Smooth CE Elliptical Trainer Review

This elliptical trainer review specifically features the Smooth CE Elliptical Trainer which we purchased from Smooth Fitness, an online fitness equipment retailer, about three months ago. We were able to get free shipping from them, and overall, we have been very pleased with the elliptical trainer we purchased. More details below...

Smooth CE Elliptical Trainer pros & cons:

Pros:

Small enough to fit in a corner without being flimsy
Quiet
Provides good cardio workout involving both arms and legs
Free shipping, no tax (since we bought it online)
No-impact, good for people with bad knees

Cons:

Expensive ($1500--though Smooth Fitness seems to have a less pricey model now)

Review:

Why We Bought an Elliptical Trainer

My wife and I bought a Bowflex Ultimate about a year ago, and we've been good about using it (some of us more than others, ahem). We're both busy with work and kids so we really liked the idea of being able to work out from home. The Bowflex works good for training our muscles but we've been looking to add something to our home gym that is a little more geared towards cardiovascular work. Neither of us could agree on a single piece of equipment (I wanted a treadmill; she wanted a recumbent bike). Finally we decided on an elliptical trainer as kind of a happy halfway between piece.

For those who aren't familiar with elliptical trainers, they basically combine treadmills, stair masters, and bikes into one machine. There are also handles you grab onto which give the upper body a workout, too, similar to cross-country skiing.

We found quite a few elliptical trainers when we searched online ranging from about $500 to up to $2000. We dismissed the cheaper ones since their warranties weren't that great, and many that we looked into had negative reviews.

The Smooth CE Elliptical Trainer is rated for users weighing up to 350 pounds (when we were looking around, we saw a lot of the cheaper elliptical trainers out there were in the 250-300 range). Though neither my wife nor myself are anywhere near this weight limit, we figured it was a good indicator that this would be a sturdy machine. It also had a good warranty, so we decided to go for it.

Shipping & Assembly of Our Elliptical Trainer

Our Smooth CE Elliptical Trainer only took four days to arrive. We were surprised by this; since the shipping was free, we figured it would come via some slow method. Not so. We ordered it Sunday afternoon and it arrived on Wednesday.

The elliptical trainer was delivered to our front porch (Smooth Fitness says they drop it off at the curb, so we were pleased with our delivery guy since we have long driveway). It was a little on the heavy side but I didn't have too much trouble getting it inside. (Smooth Fitness offers an additional service for about $100 more where you can have it taken inside your home and set up--this might be useful for a woman, especially if you want to drag it up stairs, but if you don't have the extra money, I'm sure you can manage to lug it up).

The directions for putting the elliptical trainer together weren't the best, but a lot of it was already assembled in the box. The assembly was intuitive and it only took about a half-hour, 45 minutes.

Working out with Our Elliptical Trainer

After hearing elliptical trainers described (so many machines molded into one), you might think it would take a while to get the hang of. That was not at all the case. My wife tried it first (we agreed this would be the best way so I could catch her if my assembly skills proved inept and she flew off backwards) and picked it up right away (without flying off backwards). I also had no problems.

My first workout was about 20 minutes. I worked up a good sweat in that time. The elliptical trainer was very smooth. Despite having originally wanted a treadmill, I have not regretted the purchase at all. I must admit the added upper body workout from having to push and pull with your arms really gets my heart rate up.

Elliptical Trainer Review: Conclusion

We are very pleased with our elliptical trainer and use it often. Like the Bowflex, it has a fairly pricey purchase price but I wouldn't recommend going cheaper, not if you want a piece of equipment that will last. Something that holds your whole body weight off the ground shouldn't be cheap or flimsy. The Smooth CE Elliptical Trainer we purchased from online retailer Smooth Fitness is well constructed and after three months it shows no signs of wear and tear. It also came with a good warranty. We believe it will last several years and get a lot of use.

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