I purchased the Body Sculpture Deluxe Pilates Set when Pilates became all the rage a few years ago, in order to help me tone up for a holiday. Here's my review on this fun set.

-- Price and Availability --

I purchased my Body Sculpture Deluxe Pilates Set from Amazon for the bargain price of £9.99. I have seen the set at £15+ in independent sports shops and on the high street in Sports Soccer (larger branches), so this is a good price indeed. With Amazon Prime I got free next day delivery - otherwise it's free but can take up to five days.

-- Box Contents --

The box contains:

5mm Power Band in lilac purple
2 2lb Toning Balls in a hot pink
26" Gym Ball in aqua blue
Hand pump in a candy pink

The box has some basic instructions and a warranty / safety sheet, but I'd recommend either getting a Pilates DVD or using a guide on the internet, or a book.

-- Looks --

Given that everything is in a pastel or candy tone, and the fact it has a lady on the box, this is clearly aimed at the female market! Also, as the gym ball is 26" and not larger, it is definitely one for the ladies. Of course, men can do Pilates, but I wouldn't recommend this set for a man based not on the colour but the size of the gym ball, I'm pretty sure it would be too small for most men.

But for the females, OK not all women like candy colours, but to be honest, I do, and it's nice to see a brightly coloured set as opposed to all those boring grey and black exercise sets you can get (especially value ones).

-- Use --

I purchased a Pilates DVD and book set for about £2.99 in a cheap bookstore, and used all my equipment with that. The ball is easy to pump up and keeps pumped up (until you want to deflate it, that is). The weights are sturdy, comfortable to hold, and just the right weight for the toning exercises I use them for. The band, too, is strong despite being only very thin, and holds up to resistance well, it hasn't stretched out of shape or torn in the near 3 years that I have owned it.

I do wish the set came with a mat but that's only a minor gripe, for the price I can't complain. I made the mistake of buying an Argos Value Mat, which was a total waste of money, so my advice would be to not cheap out on the mat just because this set is cheap!

-- Overall --

I really can't complain for the money at all - every item is well made, looks good and is easy to use. However, I would happily have paid £19.99 from Amazon (as an example) if the set had included a mat and maybe a book or a DVD guide, too, so I didn't have to buy these things separately. However, if you already have a mat, say for Yoga, and you are wanting to try Pilates, then I'd highly recommend this mat, and at least a guide is very cheap so it's not a huge problem at all.

I'm going to give this set four out of five - I wouldn't say it's a comprehensive set, and certainly not deluxe as the box suggests (you couldn't buy this set and be ready to go in terms of Pilates), but it is good value for money and I highly recommend it so you have at least the basic kit to get you started.