This review is for Nupara Fitness brand “Foam Roller for Back, Legs, and Deep Tissue Muscles. Muscle Roller for Running, Cycling, Sports, Exercise, Recovery, Physical Therapy, Yoga, and Pilates. (Pink, 18 inch – Large)”.
This foam roller is made of pink medium-firm foam and is 6” in diameter. It’s only 17 3/4” wide but that’s fairly close to the claimed dimensions of 18”. This foam roller is firm enough to not noticeably deform at all under use, although I’m not a particularly large person. I really love using foam rollers to crack/loosen my spine and work on my IT bands, and this wide roller made both of those easy. I basically can’t fall off of this without trying and it’s very easy to reposition when the roller has this much width. This roller is effective for both my back as well as relieving a lot of the tightness in my legs/hips.
I don’t mind the fairly flat texture, it’s easier to wipe down than a lot of my knobbier rollers. Also, the flatter roller makes it easier for me to pinpoint a specific area. If the roller is very textured sometimes the exact point on my body I’m targeting ends up in the “valley” between bumps on the roller, and I have to keep turning the roller and trial-and-error to get that spot. A smaller diameter, flatter roller like this will always hit an area and I don’t have to fiddle as much.
The one personal preference I have is for hollow rollers. They’re both easier to get a grip on, as well as more travel friendly. I value efficient use of space and I can stuff a hollow tube with workout clothes, gym towels, etc. and barely notice I lost space by bringing the hollow roller. This solid foam roller would be fine in a home gym, but it’s never going on a trip with me as it would take up half a suitcase.
At the time of purchase this was $34.99, which seems to be an ok value for money as there are plenty of comparable options both more expensive and a little cheaper. This gets 5 stars, it’s effective and easy to use at a reasonable price.