( 6 reviews )
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Posted: Oct 26 2008
I purchased this item, and after assembling it (takes about 2 to 3 hours to assemble) I found out that the resistance levels don't work. There is only one level, and it's fairly high resistance. I have been using an elliptical machine at my gym and I workout on level 11 for 45 minutes. This machine is hard to do at level 1, and I can only go for about 5 minutes. It's not very useful for me, since the calories burned in 5 minutes are not enough for a good workout. This machine says it has 10 levels, but I cannot notice any discernable difference between the different levels. I'm pretty disappointed because I was hoping this would be a good machine - the space saving feature sounded nice. Also, the stride length is supposed to be 18" but it feels like it is shorter than that. It's more of an up and down motion than the type of range I am used to. Also, they sent the wrong screws for one of the steps - all of the screws in the picture show pointy ends on them, but the ones in the box are all flat at the end. For adding one of the plastic pieces it is impossible to screw in the flat-ended screw so you will need to go buy the same screw but with a pointy end. For part 105 buy six 6 x 1-1/4 pan head sheet metal screws, and the assembly will go much easier.
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Posted: Mar 20 2008
Don't expect a major piece of gym equipment here but for the last few weeks I've had it I've had no complaints. It took me about two hours to assemble it - with some help - and most of that time was spent identifying the various screws. I only use it three times a week for about half an hour - so I'm not a heavy/power user. The unit is not as stable as your gym's machine - but it doesn't wobble too much or make a lot of noise. The motion is pretty smooth and overall it's quiet (I use it on a carpeted surface). So for the convenience of its folding I think it's worth it. It's very easy to fold and wheel around the apartment. The display isn't that great but serviceable and the fan isn't really that impressive but it's fine for basic stuff (clock). I'm suspicious of the calorie and carb readouts. I haven't tried any of the programs yet because I prefer the "manual" mode. I'll update this review if it craps out on me but so far so good.
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( 4 of 4 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jan 19 2008
Be very careful when deciding to purchase from Pro-Form based on their stated warranty: I purchased a SpaceSaver 500 based upon the product packaging, which listed a 10-year frame warranty and one-year parts and labor. When I got the thing fully out of the box and dug the instruction manual out, the warranty there claims a 90-day parts and labor, with the customer having to either (1) pay for an on-site visit, or (2) pay shipping both ways to return a defective part for depot repair. I called Pro-Form to ask, and after about 15 minutes on hold and a couple of hand-offs to other people, a fellow in "marketing" said that all their frames now have a ten-year warranty (once he said "lifetime"). I asked him to either send me something in writing or point me to the warranty coverage statement on their web site, he couldn't do it. Seems to me they're counting on customers to figure it's not worth the time and effort to return such a heavy, bulky item when they find out their warranty is other than what they thought they'd purchased .... This was my second (and last!) Pro-Form purchase: the first machine broke at a frame weld after about 15 months of moderately heavy (two times a day during the week) use. I figured they must have improved the frame design to be able to offer such a long frame warranty, but no such luck: the new model's built identically to the old, and it's liable to break exactly the same way (where the vertically mounted tube meets the main frame). Oh, there's a pamphlet in the packaging offering to sell customers an extended warranty, too, which kicks in 90-days after purchase ....
