Elliptical Trainer Quality And Support Features

You are now on the final leg of selecting the best elliptical trainer for you. So far you have:

• Read the Elliptical Trainer Buying guide
• Checked out the design and fit features
• Reviewed which personalization settings you will use most

It's now time to check the overal quality of both the machine and the manufacturer.

1. General Quality
2. Convenience Features
3. Warranty
4. Customer Support

Elliptical Trainer Quality Attributes

Look for:

• Solid construction - lot of moving parts can lead to a lot of problems in a cheaply made machine. Wear and tear will eventually lead to cheap machines breaking down.
• The comfort design extras on arm levers and foot pads give you a good indication on how much design consideration has been given to comfort during use, and the materials used indicate likely durability.
• Good stride length - you want a stride length of 18 inches. This is supposedly a natural stride length. A 14 inch stride length is a tip off to a mediocre machine.
• A very smooth and quiet ride - a sign of a well made machine.
• Feeling of balanced when using - you may feel a little off balance to start due to the motion, but this disappears.
• Feel of the adjustments settings - are these easy to move, and feel smooth in their adjustment operation.
• Good readouts - the look and visibility of the console gives a fair indication to the technology invested in the machine.
  

Convenience Features

Amenity Storage – Check it has somewhere to hold your water bottle, towel, magazine, tv remote control and mp3 player.

Mobility – Test the movement of the unit using the frame wheels. A good unit, although extremely heavy will have wheels positioned in such a place that the unit balances well during movement.

Warranty

Elliptical trainers have a lot of moving parts put under intensive motion and electronics that are prone to problems just as other electronic equipment.

Your elliptical trainer should be covered comprehensive warranty of three years on parts and at least one year on labor. Check to see if you can purchase an Extended Warranty, especially if your elliptical trainer is under $USD2,000. This provides for 5 years of in-home service.

Customer Support

Having a problem with any purchase is always a great way of measuring customer support. But naturally, you want to avoid problems - so don't hesitate to contact customer support to find out where you can see and try an elliptical trainer, or ask them about any issues found in the past.

On each elliptical trainer review page you will find a section on User Tips at the bottom. These are there not to suggest overall poor quality of the product, but to indicate the types of problems experienced in the past. Use them to check with customer support to see if these affected an unreasonable number of units and if it was resolved.

Also ask about the availability of technicians in your area.

Previous Feature Sections

• Design and Performance
• Personalization Settings

<<Back to Elliptical Feature Guide Index

Exercise Equipment Resources

Fitness Measures & Tests - Track your fitness progress using this comprehensive set of fitness tests.

Antiaging Fitness Program - A fitness program specially designed to maintain muscle mass and joint flexibility

Golf Fitness - Perfect your golf swing using advanced biomechanical golf fitness program