Are you thinking of getting yourself the elliptical trainers for you? We have arranged a comprehensive Elliptical Machine Buying Guide to help you choose the elliptical machines that meets your needs.

Elliptical Machine Buying Guide: How to Choose the Best Elliptical Trainer

Elliptical machines tend to be ideal for most because it puts less pressure on your joints while challenging your both upper and lower body. It maximizes the calorie burn in your body during the workout.
On elliptical machines, your feet will remain on the cushioned pedal. There will be a circular motion in your feet which is similarly repetitive like jogging and walking. However, when you walk or jog your feet are meant to leave the ground.
But when you use elliptical machines your feet are meant to stay in contact with the comfortably cushioned pedals. Your joints are not facing any impact that it faces during jogging or walking. It literally means that it is safer for you to use elliptical machines rather than walking or jogging.
You will be working out on your both upper and lower body simultaneously while using your elliptical trainer. This will help you tone your muscles and also put down weight. That’s hitting two birds with one stone, in this case, your elliptical trainer (not stone).
An elliptical trainer may be all good and nice. But, if you cannot choose an elliptical trainer that meets your needs, you will simply be wasting your money. Money is important, as much as your health is or maybe even more. So, to save both health and money, you have to keep some key points within your mind before buying your elliptical trainer.

1. Budget And Goals for Elliptical Trainers

Budget. Surely sounds complicated. But it actually isn’t. Most of your daily choices before you buy something you have a budget set up for it in your mind or sometimes on paper, depending on the situation.
The same goes for your elliptical trainer. You must set up in your mind the cost that you are willing to pay for your better health by using the elliptical machine. Choose the right elliptical trainer is hard. Elliptical trainers are of various types with various functions. Some seem like a piece from the future or some just get the job done which are the very basic ones.
Nonetheless, all of the elliptical trainers are very much durable. So, you will not have to worry about things breaking down.
Basic elliptical trainers, just as the name suggests are pretty basic. They will help you reach your fitness goals. But, it might take some effort and maybe less comfortable than the advanced elliptical trainer model.
However, if you want to reach advanced fitness goals with a bit more comfortable elliptical trainers you can go for the standard ones. You can make your way around these and get the job done.
Now comes the advanced super-elite advanced elliptical trainers. They are a thing of the future. Their functions range from heart rate monitoring, milestones to your fitness goals and a lot more.
Nonetheless, don’t go out to get the one that doesn’t fit your need be it more expensive or cheaper than the one you actually need. If you do, then you are literally putting a price tag on your health. But your health is priceless. So, make your decision wisely before choose your best elliptical machine according to Elliptical Machine Buying Guide.

2. Space and Design

Space to store stuff. That’s basically every one of us tend to forget before buying things. But it is one of the most important things to look out for, to be honest.
You don’t want to buy a mega-sized elliptical machine. Then end up scratching your head for the next few weeks thinking of where to store it until you resell it someone else for a cheaper price. That is just one bad decision leading to another.
Elliptical machines can be compact or can come with wheels or may even be foldable depending on its design. This is totally dependent on where the flywheel is located. Flywheels may be located at the back, front or at the sides.
Rear-drive elliptical trainers have the flywheel at the back. These elliptical machines are not easy to transport or store. Because of their plus size.
Front drive elliptical trainers have the flywheel at the front. They tend to be very compact by design. Some of them may also be foldable.
The center drive design has the flywheel on the sides. There’s are also quite compact and are foldable.
The main key point is that you should know your space requirement for your elliptical machine. It is going to help you choose the elliptical trainer that you need according to the Elliptical Machine Buying Guide.
Some elliptical trainers have a high weight capacity. It means that the users may be over obese and it won’t harm the elliptical machine. Generally, these machines are heavier compared to the others. These can also be quite difficult to maneuver as they don’t have transport wheels.
If you want elliptical machines that need to be transported so often then go for the ones with wheels, which are lighter and may also have a foldable design.

3. Break and resistance system and flywheel

The resistance system, break and the weight of the flywheel are one of the most important factors to consider before purchasing. Because these have direct control over the durability of the trainer, comfortability of the machine, and how much noise the machine will create while being operated by you.
Eddy current brake systems use magnets to create resistance. Try to choose elliptical trainers that have Eddy current brake system in them.
Electronic magnetic resistance systems have the smoothest type of brake and resistance. They consist of three parts, the servo motor which moves the magnet into position, the magnets to create resistance, and a computer board which signals the motor that when it should move the magnets.
You can easily control the resistance of the electromagnetic braking system with the help of a button on the console or using handlebars.
Manual Braking System has a tension knob to control resistance. However manual Braking System doesn’t allow you to control the level of resistance. But the manual braking system is quite rare these days. It is because of this system use magnet on the flywheel for tension.
The flywheel has its own weight which is quite significant to be noted. The basic and standard trainers have flywheels which might be about 15 pounds on average. However, the elite elliptical trainers may have heavier flywheels.
So why does the weight of the flywheel matter?
The heavier the flywheel the more comfortable it is going to be to use the elliptical trainers. Because heavier flywheels tend to provide smoother movement at every stride. But the weight of the flywheel is not generally listed.
So be sure to ask the shopkeeper or the seller before buying. Silent magnetic resistance or quiet drive system are just a few of the names for this specific type of brake and resistance system.
But either way, you must look out for this feature if you want to operate your elliptical trainer at quiet conditions according to the Elliptical Machine Buying Guide.

4. Console for Elliptical Trainers

The features of the console a totally dependent on your preference. If you want advanced entertainment features like being able to connect your Android or Apple devices, have built-in speakers, Or Internet connectivity then you are looking for elite elliptical trainers Elliptical Machine Buying Guide. These are the most expensive ones and also the best and most comfortable to use.
Standard electrical machines might have features like device compatibility or built-in speakers. But if you are looking for the high and features then as mentioned above Elite elliptical machines are your best bet.
Elliptical trainers have an LCD screen. Some of them have backlit ones that can be easy to see in dim rooms. If your room of operation tends to be dim then go for the elliptical machines that have an LCD screen with a backlit option. However, the size of the screen heavily varies by brand and the cost of elliptical machines. The high-end electrical machines generally have large LCD screens that can be of 10 inches or even more.
Accessory tray, cup holder, reading rack, built-in fan are very common for the standard elliptical trainers and a must for the high end. However, some brands of elliptical trainers might just not have these all features so make sure to check before you buy. So that the elliptical trainer that you choose to buy has all the options you require according to Elliptical Machine Buying Guide.
The placement of the cup holder also varies with model and brands. Some have it at the bottom. And some have it at the top. If it is at the bottom you will have to bow down to get it. For which you will have to stop your workout. But if it is at the top at your arm’s reach then you can just sip away your drink while doing your workout very much comfortably.
You also have to consider the heart rate monitoring system and the number of workout programs it has before you choose and buy the elliptical trainer. Choose an elliptical trainer that might have any number of workouts between 8 to 28 workout. The number is highly dependent on the price point. The higher the price, the number of workouts also goes high. More you pay more for the features you get.
Some elliptical machines might have a wireless heart rate monitoring system. It is a feature that you can enjoy only by purchasing the high-end elliptical trainer according to Elliptical Machine Buying Guide.

5. Customizable options

If someone else also uses the elliptical machines besides yourself then this feature is a must. It is also a requirement if you want to work on multiple muscle groups of your body.
You can customize the stride, pivoting pedal, etc. The high-end elliptical trainers have automatically adjusted incline that is suitable for the various workouts. These adjustments occur based on the requirement of the workout and the muscle groups that you want to target during your workout. The automatic adjustment tends to be made to meet your needs so that you won’t have to do it by yourself. As the wrong adjustment may mean the wrong workout form. It can easily lead to injury down the road in the long term.
Customizable stride allows you (or itself) to adjust the length of the stride or the length from front to the back of the machine. Usually, the range can be from 18 inches to long stride up to 24 inches depending on the brand and price of the elliptical machine. If you are a tall person your steps are larger than a shorter person. The same goes for strides. Longer strides for taller people and shorter strides for the shorter people. The stride length also varies for different workouts as well.
Adjustable pedals are not a common feature in an elliptical machine. But if you can get an elliptical trainer with this feature then you best buy it. Because it will allow you to set the length of how much you are going to lift your feet during the workouts. The lesser you lift your feet the lesser strain you put on your body. And the lesser you are going to put your precious joints at risk.
Handlebars can also be fixed or moveable. It will help you to tone up your upper body while doing the cardio. Some people like moveable handlebars and some do not like it at all.
The ones with moveable handlebars tend to be a bit more expensive than the ones with fixed handlebars. It very logical for them to be more expensive as it helps you do more workout. If you mainly want to focus on toning your lower body then you should go for a fixed handlebar trainer and save some bucks at the cost of having an untoned upper body.
Fixed movement elliptical trainers tend to be lesser expensive compared to the expensive ones. But if you have the opportunity to adjust various parameters of your elliptical trainer then you can have a comfortable workout all the way. It will even lessen your chances of being injured drastically.
Sometimes the customization might not work for everyone who is using the elliptical trainer. It might work for some and it might now. Best is that before you buy you want to check it out with everyone and show them the listing where you are buying from. So that after reading the adjustable they know if they can use it or they cannot.

6. Warranty

This is one point that you cannot ignore at any cost. And how unfortunate it is that people actually forget about this very important thing to choose and look for while buying their elliptical trainer.
A warranty shows the quality of the product. It is easy to blind the customers to provide a lot of features at lower price points. But there is always a trade-off in business. You have to give up one for the other.
The elliptical trainers tend to give up quality when trying to provide you the most features for the lesser price.
Warranty literally proves how well your elliptical trainer has been manufactured. And how much the brand cares about its customer satisfaction.
Warranty does vary on a few basic things. But you are supposed to get a lifetime warranty on the frame of your elliptical machine regardless of the brand or price point of your purchase. However, based on how they price their products and what features they provide you with the warranty can vary excluding the mainframe of your elliptical trainer.
Basic trainers may offer at least 90 days of warranty for labor and parts.
The standard elliptical trainers u choose may offer one year or so for parts and labor. Standard elliptical trainers warranty period averages at 2 years for labor and 5 years for parts warranty. Keep in mind though that these are for the standard ones not even for the standard ones.
If you tend to purchase a high-end elliptical trainer than you can be expecting five years warranty blindly. These high-end trainers can cost upward of $1200 or $1000.
The warranty just does not end there. You have to look out the warranty for braking systems as well. Because some brands may fool you saying 5 years warranty for their elliptical trainers whereas they have only a year warranty for the brakes system. This is a red flag that you might to look out for.
It can be okay to have a separate warranty period for brake systems as some brands do. Just make sure that something is acceptable to you. And generally, the sellers are not going to come to you directly before buying and tell you the nitty-gritty details about the warranty of what they are selling. You just have to go out of your way and ask them directly about the warranty of each and every separate part.

7. Delivery and Assembly

When you pick up your elliptical trainer you will not have to pay the cost for delivery. But if you don’t then you might have to pay for shipping it to your home.
When you do receive your elliptical trainers you will not receive it in one piece. In fact, you are going to receive it in many pieces in small to large heavy boxes.
It just means that you will have to assemble the elliptical trainer all on your own. Or you can ask the Brand’s labor to do it for you.
Generally, they have a charge of $100 to $200 for this. If you are a person who is great with fixing things at your home and enjoy it then you can just do the assembling yourself. However, if you do not enjoy it or if you never fix your stuff at home then it is best that you ask the labors from the brand to do it for you and pay the fee.
Wrong assembling might cause permanent damage to your elliptical trainer. And most brands don’t allow warranty for damage to their products due to wrong assembling by a customer.
 

Conclusion

That was quite a comprehensive guide on how you should and how you should choose and buy your elliptical trainer.
Keep these few key points on your mind before buying your elliptical machines.
1.    What you want to achieve with your elliptical trainer and at what cost, which is the budget of purchase.
2.    Consider your strong space before you buy an elliptical trainer. Actually, you should consider it before buying any workout equipment as they tend to be big. But if you have a compact space you can go for foldable designs which are compact.
3.    The features you are looking for in your elliptical trainer are a must. How many functions does it have and what it allows you to do. Also the entertainment options not only workout features. Because the workout isn’t fun for the most.
4.    Check before you buy elliptical trainer with others before buying if others are going to use it besides you. As the adjustments are a factor of usability. If it cannot be used or if uncomfortable to be used then it can physically harm the users in the long run.
5.    Warranty is a major factor that you must discuss before purchasing the elliptical trainer. Not the overall elliptical trainer or the mainframe. But the warranty about nitty-gritty parts individually. Many brands might not list them individually on their shop listing so you best ask them before you buy it.
That’s mostly it. If you keep these in mind you must be confident in yourself about choosing an elliptical machine of your own.
Go ahead and buy yours now. Get wild with your workout to get fit. Just do it. Break a leg (not literally).

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