Author Topic: Home Ellipitcal Recommendations  (Read 2457 times)

Villanelle

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Home Ellipitcal Recommendations
« on: January 24, 2025, 12:27:27 PM »
We are in the market for a piece of home cardio equipment and due to DH's imperfect knees, we think elliptical is the way to go.  (If you are about ready to post about how we should go outside and ride our bikes and all that, don't bother, please.)  We had one that we always sort of hated and finally sold when we moved.  The issue was that it had a ton of give in it to it ka-thunked with every rotation, especially if it wasn't on the lowest elevation setting, making it loud and impossible to enjoy the trash TV that is my workout companion/reward. 

Our previous one had built-in (e.g. I climbed Mt Fuji, complete with video), interactive workouts (Peloton style) which were kind of nice, though we didn't pay to keep access once the free period expired so choices were limited.  So this isn't a must-have feature. 

Ideally, I'll come up with a list of a few models and then stalk Marketplace et al. until I find one gently used.  Which ones do you love, or hate, and what is it you love, or hate? 


uniwelder

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Re: Home Ellipitcal Recommendations
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2025, 07:10:17 PM »
I like the free ones--- the ones that people buy in January when they make their New Year resolutions, and then want to give away sometime later.  We got a treadmill, an elliptical machine, and a rower that way.  Neither have any fancy programs or screens, but they do function well. 

Has your husband tried rowing?  I much prefer it to the elliptical, its also easy on the knees, and there is big following of people that really swear by them.  There's generally also less to break long term.  Mine is a Concept 2, which seems to have a cult following for their durability and lack of breakable parts. 

Villanelle

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Re: Home Ellipitcal Recommendations
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2025, 07:38:53 PM »
I like the free ones--- the ones that people buy in January when they make their New Year resolutions, and then want to give away sometime later.  We got a treadmill, an elliptical machine, and a rower that way.  Neither have any fancy programs or screens, but they do function well. 

Has your husband tried rowing?  I much prefer it to the elliptical, its also easy on the knees, and there is big following of people that really swear by them.  There's generally also less to break long term.  Mine is a Concept 2, which seems to have a cult following for their durability and lack of breakable parts.

We have a rower.  He likes it, but his shoulder and knees sometimes object to it.  I hate it.  I've tried, but I just can't get into it.  It's pure drudgery. 

NotJen

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Re: Home Ellipitcal Recommendations
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2025, 08:39:50 PM »
We had one that we always sort of hated and finally sold when we moved.  The issue was that it had a ton of give in it to it ka-thunked with every rotation, especially if it wasn't on the lowest elevation setting, making it loud and impossible to enjoy the trash TV that is my workout companion/reward.

When mine got clunky, it meant the flywheel was broken.  I was able to replace it and keep on ellipticalling.

I had a Sole E95 from 2009 to 2021 and liked it.  Got a lot of use.

hollaynia

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Re: Home Ellipitcal Recommendations
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2025, 08:42:03 PM »
We have a Sole E25 and it's been great (purchased in 2021, so not too long yet). We both use it nearly every day during the winter and it's been running well.

couponvan

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Re: Home Ellipitcal Recommendations
« Reply #5 on: January 25, 2025, 09:39:34 PM »
We have a max trainer and it clonks-works but wakes everyone up. Do not recommend. We have an ancient NordicTrack that won’t die but was only $50.

NotJen

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Re: Home Ellipitcal Recommendations
« Reply #6 on: January 26, 2025, 06:21:14 AM »
We have a max trainer and it clonks-works but wakes everyone up.

Did you try fixing it?  Was support by the company bad?

Villanelle

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Re: Home Ellipitcal Recommendations
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2025, 12:08:17 PM »
We had one that we always sort of hated and finally sold when we moved.  The issue was that it had a ton of give in it to it ka-thunked with every rotation, especially if it wasn't on the lowest elevation setting, making it loud and impossible to enjoy the trash TV that is my workout companion/reward.

When mine got clunky, it meant the flywheel was broken.  I was able to replace it and keep on ellipticalling.

I had a Sole E95 from 2009 to 2021 and liked it.  Got a lot of use.

Ours was clunky from day 1.  The company sent some giant replacement part (would have done the work, but it was Covid so no one was doing in-home work).  It didn't change anything.  The basically told us this was normal for the machine.  We could have returned, but it was Covid and we really wanted a way to work out, so we kept it, but I was always dissatisfied and annoyed with it.  In non-Covid times, we would have returned it, but work out equipment was impossible to buy in early Covid.  We ordered ours right at the beginning.  (We'd been planning the purchase pre-Covid, but I can't recall if we pulled the trigger slightly before Covid lockdowns started, or at the very beginning before the massive rush, since we'd already done the research and new what we wanted.)  That's why we stuck with it, but I certainly wouldn't get the same machine again.

And one reason, besides $$$, that I want to buy used is so that I can try a machine and see if it does this.  I need to either read (hard but not impossible on a well-functioning elliptical) or watch TV while I work out and "cu-THUNK, cu-THUNK, cu-THUNK" is not condusive to that. 

I'll check out the Sole E95 and probably add that to my Marketplace search terms.  Thanks!

couponvan

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Re: Home Ellipitcal Recommendations
« Reply #8 on: January 26, 2025, 01:07:43 PM »
We have a max trainer and it clonks-works but wakes everyone up.

Did you try fixing it?  Was support by the company bad?
It’s DH’s not mine, and I hate it. He has never bothered to call and now it’s been years.