I started out my search for a quality but NOT super expensive elliptical after seeing the Livestrong brand ellipticals at Dick's Sporting Goods. I loved the Livestrong 10.0 model for $1000 and watched it for six months to see if if ever went on sale. It didn't, not at the store or anywhere online. I did more research and found out that Johnson Manufacturing makes both the Livestrong and Horizon brands and are very well respected makers who have been around for years. They are also one of very few who offer a one year warranty on the product. Then Consumer Reports listed the Horizon EX68 as a best buy in 2010. Those are no longer available and this model is the new version of it.
It took three weeks for it to get to me as this is sent via a local freight shipping company. I was NOT happy Amazon failed to pass my phone number on to the shipping company and they had to contact me by mail! The box fits through a standard 30" door and it weighs 270 lbs- don't expect the driver to get it into the house very far beyond the door. If you live up a flight of stairs this will likely be left at the bottom. We had to carry to it piece by piece to the area it was being assembled. The wheel is the heaviest part and unless you are a superstrong female you will need someone with muscle to help you with it.
My boyfriend assembled it in about 2 and 1/2 hours.
The nuts and bolts are packaged to use step by step and are glued to a piece of cardboard in order of use which he liked. The parts were pre-greased but he did use some lithium grease (which is available in Home Depot). The tools for assembly are also included- he pronounced the wrench was "junk" within five minutes and used his own. He said having metric tools would have made things easier but was able to use his standard SAE socket set. I brought him a couple of beers during the assembly to keep him happy- occasionally he called me to hold a piece in place while he put the bolts in but generally he did it on his own. He is a pretty handy guy but I will say I did not overhear any muttering, swearing or complaining about the instructions and assembly. (You ladies know what I'm talking about if you have ever been around when the assembly of something is not going smoothly).
I used the machine itself last night and was quite impressed at how quiet and smooth the operation was. It offers three basic workouts which are pre-programmed but allow you to set the amount of time you use them. My ipod plugs right in and the speakers are pretty good for their size- it sounded fine, no distortion and easily loud enough to hear during your workout. I am 5"3" and the fan tends to blow air more at my forehead then my face, its too bad the vent is not adjustable to direct the air where you want it. You can set any custom program you like and I did try out the differing levels of resistance and all I can say is WOW does it offer you a challenge! This model has a manual incline adjustment and it is VERY EASY to set a new incline (there are three settings). The more expensive EX 79 has power incline but I can honestly say I do not find this feature critical unless you are someone who wants to change the incline automatically during a workout and without pausing to do so.
There is no doubt this is a quality piece of exercise equipment that is worth the $800 price tag. When my Nordictrac treadmill dies I would seriously consider switching to the Johnson manufactured brands. So- this is an excellent purchase and I am very happy with my choice. Horizon Fitness EX-69 Elliptical Trainer
I had an old Nordic Track elliptical that finally bit the dust. I checked out some of the elliptical trainers at local stores. I couldn't believe how uncomfortable they were to use compared to the old Nordic Track. Most of the machines out there have a very bouncy stride which is not exactly easy to use. I came across a Horizon which was very comfortable. I did further research and saw that the new Horizons have what is called FlatEllipse. The stride closely resembles activities such as walking and running. I have had the EX-69 for a few months now and love it! Very comfortable to use. It was also easy to put together and is a very sturdy machine. Highly recommended!
Background.....
This is my second elliptical machine.Initially when I wanted to purchase one I was not sure if I was going to use it much. So I did not do much research and went for a cheapy (Bodyrider Magnetic) one. To my surprise I used it pretty well almost 4-5 times a week for around 30 minutes. That held up pretty well for the money paid. However the stride length was too small for me (I am only 5'6"). Also the motion was not very smooth as I liked. Hence I was wanting to go for a better machine as soon as possible. So when I saw the deal on amazon I took the plunge.
This time I did not want to do the same mistake. I started my research online as usual. Immediately I shortlisted Horizon fitness EX59 and Schwinn 430 ellipticals because of their excellent user reviews.However some reviews about the squeaking and the bad customer support as well as the 90 days warrranty on part and labor made me to look closely at the horizon model.
Now I wanted to try out the one I shortlisted before I make my purchase.The only place listed any Horizon to be available was sears. However when I went to the store they only had a proform mpdel, a couple of Sole and Nordictrack models. I did not like the feel of porform at all. I liked the Sole models very much becasue of their smooth stride. The Nordictrack models were impressive as well. At that point I wanted get either a sole or Nordictrack.
Then I went to Dick's sporting to see if I can try a Horizon. What I found there was some Sole models and some LIVESTRONG models in. I was very impressed with those LIVESTRONG machines. They were very smooth. However both these as well as Sole was beyond my budget. Both models had a heavy flywheeland I realized that it was making the stride very smooth. Here I learned that horizon ellipticals were manufactured by the same company who builds the LIVESTRONG machines. That put my interest high on Horizon again.
Initially I was looking at the EX-59 model based on higher number of excellent reviews. However I found that EX-69 has a longer stride and heavier flywheel (which gives you a smoother ride) and manual incline adjustments. It was also having a number of positive reviews. So finally I made up my mind and ordered the 69 model. I got it for $640/- using the discount availble. I ordered it on the 14th of June. The estimated delivery date was 27th June.
I got an email from amazon 21st of June stating that the shipper (ABF) tried to contact me on the number I provided and they could not not reach me. Also they provided a number to cotact the shipper directly. I called them the next day and scheduled the delivery on 23rd.The box was delivered promptly and the driver was kind enough to bring it to our living room. The box was torn on the side but it did not cause damage to the stuff inside. I shoud mention that the package was not good enough for such a heavy equipment. The box is heavy around 200 pounds. So don't plan on moving it somewhere by yourslef.
Review......
I started the assembly on the 26th. I opened the box and moved the parts to where I want to set it up. The parts for each stage is marked and kept seperately. The assembly itself is pretty easy and it took me less than 2 hours for me with very little help from my wife.The one thing you should be careful is attching the console mast to the flywheel assembly. The screws are pre-installed. Don't loose them while you unscrew them becuase they can fall inside the flywheel and you will have a tough time retrieving them.
Pros
20" stride length
Very sturdy machine
Super quite
Pretty good speakers to listen to music with an option to connect headphones
Incline adjustment
Watter bottle/phone/remote holder
1 year in home labor
Cons
Nothing I could find so far except the water bottle holder is not in a postion where you can easiy retrieve the bottle.
I have been using it for almost 2 weeks now. I have been using resistance level 1 most of teh time which gives me a good workout. I do around 5 MPH for 35 miutes and burns 350 calories.The machine is very silent and sturdy. I will update the review as I use the machine for a longer period of time.'
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