Buying your elliptical trainer - 5 factors to consider!

When it comes to buying your elliptical trainer and looking at elliptical trainer reviews and ratings, I have found  5 key factors which any prospective buyer or anyone considering buying an elliptical trainer, needs to take into account as part of their decision making process.

The factors can be a deal breaker on whether you get the best home elliptical trainer for your money or not. In this elliptical machine buying guide I will cover these 5 factors in turn.

1. Home Elliptical Trainer Comfort

The first factor to consider when you are buying your elliptical trainer is comfort. When one is training, they need to be in the most comfortable state as far as possible otherwise the training/exercise won’t be fun. Comfort features in most elliptical trainers include things like how the linkages, handlebars, base design, posture/body positioning while you train, fatigue management and pedals are placed. All elliptical trainer reviews on this site will clearly state the core comfort features for the brands we feature. The Horizon Fitness EX59 for example has one of the best design features when it comes to comfort, closely followed by the Schwinn 430. Both these elliptical trainers are affordable and you could find bargains well under $1000 on big sites like Amazon which currently is one of the most user friendly places to buy elliptical machines as it offers some very interesting user elliptical trainer reviews.

2. Noise

The second factor to consider when buying your elliptical trainer is Noise. There is nothing more annoying than a constant squeaking sound coming from a machine. It personally drives me nuts. So when buying an elliptical for home use or home gym equipment, try to establish what the noise assessment of the machine is.  You should note however that you will never totally get rid of noise on an elliptical trainer as mechanical parts rub against each other and cause some friction. In most elliptical trainers be they for home use or in your local gym, you will hear a certain amount of noise although it´s not the squeaking annoying noise. Of the elliptical trainer reviews I have done so far, the Horizon Fitness EX59 is the quietest of them all. Getting some recommended lubrication can help manage noise levels in an elliptical trainer.

I have covered in my review post more depth about what can cause a somewhat quiet elliptical trainer to be noisy when you start using it at home, be sure to check out that post here.

3. Key Features

NordicTrack SpaceSaver SE9i elliptical machine – folds away too!

Now this aspect is what most people want to know before they buy an elliptical trainer, so an essential part of my buying advice! As the home elliptical trainers are becoming more and more like the ones you’d find in a local gym they are becoming feature packed. Some features are definitely deal breakers while others are what I think are “cool extras”. While reading Elliptical Machines reviews, key features to look out for are quality of LED display, program options (preset and manual), heart rate functions and resistance handling. Extras are things such as multimedia capabilities, cooling fans, water bottle holders or book racks. The Schwinn 430 does have some cool features worth checking out.  For the ultimate in key features check out the NordicTrack SpaceSaver SE9i here. It’s awesome! My review on this great elliptical trainer is here. It has a full color touch tablet feature with a web browser – you can train and check out your social media and email!! How cool is that?!

4. Assembly Instructions

Assemble your elliptical trainer!

Can you imagine waiting a couple of days after buying your elliptical trainer and when it finally turns up you spending hours and hours trying to figure out what piece goes where or what nut does what. The ease with which you can assemble your elliptical trainer and the time in which you can do it is critical so this factor is very important when considering what is the best elliptical trainer for you. You should aim to get one with clearly laid out instructions and where you can assemble it by yourself in less than 2 hours. Anything more than this will most likely frustrate you. I for one like the way the assembly instructions on the Horizon Fitness EX59 are laid out for example.

5. Pros and Cons

Other than the above four factors, a minor point if you are reading elliptical trainer reviews before you buy yours is to look out for the Pros/Cons for each of the models. This may not be easy with sites like Amazon or manufacturer sites, but here I make it a point to present pros and cons as bullet points at the end of each review to help you easily digest and process them.

Buying your Elliptical Trainer – The Final Word!

In conclusion, if you are looking to make an investment in a good home elliptical, make sure you find out information covering as a minimum, these 5 areas BEFORE buying your elliptical trainer. Although elliptical equipment for home reviews from manufacturer sites may give you valuable information, the way it´s laid out means you can sometimes miss out on the key facts as you have to dig through pages and pages of text to get this information. I make sure all my reviews cover these five basics. If you have not already read the Best Fitness E1 Review, Horizon Fitness EX59 review and the Schwinn A40 review, be sure to after reading this post. Also my latest review on the Schwinn 430 is here - it is currently on offer with nearly a 50% discount!

If you find this post helpful in how to buy elliptical machines, please contact me with your comments!

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