Remember the old Solo Flex rubber band machine? I could never afford one when I was younger and I wanted it bad. A year or two ago I was shocked to find they are still in business. The biggest shock was the price.
Yeah, they are not giving Soloflex away. I like the retro machine with what looks like a wood butcher block style bench. It occurs to me there is some similarity in principal between the weight straps and I elite bands I bought because they both combine resistance bands/straps with a bar or something else solid. Of course the Soloflex is much more comprehensive.
Some interest titbits about Soloflex. It is still being manufactured in Hillsboro, Oregon. Scott Madsen, who was a high school gymnast prior to modeling for Soloflex may still live in Vancouver, Washington (just across the Columbia river from Portland). In 2010 he was sentenced to two years in prison for embezzling $250 G from his uncle's small mortgage company. Rumor was that he was gay, but I've also read that he was straight and hated being a gay icon.
Jerry Wilson is still the CEO of Soloflex. In 2009 he announced his intent to run for governor of Oregon. He wasn't elected. Jerry seems to have a really colorful history.