Hey gal, opinions are easy. My husband wants to buy a bow flex....I'm against it. So here are 2 opinions (kind of) I bought him a treadmill 2 years ago for christmas. Had him pick it out and of course it was top of the line and 400$ out of my pocket. He was using one while out of town for about 6 months and since he has been home now for a year, he has not touched it---even to move it (we have moved 2x's since then.) I can count on 1 hand how many times he's been on it, I hate a treadmill, find it boring, but since it is here, I use it once a week, just to keep the dust off it. I prefer aerobics, but am at the point I need strength training. Gym membership, at 30"$ per month, makes me go to the gym at least 2x's a week - I'm a cheapo- and if I'm paying for it I will go. It's a coed mostly male gym, smells like an old sock, nothing fancy, but the couple people I have met there for a lunch w/o are very positive, highly effective, mostly business folks who are striving for excellence and are the top 20 percent of their game. Who else would make an appointment with themselves to stay fit? I'm not very social when I'm sweating like a pig, but I see them outside the gym in their bs suits, and familiaraity opens the door to some interesting personalities. Its a social thing...helps motivate. Just my opinion