With summer coming within a few weeks, there are many swimming aides out there for doing laps without going to the local pool. From the expensive to the creatively affordable – we recently reported on The Home Swimmer. Many of these promise to give swimmers the tools to meet goals ranging from weight loss and building muscle tone to distance and hard core swim training. Adding to the mix is the ExerSwim, which seems to be a more portable knockoff to the Endless Pool.

Dubbed as a “swimming treadmill,” the ExerSwim seems great for cardio exercise or even training for competitive events when you don’t have the luxury of an Olympic size pool. There are two models to choose from: the CrossTrainer 24 comes with variable speed control that produces up to 74 pounds and a current of 6 miles per hour. The ProTrainer 36 uses the same variable speed control, but for a thrust of 101 pounds and maximum current speed of 7 miles per hour. Both use rechargeable 12-volt DC batteries (the CT24 uses 2, the PT36 uses 3), weigh in at 55 pounds and promise an easy setup of about 15 minutes.

Both require an open pool deck space of less than two square feet and need not attach to the deck or pool.

But at about $4,000, it strikes me as a pricey alternative to swim class at a local community college.

video here.