A folding reformer is the real thing cut down to fit a flat: a carriage on rails, springs or bungee cords for resistance, a footbar, straps, and a hinge in the frame so it stands on end or folds in half when the room is needed. It does the whole class, and it needs seven to eight feet of floor to do it. The cards below say which ones have steel springs, which have cords, what they weigh, and what the folded footprint actually is.
Springs, cords, and the ones that fold
What separates a home reformer from a studio one is the resistance and the frame. Buying a folding reformer has the long version.
Steel springs
The reformer feel
Springs give an even pull through the whole stroke and are what a studio machine uses. AeroPilates' Precision 535 and the import frames with four springs are the ones that feel like class.
Bungee cords
The lighter frames
Cords are lighter and cheaper and the pull climbs through the stroke the way a band does. The AeroPilates 287 and most frames under the price of a studio class pack use them.
Quick picks
The short answer for common situations. Each links to the full card below.
Solid oak, five springs rated 18.5 to 234 lb, box and jump board in the box; 143 lb and two people.
Compare the reformers
Resistance is springs or cords as the maker or listing states it. Length is set up; folded is the maker's folded dimensions. Stamina publishes its own pages; the import frames are listing figures.
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Four-cord folding reformer with a cardio rebounder, purple frame
AeroPilates Reformer Plus 379, purple
AeroPilates (Stamina) 55-4379
The purple one that is a real reformer: a steel frame with four bungee cords, a padded carriage with head and neck pillow and foam shoulder pads, a footbar, straps, and Stamina's cardio rebounder, the trampoline that bolts on where the footbar goes. Stamina counts 11 resistance combinations from the four cords, the pulley risers adjust the rope height, and it folds on integrated wheels with two DVDs and a wall chart in the box.
Resistance
4 bungee cords, 11 combinations (Stamina)
Length
86 × 21 × 26 in set up
Folded
Folds on integrated wheels
Weight
68 lb
Weight limit
Not stated on the listing
In the box
Reformer, cardio rebounder, 2 DVDs, wall chart
Colours
Purple
Warranty
Stamina
Suits: The person who wanted the purple board and the reformer class, in one piece of furniture that folds.
Weigh: Sixty-eight pounds and 86 inches long set up. Cords, not springs, so the pull climbs through the stroke. Stamina publishes the specs on its own site, which is more than any other brand on the reformers page can say.
Stamina's entry reformer: a steel frame with three bungee cords, a vinyl carriage on a 17.5 inch platform, a three-position headrest, six non-skid feet and the cardio rebounder. It folds in half on wheels and weighs 56 lb, the lightest reformer on the page.
Resistance
3 bungee cords
Length
85.25 × 17.5 × 9 in set up
Folded
Folds in half on wheels
Weight
56 lb
Weight limit
300 lb
In the box
Reformer, cardio rebounder, DVD
Colours
Grey
Warranty
Stamina
Suits: A first reformer for someone who has outgrown a board and wants the carriage, the footbar and the straps without a hundred-pound frame.
Weigh: Three cords is light resistance; it is where the AeroPilates range starts, and taller or stronger users move up to the 379 or 701. A 300 lb limit and an 85 inch length.
Four-cord folding reformer, the most-rated home reformer
AeroPilates 701 Premier reformer
AeroPilates (Stamina) 55-4701
The AeroPilates with four figures of ratings: four heavy-duty bungee cords on an alloy steel frame, a padded carriage, footbar and straps, folding on wheels, with the Primer and Basic DVDs. The 86 inch length and the four cords are the same as the 379 without the purple and without the rebounder.
Resistance
4 heavy-duty bungee cords
Length
86.25 × 20 × 14 in set up
Folded
Folds on wheels
Weight
Not stated on the listing
Weight limit
300 lb
In the box
Reformer, 2 DVDs
Colours
Grey, black
Warranty
Stamina
Suits: The safe pick: the home reformer more people own than any other, with the cord resistance a step above the 287.
Weigh: Cords again, so the pull is not a spring's even pull. No rebounder in the box on this model. Stamina publishes the figures.
Compact folding frame with four steel springs and five cords
Dpiolrcag foldable reformer, springs and cords
Dpiolrcag Foldable Pilates Reformer, 250 lb
The import frame people buy instead of a board when they want springs: four 22 lb steel springs plus five cords from 15 to 27 lb, a footbar with four angles, a pulley with three heights, eight wheels, and a fold to under two square feet. It arrives 90 percent assembled.
Resistance
4 springs at 22 lb plus 5 cords of 15 to 27 lb (listing)
Length
74.6 × 15 × 19.6 in set up (listing)
Folded
About 1.8 sq ft footprint (listing)
Weight
70 lb (listing)
Weight limit
250 lb; users 4 ft to 5 ft 9 in (listing)
Footbar and pulley
4 angles; 3 heights
Warranty
1 year (listing)
Suits: Spring resistance in a flat, for someone under 5 ft 9 in and 250 lb, which is what the listing sizes it for.
Weigh: The limits are the point: 250 lb and a stated user height of 4 ft to 5 ft 9 in, on a 75 inch frame. Seventy pounds. No website; figures from the listing.
Folding frame with piano-wire springs, two heights, jump board
PAETA 86 in foldable reformer with jump board
PAETA PR06
A folding frame with piano-wire springs the listing rates for 100,000 cycles, removable stands that set the carriage at two heights, six legs, a five-position pulley and a jump board, with storage bags for the folded pieces. Black, ivory or walnut finishes, and box and ring sets as options.
Resistance
Piano-wire springs, rated 100,000 uses (listing)
Length
90.6 × 22.8 × 15.6 in set up (listing)
Folded
About 1.4 sq ft, with storage bags (listing)
Weight
109.3 lb (listing)
Weight limit
500 lb claimed; users to 5 ft 9 in (listing)
In the box
Reformer, jump board, removable stands; box or ring set optional
Colours
Black, ivory, walnut
Warranty
Not stated
Suits: Someone who wants springs and the jump board at the price of a cord reformer, and can lift 109 lb into place.
Weigh: Heavy at 109 lb and long at nearly 91 inches, with a 500 lb claim and a stated user height to 5 ft 9 in. PAETA has no website; figures from the listing.
Folding frame with four springs, five cords and a padded rebounder
WINDFOOT foldable reformer, springs and cords
WINDFOOT Foldable Pilates Reformer
Four 22 lb springs and five 11 lb cords on a folding frame with a padded rebounder, height-adjustable pulleys and wheels. Ninety percent assembled; the listing says five to ten minutes to finish.
Resistance
4 springs at 22 lb plus 5 cords at 11 lb (listing)
Length
Not stated
Folded
Folds on wheels
Weight
77 lb (listing)
Weight limit
300 lb (listing)
In the box
Reformer, padded rebounder
Colours
Black
Warranty
Not stated
Suits: The same idea as the Dpiolrcag with a 300 lb limit and a rebounder in the box.
Weigh: Seventy-seven pounds. No website, no stated length, and the warranty is not given; figures from the listing.
VEVOR's reformer: five steel springs, three strong and two light, on a cast-iron frame that folds to 43 by 22 by 9 inches. Sixty-five pounds, a 400 lb claim, and the lowest price of anything with real springs. Maple, aluminium and 91 inch variants are listed alongside.
Resistance
5 steel springs: 3 strong, 2 light (listing)
Length
77.5 × 22 × 29 in set up (listing)
Folded
43 × 22 × 9 in (listing)
Weight
65 lb (listing)
Weight limit
400 lb claimed (listing)
Frame
Cast iron
Warranty
VEVOR
Suits: Spring resistance for the least money, from a brand that at least has a website and a returns desk.
Weigh: A 77 inch frame is short for a tall user, and VEVOR's product pages are thin on the pilates specifics. Figures from the listing.
Solid oak folding reformer with five springs, box and jump board
LeisureKing oak foldable reformer with box and jump board
LeisureKing LKRP-WOBEFLD
The one that looks like the studio machine: solid oak with mortise-and-tenon joints, aluminium rails, five springs (three red, one green, one yellow) with a stated tension range of 18.5 to 234 lb, a sitting box and a jump board. It folds to a 26 by 15 inch footprint and ships in two boxes, 80 percent assembled.
Resistance
5 springs, 18.5 to 234 lb (listing)
Length
91.2 × 24 × 25.6 in set up (listing)
Folded
26 × 15 in footprint (listing)
Weight
143 lb; ships in two boxes (listing)
Weight limit
440 lb claimed (listing)
In the box
Reformer, sitting box, jump board
Colours
Beige, grey
Warranty
Not stated
Suits: Someone who wants an oak reformer with a tension figure on the springs and the box and jump board included, and has two people to carry 143 lb.
Weigh: A 91 inch frame and 143 lb; the two boxes weigh 120 and 79 lb. Stock sits in single digits. No website; figures from the listing.
A folding reformer folds to 42 to 47 inches long and stands 17 to 20 inches deep, at 56 to 71 lb for the AeroPilates frames. It leaves the room when folded; it does not leave the flat. The import frames quote lighter weights and higher load limits on the same photos, and the cards say which figures come from a maker and which from a listing.
