Please Read: This is an update to all those who read this and keep telling me that I can not compare the two TRX’s because they are two versions. If you actually read the article I say that I am aware that a direct comparison can’t be made. The focus of this post is inform people that fakes exist and you should buy from a company who you can trust. It also allows purchasers to see what the two versions look like. Read this article and my updated article. There are some definite fakes out there. Mine was of good quality but others have not been. Buyer be warned.
About 2 weeks ago I contacted Fitness Anywhere regarding a problem that I had with my TRX suspension trainer. The problem I had was that the cam, which adjusts the length of the straps, had a tendency to not hold onto the strap after adjusting the length. The response I received from them was that this kind of problem has been seen on fake/counterfeit TRX’s. They asked me to take some pictures of my TRX and email them. The next morning I received an email and found out that my TRX was a fake.
I contacted the store, in Winnipeg, from which I had purchased the TRX to tell them that it was a fake. The owner was rather surprised. He had indicated to me that he knew who the distributor was and he would look into it. He also offered to replace it with a new TRX, from Twist Conditioning, which is an approved dealer of the TRX in Canada.
When I went to get my new TRX the owner told me that the distributor that he had purchased the fake TRX from had been caught. He had called all of the people he who had purchased the fake from him to inform them that a fake was purchased. He now purchases his TRX from Twist Conditioning.
Because this happened to me I decided to do a comparison of the fake and a genuine TRX. Sadly, I don’t feel this will be a great comparision because the fake was a P1 version and the genuine is a P2 version. Regardless, I hope for any of you looking to purchase, or have purchased a TRX, the video and pictures will help you recognize a counterfeit or at the very least make you more aware that there are great fakes out there that need to be exposed.
Make sure you take a look at my two videos: one of the fake TRX and one of the Genuine TRX
As I search around on-line for images of the P1 TRX it is difficult to see a good view of what the genuine P1 TRX looks like. The Fitness Anywhere website does not describe how to recognize a fake either.
Here is my component by component comparison.
 |
| Fake TRX P1 |
 | |
| Genuine TRX P2 |
Carabiner Clips
The carabiner clips are different but this may be due to different models. From on-line images, the fake has the same style as the genuine. Quality of carabiner would be difficult to assess by visual inspections The P2 has a much nicer ergonomics to the carabiner which fits better with the loops when wrapping it around poles or attaching the straps to the over the door attachment.
 | |
| Fake TRX P1 |
 |
| Genuine TRX P2 |
Suspension Anchor and straps (parachute webbing)
The parachute webbing of the fake feels thicker and has a rougher texture compared to the genuine P2. The P2 stitching appears to be more thorough. Customer service did tell me that the stitching was inconsistent in the fake. This would definitely be a difficult thing to recognize.
 | |
| Fake TRX P1 |
 |
| Genuine TRX P2 |
Logos on Suspension anchor
When comparing the fake P1 with images of the P1, on-line, the logos appear to be identical on the suspension anchor. The P2 has a new, updated logo. It would be difficult to recognize a fake based on looking at the logos
 |
| Fake TRX P1 |
 |
| Genuine TRX P2 |
Adjusting Cams and Yellow tabs
This is where I discovered that my TRX was a fake. The cam was not closing enough to hold onto the strapping thus the strapping was slipping as I would try to exercise. Visually though, the cams on both models appear to be very similar. I should also point out that the slipping of the strapping didn’t occur until about three weeks into owning the fake.
The yellow tabs that you use to adjust the length of the straps appear to have differences in quality. The genuine tabs seem to be more “finished”. Also, when adjusting the straps the genuine seems to be tighter to lengthen versus the fake. It’s kind of hard to explain why this would be the case.
 |
| Fake TRX P1 |
 |
| Genuine TRX P2 |
Handles
The glaring difference between my fake and a real TRX is that my handles have no Logos on them. The genuine one I have actually has a different logo than the logo on the suspension anchor and the patent numbers are below the logo. When I looked at one of the other fakes that the store owner had it actually had logos on the handle. Another thing I see that is different in the handles is the attachment point between the straps and the handle. The fake’s strapping seems to be unfinished and extends out into the triangle of the handle. The genuine one is finished and doesn’t extend into the triangle.
 |
| Fake TRX P1 |
 |
| Genuine TRX P2 |
DVDs and Manuals
The most I can say about the DVDs and manuals is that the images may be slightly blurry on the fake TRX.
Conclusion
Upon visual inspection it would be very difficult to see the differences between a fake and a genuine TRX product. I must apologize for not being able to directly compare two P1 versions but I feel that even if I had compared the two with my untrained eye I would not have noticed the subtle differences.
If you feel as though you have a fake TRX email customer service and attach pictures of all parts of the device. It appears that customer service has been well trained in what to look for with fakes. I can also understand why Fitness Anywhere would want to keep this information a secret. If those who copy the TRX knew how to make the TRX even more like the genuine version they would be even harder to catch.
My only suggestion at this time, to prevent buying a fake TRX, is purchase directly from fitnessanywhere.com or through one of their authorized dealers.
I hope this posting was of some help.
Originally posted on May 17, 2022 @ 4:40 pm