Who has an elliptical machine?

[MJB]

How do you like it?

And, if you don't mind saying, what make/model and what did it cost?

Anything to look for and/or look out for?

[CaptainMike]

I bought a "Pro-Form 900 cardio cross trainer" last December for my wife's Birthday (she ASKED for one ;)). I got it direct from the factory for around $340 delivered. I spent about a week reading reviews and looking at prices online before I decided to go with a higher-rated, low priced home model rather than spending upwards of $1500 on something I wasn't sure she would use. I was diagnosed T2 in March and have been on the thing 3-4 times a week myself whenever I have been home (and not out at sea).
My wife is also using it 3-4 times a week. I am amazed that it has held up so well. It has acquired a couple of slightly annoying squeaks, but since we both use it while watching DVD's in the TV room the noise isn't too bad. I highly recommend it.
If/when it wears out I will probably get a higher priced model from Pro-form, but for the $$ and the amount of use this thing sees I'm pleasantly surprised by the quality.
It took about 1 hour to put it together, and the directions were pretty easy to follow.

FYI I'm 6'2" 195 (down from 210 lbs when we got it ) and it handles my size/weight just fine, though I think anyone over around 250 lbs might be too heavy for this unit.
Good Luck!,
Mike

[LoDeSp]

How do you like it?

And, if you don't mind saying, what make/model and what did it cost?

Anything to look for and/or look out for?

My wife and I got the Sole E-25, which cost about $1K. It's very sturdy and we've had no problems with it, even though we both use it 4-5 times per week.

I really enjoy it. I use it as excuse to play video games (the wife watches DVDs on the Playstation), so my half hour workout goes pretty quickly. Anything longer than that tends to get a little boring, though.

As for what to watch out for, I'd definitely try as many different models as you can. Each will have a different feel to it. About the only thing that bothers me is that I'm not able to keep my feet flat on the pedals the whole way -- my heels will lift off the pedals at the bottom. So this means that I'm pushing too much on my toes and they tend to lose circulation. If I remember to shift my foot position every few minutes, I'm fine.

As I'm sure you know, you should also make sure the stride length is reasonably long (at least 16"). This way you get a more complete workout.

[Evermont]

I just bought a nice used ProForm elliptical/recumbent exercise bike for $100 through craigslist. Picked it up on my way home from snowboarding, added 15 minutes to my ride home but the snowy Vermont countryside scenery alone was worth the extra time.

Such a great deal for this equipment! I just tossed it in the back of my pickup truck, dw helped carry it in, I jumped on and got a quick workout before dinner - I like this thing!

Still looking for a good deal on a couple pairs of snowshoes though. Gotta get outside - fresh air is my friend.