Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer Review
"An Excellent Budget Elliptical"

I checked out the new Schwinn 430 elliptical trainer at a Play it Again Sports. The Schwinn 418 has been a hot seller, after receiving a Best Buy recommendation from Consumer Reports. I was curious to see Schwinn's new release. Especially since in a short period it is the #1 selling elliptical on Amazon.com.

The two criticisms of the 418, and the upgraded 438, were the weak warranty and the single wheel rail design. These are front drive ellipticals that roll on rails. The single wheel design makes for a less stable feel. There is often a left to right shift. The new Schwinn 430 has a concave wheel that reduces the shifting. Testing both the 418 and the 430 side by side, you could really tell the difference.

Note: As of 3/8/10 the Schwinn 430 was selling for $599 with shipping at Amazon. A good value. Go to www.Amazon.com/430 for the lastest deal.*

The other feature I liked on the Schwinn 430 was the 18" stride. You won't find a comparable elliptical at this price range with as comfortable a stride. Overall, the elliptical motion felt very smooth and fluid.

Note: There are a number of cheap elliptical trainers that claim to have a 18" strides. I've found a real contrast between the strides of various machines. For example, many Horizon ellipticals with 18" strides feel bouncy and restricted. That is in comparison to 18" strides on Smooth, New Balance and the Schwinn 430, where you get a long, smooth elliptical motion.

The Schwinn 430 comes with 16 levels of resistance. When you shift from one level to another there is a gradual change. That is in comparison to the 418 that only has 8 levels. The machine weighs 152 lbs., which contributes to a sturdy and stable feel. The comparable Proform SpaceSaver weights approximately 115 lbs.

The 430 also has articulating footpedals, pedals that angle with the elliptical motion. This further reduces stress.

My one criticism is the warranty on the 430. It comes with a 90-day service warranty. After three months if you have any problems, it is going to cost you to fix it. Although you get a 2-year parts and 1-year electronics warranty, and ellipticals are less likely to have service problems in comparison to treadmills. Still, I recommend you consider the 2 year extended service option. Last I checked it was $59 on Amazon.

Our Review - Schwinn 430 Elliptical

Overall the Schwinn 430 is an excellent value. That is why it is the #1 selling elliptical trainer on Amazon.com. There is no question it is a better buy than comparable Icon and Horizon products. The price and the quality is making this a hot seller.

I would not recommend this elliptical if you plan to use it for strenuous workouts, are over 6", have multiple users or weigh over 200 lbs. You need to consider a model in the $1,000+ range.

Customer Reviews

A good indicator of customer satisfaction are the 400 customer reviews on Amazon.com - averaging 4.5 stars out of 5. The only recurring issue was the assembly. Some people found it a challenge. Click here to read Amazon Customer Reviews. Below are samples.

Love it!!!

Was a breeze to assemble, no problems at all. I am so glad to have this! It is a great workout, and unbelievably quiet. Very sturdy and well built. I love it!

Great product for the $

The free shipping worked out great. I had the unit assembled in about two hours. A great solid machine for the price. Before I bought this machine I went to the sports authority and

love this machine

I absolutely love my Schwinn elliptical machine. It is a smooth and sturdy workout that is equal to going to the gym for me. The instructions were easy to follow, however it was challenging to assemble. You need two people at least and about 3 hours uninterrupted. But once it is together, it is well worth it.

Great Machine.,

Superb Build Quality. Very quiet. Requires power to operate resistance. Very easy to assemble

Our Reader's Review

You cannot even begin the excellent quality and workmanship on this machine. It is worth way more than the 599 I gave for it. It puts the proform to shame. The last thing with this kind of quality was the weber grill geneses I bought. You will not be disappointed with this machine. As far as putting it together I do mechanical stuff anyway and it was quiet easy. - Fran

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After lot of research on a good quality budget elliptical trainer I bought Schwinn 430 from a fitness equipment store in Canada (Fitness Depot). I choose Schwinn 430 as it appeared to be performing satisfactory with other users with a budget upto $1000. It took 3-1/2 hours to assemble the machine. In the begining the assembly looked as a colossal task however once the base is assembled rest of the assembly was not too diffcult. The assembly manual was fairly good however it did lack some finer details as to the exact type of bolts to use at the later stages of assembly; however it was not too difficult that figure that out.

I knew about the squeaking problem that ppl experienced (from other reviews) and it did started to squeak next day however I had to only loosen up the bolts (from where the sound was coming) a bit and squeaking went away. Stride length of 18'' feels a little short however still manageable for this price tag. Display screen is ok, i didnt faced any problem in reading it. 

It now over a week and so far so good. I'll keep posted as the journey continues.

*This Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer Review is based on not only testing the equipment at a local retailer, but also comments, testimonials, reviews and ratings of customers and third parties. We attempt to be as accurate as possible. Warranties, features and prices can change without notice.