The StairMaster 8Gx Gauntlet is the commercial workhorse of StairMaster's stepmill range: a full-size revolving staircase built from rust-free polypropylene around an all-new drive train, designed for a busy shared gym floor. It is the model most commercial buyers should start with.
The short answer: buy the 8Gx if you are equipping a gym with paying members, a busy PT studio or a high-specification home gym with a ceiling of at least 3.05m. It costs £4,995 with the LED Display or £6,495 with the 16" Apex HD Touchscreen Display, takes users up to 181kg and carries 2 years parts and labour on top of a 10-year frame warranty.
Key takeaways
A full-size Gauntlet stepmill built for commercial duty. You climb a revolving staircase, so the movement is genuine stair climbing — glutes, quads, hamstrings and core working together — without the impact of running or the descent of real stairs.
What makes it the commercial model is the build. The 8Gx uses rust-free polypropylene construction and an all-new drive train for smooth, quiet running, with a redesigned handrail system that supports multiple climbing positions and integrated speed and stop controls.
It suits professional fitness centres and boutique studios most, and it holds up equally well in a high-specification home gym with the headroom to take it.
StairMaster 8Gx Gauntlet StepmillFrom £4,995View product →All StairMaster machinesFrom £1,640View range →
These are the figures from our product page.
| Specification | StairMaster 8Gx Gauntlet |
|---|---|
| Dimensions (L × W × H) | 147 × 86 × 203cm |
| Recommended ceiling height | 3.05m (10ft) |
| Step-up height | 23cm (9in) |
| Step surface | 25cm deep × 56cm wide |
| Step height | 20cm (8in) |
| Step rate | 24–190 steps per minute, 25 levels |
| Machine weight | 226kg (498lbs) |
| Maximum user weight | 181kg (400lbs) |
| Power | 12V / 5A supply |
| Consoles | LED Display or 16" Apex HD Touchscreen Display |
| Warranty | 10 years structural frame (excluding coatings); 2 years parts, 2 years labour |
| Price | £4,995 – £6,495 |
Features include the Landmark Challenge programme, Bluetooth workout tracking with telemetry and contact heart rate, Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch pairing via NFC, a USB charging port, HDMI streaming, personal cooling fans, multiple bottle and accessory holders, and a powder-coated steel frame.
For most commercial gyms, yes — it is the model the range is built around. The deciding factor is the warranty: the compact 4G is covered for non-membership facilities running under 8 hours a day, while the 8Gx is built and warranted for heavy shared use.
| Facility | Recommended Gauntlet |
|---|---|
| Independent or chain membership gym | 8Gx |
| Busy PT studio (over 8 hours a day) | 8Gx |
| University, school or workplace gym with open access | 8Gx |
| Athletic, tactical or performance facility | 10G, for OverDrive |
| Hotel, residential or low-use private studio | 4G may be enough |
When comparing quotes, ISO 20957-1:2024 is the useful reference: it separates equipment for private homes from equipment for training areas in clubs, studios, hotels and similar facilities. Asking which use class a machine is intended for is more precise than asking whether it is "commercial".
For the three-way decision in full, see our StairMaster 4G vs 8Gx vs 10G comparison.
Fewer than treadmills, usually one to three on an independent floor. Stepmills are a specialist station: members queue for them at peak, but they are rarely the most-used machine all day.
Start from the space. Sport England's fitness space design guidance plans gyms on 5m² per piece of equipment and suggests roughly 40–60% of equipment be cardiovascular, adjusted for local demand. The 8Gx itself occupies 1.26m²; the rest of the allocation is circulation and room to step on and off.
Demand supports the investment. Sport England's Active Lives Adult Survey for November 2024–25 recorded 15.3 million adults in England taking part in fitness activities, up 921,000 on the previous year.
Our guide to planning a commercial cardio floor works through the full machine count.
The LED Display for a working gym floor; the 16" Apex HD Touchscreen Display where the screen is part of the member experience.
| LED Display | 16" Apex HD Touchscreen Display | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,995 | £6,495 |
| Interface | Clear, responsive, tracks every key metric | Large interactive HD touchscreen |
| Connected workouts | — | Customisable connected workouts |
| Business finance on its own | £5 short of £5,000 — qualifies with any other item | Yes |
| Best for | General commercial floors, PT studios | Premium gyms, boutiques, hotels |
The £1,500 difference is a member-experience decision, not a performance one. On a machine running all day, the LED also has less to fail. The Apex console runs on StairMaster's OpenHub platform, a flexible, upgradeable entertainment and fitness-tracking system shared across the 8 and 10 Series.
Height, power, a strong floor and a clear route in. These are the checks to make before ordering.
A 3.05m ceiling rules the 8Gx out of most UK homes. If yours is lower, our StairMaster ceiling height guide covers the alternatives.
Easily, by stepmill standards. The 8Gx's service panel removes with four fasteners, giving direct access to the drive train and electronics without dismantling the machine.
On a commercial floor, maintenance is also a legal duty. The HSE's Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations require equipment used at work to be maintained in efficient working order and inspected where safety depends on installation conditions. On a stepmill, the step chain and drive are the parts to schedule.
The relevant product standard is ISO 20957-8:2017, which sets additional safety requirements specifically for steppers, stairclimbers and climbers.
Only in specific cases. Choose the 4G if your ceiling is under 3.05m and the machine is for a home, hotel or low-use studio. Choose the 10G if you will use OverDrive loaded-climb training or want 30cm-deep steps and 5 years parts and labour.
For everyone else running a commercial floor, the 8Gx is the right machine. Every StairMaster model is compared in our complete StairMaster buyer's guide.
StairMaster 4G Gauntlet StepmillFrom £3,495View product →
StairMaster 10G Gauntlet StepmillFrom £7,375View product →
Free UK delivery on both console options. Orders are dispatched within 5 working days, with tracking emailed within 24 hours of dispatch, and delivered across UK mainland by our delivery partners.
You can choose courier delivery ready for you to assemble, pre-assembled delivery that arrives built and ready to use, or full installation arranged on site. Installation is arranged before you order and quoted separately, so ask when you enquire.
Send us your ceiling height, floor plan and how many members use the floor at peak, and we'll confirm the fit and how many machines make sense. Free UK delivery. Business finance available on orders from £5,000.
See the StairMaster 8Gx → Call 0333 880 3211Whether they really need it over the cheaper 4G. The answer almost always comes down to the warranty terms rather than the price: once a facility has paying members or runs long hours, the 4G's light commercial cover no longer fits, and the 8Gx becomes the entry point.
The other common question is finance. At £4,995 the LED console sits £5 under our £5,000 business finance threshold, so it qualifies alongside any other item on the order; the 16" Apex HD Touchscreen at £6,495 qualifies on its own.
Is the StairMaster 8Gx suitable for a commercial gym? Yes — it is StairMaster's commercial workhorse, built from rust-free polypropylene around an all-new drive train for heavy shared use. It takes users up to 181kg and carries a 10-year frame warranty with 2 years parts and 2 years labour. It is the entry point for any gym with paying members.
What ceiling height does the StairMaster 8Gx need? 3.05m (10ft), measured at the exact position the machine will stand. The figure allows for a user on the top step. That rules the 8Gx out of most UK homes; the 4G Gauntlet, at 2.44m, is the model designed for standard-height rooms.
Does the StairMaster 8Gx need a power socket? Yes. The 8Gx requires a 12V/5A power supply, so plan a socket at the machine's position before delivery. Avoid running a lead across the area where users step off the back of the machine.
What is the difference between the 8Gx LED Display and the 16" Apex HD Touchscreen? The LED Display (£4,995) is a clear, responsive console that tracks every key metric. The 16" Apex HD Touchscreen Display (£6,495) adds a large interactive screen with customisable connected workouts. The staircase, drive and speed range are identical, so the £1,500 buys member experience rather than a harder workout.
Can the StairMaster 8Gx be bought on business finance? Yes. Business finance through Vercas Financial is available on equipment orders of £5,000 and above, for UK limited companies and partnerships of four or more partners. The 16" Apex HD Touchscreen version qualifies on its own; the £4,995 LED version qualifies alongside any other item on the same order.
How heavy is the StairMaster 8Gx? The machine weighs 226kg (498lbs) and takes users up to 181kg (400lbs). On a ground-floor concrete slab that is not a concern. On a mezzanine, suspended floor or upper storey, have the loading checked first, because a climbing user adds a moving load on a 147 × 86cm footprint.
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Pro Gym Essentials — premium home and commercial gym equipment, delivered across the UK. Specifications and prices taken from our live product page, 2 October 2026.
