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79 of 80 found the following review helpful:
 Best Elliptical under 1200$ Feb 06, 2011
By James E. Huntsman
There is a lot of good to be said about this elliptical. Of all the ellipticals I've tried in the under 1200$ range this one had the most natural stride. One thing I really like about this elliptical is at the lowest resistance setting it still offers some resistance, it's comparable to around level 5-10 on ellipticals you find in most gyms.
The elliptical is also completely silent. I read reviews about people having squeaky machines where advise was given to tighten every bolt as tight as you possibly can get them. So when I assembled this elliptical I really torqued down on each of the bolts, and so far it doesn't make a sound.
Stability is an issue with some of the cheaper ellipticals, not this one. I am 200lbs and it's rock solid, again tighten those bolts!
There are some negatives but at the price point, what can you expect? The fan, most ellipticals don't even have one so I consider this much better than nothing, it is just a bit weak. The heart rate grips, they are just cheep and inaccurate, but I expected that and use a heart rate monitor with a chest strap anyways. Lastly, the display is mounted in such a way it's hard to read if you are any taller than about 5ft, you have to hunch over a bit to read the monitor. Again my heart rate monitor solves this issue, because it also has a timer and that's really the only necessary things to see on the display.
If I had a 1200$ budget again, I'd still choose this elliptical over any of the others I've tried in that range. I cannot say how it will hold up, but if something goes wrong I'll update this review.
45 of 46 found the following review helpful:
Can't be beat for the money Mar 26, 2011
By hairballz
"hairballz"
I researched a reasonably priced elliptical for some time before finally narrowing it down between this Proform and one by Schwinn. Both in the same price range, both similar reviews. The Schwinn though lacked the upright handles that double as pulse monitors and a grip if you don't want the upper body workout that comes with the moving arms. Sometimes I want that part of the workout, sometimes I don't, so it was an important feature for me, more like what you'd see in a gym.
Assembling it by myself took just at 2 hours, though it was not at all difficult. Instructions were quite clear. It did take a good 20 minutes or so of that time just to unpack all the pieces and parts from their very thorough packaging and lay them out to begin assembly. There are lots of places in the instructions where it says "having another person hold this in place....", but having a second person was really not necessary.
I was surprised at how STOUT this thing is - the pieces are heavy steel, not aluminum or thin metal like I've seen on lots of gym equipment in this price range. I also like that the steel is powdercoated instead of slick coated - it will hide wear and tear over time a lot better.
I agree with many reviewers who said it's crazy that this thing doesn't come with the a/c adapter, but for now I'm just using batteries instead of spending another $15-25 for an adapter, versus $2 at a bigbox store for 4 size D batteries.
The action is VERY, very smooth - surprisingly so, really. I have worked out on elliptical machines at big gyms that were jerkier than this unit. Very smooth action, the stride length is perfect for my 5'6" frame and I don't get ANY side-to-side wobbling.
I know some reviewers have noted issues with seeing the dispay but I don't have that problem at all - don't know if Proform has improved the display lately or it's just that I have it in a back room with really good overhead lighting, but it's clear as day - not a problem at all. The fan is weak but not a problem since I have a freestanding fan in my workout room anyway. The pulse monitor is spot on, but I will remind anyone not used to such things that, just like ANY pulse monitor on a piece of equipment, it isn't instantaneous - you might need to keep your hands in place on the monitor for a few seconds for it to fully register your pulse accurately (ie, the first time I laid my hands on the pulse monitor, standing still on the pedals, just to see how it worked, it registered my pulse as 167 (!) - but then after about 2 seconds it registered it as 63, which I knew was accurate (i'd checked it with a pulse rate monitor)).
Overall, I'm EXTREMELY pleased. I purchased this because my aging ankles couldn't stand the pounding of running on a treadmill anymore, and an elliptical is absolutely the closest you can get to running without actually enduring the pounding of running. I hihghly recommend.
22 of 22 found the following review helpful:
 not bad, but really wish I could adjust the time on workouts Jun 26, 2011
By R. Mcmillin
This is our second elliptical machine for home. It is better constructed than the cheaper Merit machine we had, which broke twice before we gave up on it (belt first, then resistance device). The step is a bit higher too on the Pro-Form, so we should be getting a better work out on it. I only have a couple of complaints so far: it doesn't come with an AC power supply (come on!) and can't change the duration of the fixed (built in) workouts (that I can tell). The workouts are set at 30 minutes and there isn't a time adjustment on the console. Even with the Merit you could change any of the workout routines for longer or shorter times than the default. Also, the foot pad groves are uncomfortable for bare feet, but not too big a deal. Overall I like the machine. It is quiet and I get a good workout in 30 minutes. If I could adjust the times on the workouts I would give it 5 stars. Unfortunately, whenever I need to go longer or shorter times on it I have to quit in the middle and/or start a new workout, so I don't get the right cool-down routine without manually adjusting the resistance at the end of my workout.
35 of 40 found the following review helpful:
surprised Mar 08, 2011
By grez
recieved machine yesterday morning. assembled in evening in less than an hour, being a mechanic i had no prob. no tools needed. allen keys come with package. careful not to misplace hardware as package is to the exact count.
machine is well made. smooth operating. plastic shouds and covers do have slight gaps at mating edges( but then again, i am a detailed and exact kinda guy - i work aircraft and have to be) but nothing to hinder operation, more visual than anything. becareful of wires routing to display unit when installing, someone forcing the fit can damage or sever wires. i also used a q-tip to grease swivel holes and bolts.
jumped on for a test run and all working fine. surprised of the solid feel to the machine in operation. doesnt feel flimsy. smooth cycling less the slight whirling noise from spinner. machine does rock side to side a little, but i am 190lbs and it was set on carpet at the time. i had no fears it would tip either way tho, just the wobble from the motion. display is awkward. viewing from further back seems better to me, wished it was adjustable tilt. not viewing directly at display the image fades, not terrible, but i have to shift while in motion to see, and the letters under the numbers are small. not until u get use to what the display is telling u might have to look and see what the numbers mean(rpm, mode, etc) ity bity center fan is cute, at most a very slight breeze in the face, but then again im there to sweat and not wind tunnel testing, it works. wife says she needs shoes cuz foot pads have ridges and they hurt barefoot....and wants tv in front of it now(any thing else????????)
one of the most important deciding factors for me was NO pinch points, or as little as possible. pinch points meaning any place a little finger, toe, hand, etc. can be caught ANYWHERE on the machine. we got a 3yo and she is an explorer. i had only the picture to judge by at purchase, but taking cost and everything else into account, i decided on this machine. there are pinch points. red spinner is exposed and spins, but at least not open spokes and belts. we just need to know where she is when working out or put in a position and place where shes not behind machine. i might even find or make some sort of lock to lock spinning( if i can) when not in use.....kids right?
for the price and quality its a no brainer. its not a commercial fittness machine, but its not an old schwin strapped to a barrel on 2x4's either. thumbs up here....oh, box is heavy, find a friend.
cheers
14 of 14 found the following review helpful:
On rare occasions you get more than what you pay for May 17, 2011
By The Greco
I don't write reviews unless I am really impressed by a product. We have been researching and looking for an elliptical for the house and were figuring that we were going to have to pay about 2,000.00 to get a reasonably good one. This past weekend while we were in SA, we decided to take a look at what they had.
While just looking, some things about the 6.0 ZE attracted my attention. First of all it was smaller than many ellipticals and that is important to us. I also noticed that it had fewer moving parts than others and looked like it would provide a fairly natural motion, unlike most of the ellipticals I have tried.
I was mostly impressed by how sturdy the machine was when I got on it. It really is rock solid, which you don't expect when you look at the price tag. I have read some reviews where people were complaining about it wobbling and then I found out that they are using it on carpet. Well DUH! Of course it is going to wobble on carpet since there is foam padding underneath! Good Grief! I suppose it might also wobble if one fails to tighten the bolts when they are putting it together. Again, DUH! Sorry, I just really hate to see a good product get a poor rating because of ... User Error (I am really trying to be nice).
When I started "riding" this machine I really liked the motion. I felt like I was running rather than shuffling, skiing or moon walking.
Finally, I was impressed by how quiet the machine was in the store. It was scuffed up and appeared to have been there a while but was still completely creak and squeak free.
A few words on assembling the unit as I can understand that squeaks could develop if the grease is not applied properly. The bushings in the pivot points are a VERY tight fit with the shaft and while assembling the unit, I noticed that most of the grease I had applied to the shaft was being scraped off as I was sliding the part on. So, I applied a little grease on the inside of the leading edge of the bushings so that (hopefully) it would get spread between the shaft and bushing during assembly. Sorry, this is the best way I know to describe it.
We bought the machine from SA since we discovered it there and could use the display model. So far, after a few days it is working great. Oh, and don't worry about the resistance being too week as there is more than enough at the higher settings. Other than that, we will have to see how well it holds up over time.
Negatives / Cons: I wish that the designers would have dropped the pitiful fan and installed a good backlight instead. Or, drop the fan and include the power supply (we bought one locally for about $20.00). Even better, I wish they had designed the machine so that it generated its own power. But, you can't have everything at this price.
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