Best mirror workout 2021: Tempo, Tonal, Mirror and more – CNET [CNET]

Echelon

The setup: A word of caution: Don’t buy the Reflect if you aren’t prepared to install it yourself or you have someone who will do it as a favor. I didn’t realize the Reflect didn’t include installation services, so the half-open box sat on my living room floor until my fiance had time to install it for me. I don’t put holes in the walls — that’s a rule at our place. For good reason. It only took my fiance about 30 minutes to install, but it wasn’t without a few “WTFs” here and there. I can’t say how difficult it was myself, but I do know the Reflect is rather heavy at 52 pounds, and it took both of us to position the mirror on the wall bracket. 

I would have chosen to buy the compatible stand, a 200-by-200mm VESA mount stand, had I known about it before the delivery. But I didn’t become aware of the stand option until I read the instruction manual, at which point I didn’t want to wait for the stand. 

Once on the wall, however, the Reflect looks insanely nice. The mirror is crystal clear and the rounded edges give it a sleek but not overly modernized appearance. We hung the Reflect in our bedroom because we’d run out of wall space in the living room while testing all of the devices. 

The experience: My experience with the Reflect, er, mirrored my experience with the Mirror. The overall concept is identical: A mirror hangs on your wall and it streams workouts. The main difference, to me, seems to be that the Reflect doesn’t have the personal training capabilities the Mirror has. There’s no camera, so the Reflect can’t offer the same live training — because no one can see you on the other side. This will be a plus for some and a drawback for others. I personally had no intention of using personal training or making myself known during live classes, so I didn’t care. 

The app: Because the Echelon Reflect has a touchscreen, I didn’t need to use the app much. I used it to sign up initially, but you can also sign up directly through the device. The app would come in handy if you were ever away from your Reflect, because you can still stream body-weight workouts or workouts suited to whatever equipment you have while away. Overall, the app is easy to use. My one complaint is that there’s no way to filter by experience level, so if you’re a beginner, you have to sift through all of the intermediate and advanced classes.  

The workouts: Like the Mirror and the Tempo, the Reflect offers tons of classes in a variety of categories. You can choose from HIIT, strength training, cardio, Pilates, dance, yoga, boxing and more. When you click on a category, you can scroll through the list of classes in that category. There’s no option to take on full programs, however, which means you’re on your own for choosing your workout every day. Programs are beneficial for people who want to reach a specific goal and don’t want to think about which workout they need to do each day to achieve that goal. 

The music: The Reflect doesn’t offer as many music options as the fitness mirrors, and it kept prompting me to connect Bluetooth-enabled earbuds, which I didn’t want to do. There’s no option to connect your Reflect to music streaming services, which I suppose is why it wants you to connect headphones, so you can listen through your phone. Still, the Reflect has predetermined tracks for each workout, which matched well overall. I never felt annoyed or limited by the music, which is really what matters in the end. 

The content quality: The workouts on the Reflect could be of better quality all around. The volume felt all over the place, and the audio sounded scratchy or staticky at times. The visuals also looked fuzzy compared to the Mirror, Tempo and Tonal visuals. Also, unlike the other devices, you can’t pause, rewind or forward the workouts on the Reflect — so if you miss something, your only option is to start the workout all over again. 

See Echelon Reflect at Best Buy