Sunny Health & Fitness Mini Stair Stepper with Resistance Bands for Cardio

Why it's worth it

This hydraulic mini stepper weighs about 13 pounds and takes up less floor space than a doormat. It won't replace a real cardio machine, but it's a genuinely easy way to get your heart rate up while you watch something.

The appeal is that it's always available. It's about 16 inches long and 13 pounds, so you can pull it out during a show, step for 15 minutes, and put it back in a closet. Machines you have to make room for get used less than machines you can carry with one hand. For a lot of people, that's the whole equation.

Quiet is the feature that matters most here. The hydraulic cylinders make a soft hiss and nothing else, so you can use it in a second-floor apartment at night without a conversation with your downstairs neighbor. Owners routinely use it in front of a desk or a TV without disturbing anyone in the next room. Nothing on a revolving stepmill comes close.

From our review of 5 stair climbers for home gyms, by Eleanor Vance, Health & Beauty Editor

What we like

• +The appeal is that it's always available
• +Quiet is the feature that matters most here
• +You get more than a bare frame
• +Research supports this kind of accumulated effort more than you'd think

What to know

• –The stride is short and there's no handrail, so your balance does real work at first and the range of motion never approaches a…
• –The digital monitor is the weak link
• –Hydraulic cylinders wear out