t last in a fitness Center. I will add, it will definitely get the job done for what it is.

It’s a nice product, but should definitely be advertised as “advanced”! The wheel under the board is not affixed, like it is with some other boards. So when the wheel AND the board move, it’s a lot harder than most can handle! If you’re a beginner and want this board, I recommend affixing the wheel with little blocks or a couple screws until you’re good with it, then allow the wheel to move.It’s great quality though and a nice piece of equipment!

I really regret buying this product. The system is poorly engineered, and doesn't have the smooth and flowing feel that a wobble board should have. It looks great, but the reality is disappointing. If I could send it back and get a refund, I would do it right away. I wish I would have known this before buying this product.