Triflex

Lilly’s Triflex Vibration Machine Review

The Triflex brand is a private label brand created by Lilly’s Seen On TV Store. It is very similar looking to a variety of different machines with different names: Vmax Trio, Vibratrim VT400, Vibabody Slimmer 4000, Eurobody Shaper Pro, and Vibrapro iSmart. Most of these machines are privately branded with differing specifications and components. These components may vary from the motor output, frequency settings, amplitude distance, the metal base and frame, etc… No two machines are similar especially their warranty terms. In this review, we will take a look at the Triflex dual vibration machine by Lilly’s.

Overview and Assembly

The Triflex is a dual vibration machine that has the oscillation (platform pivots left and right) and spiral vibration (flat platform, high speed vibration) motions all in one unit. The machine comes in two pieces, the column and the base unit. Assembling the machine is quite easy and takes at most 20 minutes as you need to bolt 6 bolts from the column to the base unit and fasten another 8 screws for the handle bars. The handlebars are mounted on the side with 4 screws and come with a heart sensor and speed up and speed down buttons on each side. Buttons on the left handlebar is for controlling the oscillation vibration, and the buttons on the right handlebar is for controlling the spiral vibration. The Triflex uses a 500W motor for Oscillation, and 300W motor for Spiral vibration. A third mode, which is a combination of the two vibrations when they operate simultaneously, is called where the machine gets the Dual Vibration classification. For dual motor systems, you definitely feel the difference compared to that of a single vibration whole body vibration machine. More of your muscles get engaged since the platform is moving in every direction you can think of.  Your blood circulation will be significantly increased and you can feel your muscles tire out faster and turn warmer very quickly.

Platform Design

The platform plate is 27″ wide x 20″ deep and has a maximum lifting power for users upto 330 lbs and that should be more then enough for most people but if you are heavier, I do suggest an alternative machine. Make sure you are including your body weight and possible free weights that you may be holding while exercising on the vibration platform. The actual usable platform size is actually reduced by 1.5″ all around and there is a bezel that slopes down. It is not an edge-to-edge design and you lose some power on the machine because you are forced to stand closer to the platform. However, for most users and even the taller users, the platform even with the lost bezel distance, it is still very comfortable to stand on and quite natural without feeling overly cramped. You can assume a lot of positions on it without running your feet off the platform. Its fairly comfortable in all standing positions. You’ll definitely have no problems doing dynamic exercises on this platform and keeping your feet on the platform.

Display and Controls

The control panel is simple with a total of 11 buttons. The up and down for the oscillation speed located on the left of the start/stop button. Spiral controls are located on the left. 6 other buttons sit just below the start: PROG, MODE, Time up, Time down, and Standby. Controlling the oscillation is a matter of pressing the big up and down buttons on the left, and the Spiral using the big up and down buttons on the right. The Triflex also has speed control buttons on the handle bars so you don’t have to lift a finger if you decide you want to adjust the speed. The heart rate monitor is located on the handlebars and to assess your heart rate, simply hold onto the metal area of the handlebar and your heartrate will show in about 10 deconds. Don’t worry too much about the accuracy as there is a huge fluctuation when we tried using it. One complaint on the panel-–it is a fingerprint magnet! Its best to have a towel handy to wipe the prints off. A special feature about the Triflex is that it comes with a USB stick and software that allows you to make your own pre-programmed exercise routines. You are allowed to modify and have upto 6 personal routines to use with the vibration machine, and it works well when we tried it out. The interface of the software may look intimidating at first, but its just a matter of setting the different speed steps over 10 or 20 minutes. It actually gets fairly easy to use once you experiment with it.

Body and Frame

The Triflex is sturdy but it feels a little soft when I stepped onto the vibrating platform–probably due to the plastic cover. The vibration machine is made mainly of heavy gauged steel, even the pole. The base consists of 4 adjustable levelers that allows you ensure the machine is horizontal and flat.  I actually let the machine run for like 5 minutes by itself and see if it will jump up and down across the room.  It moved around at the higher speeds (about 35) and I had to hold it in place to make sure it doesn’t go farther than I wanted it to. The machine is on the lighter side of about 120 lbs but is much better than plastic built machines under 100 lbs. Similar with the VT400, the base has not been reinforced and can support users upto about 300 to 330 lbs. The Vmax Trio, which is a similar machine, has a capacity of about 400 lbs.

Final Thoughts

The Triflex has the advantage of being fully assembled when purchased directly through Lilly’s, however, relative to the price, the VT400 and Vmax Trio are a better option despite having to assemble those units. The power on the machine should be more than sufficient to provide home userswith the full benefits of whole body vibration. The vibration machine comes with 3 pre-set exercise routines and 6 user-programmable exercise routines so you can set it and forget it while you exercise. If you can’t fathom to assemble any vibration machine yourself, then the Triflex would be a good choice for a dual vibration vibration system. However, if it is no big deal, there are a lot more choices for more powerful systems at around the same cost.