BASI Systems Reformers: Studio, Compact and Compact Plus
BASI Systems builds a short reformer line on one idea: a beech frame riding aircraft-grade aluminium track, with the adjustment packed into the details. There are three reformers to choose from: the studio Reformer, the Compact and the newer Compact Plus. Each also comes in a version with a tower fitted. This guide sets out what separates them and which rooms each one suits.
How is the BASI reformer range organized?
By frame length. The studio Reformer is the full 95.3 in machine, the Compact is the shortest at 81.5 in and the Compact Plus sits between them for buyers who find one too short and the other too long. All three share beech frames, aluminium track, antibacterial vinyl upholstery and prepared F2 ports.
The BASI Reformer: the studio frame
This is the machine the rest of the range is measured against. Its carriage is 31.2 by 27.5 in with a 2.36 in cushion, which BASI rates as the longest and widest it makes. A half tower carries the Enhanced Pulley System, so pulley height and width can be set to the user rather than to a fixed hole.
- Five springs: 3 red, 1 blue and 1 yellow.
- A gear bar with three positions, each step changing tension by roughly 3 to 4 percent.
- Footbar with 5 angles, headrest with 3 and shoulder rests with 6 positions.
- Short legs fitted as standard, with medium and tall extension legs sold separately.
- A short frame version at 87.4 in and 187 lb, against 197.3 lb for the standard frame.
Compact and Compact Plus
The Compact is the entry point to the line and the answer for rooms the studio frame will not fit. The frame measures 81.5 by 23.6 in and weighs 153 lb, with a 25.6 by 23.6 in carriage. It keeps the same five-spring set but swaps the half tower for a VPS riser, which lets the pulley slide to any height. The footbar has 4 angles and the headrest 3. Accessories are sized to this frame, so it takes compact-sized jump boards and sitting boxes rather than the standard pieces.
The Compact Plus is the newest addition. BASI has not yet published a full dimension sheet for it, so confirm measurements before planning a tight room. The construction is known: the same beech frame, aluminium track, antibacterial vinyl and prepared F2 ports as its siblings. Anthracite Grey is the standard upholstery, with the rest of BASI's eight-color range available.
Which BASI reformer fits your room?
Start with the room guide BASI publishes for the studio Reformer, which is 10 ft long by 5 ft wide. If that fits comfortably, the full frame gives you the largest carriage and the Enhanced Pulley System. If it does not, the Compact trims 13.8 in from the frame length. The Compact Plus suits rooms in between.
Adding a tower or trapeze later
Buying the reformer first does not close the door on tower work. The Tower Only Upgrade attaches to prepared mounting points on an existing studio Reformer, while the Compact Tower Only Upgrade does the same for the Compact. The Trapeze Only Upgrade goes further, turning a BASI Reformer, Reformer with Tower or Reformer Combo into a full Cadillac without a second frame.
The four prepared F2 ports matter here as well. They are the connection points for the BASI F2 System accessories, so the frame you buy first keeps its options open as your teaching grows.
Compare every frame, tower version and upgrade in our BASI Systems collection, where each listing carries its full specification.
