Elliptical Trainers Reviews

The reviews below are assigned ratings by ConsumerSearch. These ratings are based on credibility in testing, evaluating and identifying the best Elliptical Trainers. See our ratings criteria

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Elliptical Trainers Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Elliptical Trainers Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. TreadmillDoctor.com	2008 Elliptical Best Buy Awards Jon Stevenson Apr. 2008		TreadmillDoctor.com sells replacement parts and supplies for treadmills and elliptical trainers. This is the site's second review of elliptical trainers, and not all trainers have been reviewed yet. Although the reviews themselves are very short, editors give a good brand overview, including reliability of 37 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. The site notes several Icon Fitness models as top picks this year, including the NordicTrack Commercial 1300 and Epic EL1200 Commercial Pro as Best Buys under $1,000. The NordicTrack Elite 1300 and Sole E95 are the top picks in the $1,000 to $2,000 range. In a new category for this year, the Freemotion e7.7 was rated "Best New Elliptical" by virtue of its "combination of quality and price."

Elliptical Trainers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Elliptical Trainers Ratings Comments on Reviews

2. Consumer Reports >> Details/Subscribe	Elliptical Exercisers Editors of Consumer Reports Jan. 2008		Consumer Reports reviews only seven elliptical trainers priced from $800 to $2,500. The editors come to the conclusion that more expensive machines are better overall. Although we appreciate the competent testing at Consumer Reports, editors don't test nearly enough elliptical trainers out of the hundreds on the market, and very little is said about each of the tested trainers.
3. TreadmillSensei.com	The Second Annual Treadmill Sensei 2007-2008 Ichi-Ban Best Buy Awards for Ellipticals Editors of TreadmillSensei.com Oct. 15, 2007		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.
4. Fitness-Equipment- Source.com	2008 "Best Buy" Elliptical Trainers Fred Waters Not Dated		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.

Elliptical Trainers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Elliptical Trainers Ratings Comments on Reviews

5. Prevention.com	Fitness: Your Ultimate Guide to Treadmills and Ellipticals Chris Freytag Jan. 26, 2007		Prevention "Fitness Coach" Chris Freytag tells what to consider when purchasing an elliptical machine and cites her "favorite picks" as being the ProFormXP115 if you're on a budget, or the Octane Fitness Q45 as a higher-end choice. She cites an adjustable stride, pre-programmed workouts, heart-rate grips and target pacer as notable features of the ProFormXP115. 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.
6. Good Housekeeping.com >> Details/Subscribe	GH on TV: Elliptical Trainers for Home Exercise Editors of Good Housekeeping Jan. 2004		Good Housekeeping reports on home elliptical trainers, although we don't know how many models were included. The only testing details given are that staff members of different fitness levels tested the newest models, and an exercise physiologist, Salvatore Fichera, rated each for comfort and safety. The budget pick is the ProForm 800 Cardio CrossTrainer, while the Stamina Conversion II Elliptical/Stepper is also recommended. This article is now too old to be of much use.
7. Sears.com	Ellipticals Contributors to Sears.com As of Apr. 2008		Sears has become a good spot for user reviews. Since 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 90 owners, many of whom complain about shipping damage, grinding/clanking noises and backordered parts. The NordicTrack AudioStrider 800 does a little better. The Horizon Fitness RE 7.6 gets very good scores for the price from over 50 owners.
8. Money >> Details/Subscribe	Burn Calories, Not Cash Melissa Daly Jan. 2008		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, Money editors don't explain how they chose this particular model for inclusion.

Elliptical Trainers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Elliptical Trainers Ratings Comments on Reviews

9. FitnessInfomercial Review.com	Exercise Equipment Reviews Contributors to FitnessInfomercial Review.com As of May 2007		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, 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.
10. Building Muscle101.com	Elliptical Trainer Reviews Blake Bissaillion As of May 2008		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 rated 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 over a year.
11. Amazon.com	Elliptical Trainers Contributors to Amazon.com As of May 2008		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.
12. Choice.com.au >> Details/Subscribe	Crosstrainers Editors of Choice.com.au Nov. 2006		This Australian consumer-testing magazine covers eight elliptical trainers and is a great first stop for information based on its testing methodology. The magazine used ten panelists plus fitness experts to test machines. However, only the ProForm brand is available in the U.S. The winner by a significant margin is the Healthstream HS 9200E.
13. Which.co.uk >> Details/Subscribe	Exercise Machines Editors of Which.co.uk May 2007		Which.co.uk, a British review website, tests exercise bikes, treadmills and elliptical trainers. Like Choice.com.au, this is one of the better sites for testing, but the article does not test many elliptical trainers. Suitability for intended use, as well as convenience and features, make up the largest percentage of the test scores. Ratings are included.
14. FitnessProfessor Review.com	Equipment Reviews – Cardio Cross Trainers / Ellipticals Editors of FitnessProfessor Review.com As of May 2008		FitnessProfessorReview.com is an interesting site. On the plus side, it's transparent about the members of its review board (Jeff Fisher, Derek Pauletto and Derek McCormick) and it has fairly good coverage of available brands and models. On the other hand, there are no best buy 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.
15. EllipticalTrainers.com	Best Buy – Elliptical Trainers Editors of EllipticalTrainers.com June 15, 2007		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 this site.
16. Elliptical-Trainers- Review.com	Elliptical machine review Editors of Elliptical-Trainers- Review.com Not Dated		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.
17. EllipticalHome.com	Best Elliptical Trainers Rich Rojas As of May 2008		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.
18. About.com	Top 5 Elliptical Trainers Paige Waehner Jan. 24, 2007		About.com Exercise Guide Paige Waehner's January 2007 article includes her top five picks in elliptical trainers. However, only a short paragraph is given with each model's features; there is no information as to how many models were considered, and no testing appears to have been conducted. (Note that About.com and ConsumerSearch are owned by the same parent company, but are not affiliated editorially.)
19. About.com	Top 4 Elliptical Trainers (Budget) Paige Waehner Not Dated		Here, 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 that About.com and ConsumerSearch are owned by the same parent company, but are not affiliated editorially.)
20. About.com	Top 5 Best Elliptical Trainers Fred Waters July 10, 2007		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' other sites. (Note that About.com and ConsumerSearch are owned by the same parent company, but are not affiliated editorially.)

Elliptical Trainers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Elliptical Trainers Ratings Comments on Reviews

21. Consumer Guide.com	Elliptical Trainers Editors of ConsumerGuide.com As of May 2008		The short write-ups here for elliptical trainers are entirely descriptive in nature. There's no evidence of testing, and no explanation to explain why some models are chosen over others as Best Buy products.
22. AllEllipticals.com	The Best Elliptical Machines of 2008 Editors of AllEllipticals.com Not Dated		AllEllipticals.com is a Canadian site that says their reviews are based upon 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.