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By Toby, July 8, 2010 2:32 pm

Consumer reports provides purchase advice and product reviews of many products including elliptical trainers. They have a buying advice guide that provides a ton of information similar to what we provide here, types of elliptical trainers, features, brands and shopping tips.

Consumer reports reviews are expected to be independent and non profit reviews, but sometimes you have to wonder if some companies have not slipped them some money to give a more favorable review to certain products over others.  Personally I think Consumer Reports is a good place to start with your elliptical review search, but you should also read other independent reviews, preferably by individuals who have owned and used the elliptical trainer for a decent amount of time.

The main advice Consumer Reports gives is to know your price range, stick to a budget, consider your space requirements and workout intensity.  After you define all of these targets you will need to review the various brands and find one that fits this criteria.

Purchasing from a well known company, and eliminating their lower end models should make sure you get a quality elliptical trainer that lasts you years to come.   Lower end elliptical trainers simply do not provide the quality workmanship as the mid range/high end elliptical do. For someone who is on a budget a mid range elliptical model is usually more than sufficient.

Some of the recommended/higher end elliptical trainers to consider:

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By Toby, June 16, 2010 7:24 am

Becoming familiar with consumer reviews are important before purchasing an elliptical trainer. Consumer reviews provide important details about various elliptical trainers on the market today which will help you determine which elliptical machine is best for your needs.

For example, if you are looking for a space saving or compact elliptical machine, something like the Stamina Inmotion E1000 elliptical trainer might be right for you, it fits right under your desk or easily slips into a corner of your room.

If you have some extra money to spend and want a gym quality workout then something like the Octane Elliptical Trainer might be best for you. While somewhat costly they are highly respected in the industry and will provide years of worry free workouts.

Without reading various articles and consumer reviews you would not be in a position to make a solid judgment of which elliptical machine would be worth investigating further as such costing you both time and money by possibly researching or purchase the wrong elliptical machine.

Some people may be unsure about what they need to meet their fitness requirements, they may not even be sure if they need an elliptical machine or a treadmill.

What important information should you look for when reading consumer reviews online?

I would first recommend you look at the date of the review, for instance if the review is a couple years old it may not apply, quality standards and materials could have change even for the same model elliptical trainer.

Next I would check that the person has actually used the elliptical machine more than a few days, many reviews on popular sites have reviews from consumers who have owned the machine for a week and only used it once. How can they give a fair an honest review?

Lastly, I would recommend you read reviews from a few different websites/sources, some webmasters are not honest with reviews so if you check with a few different sources you are more likely to notice common comments or trends which makes it more accurate.  Consumer reports is also a good place to read up on the various machines and they are well respected for their reviews and opinions.

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By Toby, December 22, 2009 1:00 am

Before buying an elliptical trainer you should also compare one elliptical trainer with other similar elliptical trainers to see if for the money you are spending you are getting a quality elliptical machine.  Read over all of the pros and cons of each elliptical machine so you have a better informed buying decision.

Make sure you also look at different brands of elliptical machines as one brand may be slightly over priced for what you are getting.  After doing all of the research you may determine you want a treadmill vs an elliptical.

You may also want a compact elliptical machine, these machines are easier to move and allow you to have them in smaller spaces within your home.  Compact elliptical machines are great because often you can put them right in front of a TV which makes workouts much less boring!

Some of the best entry level elliptical trainers are made by Smooth Fitness, NordicTrack and Schwinn. They are very affordable machines with decent quality.