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Consumer Reports - 2012 -
best elliptical machines, best elliptical trainers
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| Sole E35 |
Best
Elliptical Machines Top Elliptical Trainers for 2012 Reports directly from our consumers to you! |
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| Elliptical Trainer Brand Summary |
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January 8, 2012: We
are in the process of reviewing elliptical
trainers for our own purchase to replace an
aging treadmill. If we were to buy today, we
would buy the Sole
E35
 (List $2,299 now on
sale for $1299!!) If you have any
models you want us to review not on the list
below, then send your request to us at:
EllipticalTrainerReviews@ForBestAdvice(remove).comWe started our search with the February 2011 issue of Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports (CR) rated 31 different elliptical training machines. CR's top three recommended elliptical trainers were #1 Diamondback 1260Ef  at $2,200 , #2 Sole
E35 at $1299 and #3
Precor
EFX 5.31 at $3,600 with their #8 Nautilus
E514 rated at "CR Best Buy"
at only $750. If you are on a budget,
then their lowest recommended elliptical was
the $600 Schwinn
420 at #17 with a "CR Best
Buy." Our hope was to
spend under $1,000 but to get the features we
wanted, heart rate monitoring, heavy fly wheel
for smoothest operation and variable incline
to exercise different muscles, but after some
research and testing, it seems wise for us to
spend more to get the Sole E35. Next we checked several other online sites to see what they recommend, paying particular attention to what they said about the units we were interested in. A few sites and customer reviews said the Sole E55  and Sole
E95 were nice units with added features,
but you really didn't need to spend the extra
money to get any extra quality. That is
the features are worth the extra money if they
are what you are looking for but we will be
happy enough with the E35. CostCo has
the Xterra brand made by Dyaco which makes
Sole. The models look similar but with
slightly different flywheel weights and
features at the price points. We would
consider these if we could test them in a
store to see if they fit our stride and CR
tested one of the higher models. CR
ranked the $600 Schwinn
420 higher than the $900 Xterra
FS220e in Feb. 2011. Some sites, like the "Treadmill Doctor" accused others of making recommendations for brands that give them large commissions to sell directly. They seem to only sell their "Treadmill Doctor Elliptical Installation and Assembly  " as we couldn't find
direct links to buy the treadmills they
recommend other than links to Amazon.com
similar to ours where you can buy anything
Amazon offeres. In the $1,000 to $1299
category, the Treadmill Doctor rated the Sole
E35 as a "Best Buy runner up" behind Livestrong
LS13.0E "by virtue of customer
praise." In the $1300 to $1400 category,
they gave the Sole E55 their best buy
award. Next we visited several stores including SEARS and Sports Authority to try the machines and get a feel of "getting what you pay for." We are used to working out with top notch Precor machines at our health club so anything feeling cheap probably would not be used as much as the 10-year old, worn out treadmill this is replacing. We want something strong that we will use often and last. We liked all the units recommended by CR but found you certainly get what you pay for. For someone weighing 220 pounds, If you want a stable machine similar to what you get at a health club, the Sole E35 seems to be a minimum. The Sole E55 and E95 offered some nice features but the slightly heavier fly wheels didn't seem to add much to an already very good Sole E35 feel. The E35 stride length was great for us at 20" but if you need something different, then we'd get the E95. So, now we are down to the Sole E95 and LiveStrong LS13.0E . Amazon offered
an extra special $100 off for Sole's while
LiveStrong was offering a free exercise mat
and an added year to the warranty. The
LS13.0 has a bit heavier flywheel and some
features to use on the LiveStrong web site
while the Sole machines are widely available
so finding parts, if needed in years down the
road, shouldn't be an issue. We're still
leaning towards buying the E95 but have not
made the decision yet. Also, we
checked Consumerreports.org to see updated
reviews and the Livestrong LS13.0E didn't get
a "best buy" or "recommended" rating with a
score of 62 compared to the Smooth CE3.6 score
of 72. (For reference, The Sole
E35 scored 78 in the Feb. 2011 issue.)What is nice about Amazon.com (note 1) is FREE delivery. Some of these weigh well over 200 lbs so this saves money and your back! Some places will deliver to the curb for free, charge $50 to put it inside your house and up to $200 to bring it up stairs. Make sure you get this figured out BEFORE you order! If you have stairs to climb, consider "Treadmill Doctor Elliptical Installation and Assembly " for $199. It
sounds like they will haul it up the stairs
and assemble it for you for the same price
some places charge to carry the box of parts
up the stairs without assembly.
Brands:
TOP OF PAGE
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| Icon Health and
Fitness:
The original NordicTrack went bankrupt some
years ago and Icon bought the name. You can find
NordicTrack at Sears. Icon also builds Epic (sold at Costco to make
it appear they are not heavily discounting the Reebok
brand) ProForm
(Sold at Sears and Sports Authority), Reebok (sold at Costco) and Schwinn elliptical
trainers. Icon products are also found at
Wal-Mart and Dicks Sporting
Goods. Most elliptical review sites say
they create "innovative products with numerous
bells and whistles" but their shortfalls (in both
elliptical trainers and treadmills) are quality
components. Buying an extended warranty is a
good idea if you plan on heavy use. The better
brands offer 3 to 10 years on parts. Our top
rated Precor
EFX 5.33 offers lifetime on
frame and welds with 10 years on "parts and wear
items" with one year on labor. If you look
closely, some of the Schwinn models (Schwinn 431 and
Schwinn 460) only offer 90 days parts for wear on
parts. Your shoes might last longer running on
pavement! Precor was established in 1980. It is the most expensive brand but we feel you get what you pay for. "Precor has distinguished itself as a worldwide industry leader, providing state-of-the-art fitness equipment to health clubs, hotels, spas, fitness centers, and private homes all over the world. The company is proud of their hard-won reputation for producing fitness equipment that's easy for people of all abilities to use and durable enough to withstand years of use. The same experience and commitment to quality that goes into all of their commercial equipment also goes into the creation and manufacture of our home models." Sole, Xterra and Esprit/Spirit are all made in China by the same parent company--Dyaco in headquartered in Taiwan with a US office in Jonesboro AR. Sole is mainly sold online and at Sears and Dicks Sporting Goods. Xterra has a different dealer network including some of the warehouse stores like Costco. Esprit and Xterra both have models similar to the Sole E35. |
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Note 1: If you
find our reviews helpful and decide to buy from
Amazon.com, then please use our product links so we get
a commission.
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$5,799
$4,795
- $2,000,
well built (3yrs parts), 20"
stride
All the
bells and whistles at a good
price. 