Note: This information is from December 2003; prices
will change, time will move forward...I cannot stop that. You will
not be able to find the same prices and perhaps even the stores will
go out of business. Hopefully, the decision-making process itself will
still be of use to you.
After reading up on the dizzying array of products available for home
use, I thought it would be helpful to share our insights, what we learned,
and our final decision.
Do You Have the Space? If you can't fit the machine comfortably in your home, garage, etc.,
then you should wait until you can. Figure out where you want to put
the machine and measure out how big of a footprint that will entail.
Make note of it and keep that information handy. There are models that fold in some way or another to decrease the
footprint when not in use; others are simply designed so as to use
less space. This limits the available models and can also fundamentally
change the exercise, e.g. some elliptical trainers place the flywheel
between the pedals to cut down on foot print, but this forces
a wider stance. What Kind of Machine Do You Want? There are a few common choices:
- Climber/stairs - pumping legs up and down
- Cross-country skier - pumping legs back and forth on a fixed
track, pumping arms back and forth
- Elliptical - pumping legs up and down as well as back and forth
along an elliptical path, pumping arms back and forth; motion of
arms and legs is linked
- Rowing machine - pushing your torso/abdomen back and forth with
your legs, pulling with arms/back
- Treadmill - walking and/or running on a moving belt
We ruled out climbers/stairs because of the lack of upper body workout.
We ruled out the skier because ellipticals provided a better workout
with more comfort. We ruled out the treadmill because of the substandard
lower body workout, compared to ellipticals, and the lack of a real
upper body workout. We wanted to get both an elliptical trainer and
a rowing machine, because the combination would compliment each other
well, but we did not have the money nor space for both. Ultimately,
we settled on
the
elliptical
because
it gives
the most complete workout and biggest bang for the buck/footprint. So, the rest of this page concerns elliptical trainers exclusively.
If you are interested in other options, I recommend getting an online
subscription to consumerreports.org.
They usually give a good background on every category of product
they investigate. It's a great resource with a searchable archive
of every test they have
performed.
A real
tool
for empowering
the
consumer. Elliptical Trainers - Commercial or Home Models? With treadmills, there are lots of decent home models. However,
it appears that when it comes to elliptical trainers, you really
want to get a commercial or near-commercial model. Even the best
pick of Consumer Reports' review of Elliptical Home Models was lackluster
at best:
Reebok Elliptical Crosstrainer 6808.
Very good; the best pick here.
Pedals hold foot securely. Easy to mount/dismount. But resistance
not indexed for easy setting. No heart-rate monitor. Monitor framework
sways and creaks during exercise. Vigorous movement of arms can
make machine twist and jam momentarily. Monitor needs batteries.
Fixed
incline. 90-day warranty. [CR March 2002]
Not exactly a ringing endorsement, huh? Also, they were generally
not very enthusiastic about home models of elliptical trainers. Unfortunately, the concept has worked best in health-club
models, which are bigger, smoother, more solid, and far more expensive
than home-use machines. We tested early home ellipticals in 1998
and 1999, and they were a sorry lot. One of the seven broke before
our tests were done; three had durability problems. Home machines
still don't match health-club models, but at least the four machines
we tested this time, costing between $500 and $1,000, emerged from
the equivalent of a year's use with only one or two minor glitches.
They also proved quite capable of providing a good workout
to someone who's already moderately fit. However, beginning
exercisers
may have to pedal slowly to avoid overexertion. And very fit
users may find even the maximum resistance on some machines too
easy to provide an aerobic benefit. [CR March 2002]
We wanted to try out the machines first, of course. Actually, it's
recommended that you throw on workout clothes and try the machines
for 10-20 minutes before buying one, just to be sure that it works
for you. We stopped by a few local merchants. First, we hit a general
superstore, Academy Sports & Outdoors. There was nothing there
worth considering; the motion of the choices was uncomfortable
and the quality of construction
did not fill us with confidence. We
stopped by Sears, where they sold Proform and Nordic Track. Every
model we tried was poorly assembled, e.g., arms falling off,
frame bolts less than finger tight, etc. So, we had little good
data to
go on.
However, the Nordic Track treadmills that we did try functioned
poorly, which spoke ill of their durability and/or assembly quality
of the store. At Oshman's we tried a Proform 800 ($499; Icon
Fitness)
and Reebok 525 ($799; Reebok).
Both saved space by placing the fly wheel in between
the pedals, something that appears common among space saving ellipticals
that do not fold. The gap between our feet was about 7.5" to
8". The
Proform had a Reflex Step™ Technology, which we found to be unpleasant;
it caused an undesirable bounce in the motion. The Reebok was OK,
but still felt a little rickety and it caused some discomfort in
my wife's knee. Neither of us were big fans of the wider stance. Time to step up a little in price. Winston Fitness, Fitness Unlimited,
and Busy Body; all owned by the
same
company.
We tried
out various
models, but because of our desire to have a small footprint, a few
obvious choices emerged - Octane
Fitness's Octane 35 or 35e (small footprint); Vision
Fitness's X6200HRT (folding), X6100 (folding), and X6000 (folding).
All of them were "on
sale" (read: marked up prices that they reduce to make you
feel good) - $1999 (Octane 35; ), $2299 (Octane 35e),
$1799 (X6200HRT),
$1299 (X6100), and $799 (X6000). We ruled out the Vision Fitness
X6600HRT because it did not fold and it was quite expensive; it
is targeted for the commercial market. We went to Hest Fitness,
which said they had three brands, and they did; they had exactly
three machines, all of a different brand (sheesh) - Nautilus, Schwinn,
and
Vision
Fitness 6600 (the top of the line commercial model). None of
the models folded, nor did they have small footprints, although
the Schwinn did have a good feel for its price ($1399). They had
the
stereotypical "let me talk to the manager" reply when
asked for a quote and did not offer any reduction in price, so
we will
probably
not be going back there. Finally, we decided to try the Vision Fitness models. Unfortunately,
the manager of the store we had visited was either a little too
greedy or impulsive and had sold the floor model of the X6200HRT,
which was one of our favorite contenders. So we headed out to the
location on FM 1960. We tried the various models out:
- X6000 - The cheapest by far; we decided against it because
of the lack of programs, the cable system (in
lieu of a motor) for tension control, slightly less smooth motion
due to fewer magnets, and my wife's knee did not like it.
- X6100 - This system was a marked improvement over the X6000,
possessing the full complement of magnets and motorized tension
adjustment.
- X6200HRT - This system had the features of the X6100 plus
the heart rate monitoring, which we came to really like. It
also
was the lowest price model that featured the "variable durometer
footpads" (read: squishy in some spots for more comfort),
which my wife really liked. This was also the step at which visual
program
monitoring was part of the console display, allowing you to
see where you were in the workout and what was coming up. Finally,
there was even a limited commercial warranty, which meant we
were covered, and then some.
- X6600HRT - (we had already ruled this one out) This is the
full blown commercial system and it just seemed unnecessary to
spend
money
on it; also,
it
did
not
fold, which was a big hit against it.
So, there you have it. We bought the
Vision Fitness X6200HRT. It was listed as $1,899 on the web
site, but there was a "sale" in the store for $200 off,
bringing it down to
the low (?) price of $1,699. No, it's not cheap, but it will sit
in view of the entertainment center and right now it will mean
the difference between exercising and not. So we
consider
it an investment in our health. They also threw in the exercise
floor mat that goes under it, at no extra charge. Note: I simply
asked
if there was a sale price, so if you are a hard-core haggler, maybe
you can do even better.
Note: if you are *really* concerned about cost, call the warehouse
where the machines are delivered. When we picked up our machine,
we discovered that the warehouse in Houston ("Fitness Unlimited
Warehouse", 10516 Old Katy Rd, Suite J, 832.358.1702) had a used/"scratch
& dent" area with a horde
of
good
exercise
equipment at reduced prices. Live and learn...
Factors to Consider When Shopping for Elliptical
Trainers
- Will it kill you? Seriously, if you are very unfit, an
elliptical trainer can be too much; at the very least, this could
make it a very expensive paperweight; at the worst, you keel
over dead. Consult your doctor and try it out first.
- Stride - Some machines provide a short stride length, which
can impact the effectiveness of the exercise and possibly cause
discomfort. Again, be sure you try before you buy.
- Lean - Some machines force you to lean forward slightly; make
sure it's not too much for you. Try before you buy.
- Noise - Simply put, is it too noisy for where you plan to put
it and how you plan to use it, e.g. while watching TV. Some stores
have lots of background noise that may make it hard to tell;
feel free to ask them to turn down a nearby TV or radio so you
can better assess this.
- Motion - Try the machine out for at least ten
minutes in workout clothes to make sure you like the motion.
- Heart rate monitoring - Some machines have a wireless strap
on HR monitor, some have a grip/pad that you have to grab/touch,
some have no HR monitoring. HR monitoring is a personal choice;
one possible feature is if there is a program that adjusts resistance
to give maintain a target HR. Buy the one that has what you want.
- Incline - do you want one? Most ellipticals are fixed incline;
since an elliptical can vary resistance, this is a feature more
common/important for treadmills.
- Warranty - There will be separate warranty lifetimes for Frame,
Motor/Parts, and Labor. Know what they are.
- Return policy - Be aware of this; how long do you have to try
it out and return it with a full refund? What delivery/pickup
charge, if any, would there be if you returned it?
- Delivery/assembly charge - If you are not taking it home and/or
assembling it, you will be paying someone else to do this. If
you are going to have to move your home, you might want to assemble
it yourself so that you know how to take it apart.
- Console - does it have the programs you want? Does it provide
the feedback you want? Again, try before you buy.
- Can it handle your body weight? I am not being facetious. The
machine we bought is only rated up to 300 lbs. If you weigh less
than 300 lbs. you are probably fine, but if you weigh near that
or more, you should double check.
Things to Know When Assembling an X6200
HRT Why yes, I did pick it up and assemble it. The main reason was that
we knew we would move at least two more times in the next few years,
so I had to know what, if anything could come apart, and I needed
to know the guts of the machine to maintain it properly. It did not
hurt that I was saving the $89 delivery and assembly fee. To be honest, it's pretty straightforward. The bags of parts are
color-coded for the various assembly steps.
- Spare parts? There will be a bag full of small screws and two
long black plastic guards that are not detailed in the parts
manifest. These are the childproof guards that are to protect
against little fingers and toes getting caught under the rear
roller wheels. Note: if you put these on, you cannot fold the
machine.
- Grease - it's a mechanical device, the grease is a good thing.
There will be at least one part with a thick grease on it,
do not wipe it off. There may be other spots that look greasy.
Resist
the urge to clean the machine until you are done assembling
it. Once it's all put together, you are more than welcome to
clean
the exposed areas with vigor. By then, the important spots
that need grease should be safely covered/concealed.
- In step one, when it tells you to "slide" the axle
through...yeah right. Slide is not the word. Friction will
shut you down pretty
quickly. I called the store manager and he confirmed that it's
nigh impossible and that he used a tiny amount of lubricant
to complete the step when he made the floor models. I used
a tiny
amount of glycerol/glycerine (water soluble and relatively
harmless), just
enough
to get
the
bar
through, then I cleaned
off what remained.
- In step four (?), when you are assembling the console/mast,
you need to pass wires through the mass. There is a round
metal cuff attached to the wires. You are supposed to use
the long twist tie in the mast to pull it through. Tie the
twist tie to the cuff, and pull the wires up through the mast.
Simple enough, but in my case, the frame of the mast was too
tight of a fit. I used a long flathead screwdriver to tap
the cuff through the tight spot, being very careful not
to hit the wires. Then I was able to pull it through
normally the rest of the way.
5-Year Status Report on Our X6200 HRT
Our machine is still working fine. It has been moved at least four times since the review, two of those moves were across the USA. It is not used regularly. So, it has held up well under very light use and numerous moves. I have made heavy use of the folding ability of the machine and it has worked great.
The only maintenance I have done is spray some silicon lubricant on the tracks/wheels once to resolve some squeaking. I should probably do that again soon. I would estimate that with regular use you might need to spray more often, say every 6-12 months, but that is pure speculation.
If I had it all over to do again, I would probably have bought this machine.
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