Smart fitness mirrors had a huge year in 2020, but guess what? It’s 2021 now and they’re not going anywhere! That’s right, fitness mirrors are more than just a trend and a way to get personal training from home while your gym is closed.
We’re seeing a massive shift in the way we workout. Instead of believing that the only way to get an effective workout is going to the gym, more and more of us are recognizing that we can get similar results from home, which means we’re doing it on our own schedule.
So whether you’re into fitness classes, strength training, yoga, or anything else in between, you can find a way to do it from home with a fitness mirror. But what’s the best smart mirror for 2021?
It depends who you ask, but in this article, I want to hone in on three great options that are very similar, but also unique in their own ways; Mirror vs Echelon Reflect vs Proform Vue. Mirror has been around for longer, but is it still the best option or have the Echelon Reflect and Proform Vue taken connected fitness to the next level? Let’s examine this matchup via a detailed comparison and declare a winner!
TL;DR - The Condensed Version
Ok, here it is. Mirror is the best smart mirror for those who crave variety in their workouts and who live for a good fitness class experience. The Proform Vue wins for strength training capabilities thanks to its inclusion of weights. And Echelon Reflect gets our vote for the best budget-friendly mirror with a touchscreen.
Fit Healthy Momma's Rating
Mirror
Rating
4.5 / 5
Form Correct
YES
Studio Style
Yes
Over 50 class genres
yes
Free Standing
yes
Reflect
Rating
4/ 5
Form Correct
YES
Strength & Cardio
Yes
Mario Lopez class
yes
Wall mounted
yes
Vue
Rating
3.5 / 5
Form Correct
YES
Strength & Cardio
Yes
iFit App
yes
Free Standing
yes
But First... Who Should Buy a Smart Fitness Mirror?
Before we dive into our comparison of Mirror, Echelon Reflect, and Proform Vue, let’s first address the elephant in the room: who should buy a fitness mirror? You’ve seen the ads and checked out their websites, but you’re likely wondering if these connected fitness devices are worth it or if you’re better off going to the gym or streaming an app from your iPhone. If that’s the case, I hear you - I was there, too.
So what value does interactive fitness bring to the table? Well, for starters, they offer users a convenient way to workout from home. I’ve been working out from home for a long time now, so even when the world quarantined, it really didn’t affect my routine. However, I was still questioning if my workouts could get better, more exciting, and more intuitive. It can feel lonely, isolating, and confusing when you’re trying to reach your goals on your own.
Questions like “how’s my form on these deadlifts?” or, “am I even doing this right?!” are common. And guess what, no one’s around to answer them for you. That’s not only annoying, but also dangerous as poor form can lead to injuries. This is where smart fitness equipment like mirrors and other connected devices can step in and make life (and your workouts) easier.
The easiest thing to do is not workout because you, like me, likely have a thousand excuses why you don’t have the time or the energy to do it. The second easiest thing to do is buy an all-in-one fitness device that takes care of everything for you, eliminating the majority of your excuses (sorry not sorry). This could be conceived as a good or a bad thing, but if you’re serious about getting in shape, it’s a good thing!
Mirror vs Proform Vue vs Echelon Reflect: A Table Comparison
VS. | Mirror | Proform Vue | Echelon Reflect |
|---|---|---|---|
Starting Price: | $1,495 | $1,499 | $1,499 |
Monthly Membership Cost: | $39 | $39 (1-year FREE iFit Membership with purchase) | $39 |
Number Of Users Per Membership: | 6 | 5 | 6 |
Screen size: | 42” | 22” with 24” x 60” reflective surface | 50” |
Touchscreen?: | No, must download app to control screen | Yes | Yes |
Workouts Available: | 50+ different genres, thousands of classes to choose from | Strength training, HIIT, yoga, reflective training sessions | HIIT, cardio, strength training, yoga, and other live and on-demand options |
Fit Healthy Momma's Rating: | 4.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 4/5 |
Website: |
The Mirror was the first smart home gym that started this whole craze.
The Mirror Overview
Mirror is known as “The nearly invisible home gym.” The Mirror home gym is the most discrete and aesthetically pleasing piece of home gym equipment on the market. Instead of looking like a piece of exercise equipment, it looks like a sleek, full-size mirror when not in use. Pretty genius, right?
Mirror was one of the first smart fitness mirrors to hit the scene, and it has only continued to rise in popularity, especially after the events of 2020 left a lot of folks working out from home. So even those with very limited fitness space at home are likely to find the two feet wall requirement needed to install and use Mirror’s workout options.
What’s Included?
Unlike many of its competitors, Mirror features nothing outside of the mirror itself. The magic is behind the glass, so to speak. There are no other tools or props needed to allow this smart mirror to get to work for you. Of course, the downside here is that if you’re planning to take any strength training classes, you’ll need to supply your own dumbbells or other weight training equipment.
Otherwise, with the purchase of your Mirror, you’ll receive the Mirror Care Kit, Mirror stand, and wall mount. Don’t worry, though, every Mirror purchase comes standard with white glove delivery and setup which means you won’t have to worry about properly installing your smart mirror.
Workout classes Available
Workout class selection is where Mirror really stands apart from other fitness mirror competitors. No matter what your ideal workout routine is, there’s a good chance that you’ll find the exercise modality for you within Mirror’s monthly subscription. With a selection of live classes as well as hundreds of on demand class options, all with varying levels of intensity and lengths, you can always find something that strikes your fancy.
Mirror workout classes include the following:
- Kettlebell
- Competitive
- Yoga flow
- Boxing
- Barre
- Tai Chi
- Bootcamp
- Kickboxing
- Cardio + Strength
- Family Fun
- Pilates
- Pre + Postnatal
- Dance cardio
- Stretch
- Sculpt
- Weight training
- Ballet
- Meditation
- Hip hip
- Latin dance
- And more!
Who Should Choose Mirror?
I find Mirror to be a great option for anyone that loves classic studio-style workouts. Whether you’re a yogi, love hip hop dance, or like to strength train in a group setting, Mirror’s workouts will give you what you need and then some. It’s truly the equivalent of bringing your favorite studio to your living room, which means that you get to eliminate the hassle of driving to the gym, dealing with wonky schedules, and you’ll save some money, too.
Mirror allows up to 6 user profiles per membership, which makes it the ideal solution for families who have multiple people that would like to work out. The one thing that can be a small drawback to Mirror is the fact that the screen is not a touchscreen. Instead, you’ll need to download the app on your phone or other device to control your workouts from there. This isn’t a big deal for most, but it’s worth mentioning. On the plus side, you won’t have to worry about excess fingerprints and smudge marks on your mirror, it will always look like an elegant, full-length mirror when not in use!
Echelon is gaining massive popularity and is competing with top smart gym brands.
The Echelon Reflect Overview
Echelon Reflect is a discreet, connected fitness mirror that offers the promise of zero footprint. Using specially made brackets, the Echelon Fitness Reflect secures flush to your wall, giving you a sharp look and taking up virtually zero space. This concept is similar to Mirror, however, Mirror does give the option to place your unit on the floor with their stand if that’s more convenient for your space, but you can rest assured that it will function properly either way.
The biggest claim to fame for the Echelon Reflect and perhaps the most lucrative feature of the Echelon Reflect is the giant 50” screen and 32” HD touchscreen display where you can seamlessly choose your workouts, adjust your settings, and view your instructors on a screen so large it feels like they’re in the room with you.
Speaking of instructors, the Echelon Reflect uses cloud-based streaming video technology to give users access to their exclusive classes from anywhere in the world. There’s a wide selection of class variety and users can choose to take either live or on-demand classes. All live classes are made available in the on-demand section shortly after they’ve wrapped up, similar to Peloton. Also, Echelon has a whole lineup of fitness equipment in addition to their Echelon Reflect Mirror, they also have a smart connect bike, treadmill, rowing machine, and more.
What’s Included?
Similar to The Mirror, the Echelon Reflect comes with just the wall-mounted Reflect, however, they do give buyers the option to upgrade their package to include some additional equipment that can aid in successfully working out with the Reflect. That said, if you’re only buying the Echelon Reflect and not one of their bikes or other exercise equipment, I would recommend just buying yourself a couple pairs of dumbbells to be used with the strength workouts, a recovery roller, and a workout mat for comfort. You may also consider purchasing a bluetooth heart rate monitor to better track your workouts.
Workout Classes Available
Echelon recruits world-class instructors to lead their fitness classes, and even some celebrities, too. You may have seen that Mario Lopez is one of their star instructors, so I know all my Saved By The Bell fans are going to be interested for that reason (kidding...kind of. I mean, who didn’t like bad boy, AC Slater?).
Here’s a rundown of the class modalities you can expect from Echelon’s live class and on demand workouts:
- Strength training
- Zumba
- Dance
- Yoga
- Pilates
- Boxing
- HIIT
- Cardio
- And more!
Who Should Choose Echelon Reflect?
The Echelon Reflect is an awesome choice for those who have limited floor space and require flexibility with their home gym setup. Since there’s virtually no footprint thanks to the clever wall-mounted design, you can easily turn any space in your home into your home gym. This smart home gym is popular because it features a large display as well as a touchscreen that makes controlling it a breeze. Although it doesn’t look like a regular full length mirror like Mirror does, it’s still very sleek, simple, and non-intrusive.
For those who wish to have access to a personal trainer without the hassle of going to the gym, the Echelon Reflect can help you accomplish this thanks to the built in front facing camera that allows users to connect with trainers seamlessly. Echelon Reflect offers great programming and ease of use, which is highly attractive to folks who want to workout from home while getting great results at the same time, which is the name of the game for the Echelon Reflect series.
The Vue comes with included weights, but is it enough?
The Proform Vue Analysis
The Proform Vue takes things up a notch by adding in some weights with their deal. The premise of the Proform Vue is that customers get access to the full training experience from home. This means that users can count on cardio, strength, stretching, and everything in between. Because they included weights with their smart home gym, those who are starting from scratch can feel confident in their weight training program.
Proform is connected to NordicTrack, and both of these brands use iFit for their memberships. iFit is a very popular platform with thousands of live and on-demand workouts to choose from. The best part is that if you have any other Proform or NordicTrack equipment like a bike or treadmill, your membership will get you access to the workouts that correspond to each piece of equipment. And the second best part is that your purchase of the Vue will get you a full 1-year membership to iFit which is a big deal when analyzing the workout comparison and pricing.
Aside from the training and the inclusion of additional weight training accessories, this home gym is quite impressive. In total, the unit has a 24” x 60 “ reflective surface with a 22” HD touchscreen built in. The Proform Vue sits on a solid base and has a 24.25” W x 14” D x 72.65” H footprint and the reflective surface pivots (very similar to the NordicTrack Vault but there’s no option to store the equipment inside).
What’s Included?
While most traditional smart mirrors don’t come equipped with any additional equipment, the Proform Vue takes things up a notch by adding in weights. The included accessories for the Vue are as follows:
- 10 lb barbell
- (2) 5 lb. dumbbell bars
- (4) 2.5 lb. weight plates
One thing that concerns me about the Vue is the fact that it’s free-standing. Judging by the looks of it, it appears that it could topple over fairly easily, which leads me to believe that children and pets should be steering clear from this machine as it doesn’t look like there’s an option to mount it on the wall.
Also noteworthy is that since Vue includes weights and the others don’t, this may narrow your decision down to Echelon Reflect vs Mirror as these two are more closely related.
Workout Classes to Choose From
iFit is some of the best programming out there and includes a variety of different modalities that are inclusive for users of all fitness levels, including:
- Strength
- Yoga
- HIIT
- Cardio
- Recovery
When analyzing Echelon Reflect vs Mirror vs Proform Vue, there’s a noticeable difference in variety of workouts available, which may have a lot to do with the fact that Proform has multiple pieces of equipment and they spread their workouts between different equipment, not focusing on just one thing the way that Mirror home gym does.
Who Should Choose Proform Vue?
Proform Vue is a great choice for someone who wants to strength train from home and doesn’t have any equipment yet. Keep in mind that the included strength training accessories are very lightweight and will not be sufficient for advanced lifters, however, the weights provided are perfect for beginners. Additionally, the programming is more tailored to those who are new to lifting weights, so if that’s you, the Proform Vue is certainly worth a closer look.
New fitness equipment can be pricey, but then when you tack on the cost to get the right accessories like resistance bands, weights, a mat, and more, you’re looking at a pretty steep investment. Proform Vue looks to alleviate some of the financial burden by offering a better deal for roughly the same price as the Echelon Reflect mirror and the home gym Mirror package.
What’s The Best Connected Fitness Equipment to Reach Your Fitness Goals in 2021?
Getting a great workout from home is so much easier when you have equipment that features a sleek design, cool features, and effective workout programs. All the home gym mirrors that we compared in this article offer a very similar experience, however, when it comes to home gyms, you want to make sure that you’re getting the best option for you and your fitness needs.
One thing that I hear repeated over and over again by those looking to invest in an interactive fitness mirror is that they need to be able to do multiple workouts so that they don’t get bored. Home gyms should be anything but boring, and I promise you that you’ll find a ton of variety from each one of these options.
So let’s really break these down so that you can narrow it down to which one is going to have the biggest impact on your goals. The mirror fitness market can be confusing, so let’s clarify:
Go with Mirror if…
- 1You want a home gym mirror that blends into your home seamlessly. No one will even know it’s a piece of fitness equipment! When not in use, the Mirror looks like a sleek piece of decor that compliments your home.
- 2You like to change up your workouts and try new things! Mirror has the largest selection of workout videos and live fitness classes, hands down. Whether you want to feel like you’re working out with a personal trainer or you’re immersed in a group fitness class experience, Mirror classes have you covered.
- 3You have multiple people at home who would like to use the workout options. Mirror home gym allows you to have up to 6 user profiles under your one monthly subscription fee, which means that everyone in the family can get in on the fun and reach their goals.
- 4Not having a touchscreen isn’t a deal breaker for you. Using the Mirror app, you can control everything right from your phone, but some people prefer to use a touchscreen.
Go with Echelon Reflect if…
- 1You love the idea of controlling your workouts right from their large touchscreen interface.
- 2You have other fitness equipment from Echelon and are already paying for a monthly subscription.
- 3You have very limited space and need your equipment to be as discreet and non-invasive on your space as possible. Echelon Reflect’s screen is attached right to your wall, eliminating the need for any floor space.
- 4You love Mario Lopez and want the chance to workout with him 🙂
Go with Proform Vue if…
- 1You’re new to strength training and want to get your own home gym all in one shot.
- 2The idea of a rotating reflective surface is intriguing and a cool feature that you’d like to utilize to make sure that you always have the best view of your workout.
- 3You want to get a good workout in from a group of trainers who are experts in a few things, but not in every possible modality out there.
Conclusion: And the winner of the best smart fitness mirror goes to...
Ok, down to the wire here. It’s easy to see that all three of these companies are competing for your sales and that all of the companies mentioned are worthy. Modern users today are looking for convenience, ease, functionality, and a fair price point. As far as the price comparison goes, all three companies mentioned are neck and neck, coming in with almost identical pricing structures. Also important to note is that all three companies offer financing options that make getting one these for your home a little easier.
Based on our Mirror overview and the knowledge I have about this brand, it’s clear that they remain the market leaders in the mirror home gym space. This is a case of doing it first and doing it best. That said, the other mirror home gyms are great, too, but they simply haven’t been around long enough to stand the test of time.
If you’ve narrowed down your search to the Echelon Reflect vs Mirror, I would encourage you to examine your space and determine which option is better suited for your home and needs. Do you need something that’s fixed to the wall? Or will your landlord charge you big for the holes required?
The Proform Vue is the newest mirror home gym to hit the market, and while it’s still too early to make a solid call as to whether or not this is the real deal, I definitely think Proform stepped up their game on this one, giving themselves a slight edge over the competition thanks to the inclusion of weights. The Vue is trying to compete with the likes of Tempo, NordicTrack Vault, and even Tonal.
At the end of the day, the choice is yours! Which one of these home gym options stuck out to you as the best? Was there a certain workout type that you are hoping you’ll be able to do with your home gym mirror? Do you want to do live workouts? I encourage you to evaluate all your options with a critical eye and with the lens of knowing what you want out of your equipment.
Mirror
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Echelon Reflect
Overall Rating: 4/5
Proform Vue
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
