mini trampolines

Does anyone have one for exercise purposes? I'm looking to get one but am a bit confused as to why some of them can cost as little as $30 and some of them I have seen as high as $500! I've read some reviews and some people say that theirs works great and someone else said the exact same one broke within a month. If you have one, how much did you pay for it and has it lasted?!

I would think that something like that would have a weight limit on them. So maybe the more expensive ones accommodate higher weights?

I would imagine use would be a huge factor. If your jumping hard on it everyday the cheaper ones would break quickly. If your lightly bouncing a few times a week the cheaper ones might last many years. Cheaper ones are probably made of thinner and softer metal frames, weaker springs, and less durable or forgiving material in the center. The springs are a big factor in trampolines. Different springs will give different amounts of resistence and bounce and better quality springs will maintain their resistence. Cheaper springs will stretch over time so they don't pull the trampoline back up as well creating a saggy trampoline with little bounce even if it still appears to be in good condition.

We had a full size outdoor trampoline not a little excercise one so I can't compare costs.

My guess would that its like everything else that's cheap: it only lasts a shorter period of time...probably doesn't come with a warranty either like $500 one would (then if the expensive one broke, you could call the manufacturer and they would send the parts to fix it).

Yes, I did notice some of the more expensive ones had a higher weight limit. But still, I can not justify spending $500 on a mini exercise trampoline...and therefore I will not.

I've also noticed that it's tricky to find one that is NOT made in China. I did manage to do some more searching today and found one that is made in the US, it is $129 and it has a lifetime warranty. If I remember correctly, the one that was $500 only had a 5 year warranty. Most of the other less expensive ones ($30 - $80 or so) had no mention of a warranty.