No comments about Kettler HKS Cross !me Elliptical Cross-Trainer.

No comments about Nautilus EV7.16 Pro Series Elliptical Trainer.

5 comments about Ironman 530E Elliptical Trainer.

1. This elliptical machine is great, with a smooth ride and quality workmanship. It squeaks a little, but is fairly quiet in comparison to other home exercise machines I have owned. I love it, and it is well worth the price on Amazon! It took an afternoon for my husband to put it together, but it was worth the effort. The assembly was fairly straight-forward. We had originally planned on putting it upstairs, but it would take a two or three very strong men to get the flywheel upstairs. Whew! So now it is downstairs in our office instead.



2. I love the Ironman elliptical. Easy to put together & overall its a quiet machine. I did a lot of research on elliptical machines and I am extremely satisified with my decision.



3. My husband and I thought this was a great machine until the wheels fell apart and we are being told over and over that the replacements are on the way next day they say one week meanwhile a month later they are saying its out of stock!!! We should get in the next month & 1/2. Wow this machine's wheels are sooo bad that they ran out of stock - I can only assume others have had similar problems. By the way neither my husband or I are over the weight limit.



4. Got my 530E yesterday. It took my fiancé and I about 1 hour to put it together. The screws were already in the place they should have been, making it easy to put together. I think manufacture should take notes. It is totally gym quality and I would highly recommend. Only negative was the delivery. This thing is HEAVY! Weighing close to 200 pounds. Delivery truck dropped it off in our driveway. Thank god we have a hand truck. Once we got it in the house, we opened the box and brought the parts upstairs 1 by 1 making it alot easier.



5. I love the elliptical trainer, and use it 5-6 times weekly. My husband weighs 50 # more than me, and he's equally comfortable on it.
   
   My only adjustment was to zip-tie a light plastic tray under the handpieces to allow a space to hold tissues & eyeglasses.
   
   My only complaint is that the console is not adjustable, so it's too far away for me to read my magazine while using it. I wish the magazine rack pieces were adjustable (move closer together). I have to hold my reading material in one hand and hang on with the other if I want to read while I exercise.
   
   But all in all, I'm very glad I purchased it!

5 comments about Merit 720E Elliptical Trainer.

1. Overall the machine is decent for the price. You get what you pay for, but I bought this elliptical last September and within two months on of the wheels completely fell apart. I am well below the weight capacity for this machine so I wasn't really sure how this happened, but the company sent me two replacement wheels because parts and labor was still under warranty. Since then that part of the warranty has expired (its only 90 days) and I have now gone through four wheels on this machine and at the price of $18 a piece. To me that is a little too much to charge for a replacement wheel. This is the only real problem I've had with the machine. So if you don't mind replacing the wheels every 2 to 3 months than this is your machine.



2. This machine was easy to assemble and took less than 90 minutes to put together by myself.
   The machine is heavy-duty and the action is very smooth while offering effective resistance for a good workout. This machine is also very quite with very little noise.
   I bought this model because it has heart-rate sensors on the handlebars which is a very big benefit when trying to burn fat effectively.
   Unfortunitely, the heart-rate sensors do not keep accurate track of my heart rate. While gripping the handlebars during my workout, the heart rate read-out stays in the 80's range, even while my heart rate exceeds 120 BPM (beats per minute), even after adjusting my hand grip to several different positions, the heart rate was still not reading properly.
   Overall a good machine but if your serious about burning fat, go with a better name brand so that the heart rate sensors work correctly.



3. We've been using this elliptical for about a month now and are very pleased with the build quality and the low noise during use. It did take quite a while to put together, but the instructions and packaging were fantastic. The user interface is a little hard to get used to and somewhat simplistic, but do not impact the workout you get from it. We compared this to other machines up to $1,000 and liked this one the best. The price at Amazon was $100 cheaper than our local sporting goods store and that was before tax would have been added on. I'm very pleased with this purchase.



4. I've been using this trainer for a couple weeks now and it has been great so far. Very smooth movement and the interface is pretty straightforward and simple to use. The preset programs work great for me (using the fat burning one currently to drop some unwanted LBs). The machine went together easily as well. There are a couple steps where having two pairs of hands will help out tremendously. Great machine, great price!



5. I have used this thing almost everyday since I bought and really enjoy it. It is small, compact, and can still hold my weight which is 260lbs its limit is 275lbs. The downside is the display it has is very cheap and unimpressive. If you have to stop to answer the phone or go do whatever it resets everything within thirty seconds, which is kinda frustrating. The other thing I guess was the assembly. It wasn't hard, but I could see it being a problem for some people. Some of the parts took a bit of effort to get in correctly, but once everything is said and done it works fine for me.

5 comments about Koolatron 401800 Elliptical Strider.

1. I really like this elliptical strider. Set up was easy. The gliding motion is very smooth and quiet. It is a light-weight piece of equipment. There are no cables holding the feet rests on the machine that can twist or break: The metal pieces used on this machine are much sturdier.



2. After reviewing a number of inexpensive elliptical trainers, I chose this one because it had post extensions to the legs versus wire. Plus, I didn't feel that I was paying extra for some guy's name. The online buying process was simple and painless. The only complaint that I have is the tracking capability. Amazon only gave a date range for delivery, whereas many other web stores will actually let you track your package with UPS/FedEx etc. Regardless, my package did arrive in the middle of the date range given.
   
   The unit was completely assembled in the package, and took about five minutes to set up in my room. The monitor needs to be plugged in, and batteries installed. The unit itself is fairly sturdy. I've had it three weeks now, and I've used it everyday for 20-40 minutes as part of my overall workout. This elliptical isn't going to be a "get thin quick" unit, so if that is what you are looking for I wouldn't suggest buying it. I bought it because I have bad knees, and research said that elliptical trainers were a better overall (less body stress) workout. I still have pain in my knees, but far less than when I run.
   
   This unit does not have any resistance to it, so the type of workout you get depends on your rhythm. I ALWAYS workout to music which helps set a cadence. I begin with a nice building pace with one song, then the second song gives me a stronger pace (more beats per minute), the third song a more steady pace (fewer beats per minute), then stronger and so on in an alternating pattern. My last song of the playlist is the fastest and about seven minutes long so I end my workout real strong. I have noticed with this set up that my cardio is getting better, as I am less winded when doing the other activities I do. Again, you will only get out of this unit what you put into it.
   
   My only complaints are these; 1) The monitor is pretty cheesy. It works, but the casing is cheap and kept falling apart so I had to strap it together. Because I workout to music to keep my timing, the monitor isn't a huge deal for me. I really only keep it to gauge my distance. The batteries died about a week after I got it, as well. I only mention this because it's a review; it wasn't something that bothered me specifically. 2) After a week I took apart the unit at each moving joint and oiled it because of friction noise. The unit moved fine, but friction at the joints was making a lot of noise and I'm bothered by that sort of thing. Most companies don't lubricate joints like this very well, so I fixed it on my own. My perspective is this - any unit with moving parts is eventually going to need some sort of maintenance, whether the unit is $200 or $2000. For me, oiling noisy joints isn't enough for me to say this unit isn't worth buying.
   
   For me, money is tight but I wanted a cardio workout to go with my weight training. I feel I get a lot out of this unit because of the work I put into it. If this sounds like a commitment you can make, and you can't afford to really spend more, this is a great unit for you.



3. This is a nifty, inexpensive machine. It came assembled! One knob was broken in shipping and the company replaced it in a very timely manner with no hassle. The machine is easy to use and takes up little space. It is quiet in use and seems to perform what level of exercise we were looking for. Nice bargin!



4. I ordered this product with high hopes and determined plans. I received a product that is impossible to assemble, due to assembly instructions that seem to be written by monkeys. There is a page and a half of assembly instructions - this product really should have more like four pages. When I called the company's customer service line, they were incredibly rude and non helpful, suggesting that I was out of luck and that there was something wrong with me for not being able to assemble the product. I've contacted Amazon to return this product immediately.



5. i bought item but when it arrived i was so disappointed. it is not easy to assemble and when i called the customer service for help the person was not helpful at all. there were so many srews and parts and they were not well labeled at all. besides the product was not well produced at all for example i can see green gluey greases on a few parts of the product.

2 comments about Image 7.8 Elliptical Trainer.

1. I purchased this elliptical a month and three days ago. When my fiancee and I put it together it ran well but had a squeak in the front, the bottom right pulse sensor was falling apart, and a black plastic piece was broken. I was willing to overlook all this because it seemed to be running alright. Then a few days ago the resistence starting messing up and the digital screen wasn't reading correctly. I called both Bayou Fitness and Image and neither of them were any help. There is only a 30 day warranty from Bayou and according to them I was two days past when I could return it for my money back. I find it very ironic that it breaks two days after my warranty is up. The Image people will send you parts for 5.90 to ship and if you want someone to come fix it that will be an extra 45 dollars. I work three part time jobs and also in school full time, I just wanted a machine to get me thru the summer until I could get back to the rec center. It turns out that all I received was eating my 340 dollars and a headache.



2. It's a wonderful product. I love having it! I use it 5-6 times a week and I'm very satisfied:-).

5 comments about Smooth CE 7.4 Elliptical Trainer.

1. My research indicated this was a solid piece of gear and it came with some good recommendations. We've had it for 5 weeks and have not been disappointed. It is a solid piece of equipment, is very quiet and, as the name implies, very smooth. My wife uses it before going to work and I don't hear it. The pivoting foot pedals will take a bit of adjustment if you're not used to them but it beats having your feet fall asleep. My experience at various gyms tells me that all machines are different so give your self some time to get used to this one. It was delivered sooner than indicated and it did come in a big, heavy box but the truck driver wheeled it into the garage. The heaviest piece is the one with the tilt-and-go wheels, so after unpacking it my wife helped me get it into the house and I wheeled that piece into the room for assembly. Assembly is not that difficult and the instructions are very good. My wife will tell you how "handy man challenged" I am but I had it together in a couple of hours. My wife loves the wireless heart monitor. This is our first home elliptical machine and we are very pleased with our purchase. I don't think you can go wrong with the Smooth ce 7.4.



2. Abstract:
   So far this has been a big, solid and pretty fun-to-use machine at a relatively good price. DO NOT take any deals on used equipment offered by Smooth. A 10% discount is too small to justify the potential headaches. I had major problems with the purchase and initial mechanical failure of a used machine, which cannot be returned for refund.
   
   Article:
   I relied heavily on reviews like this one when I decided to buy my first elliptical trainer -- in fact my first exercise machine of any type -- so I'm hoping to return the favor.
   
   When I started my search, I was drawn to the brand names I had seen in the gym, namely Life Fitness and Precor. I loved the way the gym elliptical got my heart rate up and my body moving without the pounding to my (overweight and out of shape) body I got on a treadmill. I was addicted.
   
   I knew the machines were expensive, but was still not prepared for the sticker shock when I saw what even used Life Fitness machines cost - between 3 and 5K. At the same time, I knew for sure I wanted the feeling of gliding almost weightless on a big sturdy machine, not cranking on a man-sized eggbeater from Wal-Mart.
   
   After some searching I came across Smooth. The consumer and trade-publication reviews I read were very positive in terms of the construction and design of the machine and by extension the quality of the workout. In choosing the non-consumer reviews I relied on (or put differently, avoiding scam reviews that might have been somehow 'influenced') I sought sites that immediately acknowledged the industry leaders I had been priced out of - Life Fitness and Precor in particular. If a review began by saying "Life Fitness is the absolute best you can get - IF you can afford it", and *then* went on to praise another brand on its cost/quality merits, I figured I was in the right place.
   
   Smooth Fitness was generally well-liked by these reviewers; they were also generally pretty adamant about the fact that buying an elliptical machine priced less than $500 dollars was at best a gamble, at worst a rip. The better idea, they said, was to sink that money in a long-term investment (ie pony up the bigger bucks). I weigh 220 pounds and like to jump around on the pedals while listening to 200 bpm techno -- something made of plastic wasn't going to cut it. So I took their advice and chose to 'invest'.
   
   The reviews I read kept coming back to one theme with the Smooth brand: machines that aimed for gym-quality construction based on sound design principles, offered at consumer-level prices, between $1000 and $2000. They said Smooth was an online-only vendor selling directly to the consumer, which in principle is one thing that allowed for the lower prices (as opposed to, say, cheap materials or shoddy workmanship). Since that initial research I learned that - if I understand correctly - Smooth machines are also sold under another brand name through more traditional outlets such as actual retail stores. I believe the other brand is 'EVO', and that the machines appear to be identical, just with different stickers on them. More about this in a minute...
   
   All of this appealed to me - I was willing to pay twice as much or more for a studly machine that would last 10 years as opposed to 10 months. I'm a young-ish consumer who isn't afraid to conduct business over the internet, and the positive sense I got of the Smooth machines seems to have outweighed my natural desire to try a thing out before buying. It was at this point that I tried filling the experience-gap with actual consumer reviews, and started learning about the scatter-plot effect of unsolicited reviews...
   
   Mostly people said it was a decent machine that ran well at the right price. But there were weird spikes in the data - one guy was homicidally furious about bad customer service and a machine that didn't work. One guy said he had turned the resistance all the way up and it still was pretty easy. A woman complained that her stance on the machine was giving her knee trouble. Ultimately I looked for the median in all this, and it seemed positive. Being an impulse-buyer, I was on the phone a short time later.
   
   And this is where the one down side - and a pretty big one frankly - to the purchasing experience began. I got on the phone with a salesman. By which I mean a guy who wanted to sell me something - specifically something more expensive than what I was trying to buy to begin with. The story:
   
   At the time of my purchase (January 2008), there were three levels of Smooth trainer that seemed potentially right for me: the CE 2.1, CE 3.2 and the CE 7.4. As the naming system implies, these are all in roughly the same family, with a higher number meaning a more robust machine. As the numbering implies, the 2.1 and 3.2 are very similar, with the jump to 7.4 being a bigger step up. You can read all about these machines at http://www.smoothfitness.com/ellipticals-machines/index.htm
   
   As I said, I'm overweight and out of shape. You don't get that way being the kind of person who just has to get some exercise every day. Sure, I was jonesing for that good elliptical rush and wanted to be able to roll out of bed and get it without the struggle of getting to the gym. You can see that I live in constant oscillation between compulsion and sloth. I was sufficiently self-aware to acknowledge in the end that I was not likely to be on this thing every day, no matter how much I wanted to believe I would be. In any case, the top-end 7.4 was rated by the company as potentially able to endure use by multiple people on a daily basis (ie gym-level consumption), and by all known laws of physics I could not actually become multiple people. Also I live alone. So logic dictated that even a greedy feature-hungry guy like me should save the roughly $500 and go with the mid-range 3.2.
   
   A note here about Smooth's pricing. I don't really fault them for it, but they use the term 'sale price' as though the machine were actually 'on sale', implying the price could go back up in the near future. This isn't really the case - just my experience based on roughly 8 months now of having periodically checked their pricing on these three machines. Since the winter of 2007 the prices have been pretty stable: both the 2.1 and the 3.2 hover at $1500 - the price difference being so small I wonder if anyone would buy the 2.1. The 7.4 is steady at $2000.
   
   A note about 2.1 vs. 3.2. From what I can tell, these are the same machine, but with the 3.2 having a more sophisticated and feature-rich control panel. These things are very modular I've learned - I could walk over right now and in 30 seconds completely detach my control panel from the machine. In fact, my understanding is that the panels only have one fundamental interaction with the actual machinery, which is varying the current flowing to the electromagnet that controls resistance. You could (and I did experimentally) run all you want on the machine with no control panel hooked up, it just will be at the no-resistance level. Of course the panels do other important things like monitoring your speed, theoretical distance travelled, pulse rate (on some machines), but none of these things is properly mechanical. In fact, one of the things recommending the Smooth machines is that they operate on a very simple physical principle - in terms of the complexity of the machinery there's really not much to them. This is a good thing it turns out - it means less opportunity for things to go wrong, better performance and longevity.
   
   You learn a lot about the machines when you buy Smooth, because you assemble them yourself, which also can mean troubleshooting your new purchase yourself...
   
   So as I was saying, I had settled on the mid-range 3.2 when I got on the phone with Keith B., sales consultant. Keith upsold me, and I can't blame him for it, it's his job, and I'm a big boy who knows how to say 'No'. But I mention it because I didn't see actual salesmanly behavior coming from an internet-only operation, and it might catch you off guard as well.
   
   As I said, Keith upsold me, and did it by appealing to my greed -- he informed me that for just $300 more I could get a used version of the illustrious 7.4 - that's a 10% discount. I'm the son of a salesman, and on the hard-sell scale I'd say Keith was at about a 5 (1 being apathetic McDonald's workers, 10 being a used car salesman), he wanted me to make the deal. And folks, deep in my heart I wanted the big boy, even though I had rationally made the conscious decision to be moderate, my primal urge was to get the biggest most expensive thing they had, and I did.
   
   And frankly, for a 10% discount, the subsequent head and heartaches were just not worth it. I would have been better off spending the extra $200 and just buying the brand new 7.4. I'm going to be bold and tell you to refuse the offer I got if it is made to you. See, this is how I learned that the Smooth is also offered as "EVO" through the more traditional supply chain, because what I bought was some kind of store model or otherwise recycled EVO-branded 7.4 (I wasn't able to learn the actual story of the machine I bought - there were multiple used ones for sale). You can see where the EVO stickers used to be.
   
   The deal I got was that the machine was covered by the same 5-year warranty as any other 7.4, *but* I waived right to the usual no-questions-asked return policy. I should mention that the warranty on these machines was another big selling point - 5 years on anything fundamental to the machine is a pretty good deal, better than you get on some cars, and is Hyundaiesque in how far it exceeds competitor's offers.
   
   Anyway, the company operates out of King of Prussia, PA, two hours up the road from me, and I figured if anything went seriously wrong I could load the machine up in my Oldsmobile, drive up there, and throttle them with one of the swing-arms if necessary. Keith and I did the deal.
   
   There were some unnecessary shipping headaches after that which Smooth (specifically Keith) could have prevented. The machines are shipped by 3rd-party trucking companies. Keith was supposed to send me a document indicating when and how I could expect to take delivery of the machine, which he failed to do. I eventually called Smooth (and got the other salesperson), asking for the documentation, but what I was sent still didn't include the shipping info. Instead I got a voice mail from a trucker parked outside my apartment saying "I guess I'll take the crate back to the terminal..." I had to look the shipper up on the internet -- based on the guy on voicemail saying "This is Kenny from Blahblah Shippers..." -- find a workable phone number for the local depot, and make my own arrangements for the drop off.
   
   So I took delivery of the machine, which I'm here to tell you is HUGE. I have carried a lot of furniture in my time, but the back half of the 7.4 - the business end - seriously nearly herniated me and another young dude who was helping me. It didn't help that I live on the second floor of an old building with a ridiculous winding staircase. We cracked part of the plastic covering in the course of our epic struggle to round the last corner. To this day I wonder how I'm going to get the thing out when I move.
   
   But that was the point, after all, a big sturdy machine. And although the plastic covering I mentioned is kind of ridiculously fragile by comparison, the rest of the machine would probably survive a vigorous mortar attack. A hopped up John Belushi could run the Boston marathon on this thing and never shake it an inch. It's all welded, no screws, nothing that isn't supposed to be a moving part that might work loose or start to rattle. On this point, thumbs up.
   
   But my friends, after all this excitement, and a relatively uneventful assembly (note: have a partner, solo assembly efforts almost resulted in hernia #2 of the night), here was the crusher: It didn't work. As I said there's not much that can mechanically go wrong with these things, but when I tried rotating the 'legs' all I got was a sickening grinding noise. I was p.o.'d, to say the least.
   
   I removed the dainty plastic covering to discover that somehow the flywheel was misaligned such that it was grinding on the housing of the electromagnet controlling resistance. The more I played with it the worse things got to the point where it wouldn't even rotate any more and there was a fine dust of metal shavings forming on the works.
   
   After seeking emergency counseling for retail rage I contacted Smooth. Gotta say, Keith didn't sound too interested (shame on you Keith), but fortunately he quickly dumped me to the man in charge of service. Now, after slagging Keith mercilessly, I should really go on record about how great the service guy I dealt with was - his name is George. George was ready and willing to ship any spare parts that were needed, and scheduled one of the third-party service techs Smooth uses for field maintenance to come to the house. The one big drag was that getting the service tech to my house took more than a week b/c he works a multi-state area solo.
   
   The service tech, Chris from Atlantic Fitness, was great, and much to my relief, was able to fix the problem. Since his visit, the machine has had no mechanical difficulties - not even a squeak folks. One minor downside: Because the plastic on the aforementioned wheel mechanism covering is cheap and flimsy, Chris just wasn't able to make the two halves join up again quite flush or get all the screws to take/seat properly.
   
   So Chris, and by extension George, saved the day. But they couldn't remove entirely the sense that this didn't need to have been so hard. I mean, you can imagine the alternating rage and buyer's remorse I experienced in the intervening two weeks from delivery to Chris' arrival, and here was my internal story of woe:
   1. I took the upsell deal on the used machine, a deal I rationally knew I should have refused, and spent $300 more than I planned.
   2. Smooth screwed up the communications on shipping, causing me headache #1.
   3. On arrival, the used machine has a catastrophic mechanical failure. It is useless other than as a coat rack.
   4. The machine cannot be returned for a refund because of the used equipment deal I agreed to!
   5. I have purchased a $2000 coat rack.
   
   If the machine hadn't operated so well in the last six months, I would add that no matter how well fixed, any machine that has had a problem of this sort must be more likely to suffer further problems, making me a sucker even if it works in the short term. We'll see how it's doing in a year or 5 years from now when the warranty runs out.
   
   So that's my story. Since January, the machine has gotten, I'll admit it, 'light' use. My enthusiasm took a while to recover from the stress of the initial purchase. But today the elliptical is my friend. All the more nutty stories I read on the web have proven to be non-factors. I can't imagine someone turning up the resistance to max on this thing and doing a full workout if they aren't some sort of mountaineer. The stance is good - no knee trouble or whatever. The stride is long and feels good for an average six-foot tall guy. The cheap plastic wheel cover is only there to shelter the rear assembly, and hasn't like fallen apart or started creaking or anything.
   
   The only thing that took some getting used to are the unique-to-Smooth pivoting foot pedals. Ultimately I think they're a plus, it makes sense that some rotation at the ankle joint is needed to create a more natural stride. At first it felt kind of goofy - but that's one reason I waited this long to write a review.
   
   Hope this helps.



3. After trying out several ellipticals in stores and surfing the web, I narrowed my choices to a machine sold at Sears and the Smooth 7.4. After reading several negative reviews of the Sears machine pertaining to missing or defective parts, I decided on the Smooth. After waiting almost 2 weeks for delivery the deliveryman was nice enough to bring the box into my basement and I managed to get most of the assembly completed myself. That is until I ran into a factory defect that prevented me from proceeding. I notified Smooth and they sent the replacement parts and since it was under warranty, they sent an assembly person. Once completed however, there was a malfunction with the LCD display, but once again the part was mailed to me and I was able to swap out the display console myself.
   With all that said, now that the machine is working properly, it has been excellent. Very smooth, much quieter than my treadmill, and the program variety is more than I will ever need. I feel I got a quality machine for a good price.



4. When I got mine, they included IN-ROOM delivery which was definitely smart (think "refrigerator box"). I called Smooth Fitness two times with questions before I purchased and they were very helpful. Assembly is very easy (took me about an hour). The solid, smooth, quiet flywheel with electromagnetic resistance is the reason I purchased it, and it is excellent. The computer has some quirks if you care about using all the features, but it's great in basic mode.
   
   When using the machine, you are raised up by 14 inches, so make sure you don't have a very low ceiling or low-hanging lamp that might be in your way.
   
   It has 16 resistance levels. Level 1 is very easy. Level 16 is very hard - you need to pull up on the handlebars to maintain speed, like bicycling up a steep hill. Level 3 - 5 is great for a light workout.
   
   It comes with a wireless heart rate sensor (made by Polar) that straps around your chest. But you don't need to wear it if you keep your hands on the upper body workout bars which have built-in (wired) sensors, or if you don't want to monitor your heart rate.
   
   I've had it for two days and I'm still getting adjusted to it. At first, it felt a little awkward, but when I moved my body position more forward, close to the handlebars, it felt more natural. Also, I think I need to lift my heel when I stride, or maybe I need to put something under my heel so it feels right. But I think these things will resolve with more use.
   
   Manual mode is excellent for a quick exercise session when you don't want to deal with programs, personal settings and a lot of buttons. You just turn it on and press start. A timer shows your exercise time and you can change the resistance levels up or down whenever you want by pressing the up or down button. Changing levels is quiet and instant.
   
   I think the instruction book for using the computer could be improved. It's somewhat helpful, but I still needed to experiment to figure out some features. Also, I think they don't do a good job explaining target heart rate and maximum heart rate. There's lots of info on the web about this.
   
   The heart rate monitor is little annoying because whenever you interrupt the reading - like when you take one hand off of the upper body workout bar, or changing the program - the readout goes to 72 and very slowly returns to the correct value. I happen to have a Polar heart rate monitor (wrist watch) which also picks up the signal from the wireless (chest) sensor. I strap my wrist watch monitor around the handlebars and refer to it for continuous, instant readings.
   
   The scan mode, which automatically cycles through all the readings, is good, but it's annoying that whenever you pause or change the program, it defaults to non-scan mode. The indicated speed seems a little slow to me, but I only use it as a reference point. When you turn it off, you lose your age and weight settings.
   
   The flywheel has a large inertia so you need to allow yourself to slow down gradually to bring it to a stop.
   
   It was pouring rain when I got it, and I thought how great it was to be "jogging" indoors.
   
   *************
   
   This is my follow-up after 2 months: The machine continues to work well. It's solid, quiet and smooth. This machine can give a serious workout - the sweat flows and you need to stay cool, so I setup an electric fan to blow on me. When I play my favorite CDs while striding, the time just flies by, the calories burn away, and it's a fun workout. I'm losing weight, my resting heart rate is lower, and my knees haven't felt this good in a long time.
   
   I find it's best to place my feet in the exact center of the footpad. The footpad moves like a see-saw with each stride, and my heel lifts up a little on the forward stide. It works well to place something like a small block of wood in the front area of each footpad to keep your feet from sliding all the way forward.
   
   I just jump on and press start. I don't mess with setting my weight and age and other things. I just use the readings as a guide on my day-to-day progress, such as how many minutes did I run and what was the calorie total.
   
   It's best to use the wireless Polar chest sensor that comes with the machine to monitor heart rate. Then I put masking tape over the metal sensors at the top of the upper body workout bars. It's more accurate using the wireless only. For my workout, I try to keep the RPM between about 60 to 72 and then adjust the resistance level with the up or down buttons to maintain a particular heart rate. For resistance levels above about 7 or 8, your arms can start doing some work also.
   
   You can stride in reverse for a great quad workout. Don't forget to let the machine gradually slow all the way down before you step off.
   
   So far, I think it's been a worthwhile investment.



5. I've had the Smooth CE 7.4 Elliptical for about two months now and I love it. This machine stacks up very nicely to the expensive ellipticals I've used at the gym. Here are some pros and cons:
   
   PROS
   
   * It's very smooth! I'm not going to pretend I like working out, but the smoothness of this machine makes it a little more enjoyable. It's very easy on the joints and you get a full body workout. The g/f and others have noticed my more-defined arms recently, and it's all from the elliptical! If you use this thing regularly and push yourself, you will have a healthy heart and feel great. I really work up a sweat when I use it, but the impact on my body is low.
   
   * Set up was pretty straight-forward. Don't get me wrong, it's no cake walk, but Smooth couldn't sell it so cheaply and at such high quality unless it makes the parts separately and has the customer put it together. It took me about a day to put the whole thing together, but I was also futzing around and took breaks. The instructions were much better than average.
   
   * The best quality for the cheapest price. I know $2,000 doesn't sound cheap, but if you want a quality home elliptical, you've got to pay for it. Many of the more expensive brands like Precor charge much more for the same quality.
   
   * Good interface. The screen measures heart rate, distance, speed, and time. It measures a bunch of other metrics too, but I don't really care about them.
   
   * Plenty of different programs. I've only used the "Manual" program so far, but there are plenty of different options to play around with.
   
   * Comes with a wireless heartrate monitor. It's one of those elastic things made by Polar that you strap around your chest.
   
   
   CONS
   
   * I think the highest difficulty level should be harder. I work out on level 16 for 35 minutes -- and it's a great workout -- but 16 is the highest it goes. Level 16 should either offer much harder resistance, or the levels should go up to 20 or something.
   
   * It's big. Make no mistake: this baby is big and heavy. I'm sure it needs to be, because you can tell it's very well made and high quality, but when it first arrived -- and I saw this mammoth box sitting in my tiny living room -- I thought I made a big mistake. (I live in a 750 square foot apt.) Once I set it up and started using it, however, I got used to its footprint and realized what a great machine it is.
   
   Overall, the pros far outweigh the cons. If you're looking for the best home elliptical machine and have the money, the patience to do a long-ish set up, and the space, this is the one for you!

1 comments about Lifecore LC-990 Elliptical Crosstrainer.

1. Product was delivered when they said it would be, easy to assemble, easy to operate. easy to use. Price was fantastic. Have used it for 3 months, its a nice way to crosstrain. Very solid product, would recommend to anyone who is looking for this type of equipment and doesnt want to have to spend a lot for high quality.

No comments about ProForm 925 Folding Elliptical Trainer.

No comments about Precor EFX 556 Elliptical.