This is my third ankle-training device. Compared to the other wooden one I have, this one has better construction: the two platform are 14.5mm (about 5/8") thick,13-ply wood vs. 9mm (about 1/3"). The cord attaching the two halves is thicker, better secured, and slightly elastic. This is important since the cord is a potential failure point. However, the elastic limits the speed of rotation between the heel and forefoot boards because the two boards are pulled together by the tension of the elastic cord. The rubber pads on the top are thick and well secured. The rockers for the bottom are very sturdy (22mm or 7/8") vs. 14mm (1/2") for my other one. Whether or not this is an advantage depends on how you use the device and whether you want maximum range of motion or least risk of injury. The rockers attach very firmly to the velcro (to the point they are a bit difficult to remove), which is fairly standard. The wood does not have a heavy coat of stain or varnish so isn't as smooth as my other wooden ankle trainer. The outer corners are angled rather than rounded. Overall, I would say this has premium build quality.The device comes with a nice 14-page booklet containing seven exercises focusing on the heel, forefoot, calves or toes. It shows you where to place the short and long rockers (two long and four short rockers are included, more than on some other ankle trainers). It also specifies exercise duration (20-40s) and number of reps (3-5) for each foot. This is really useful because many people (including me) buy a device like this, figure out a few basic exercises, but don't use it to its full potential and maybe get bored and stop using it.The other ankle trainer that I have is plastic. It includes a support that is a ball, which allows 360º rotation, but I'm not sure that is much of an advantage in practice. I prefer wooden ankle trainers like this one.I think this is a premium-quality wooden ankle trainer and recommend it unless you prefer one that sits closer to the ground or want one where the heel and foot boards aren't pulled together by the cord and rotate more freely and faster. It's high quality, has lots of rocker attachments for different exercises and has a very useful instruction booklet. Note that you can use ankle boards like these with the other foot flat on the ground, with toes touching the ground, or raised. This affects both difficulty and risk of injury.I would note that, if your interest is mainly stability training or strengthening all the auxiliary muscles that support balance, I would first do single-leg balance exercising (progressing to balancing with eyes closed and perhaps on unstable surfaces like an Airex pad or some other soft foam pad) and then use rocker-type balance boards for greater range of motion and two-leg stability training (which is more time-efficient than one-leg training). This device provides more specific training for ankle strengthening and stability. You get some of that with single-leg balancing and balance boards but this may provide more focussed training, which can be especially useful if you have ankle-stability issues or participate in a sport or strength training where a very high degree of ankle stability is an advantage.

Height of board doesn't seem to give enough room for actually rocking the board with your foot. Can get more flexibility and increase ankle strength by using a frozen water bottle

This ankle strengthener is kinda neat, but I find it slow going. I find it challenging to get the right pressure with one foot on the ground. It feels too easy, so I don’t think I’m getting the results I want. I think having two would be better for this. It’s pretty stable so I may just purchase a second one to use together.

I've never used anything like this before, but my ankles are usually the first to "give out" on me when hiking rocky mountain trails, even when I was younger. I want to go hiking more again, but being older now, think these exercises may help me to develop better ankle resilience and control. While I've only put in on the floor to test out the feel of it, I can gauge that it will be a useful developmental tool for me.As per my photos, the construction is actually quite substantial. Except for a few minor flaws, I can confidently assume nothing with give out on me when underfoot as I put more of my weight on them in due time. The layers of wood ply are good, and overall thickness nearly 5/8". The length is adequate for numerous feet sizes, the dowel balances are heavy duty, and the connective elastic cord is also quite thick. The channels for the elastic are a bit rough after production, but I can use a small file to smooth them down. The small nick in the wood on the underside of the board is not a big concern. I had looked at some other ankle board listings and by comparison, those did not match the quality construction of this one in photos.The velcro pads are densely looped and strong, to the point I'm a bit nervous pulling the balance rods off to change positions. Worst case scenario I would just glue them back on if they peel off, but from what I can tell, the adhesive is quite strong. One of the vinyl foot pads had a small section that had not been glue down yet, but it was a 3M adhesive strip (good brand), and I just peeled off the paper backing and finished pressing it down. The vinyl foot pads are non-slip, but will (along with the velcro) collect fiber lint, so I need to be sure to use this with bare feet. I had a sock on when testing it, and already got some sock lint stuck to them, LOL. I'll probably find something around the house I can use to keep them in to stay clean between uses.As for the pamphlet with exercises and general instructions, it's great! On glossy nice weight paper, but I might additional split them into sections and laminate them. I tend to be careless when in a hurry or distracted, and I want the directions to last just as long as the wood components. :)So, I can recommend this based on my observations even before trying it out. I will feel nervous at first because I can't even put a shoe on anymore while standing on one foot like I used to be able to. I'm hoping my balance and ankle strength will increase substantially by using this product and the ankle exercises designed for it.

This has been great to use for doing stretching exercises for my feet. The instructions are a bit difficult to understand. Therefore I took it upon myself to utilize it to the best of my ability. I do use it on carpet because I feel it’s just safer to do and I also brace myself with the back of a chair. But this is a great tool to use if you have plantar fasciitis and/or weak ankles which I have both. The tool is solid wood, with anti slip pads and sticky Velcro for the balance bars.

I ordered this for my son as he started shot put and disc throwing this year. along with upper body strength it requires foot work and ankle stability. There are several ways to put the pieces together to get the desired ankle work out. I'm not sure if this is working but my son is becoming more sure footed.