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Tonal vs Mirror
Regular gyms are filled with membership fees, old equipment, and other people’s sweat. It’s no wonder why home gyms have surged in popularity recently, especially given the exceptional circumstances going on right now.
Tonal and Mirror are two of the best of the best brands when it comes to home gyms, each offering their own take on grinding out the best body possible right in your own abode. Come, fellow muscle traveler, and let us explore what these giants have to offer.
About Tonal
Tonal takes the smart-home fitness fad and elevates it. Home workouts are the rage now, and more people are turning to technology to feel the burn.
Tonal combines that desire and the modern fitness landscape into a tech-powered and adaptive home gym. You can hit a full-body resistance workout with a weight set and screen that’s strapped right to your wall.
So Tonal packages convenience, results, and science into one sleek product. It looks to be the prime product in this age of home workouts delivered through YouTube and Instagram. But why settle for those when you can achieve the body of your dreams with professionally-led courses and cutting-edge technology?
Come on, you’re better than that. The real question is, is Mirror better than Tonal?
About Mirror
Mirror is a company that makes mirrors, or that’s what you’d believe if you never pressed the on button. They look to deliver customers a full home workout experience by offering a portal into a deep (and we mean as deep as Mariana’s Trench) library of fitness classes.
Their mountable mirror transforms into a high-definition fitness device that grants users access to over 10,000 fitness courses, a community of like-minded fitness pursuers, and even one-on-one coaching sessions. They look to give everyone the workout they’ve been hunting for from the safety of their own living rooms.
We asked you whether Mirror or Tonal is better, but that’s unfair because you’re the reader. How could you know without reading through our Tonal vs Mirror review? It’ll give you all the grand ideas and intricate details about both brands’ technology, customer satisfaction levels, shipping practices, and more. That way, you can be the ultimate judge in this fitness court case.
What to Consider
Product Range
The biggest difference between Tonal and Mirror is their product selection. Tonal only has one option: all-in. That means purchasing their display screen, their accessories, and a membership.
Mirror can function without their accessories, though you still need to purchase a membership to enter their classes.
Technology and Warranty
Both brands are for people who want to skip the gym while still getting an unreal workout. The distinguishing factor is that Tonal provides all the equipment necessary to get a great pump whereas Mirror is more of a connection apparatus between users and content.
Tonal and Mirror can both sync up with users’ smartwatches and smartphones to monitor their fitness progress.
Additionally, both companies feature their own warranties. Tonal’s last 3 years while Mirror’s is valid for up to 12 months.
Accessibility
In terms of accessibility, Mirror’s products are more widely available due to their shipping practices. However, Tonal partners with Nordstrom, giving them a brick-and-mortar retail outlet. That might be easier for some customers who want a live demonstration of the product.
Tonal vs Mirror: How Do They Work?
Seeing as how some people consider gyms to be miniature Meccas of steroid-abusing ravenous boars, grunting and snarling as they heave undue amounts of weight, while others would call a set of rubber dumbbells and a Bosu ball a gym, our Tonal vs Mirror review writers recognize that we should explain what a “home gym” means.
A home gym is a collection of fitness equipment, weights, and other accessories. A good home gym should include enough resistance and exercise variety that it can supplement, if not outright replace, the need to go to an actual gym.
That doesn’t necessitate that a home gym must include a squat rack and a trap bar, but it should have basic amenities like an escalating number of weights, a bench, different grips and handles, and preferably all fit within one’s living abode.
Both Tonal and Mirror offer customers a fully-equipped home gym. They harp on the last point – the ability to maximize workouts while minimizing clutter – by integrating technology into their equipment.
Home gyms are great investments for people with hectic schedules or who are still risk-averse due to the ongoing global situation. The main drawback is that they can take up too much space, especially if you’re looking to replicate most of what a commercial gym offers.
Tonal’s home gym is based on its technologically-powered resistance devices. It can provide you with up to 200 lbs of weighted resistance from a variety of angles. Furthermore, membership will grant you access to their vast exercise and class library.
That means even gym-noobies can get as fit as Grappler Baki.
It also features a flat-screen that provides multiple viewing angles, thus allowing you to check your form without the need to install additional mirrors.
Oh, did somebody say Mirror? If so, let’s see what they have to offer.
Mirror presents its product as a direct portal through which customers can enroll in-home workouts. These workouts are presented through videos, of which the company boasts over 10,000.
Additionally, you can follow along with live fitness classes. Some of the classes available through Mirror include yoga, pilates, arms and core workouts (we like to call these the movie star boot camps), and strength training.
That doesn’t cover every course that Mirror offers. Fortunately, the brand knows that not every course will meet everyone’s fitness needs, which is why they recommend you certain classes based on your exercise preferences.
You can also log your fitness progress through Mirror, meaning you’ll never be left wondering whether you’re closer to your goals or not.
A Mirror membership grants you access to all these juicy courses, perks, and the ability to connect with others across the internet. It’s like if the fitness subreddit was an exclusive club.
By examining what each company provides, our Tonal vs Mirror reviewers recognize that they provide different experiences. That doesn’t make one better than the other, just that what suits one fitness junkie may not be best for another.
Tonal vs Mirror: Technical Features
The technology behind both Tonal and Mirror is what distinguishes them from other home-gym apparatuses. Sure, you could inherit your dad’s set of rusty dumbbells and grow as thick as a polar bear, but there’s something eloquent about how both brands use modern science to revolutionize home fitness.
Let’s start this section of our Tonal vs Mirror review by looking at what the former company has going for it on the tech side.
Their weights can be either increased or decreased without adding fluff because they are powered by magnets. That means that the higher the weights get, the tighter the attraction between the product’s internal magnets becomes.
Additionally, that means that you’ll get resistance throughout the entire exercise instead of just the top or bottom position. You’re not lifting against gravity, you’re lifting against machine-powered resistance.
There’s a host of friendly social features in the Tonal too. You can track your progress, play music from your preferred streaming service, and engage with Tonal’s premade workout courses.
Finally, the Tonal home gym uses Bluetooth technology to measure each of your reps through their Tonal Smart Accessories. Each handle, bar, and rope can provide more or less resistance with a flick of the switch.
That also makes clean-up easier since, essentially, there is none! Just wipe the sweat off the bench. You earned that sweat, but your roommates didn’t earn the stank you might be leaving behind.
Speaking of being left behind, you didn’t think we forgot all about Mirror, did you?
Their LED display screen is 43” and can deliver 1080p images. The camera can capture nearly 180 degrees in front of it so that you can always correct your technique. With a screen that powerful and a camera that observant we’re a bit surprised the Mirror isn’t a by-product of a James Bond movie.
Mirror can also connect with your Apple Watch, headphones, and speakers through Bluetooth. These Bluetooth connections allow it to measure your progress, play your music, scrobble podcasts, or even grant you a quiet workout. That is if you don’t want to hear the quality of the Mirror’s surround-sound speakers.
So Mirror is no slouch in the display department. Sadly, it can’t compare to Tonal’s futuristic weight progression technology. Then again, it doesn’t seem like that’s the brand’s intention anyway. They’re more focused on providing customers with a great display.
Tonal vs Mirror: Ease of Installation
Tonal is not something you’d want to try to install yourself. The company strongly advises against doing so. Thankfully, they take of the installation themselves. The only finger you’ll have to lift during the installation process is to open the door for the delivery people.
Similarly, Mirror recommends that you allow their deliverymen to install the product for you. However, they realize that some of their customers are handymen in their own rights. That’s why they also allow customers to install the items themselves.
Customers who wish to self-install the Mirror have to coordinate that with the delivery service responsible for getting them their goods.
Mirror offers full installation instructions on their websites. These instructions come in both written form and videos to satisfy linguistic and visual learners.
It seems you don’t have to worry about a tough installation process with either Tonal or Mirror. Tonal straight up will not allow you to, they’d rather handle the burden themselves. Meanwhile, Mirror is just as capable of setting up their product for you, but it’s nice that they provide the option for you to get your hands dirty.
Tonal vs Mirror: Quality
Our Tonal vs Mirror review writers found that Tonal’s technological implementations were of the highest quality. Not only did the magnetically-generated tension mitigate the need to waste time setting up weights and bars, but it also keeps each exercise tough.
Really, you want your workouts to be tough. We could delve into the science behind resistance positions and which exercises are best depending on which set-up, but that’s cause we’re fitness nerds.
Tonal doesn’t require you to be that obsessed with exercise science. All you need to know is that each rep can be as challenging as you want it to be without leaving any gains on the floor.
On the other hand, Mirror is a simple setup. As its name implies, it’s a mirror when powered off, but a full-screen fitness display when powered on.
Its held sturdy by a carbon-steel frame that also supports its 5-megapixel camera and LED display. But that’s about it with the Mirror. It seeks to be a profound display more than anything else, so it doesn’t come with the built-in weights of Tonal.
Tonal vs Mirror: Price & Value
Tonal offers a few payment options, but we’ll be covering the two most popular ones. You can purchase the entire Tonal gym, the associate (and recommended) Tonal Smart Accessories, and a year-long membership for $3,490.
The prices are as follows:
- Tonal Home Gym: $2,995
- Tonal Smart Accessories: $495
- Tonal Membership (12-month period): $49 per month
The other popular payment option is their financing plan, which begins at $63 per month with 0% apr or interest. Again, you’ll still have to pay for the Tonal Smart Accessories and a year-long Tonal Membership.
You must purchase a year-long membership for your first year using this item. After that, the company lets you pay on a monthly basis.
Mirror’s pricing has something in-store too. In fact, they’ve got plenty to say. They offer four different plans:
- Mirror Basic: $995 (regular price, $1,495)
- Mirror Essentials: $1,195 (regular price, $1,165)
- Mirror Pro: $1,295 (regular price, $1,795)
- Mirror Family: $1,545 (regular price, $2,045)
Each of these plans includes more products and services as the prices escalate. The main takeaway is that they all include The Mirror, The Mirror Stand, and The Mirror Lens Cap.
You’ll also have to enroll in a Mirror membership for at least a year. They charge $39 per month for a membership.
Tonal’s price tag may be higher than all of Mirror’s items’, but that’s because you have to purchase their entire accessory line too. While their accessories are promising and the key to a good Tonal workout, you might prefer to spend a little less with Mirror.
Tonal vs Mirror: What Do Customers Think?
Do you, our friendly reader, permit us, the staff behind this Tonal vs Mirror review, to consider professional athletes as trusted customers? If so, then Tonal has some of the best buyers in the world.
Lebron James, Maria Sharapova, and Stephen Curry have all endorsed the fitness company and regularly use their products to maintain their positions at the peak of their respective sports.
Oh, you’re not a multiple-time NBA Champion nor an Olympic medalist? This is awkward.
Let’s move past this beefy pause by telling you what the average customer thought about Tonal. Is that better for you? It’s better for us.
The main thing customers were surprised by was how much progress they made with Tonal. Customers found themselves getting stronger more quickly than they imagined, pushing themselves more than they ever had, adhering to fitness routines more easily, and generally getting more out of their workout sessions than they were before they started using Tonal.
As one ecstatic customer put it, “If, six months ago, someone had told me I’d be lifting this much in a workout, I would NOT have believed them.”
On the subject of progress, another buyer had this to say. “Tonal continues to let me be great. Each week has been better than the prior week.”
These were the other common qualities consumers adored about Tonal:
- The ability to improve their technique because of the multiple viewing angles
- The data tracking inspired them to push themselves
- The huge selection of classes and trainers
Our Tonal vs Mirror review writers didn’t want to cut any corners, so we’ve also researched what customers said about Tonal on other websites. We’ve collected some of the scores below:
- 3.4/5 stars based on over 40 pieces of customer feedback on Product Hunt
- 3.7/5 stars based on over 5 pieces of customer feedback on Consumer Affairs
- 4.4/5 stars based on over 10 pieces of customer feedback on Site Jabber
Most of the positive customer reviews touched upon the satisfaction of the workouts and how little space such a powerful machine required.
This 5/5 star review writer was so satisfied that she ditched the gym entirely because of Tonal: “I used to head to the gym for weight lifting, but not anymore. Now I strength train with Tonal everyday, and I love it.”
As you can assume, not all of those Tonal reviews were positive. The negative customer testimonials mentioned how pricey the products and memberships were. They also reported poor communication from the company, especially when it came to delayed shipments.
To emphasize the differences between Tonal and Mirror, we turned to what the latter company’s customers thought about them.
The Mirror holds an astounding 4.9/5 stars score from over 600 customer reviews on their website. The only way they could improve that score is by being literally perfect.
Customers felt elated with their investment in both their bodies and their wallets by purchasing The Mirror. They were more energized to work out as they had access to classes.
Further buyer reviews read like this 5/5 star review: “I am so excited about my Mirror. I’ve had it 2 years and look forward to working out with the instructors. I am so proud to see results and hearing others compliment me on staying in shape. It is worth every penny!”
Many Mirror fans felt the same way. They loved the community features and noticed huge changes in their body, mind, and overall health since they committed to regular Mirror workouts.
Actually, we weren’t able to find many customer complaints regarding Mirror. That’s great news for them as it contrasts with the slightly more numerous negative reviews that Tonal accrued. That’s not to say Tonal didn’t have their fair share of fans. In reality, we were pleased to find that both companies wooed the majority of their customers.
Tonal vs Mirror: Promotions & Discounts
It’s easy to consider the money you’d save working out at home versus a regular gym membership as a discount in and of itself. If that were the case then we’d have to include products like Bowflex and The Shake Weight in this Tonal vs Mirror review.
Therefore, we’re going to focus on the discounts both companies have for their particular goods and services in this segment.
We’ll get the easy one out of the way. Military enlistees and veterans, first responders, doctors, nurses, teachers, and professors, open up your eyes. Tonal will offer you $200 off of your purchase if you call any of those designations your profession.
Tonal also has financing options for people who would rather dip their toes into the fitness waters rather than dive headfirst. Check their financing page on tonal’s website to discover how much you could save.
Tonal have financing plans for 24, 36, or 48 months.
That’s about all our Tonal vs Mirror review staff could find about the former company’s promotions and discounts.
It didn’t take long for us to find a whopper of a promotion from Mirror. They hit us with a huge savings opportunity within seconds of accessing their website.
Mirror extended their Cyber Monday deals. The promotion offered savings of up to $650 plus free shipping and installation. All one had to do to reap these rewards was to sign up for the Mirror email newsletter.
Imagine saving money by reading! That’d be a perfect world.
Mirror also offered customers the chance to shave $500 off of their Mirror Package Plus with a discount that runs until December 29.
Much like Tonal, Mirror has financing plans too. You can divide your payment into 12, 24, or 48-month chunks, all of which begin with a $0 down payment and 0% APR.
While Tonal may offer great savings for America’s proudest workers, Mirror’s details are ubiquitous. You don’t have to go through 8 years of medical school just to earn the chance to save money on a Mirror home gym.
Tonal vs Mirror: Shipping & Returns
Here’s the big thing about Tonal’s shipping: they can’t ship outside of the United States. Heck, they only started shipping their products to Hawaii and Alaska in early 2021.
This isn’t some form of passive-aggressive anti-American praxis. Tonal is as proud of Americans as they are as proud of the bulging six-packs their products have helped customers sculpt.
Tonal can only ship to the United States because their products require professional installation by company employees. If they could ship their items internationally they’d have to pay for their workers’ extra plane tickets too.
Also, it costs an extra $300 for Tonal to deliver to Hawaii and Alaska.
Due to the complexity of installing Tonal, you must complete a pre-purchase installation survey that’ll ask you about your available space. This is so the brand can make the eventual installation a smooth process.
After that survey is complete, you can expect their goods to reach you within 3 to 5 weeks. Interestingly, that’s roughly the same amount of time you’ll have to decide whether your purchase is right for you.
Our Tonal vs Mirror review writers found that Tonal offers full refunds for orders that are sent back to them, so long as the return process is conducted within 30 days of installation.
However, let’s touch base with Mirror’s shipping protocols.
The first thing you should know is that Mirror can ship to all 48 continental states with the US (once again, Hawaii and Alaska get the snub) as well as most Canadian provinces.
Mirror estimates that their deliveries take between 7 to 14 business days from the date you order their products.
Delivery within the United States costs $250. That price includes the installation fee too. You should know that you’ll have to pay the full fee even if you decide you want to install Mirror yourself. In that sense, installation is technically free, if you want to spin it that way.
You can separate the delivery and installation dates if you can’t fit both into your busy schedule. We’re assuming your schedule must be quite packed, otherwise, why would you be researching which home gym is the best?
What surprised us was the company allowed shoppers to self-ship Mirror products even if they lived outside of those two countries.
The brand will provide you with a 4-hour shipping window where their shipping partners will arrive and install the product.
Lastly, Mirror offers a 30-day trial period that starts as soon as your order is in your hands. You’ll have 30 days to figure out whether the Mirror is what your heart desires or whether it’s best to part ways.
Our Tonal vs Mirror review writers found that Mirror was the more flexible of the two brands. Though they shared the same 30-day return policy, Tonal doesn’t hold a candle to Mirror’s shipping availability, speed, or installation options.
Who Will You Shop With?
Deciding between these two companies comes down to what you want out of a home gym.
If you want a simple device that allows you to monitor progress while filling you with a litany of workouts, then Mirror is for you. Or, it might be perfect if you just want a new mirror with some great additions.
Conversely, Tonal is for those who want a more complete home gym experience, equipment and all, at a steeper price.
It all comes down to preference. Though we may be great Tonal vs Mirror review researchers, we’re terrible at judging what others want. We’ll leave that decision up to you.
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