I got this to help with the pressure of pregnancy (as advised by both my physical therapist and OB) and add flexible labor positioning options (per my doula). I had a well-known, more expensive brand 2 pregnancies ago, and this one matches the quality. If you stick your face right on it, you can smell a slight manufacturing scent, but i distinctly remember that with my previous expensive one, as well, so I'm pretty sure its just how the material and manufacuring process is with these things. You can't smell it (even with sensitive pregnancy nose--thanks, HG!) when just sitting on it. Also, after having it around for a few weeks, the scent is fading.

Definitely blow it up, let it sit for a few days, use it some, and blow it up a bit more. Yoga ball material stretches some at first, and you don't want a slouchy ball. It holds air perfect, though...this is just a normal breaking-in period "issue" that all yoga balls have.

Pumping it up takes a little while. My previous ball's pump worked better, pumping the expensive brand ball in a matter of 2 minutes or less. This pump functions the same way as that pump (pumps air OUT regardless of whether you're compressing or extending the pump), but it's just not as efficient. I was still able to pump it up in less than 5 mins, though. So, if youre looking to bring your own ball to the hospital, you can certainly deflate it and re-pump it (or, rather, have your partner or doula do that for you!) when you get to your room.

Since it works well for pregnancy sitting, it'd also be great for flexible office or school sitting. It's also the right material to be stable and not slippery for actual yoga.

We bought this for the five-year-old in our house and we bought the smaller size"”I think it's 45 cm. She loves it and has been bouncing on it and has occasionally run it into the corners of the furniture. It seems like it's very durable, and I would be surprised if she would be able to puncture it. As some other reviewers have mentioned, using the enclosed pump is very frustrating. I had hoped we could use our own foot pump that we use on the bicycle tires but the nozzle wasn't compatible. It does take quite a while to pump this up with the enclosed pump and it's frustrating to get it started. But we did get it finally, after about 10 minutes. She really enjoys it, and I think that it will be good for her, and encourage her to exercise more, even while watching TV.

Includes pump, filled up pretty quick, I'm 5'9 and the large ball is perfect. I'm pregnant and it works wonderfully. Feels nice and sturdy.

I was looking for a durable exercise ball to use for core strength training and yoga, so I ordered this one in a size XL. After trying it out, here is my review:

Pros:

- The balls inflated easily with the provided hand pump, taking 10 minutes. (Time due to XL size)
- The set came with extras like plugs and a plug removal tool, which are nice bonuses.
- The material feels thick and durable, which I expect will hold up well over time.
- The blue color looks nice and vibrant. Color is as pictured.

Cons:

- Hand pump, even though it was easy to use but it didn't inflate quickly. Took 10 mins.
- The vibration dampening doesn't seem as good as some other brands I've tried.

They aren't the highest quality exercise balls on the market, but are decent for the price.
Overall, these are good quality balls for the price point, but have some drawbacks compared to premium brands. I'd recommend them for casual home use but not for yoga or professional athletic training. Also, should've gone with the Large size than the XL. Bigger did not seem like better in my case. I'm 5'-4" and this ball was just a bit too big for me to do regular ball exercises with. My suggestion to stick with the Large if you are in my height range. Hope this reviewed helped.

Purchased this to use at my desk, ordered the large and it wasn't big enough... I weigh 180lbs and my desk height is 30.5 inches. I kept the size large because my wife and kids like it and ordered the XL. Inflating was straight forward, I did wait the 24hrs for full inflation and the ball seems durable enough.