At our last visit to the Sole corporate headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, we discussed the mission behind their machines. The owners at Sole told our Fitness Equipment Source team that the goal at Sole is to provide consumers with the highest quality fitness equipment. Their company chooses to spend money on the components and engineering of their products, rather than the bells and whistles you may see on other machines on the market.
Sole ellipticals are appealing to a wide array of budgets. Their machines have always ranged from the $999-$2,500 range. With Sole’s newest elliptical launch, they’ve expanded the affordability of their products even more. The brand new E20 elliptical from Sole is priced below $700, which is a new price category for their company. As most of us know, cheaper doesn’t always mean better. So, the real question is, is the new budget-friendly elliptical from Sole worth your money? Let’s jump right in. Continue reading
And although it might seem like some super-human task (I mean, 26 miles is pretty long), the truth is, anyone can do it! You’d be surprised to find that more people than you think have ran marathons.
From professional athletes and Hollywood actors to Grammy-award winning singers and famous comedians – many of your favorite celebrities have worn out their running shoes and crossed the marathon finish line. Here’s just a few familiar faces that have checked “run a marathon” off their bucket lists. Continue reading
Recumbent bikes are gaining more traction again in the fitness industry. The older models of these indoor stationary bikes were in their prime in the 1960s-1970s. 
Let’s be honest… the concept of the recumbent exercise bike back then was far from spectacular. These machines were infamous for being uncomfortable, noisy, bulky, and just overall impractical.
Thankfully, there have been some major improvements since then.
Get the commercial grade Sole R92 recumbent bike at a residential price of only $999.99. 30 Day Money Back Guarantee and FREE Shipping!
Fitness Equipment Source team member testing her Sole SB900 recumbent bike.
Sole is a brand that we have continued to be impressed with throughout the years. Their company has been recognized for the quality and durability of their fitness equipment over and over. Sole’s customer service and warranty is one of the best that you will be able to find in the fitness industry.
Our team has made several trips to the Sole Headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah to get further insight as to why this company is so successful, and why their products are some of the best in their class. Several of our team members have owned Sole equipment over the years and have been thoroughly impressed with the longevity of their ellipticals, as well as how low maintenance they are.
Recently, one of our team members has purchased a recumbent bike from Sole and she has been very impressed with the use that she has gotten out of it.
There are many perks to utilizing recumbent bikes for some people. For example, you may benefit from using a recumbent bike if…
These are just some of the reasons that you should consider opting for a recumbent bike. Also, you may just enjoy biking over other cardio equipment such as an elliptical or a treadmill.
Affordable – We typically see this bike priced around the $1,000 price point, a great price tag for a sturdy bike.
20 Resistance Levels – The R92 offers 20 levels of ECB resistance. This will give you an easy, quiet transition while switching your workout intensity level.
Posture Support – As we mentioned earlier, stationary bikes are ideal for those who suffer from any chronic back or joint issues. The R92 bike features a 2-degree inward design to maintain proper posture during your workout.
Compact Size – Many recumbent bikes are big and bulky, this machine 50” h x 30” w x 57” L.
LCD Display – An easy-to-read 9” LCD display. This machine comes with 10 engaging workout programs to keep your exercise routine far from boring.
Technology and Additional Features – Bluetooth capable, USB charging port, tablet/phone holder, cooling fans, water bottle holder, heart rate monitoring with pulse grips and chest strap included.
Warranty – Lifetime frame warranty, 3-year electronics, 3-year parts, 1-year labor. This is one of the best warranties that you will currently find in the fitness equipment industry.
Although using a bike will not allow you to get in the intense HIIT workout that you may could achieve on your elliptical or treadmill, it’s an excellent way to get in your daily cardio movement. Choosing to use a stationary bike machine will get your blood pumping, without putting yourself at risk for injury or inducing any pain. The recumbent bike is also a great option for those who are just starting out on their fitness journey, elderly, need to avoid joint impact, suffer from any type of pain, or just really enjoy cycling!
If a recumbent bike sounds like the right addition to incorporate into your workout routine, we confidently suggest the R92 recumbent bike from Sole.
Go to www.SoleEllipticals.com to learn more.
ProForm is made by the same parent company that makes NordicTrack brand machines. The company is known as Icon Fitness – the largest fitness equipment manufacturer in the world. Our team has visited the Icon Headquarters in Utah, and they have huge manufacturing facilities. Because of how large they are able to scale their production at Icon, you will often find that machines from both ProForm and NordicTrack brands come packed with more features at a lower price point.
The ProForm Pro E14 Elliptical is available for $1,999, or pay as little as $52/month with 0% financing for up to 39 months. Free shipping!
32 Lb. Flywheel — This is one of the heaviest flywheels you’ll find on a home elliptical. This will provide you smooth and steady feel during your workout.
0-20 Degree Incline, 20″ Power Adjustable Stride — The magic #20. The 20 degree incline capabilities of the E14 will allow you to feel like you are climbing a mountain from the comfort of your own home. By bumping up your incline, you can really get your heart rate up and target more specific muscles like your glutes, quads, and calves. The power adjustable stride will allow you to adjust quickly to find the stride length that’s most comfortable and natural for you.
Check out a comparison chart of all ProForm Ellipticals here.
iFit Enabled — iFit is an interactive fitness technology found exclusively on ProForm and NordicTrack machines. iFit helps you to track your progress towards your fitness goals. Here are some of the benefits…
**Note: At the time of this review, the Pro E14 Elliptical comes with 1-Year iFit Family Membership INCLUDED. There is a monthly fee for this technology after the 1-year trial ends.
Oversized, Adjustable Foot Pedals — These foot pedals are a big bonus feature on elliptical machines. They are cushioned pedals to increase comfort levels during your workout, and reduce stress to the foot joints. Many people notice that using adjustable foot pedals can lessen the numb toes/feet that sometimes occur during elliptical use. These foot pedals allow you to angle and align your pedal with your natural elliptical motion to promote maximum comfort.
Water Bottle Holder and Built-In Fan — Stay hydrated and cool even during your most intense workouts with the water bottle holder and built-in CoolAire fan with adjustable speed settings.
Easy Assembly — Spend minutes setting up your new machines, not hours.
Extensive Warranty — 10-Year Frame, 2-Year Parts, & 1-Year Labor Warranty.
**Note: The Pro E14 has a 350 lb. weight limit, and a footprint of 25.75” W x 79.75” D x 72.25” H.
When compared to the other models from ProForm, the Pro E14 knocks it out of the park with the heaviest flywheel and the the largest screen. This is a great commercial quality machine that is offered at an “at-home” price point.
Learn more at www.proform.com/ellipticals.*
When you start out with a weight training program, it’s easy to get really excited about getting strong and toned…but then you may feel like you aren’t seeing the results you’ve been hoping for.
There is a reason for this, and it has nothing to do with how hard you’re working. As it turns out, during the first few weeks of weight training, your body is actually strengthening your nervous system.
New research (1) reveals what goes on in your body during the beginning of a weight training regimen. Continue reading
There are benefits – you don’t have to commute to the gym, you can play your music as loud as you want in your living room, and you can avoid the smelly Steve at your local gym.
But you probably miss having more than one barbell to choose from, and you probably miss your favorite exercise machines too.
Since it seems like the virus isn’t going away any time soon, it’s probably time to take your home gym to the next level. With New Year’s approaching, soon you’ll have a chance to make New Year’s resolutions, new fitness goals, and change your workout routine.
And to make all of that happen, you need new fitness equipment. With Black Friday approaching, now is the time to buy exercise equipment. Continue reading
The SF-E3872 from Sunny Health and Fitness is their under-desk elliptical. Priced at less than $150, this machine seems pretty attractive to consumers. Most users who work at desk jobs will find this under-desk elliptical particularly attractive in hopes to incorporate some leg movement while they are sitting all day.
Although you may not have heard of Sunny Health and Fitness, they are really popular on Amazon. Most of their machines have really good user reviews. This elliptical for example has 4.5/5 stars with over 2,000 consumer reviews.
Sunny Health and Fitness is a much smaller brand in the industry, they have only about 100 employees worldwide. Their main headquarter location is in Los Angeles, CA. Sunny Health has a second headquarter location in Xiamen, China.
While Sunny Health and Fitness certainly doesn’t have the name recognition as other brands such as NordicTrack or Horizon, having such popularity with consumers on their Amazon store is promising for their equipment.
The SF-E3872 under-desk elliptical is definitely a unique option that we don’t see often on the market, and there is a reason why. There are some better options out there for the goals of most consumers.
SF-E3872
An under-desk elliptical seems like a great idea in theory. Most people think that it’s a great way to “kill two birds with one stone” so to speak – get your exercise in while you are working. However, the movement alone of simply moving your legs while at a desk or chair is actually not very effective at all.
Horizon EX-59
Of course, there are always benefits to moving your body. In comparison, the benefits to only working your lower body, rather than the full body workout that a standard elliptical will give you are minimal. If you are looking to get toned, burn calories, and get your heart pumping, this is probably not the option for you.
If you are looking to add some really effective exercise into your today, we suggest another budget elliptical instead – the Horizon EX-59. The EX-59 from Horizon is priced at $649, and they offer monthly financing options.
Sunny Health and Fitness is a smaller brand that is not well-known by most people. Their company has only about 100 employees worldwide. Sunny’s main headquarter location is in Los Angeles, CA. Sunny Health has a second headquarter location in Xiamen, China.
While Sunny Health and Fitness certainly doesn’t have the name recognition as other brands such as NordicTrack or Horizon, there are some good reviews on their fitness equipment. Sunny Health and Fitness has a large presence on Amazon. The SF-E905 elliptical has a 4/5 star rating with over 4,500 reviews.
The SF-E905 does seem to be popular among some consumers, but we do have some concerns with this machine that we want to make readers aware of before making their purchase.
SF-E905
Digital Monitor – Nothing fancy, just a display monitor, but it does give you information like your time, speed, distance, calories, and pulse.
Horizon EX-59
The SF-E905 elliptical from Sunny Health and Fitness comes with some decent features for such an affordable price. Although it’s compact, shows fitness stats, and has resistance adjustment options, we feel the safety concerns outweigh the positives of this machine.
We suggest checking out the Horizon EX-59 elliptical instead. The EX-59 is sold at $649, with monthly financing available. We are very confident in Horizon as a brand and have seen countless positive consumer reviews over the years for the EX-59. The EX-59 from Horizon is a safer and more durable choice for an elliptical trainer.
Sunny Health and Fitness is a smaller brand in the fitness equipment industry, with only about 100 employees worldwide. Their main headquarters location is in Los Angeles, CA. Sunny Health has a second headquarters location in Xiamen, China.
Some people may view small brands as a disadvantage. While Sunny Health certainly doesn’t have the name recognition as other brands such as NordicTrack or Horizon, there are some advantages when choosing to purchase from a small brand.
Sunny Health and Fitness is vocal about their dedication to making their company atmosphere as much like ‘family’ as possible. Since they strive to create a close-knit workplace – their customer service is likely to be much more personal as well. (Which is a huge plus when purchasing fitness equipment!)
There is no denying that the SF-E902 from Sunny Health comes at one of the most appealing price points on the market. Let’s face it, if you can spend under $100 on an elliptical trainer, who wouldn’t want to?! However, we have some really serious concerns with this elliptical trainer.
SF-E902
Product Weight – The SF-E902 Elliptical Trainer only weighs 31 lbs. While a lightweight product can be a great feature, not this lightweight. Sunny Health makes the claim that the SF-E902 can hold up to 220 lbs. of user weight. Considering this is over six times the weight of the elliptical, we do not feel this is a safe weight limit. With a product weighing only 31 lbs., there are major concerns for both stability and safety during your workout.
Horizon EX-59
This elliptical is sold at a price that nearly all of us are drawn to. It seems like a great deal, especially for someone who is looking for a basic treadmill to get some movement in at home. However, as we stated, we have some safety concerns with this elliptical unfortunately.
We suggest checking out the Horizon EX-59 elliptical instead. The EX-59 is sold at $649, with financing available. There is a bit of a price jump from $100 to $600, but we are very confident in Horizon as a brand, and have seen countless positive consumer reviews over the years for the EX-59. We feel the Horizon EX-59 is a safer and more durable choice for an elliptical trainer.
MaxKare is a company that we found from their popularity on Amazon. One thing that we found really interesting about MaxKare that makes them really different from any other brand in the industry is that they don’t just sell fitness equipment. In fact, by looking through their website, it appears that fitness equipment is actually what they focus on the least.
From a user experience, their website as well as their Amazon store is slightly confusing. There is such a wide variety of products, if you went to their store specifically looking for an elliptical, it’s difficult to find.
With that being said, their elliptical does have decent reviews on Amazon. It has 3.5 out of 5 stars and around 70 reviews at the time of this review being written. It’s being sold for less than $300, so it seems like a steal of a deal. However, we are extremely hesitant about this machine and the brand, and we’ll tell you why.
MaxKare Elliptical – $289.99
We suggest checking out the Horizon EX-59 over MaxKare’s elliptical. It sells for $599 but we feel it is a much better investment in terms of durability and safety.
MaxKare Elliptical
One major concern that we have with the MaxKare elliptical is that it only weights 72.7 lbs. If a user is over 140 lbs., you are twice the weight of this machine. The reason this is concerning is it could leave to safety and stability issues during your workout. In contrast, the Horizon EX-59 elliptical weighs 145 lbs., over double what the MaxKare elliptical weighs. MaxKare claims that their elliptical can withstand a user weight of 286.6 lbs. We do not feel that this statement is accurate, and could lead to injury if a user this heavy tries to use their elliptical. Typically, for the Horizon EX-59 which again is twice the weight of the MaxKare elliptical, we recommend a max user weight of 180 lbs.
Other concerns that we have with machine are…
Stride Length – The stride length of the MaxKare elliptical is 14.17 inches, which they claim in their product description would be comfortable for all users. This is simply not true. The Horizon EX-59 elliptical has an 18″ stride length, and we would only recommend this as a comfortable stride for medium-height users. Most people around 5’6-5’7″ or under will find the Horizon EX-59 stride length comfortable. We feel that most people would find a 14.17 stride length on the MaxKare elliptical extremely limiting.
FlyWheel – The heavier the flywheel, the more stable your elliptical will be, and the more you will feel you are exercising in a natural motion. The flywheel on the MaxKare elliptical is 11 lbs., the flywheel on the EX-59 is 14.3 lbs.
Warranty – According to MaxKare’s website, their is a 90 day money-back guarantee on this elliptical. It also states there is a 24 month manufacturer warranty that applies if there is any defect or shipping damage. This is not a great warranty, and we feel that a sub-par warranty usually reflects the quality of a product. The warranty on the Horizon EX-59 is lifetime frame, 1-year parts and labor. A much better warranty for this price range.
As we mentioned, this elliptical does have decent reviews on Amazon. However, there are some mixed feelings on it. Here are some of the most recent reviews on this product:
1. Takes 2 people
2. Box is WAAAAAY too heavy
3. EVERTHING is wrapped in tape on tape on tape. After completely destroying the box, whittle away at all the tape for hours trying to get anything out of it.
4. Still hit another snag where it says you need an assistant to help connect wiring.
Update – tried again, can be done alone but it’s tricky.
Suggestions:
1. Mount the foot pedals onto the thingy BEFORE you attach the thingy to the other thing. (See last instructions). It’s easier to tighten without laying upside down under it.
2. Mount the computer before the hand grips, same reason. The grips get in the way.
3. In step #2, read very carefully. There’s more detail at the bottom of the page.
4. Not well written, so you may have to read some stuff over and over again.
Once properly put together this is a great value. It gives a great workout. You have to really tighten the bolts around the center post or it will squeak.
Wanted to wait to review after having the elliptical for a while. Have now had it for 2 weeks and I am very happy with it. Easy enough to assemble, just took a while for one small person. Flywheel made a grinding metal sound for the 1st week, but then went quiet. Has remained quiet, with the exception of a few squeaks here and there. Not sure if the resistance levels work, but works enough for what I need it for and for the price. I use it for 30 min, 5 times a week. Overall, pretty decent purchase.
This is my worse experience this ever. The machine came scratched and print erased yet I had no problem so long as the machine works BUT THEN I realized the machine is shipped without any screws and is currently just lying in my room and can never be put together basically. WORST of all the seller is ignoring my messages and requests to send the tools/ screws to put it together. Pay extra and get a better product that can at least be functional.
Horizon EX-59
Overall, MaxKare seems a little all over the place. Their website and Amazon store are both tricky to navigate. Although they have some decent reviews on Amazon, a major complaint seems to be the construction of the machine and poor customer service, which are major concerns for consumers when purchasing fitness equipment online.
Safety is another aspect of this machine that we are weary of. With such a light product and flywheel weight, we are concerned about their recommendation of a 286 lb. user weight limit, seeing as a user of that weight would be almost four times the weight of the machine.
Overall, we feel the the Horizon EX-59 is a much more safe and wise choice. It has a heavier unit weight, heavier flywheel, larger stride length, and a better warranty. Horizon is also a much more reputable brand in the industry. To read more about the EX-59, check out our full review here.
