Most likely you will be purchasing a machine that will not be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty anymore. You will need to feel comfortable buying and replacing parts yourself over time.

Avoid buying a low quality machine used unless the seller can assure you they used it as a clothes hanger for most of its in home use. You don’t want to buy someone else’s junk just as it is about to run out of its short elliptical life. Really, the advantages of buying used elliptical exercise equipment is so you can get a great deal on a quality piece of equipment that is going to stand the test of time no matter who’s home it’s been in.

Craigslist and eBay are probably the easiest way to find used elliptical machines in your local area. Keep in mind they are going to be slim pickins. It is going to be extremely expensive to have an 100-300 lb elliptical machine shipped to your door from winning an eBay auction or Craigslist so it is going to have to be local pickup.

BigFitness.com is one of your best sources online for buying used and remanufactured elliptical machines. Not only will their specialized technicians inspect the machine before it goes out to you, they offer a 30 day warranty in case something goes wrong. Buying anywhere else is a little more risky unless you can work out an agreement with the seller and trust them!

Here is a list of some of the used elliptical machines BigFitness.com should have on hand. Most of these are high end machines that are pretty expensive at retail price because they are mostly found in commercial gyms. You can afford on of these bad boys for your home gym when you consider a used price instead.

Life Fitness 91Xi Elliptical Crosstrainer (Used)


Life Fitness 95Xi Elliptical Crosstrainer (Used)


Life Fitness Elliptical Crosstrainer 9100 Rear Drive Next Generation (Used)


Life Fitness Elliptical Crosstrainer 9500 Rear Drive Next Generation (Used)


LifeFitness Elliptical CrossTrainer 9500 Rear Drive (Used)


Nautilus NE916 Elliptical (Used) Commercial Elliptical


Precor EFX544 Elliptical (Used)


Precor EFX546 Elliptical (USED)


Precor EFX546HR Elliptical (Used)

Precor EFX546HR Elliptical Cordless (USED)


Precor EFX546i HR Elliptical Cordless (USED)


Precor EFX556 Elliptical (Used)


Precor EFX556 HR Elliptical – Cordless (Used)


Precor EFX556i Elliptical Crosstrainer (Used)


Precor EFX576i Elliptical Crosstrainer (Used)


StairMaster 5100 Elliptical (Used)


StarTrac 4630 Natural Runner™ Elliptical (Used)

Nautilus elliptical machines are worth every dollar and their heavy weight is certainly not a negative considering this machine will last over time and provide a comfortable workout. They are however, pretty pricey and out of range for most home elliptical machine consumers.

But one online site is making it easier for home gym dreams to come true! I have done a lot of research, trying to find the best prices for these machines and I didn’t find it at my local fitness specialty store. I found it online at BigFitness.com, the leading online dealer of new and used fitness equipment. They’ve been in business for over 16 years and have mastered the art and service of providing a superior online fitness equipment shopping experience.

Nautilus elliptical machines are going to range from $2,300 to over $5,000 on the manufacturer’s site but Big Fitness goes to show online deals exist and ripe for the picking. Now Big Fitness changes their prices every every now and again but I thought I saw an all time low with with the Nautilus NE 2000 Elliptical priced at $2,099 but just yesterday I saw the price the lowest ever — just $1998! Even the NE 3000 Elliptical can be purchased for $2,299. That is a substantial savings too considering SHIPPING IS FREE!



And we are not talking about used equipment here either. I used to think it was just a used machine but you can get them new! And they have some pretty great financing options available too.

In the case of Nautilus elliptical machines, the manufacturer prices which cut out the middle man come second to Big Fitness.

Only downside is keep yourself from getting too worked up about their amazing deals–so far I haven’t seen the Nautilus Pro Series EV716 or EV718 anywhere cheap but on the Nautilus website. These automatic adjusting stride length elliptical machines are simply amazing but will cost you a mini fortune.

I don’t think I’m alone in questioning the quality of the elliptical machines at Sears. It would be really nice if they also retailed higher end machines. Read this post about a guy’s experience with his broken Sears elliptical machine. If you read back through several different posts of the last 2 years, you will learn he’s been through a cheap machine from WalMart that broke after 10 uses or so, a $400 Sears model that didn’t work right after assembly or a service visit, and a Sears upgrade replacement that didn’t work either! They did seem to offer to make it right over an over–wonder how much this costs the company on a regular basis though.

From my personal experience with the Sears elliptical machines, I made up my mind that I was going to be looking in the $2,000 range. I wanted something that would last and feel as good as the Precor machines I was used to at the gym I was giving up.

I have to admit I kept going back to  Sears and Dick’s Sporting goods on a regular basis. I wanted so badly to find a good machine for less than $1,000. I kept trying to rationalize that maybe people or kids in the store had not treated the ellipticals kind. Or maybe they weren’t set up right from the beginning. These stores really should take care to keep the machines on the floor in tip top shape. I was looking at a Horizon from Dick’s and the track wheel was completely broken and the elliptical hardly worked.

In the end, my doubts were enough to steer me towards higher end machines.

I would love to hear about good experiences though.

But while exercising one night, I saw a pretty freaky story on Inside Edition about the Dangers of Exercise Balls. I wish I had some statistics on how often this type of tragedy occurs because they made it out to be pretty scary. It took them till then end to even mention the benefits of having an anti-burst exercise ball so I started to worry that I would have problems with mine. By the end of the piece they finally made it clear that you should get the anti-burst exercise balls to avoid this kind of danger but they really made it seem like we were about to see exercise ball recalls like toys from China.

No worries. Choose an anti-burst exercise ball meant for your height and weight and you hopefully won’t have to suffer like the man Inside Edition reported on. Happy exercising!

Technorati: elliptical machines, exercise balls, dangers of exercise balls, elliptical trainer, elliptical machine exercise, anti burst exercise ball

For years, elliptical machines with adjustable incline features have been sparse, but the choices are growing with the June 2007 release of Vision Fitness adjustable incline elliptical machines. Be sure to read more about adjustable incline machines and the Vision Fitness elliptical reviews.

Adjustable incline elliptical trainers allow the user to target a wider range of muscle groups. There are usually 16 to 20 levels of incline, depending on the model, which vary from 4 to 30 degrees.