Elliptical exercise equipment comparisonAn elliptical exercise equipment comparison follows as reported in Consumer Reports ratings in August, 2009. CR expressed some very strong views on several elliptical trainers that should give potential buyers pause before plopping down a cool grand or so.
Elliptical trainers are a very popular low impact exercise equipment. In fact, the low impact exercise part is one of it’s main features. It’s function is pretty complicated which is one reason why they are fairly expensive. Briefly, your legs move in an elongated circular movement. Some models include arm poles you move back and forth for an upper body workout. The problem with elliptical exercise equipment is that many models are poorly designed and constructed. Especially, the cheaper ones which are not smooth or comfortable. Striding motions may be too short, too jittery. Their construction can be flimsy so that they do not feel sturdy. The arm poles are often useless adornments offering no resistance. When shopping for elliptical exercise equipment, comparison should mainly include performance and sturdiness. This is not the time to make price comparison an overriding factor when choosing. With that in mind, here is what Consumer Reports found on their review of elliptical trainers. Reviews of elliptical trainers The two highest rated models were 1)Sole E35 ($1,300) and 2)PaceMaster Silver XT ($2,200). They were sturdily constructed and performed quite well. This elliptical exercise equipment comparison found the mentioned models outperformed all of the models evaluated in February, 2009 except for the top rated model (Diamondback 1260 Ef) The two highly rated low impact exercise equipment also included a wide array of features like a chest strap heart rate monitor. On the down side, CR labeled two models as “Don’t buy.” a)The Stamina 1725 & the Stamina 1772 were judged to be safety risks due to flimsy construction. In one test, the drive-wheel assembly fell off. 2)The Proform Stride Select was also deemed “Don’t buy” due to problems with the drive wheel assembly. In conclusion Again, elliptical trainers certainly sound like good ideas having the advantage of being low impact exercise equipment, but beware of low priced models and the 2 specific troublesome models cited above. Finally, if price is the big issue here, you may want to consider another piece of exercise equipment. If you liked our page on low impact exercise equipment comparisons & want to get our helpful info every month, subscribe to our free monthly newsletter: HEALTHY WORLD DIGEST You'll receive anywhere from 5 - 10 healthy “nuggets” of information to get you feeling & looking your best. Just fill in our brief eZine subscription form & start to take charge of your life easily, today, right now. We promise. Click 2 go from elliptical exercise equipment comparison 2 Home |
