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by Jon Stevenson
TreadmillDoctor.com sells replacement parts and supplies for treadmills and elliptical trainers, but it also posts short evaluations of most elliptical trainer models. Although the reviews themselves are… very short, editors give a good brand overview, including reliability of 34 manufacturers and numerical ratings for individual models in six key areas. Best Buy awards are given in eight price categories, with three runners-up listed for each. This year, Icon Fitness models including the NordicTrack E5si and AudioStrider 990 are named Best Buys in their price categories, as are the higher-priced Sole E55 and E95. The discontinued Precor EFX 5.17i is a runner-up among high-end ellipticals. Other notable runners-up include the Smooth Fitness CE 3.2, the NordicTrack Commercial 1300, the Sole E25 and the ProForm Epic 1200 Pro.
by Editors of Consumer Reports
by Editors of TreadmillSensei.com
Editors of this site admit there is no scientific basis for their picks; ratings and reviews are based on the repair and maintenance expertise of the site's anonymous author and his "group." The site claims… that its reviews are not made with manufacturer input and there is very little advertising, so they do offer a unique perspective to consider along with the other reviews. Reviews are balanced and critical, even though most models get a similar numerical rating. This source is interesting in that very few Icon products are rated. For 2008, editors rate two Sole ellipticals (the Sole E25 and E35), the Smooth CE 7.4 and the Bodyguard E230X as Best Buys. The Kettler CT2000 is ranked here as the best inexpensive elliptical, but we didn't see this model reviewed elsewhere.
by Fred Waters
Because this website sells elliptical trainers, some of the reviews should be taken with a grain of salt. Also, we have found other reviews citing different picks by the same author, Fred Waters, elsewhere… on the web. Even so, for the elliptical trainers that do receive reviews, comments are balanced, with both pros and cons listed. The reviews are based on personal testing, usually in stores, along with consideration for user reviews and other reviews on the Internet. There are also some helpful articles here on warranties and shopping. This review lists the NordicTrack AudioStrider 990 and Schwinn 430 as the top elliptical trainers under $1,000. The Sole E35 and Smooth CE 3.2 are called best in the $1,000 to $1,500 range for being solidly built with excellent features. The Sole E55, Smooth CE 7.4 and Precor EFX 517i are among those recommended as higher-end elliptical trainers.
by Chris Freytag
Prevention fitness coach Chris Freytag describes what to consider when purchasing an elliptical machine and cites favorites the ProForm XP 115 (if you're on a budget) and the Octane Fitness Q45 (a… higher-end choice). She cites an adjustable stride, pre-programmed workouts, heart-rate grips and target pacer as notable features of the ProForm XP 115. She recommends the Octane Fitness Q45 for its adjustable stride length and its virtual personal trainer feature, called X-Mode. It doesn't appear that any comparison tests were conducted; this is just one expert's opinion.
by Amanda Vogel
Expert Gregory Florez, spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise, offers tips on how to assess and compare treadmills, ellipticals and exercise bikes for home use. The article is accompanied by a… slide show that recommends three models in each category of exercise machine, based on a "road-test" of their comfort and usability. It is not clear who did the testing or how many models were tested. All three of the ellipticals recommended here cost more than $2,500.
by Contributors to Sears.com
Sears.com has become a good spot for user reviews, because Sears represents a major percentage of fitness-equipment sales. There are a meaningful number of owner-written reviews here, with more discussing… elliptical trainers that have been on the market longer. The NordicTrack 990 gets only an average score from about 100 owners, many of whom complain about shipping damage, grinding/clanking noises and backordered parts. The NordicTrack AudioStrider 800 does a little better, averaging 3.8 out of five stars based on 108 owner reviews.
by Melissa Daly
This is a short buyer's guide to fitness equipment in general, rather than an article specifically on elliptical trainers. Melissa Daly interviews a handful of fitness and equipment experts, including… TreadmillDoctor.com's Jon Stevenson, about what to look for in a quality treadmill, elliptical trainer, bike or rowing machine. One recommendation is made for each type of machine. For ellipticals, it's the NordicTrack AudioStrider 800, a model that's also highly rated at TreadmillDoctor.com. Still, Daly doesn't explain why she chose this particular model for inclusion.
by Contributors to FitnessInfomercialReview.com
There are no professionally written reviews here, but this website is an excellent source for owner-written reviews when it comes to as-seen-on-TV fitness equipment, including the elliptical-type Orbitrek… exerciser. Owner-written ratings are longer and more detailed here than at Amazon.com or Epinions.com, and users can rate whether or not they think the reviews are "fake." We didn't find any reviews here in particular for the Orbitrek Platinum, the newer model being promoted by the manufacturer, only some older, less favorable consumer comments for the Orbitrek and Orbitrek Pro.
by Blake Bissaillion
Weightlifter Blake Bissaillion maintains this website and reviews each trainer personally. He claims that he's not "a doctor of medicine, nutritionist, or certified personal trainer," but just someone "who… loves the feeling of a great workout." For an amateur fitness lover, the reviews here are impressively comprehensive. The Smooth CE 7.4 earns the nod in the $1,000 to $2,000 category, while the Precor EFX 5.17i and Schwinn 418 are rated the runners-up. The Smooth ME is named a Top Pick in the under-$1,000 category, and the Fitness Quest 1100 HR/A and 4100 HR/A are recommended as well. Unfortunately, this site hasn't been updated in at least two years.
by Contributors to Amazon.com
Amazon.com doesn't sell as many models of elliptical trainers as Sears, so there are fewer ellipticals available for comments from owners. We found very good ratings here for Schwinn elliptical trainers,… including the Schwinn 418, 430 and 438 -- all of these are also sold at Sears, but don't get many reviews there. The Sole E25 gets a more moderate score from owners at Amazon.com, with some complaining about poor customer service.
by Editors of Choice
by Editors of Which?
by Editors of FitnessProfessorReview.com
FitnessProfessorReview.com is an interesting site. On the plus side, it's transparent about the members of its review board and it has fairly good coverage of available brands and models. On the other hand,… there are no buying recommendations and it's not clear whether or not models are actually tested. Reviews are very short with little detail, but ratings are broken down into ten attributes ranging from aesthetics to the warranty.
by Editors of EllipticalTrainers.com
This site is devoted to reviewing elliptical trainers and says its ratings are based on "elliptical quality, product performance, customer feedback, and company reputation." The ratings are also up-to-date… and extensive, including all the major brands and thoroughly covering the specs and pros and cons of most models in four price categories. Unfortunately, there's absolutely no information about who's behind this website. We don't know who is writing the reviews, and there is no contact information, which makes us question the objectivity and motivation behind the site.
by Editors of Elliptical-Trainers-Review.com
As with EllipticalTrainers.com above, this site has a lot of advertising, making it hard to navigate. Still, there's some good information here, with both pros and cons included. Brands reviewed include… Diamondback, Eclipse, Smooth, NordicTrack, Precor, Reebok and ProForm, but there are no brand or model ratings, other than to cite Smooth as its "favorite elliptical trainer." Again, without any information about this website and its editors, it's hard to know the extent to which the information can ultimately be trusted.
by Rich Rojas
The owner of this site, Rich Rojas, claims to be "serious about working out" and states he created the site to help clear up confusion about purchasing an elliptical trainer for personal use. The reviews… here are "based on a combination of personal use as well as consumer consensus." Elliptical trainers rated Best Buys include the Sole E95, Smooth models CE Plus, CE 3.2 and CE 7.4, and the Nautilus NE 3000 and Precor EFX 546 in the high-end category. Reviews are largely a list of model features supplemented with the author's recommendations, but there's a fair mix of pros and cons. The buyer's guide is particularly helpful.
by Paige Waehner
by Paige Waehner
Here, About.com exercise guide Paige Waehner gives her top four picks for elliptical trainers priced under $1,000. She doesn't mention how she arrives at these picks and stipulates,"There aren''t many I… would recommend." She also suggests customers "research the trainer of your choice carefully before you buy." Each elliptical trainer gets a one-sentence description. It doesn't appear any of these elliptical trainers were tested. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don''t share an editorial affiliation.)
by Fred Waters
About.com contributor Fred Waters, who owns several fitness-equipment review websites (including Fitness-Equipment-Source.com, ranked above), also contributes to this article in the walking section of… About.com. In this review, he provides his top five picks in the $700 to $1,700 price range. Much of this article duplicates info from Waters''s other websites. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don''t share an editorial affiliation.)
by Editors of ConsumerGuide.com
by Editors of AllEllipticals.com
AllEllipticals.com is a Canadian site that says their reviews are based on the opinions of professional trainers and fitness experts. They research each manufacturer thoroughly and gather information about… trainers from "hundreds" of unidentified sources, including consumer reviews. ConsumerSearch is listed as a source, and it seems much of our findings are echoed in their write-ups here. It doesn't appear that the unidentified authors have done any of their own homework at all.
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