When buying fitness equipment everyone wants to know they are getting the best fitness equipment for the best price. This Elliptical buying guide offers information on what to look for when buying elliptical machines including price, operation, features, warranties, and maintenance.

Elliptical trainers are a very popular choice of home fitness equipment for a number of reasons.  Two great reasons are that you will get a wonderful cardiovascular workout with an elliptical and they don’t take up a lot of space.  Elliptical trainers also usually cost less than treadmills with comparable features and specifications.  There are also a number of factors that you should consider when shopping for a treadmill, including price, features, comfort and stride, and operation.

Price

Elliptical trainers are much more closely grouped in price than treadmills, though you can get a quality elliptical for much less.  Plan to spend at least $500, any less and you risk wasting your money on a machine that won’t last for long and won’t have the features that you desire.  From $800 and up you will really get a great machine, not the top of the line, but you can do well in that price range.  High end elliptical trainers range from $1200 to $5000 with the top end of the range being commercial quality.  Generally, the more you pay, the more features and longer warranty you’ll have.  Higher priced machines also have more pre-loaded workouts, longer stride lengths, higher weight limits and a more natural elliptical motion.

Resistance and Operation

There are two forms of resistance available for elliptical trainers.  The first is the tension or friction on the flywheel.  The second form of resistance is incline control, which is less widely available.  The great majority of ellipticals don’t have any sort of incline adjustment, so you’re resistance will be from the flywheel.  Flywheel resistance comes in two forms: belt tension and magnetic resistance.  Eddy current magnetic resistance is  best and will provide you with the most consistent and challenging workout.

Along with resistance you should take a look at whether the elliptical is front drive, rear drive or center drive.  With front drive ellipticals the drive axle is located in the front of the user and the user’s weight is centered on the front.  Machines with this style have a good maintenance track record.  The opposite of front drive ellipticals are rear drive ellipticals that have the drive axle behind the user.  These also have a good maintenance track record.  Center drive ellipticals can have the drive axle either in front of or behind the user or have two drive axels.  These machines center the weight of the user on the machine and are relatively new, so it is hard to say whether they will have maintenance problems.

Comfort

One of the most important elliptical specifications you should pay close attention to is the stride length.  Stride lengths vary from 7 inches on some lower-end machines to 23 inches on better machines.  Unless you’re a very small person, and most of the time not even then, don’t buy an elliptical trainer with a short stride length.  A minimum of 18 inches is what you should look for, and even longer than that is better.  Machines with short stride lengths will make your movement very choppy and unnatural, particularly at higher speeds. 

Console and Other Features

While it’s not as crucial as stride length and resistance, a good console can really make your workout by providing extra motivation and feedback on speed, distance and heart rate.  You will find that these visual cues about your workout really help you to make your exercise more effective.  You should also make sure the elliptical you’re considering has built-in workout programs and iFit compatibility is a bonus.  With iFit, you can continually update the programmed workouts you can do on your machines by downloading them and loading them onto your machines.  These workouts are designed by certified personal trainers and can definitely keep you from getting bored with your elliptical.  Variety is the spice of life, after all.  When comparing elliptical features, also take a look at the type of heart rate monitor that comes with the machine.  Wireless heart rate monitors offer more accurate results than pulse grip sensors.

Warranty and Maintenance

Most elliptical trainers come with a lifetime warranty on the frame, 3 years on parts, and 1 year on labor. You most likely won’t need an extended warranty.  Cheaper elliptical trainers often have warranties as short as 90 days.  Ultimately, make sure you get an elliptical that you like, is easy to operate and maintain, and feels good for use. If you don’t like the machine, you probably won’t need to worry about a warranty anyway because you won’t use it enough to break it.  The number one rule for maintaining your machine is to keep it clean.  Apart from regular dusting, the manual that comes with your elliptical will have more specific cleaning instructions.

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