Ohiyo!

The air conditioner here at the DOJO has been broken all day and the Treadmill Sensei is positively roasting! I know it’s a cop out but I’m going to keep today’s post very short…don’t worry, I’ll be back with a new review tomorrow.

I do, however, want to comment on how incredibly brilliant Hikaru can be (that’s sarcasm). You see, most wise Hikaru bought the elliptical I reviewed yesterday as a closeout from a local chain store. What that means to us is: no returns! Curses, foiled again! Icon Fitness, you may have won this round (and my money), but the last laugh will belong to the Treadmill Sensei!

Now, I must go and make Hikaru move boxes around in the main warehouse as punishment.

Take care and stay fit…I’ll be back tomorrow.

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

I would like everyone to know that the Treadmill Sensei is a gentleman and a humanitarian. You see, for some reason I’ve received 10 or 15 requests for me to review and rate a low end elliptical from Icon Fitness over the past month or so. I can’t figure out why but the Reebok RL545 Elliptical has received more requests as of late than any other single piece of equipment. I’m guessing it’s because of a huge price drop for the elliptical on Amazon.

Unfortunately, I had never actually seen one of these ellipticals before and I very much doubt one would ever come in to my shop, althought I was surprised recently with the appearance of a Motus treadmill so anything is possible. But, I decided to go the distance for you guys: I love my readers so much I sent Hikaru out to purchase a Reebok RL545 from a local chain store just so I could try it out. After 2 days of searching he decided to pick one up from Amazon instead and, 10 days later the RL545 arrived.

We unboxed the surprisingly heavy-for-the-price unit and wentto work setting it up. Once it was together, I decided to workout on it myself because Hikaru’s rather copious frame would have snapped the elliptical as if it were an origami crane.

Here’s the short version of my review: Don’t buy it. Save your money, go to the store and buy yourself something pretty instead. A Kate Spade handbag or LAMB purse will do more for your appearance and health than the Reebok RL545 elliptical. If I were a superhero and had an arch enemy (say, an evil Treadmill Professor of some kind), I would not wish this elliptical on him.

I dread doing a longer review for fear of somehow unintentionally encouraging some poor, dimwitted fool to go out and purchase one. I just couldn’t have that crime on my conscience. Sadly, as a treadmill and elliptical reviewer, it is my job to bear the burden of spreading the truth on bad fitness equipment. So….here we go!

The first thing I want to talk about is the problems we had putting the Reebok RL545 together. Now, I realize not every unit will have this same problem, but the fact that we had it on a random machine is not a good sign. You see a number of the bolt holes were either drilled to the wrong size or we were sent incorrect bolts. A number of them were too large for the holes and other seemed to be too long for the space they were intended. This is a major, major problem.

From there we noticed how flimsy and thin the plastic parts of the machine, in particular on the pedas and shroud…and that’s not even mentioning how the machine groaned under even my light weight (I currently weigh in at a comfortable 175 pounds…although Mrs. Sensei thinks I should be 160 pounds). The bushings for the crosstraining bars loosened over the course of my 45 minute workout in spite of initial tightening. And,even though I don’t have a laser level at the shop to confirm, I believe the lower bars bent under my weight.

There is really nothing in the Reebok RL545 elliptical that is worth mentioning…well, except for the receipt Hikaru remembered to keep that lets us return it for our money back.

For living down to the Icon Fitness reputation, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Reebok RL 545 Elliptical a magnificant 1 out of 5 golden buddahs.

We’re returning our Reebok RL545 and buying the complete 7 season boxed set of the Friends TV show instead. My hope for Ross and Rachel getting together in the end far exceeds the hope I had for the RL545 not sucking.


Shop Reebok Treadmills at Amazon.com

Reebok RL 545 Elliptical Specifications
Stride: 18″
Reverse Motion: Yes
Resistance Levels: 10
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Display: LCD
Programs: 8
Readouts: Resistance Readout, time, calories burned, calories/minute, heart rate, distance
Max User Weight: 250 lbs
Weight: 180 lbs
Price: $479.99

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

Working in a service/repair facility like the DOJO, the Treadmill Sensei gets to see a lot of treadmills and ellipticals. I’m also able to get a good sense of what equipment is popular among customers, at least here in Southern California. This past season, perhaps the hottest model on the market was the Spirit XE350 and its counterpart, the Sole E55. From what I’ve seen and heard, retailers have had a problem even keep these units in their stores.

The reason for this is because Dyaco, the manufacturer of Sole and Spirit treadmills/ellipticals, has stumbled upon a great combination of features, price and aesthetics. With the Spirit XE350 you get some fantastic specs and a great price all in a great looking package (hopefully, they won’t do something silly for their upcoming line like paint the things white). This past year we had a huge number of the XE350 ellipticals come through the DOJO and I was able to get a lot of hands on work out experience with them (would that be feets on?). Let me give a quick run through of what I’ve found.

First off, the 16 pound plastic flywheel on all of the upper end Spirit models gives an ok feel to your workouts, nothing spectacular but decent. I really would have like to have seen a heavier metal flywheel and gotten a true weight for it instead of the fake 30 pounds Spirit gives for the XE350. We have heard from a number of readers about problems with the plastic flywheel, but the unit we review felt solid. Add that to the 20″ stride and you have a fairly comfortable feel.

Once you have the smooth, solid workout down, everything else on the unit is gravy: 20 levels of resistance is nice (although, truthfully, 16 is the perfect number), heart rate monitoring and control, 10 work out programs and Spirit’s famous 2% incline pedals. When you drop those bonuses on an already great machine, then you’ve got a top-ranked elliptical in the $1000-$1500 price range.

Like I warned with the Sole E55, make sure to keep the elliptical’s rails well lubricated and dust free. It’ll save you a lot of problems down the line. I’d also suggest checking out the Sole E55 Elliptical for an alternative color choice…it’s not a big deal, but it’s nice to make sure the equipment goes with your room decor.

For being a well-put together elliptical, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Spirit XE350 Elliptical 3.5 out of 5 golden buddahs.

UPDATE: The Spirit XE350 is now discontinued and out of stock. Try the upgraded for 2008 Sole E55 for a better priced alternative.

The Spirit XE350 gets 3.5 gold buddahs out of 5 for being a better than average elliptical for under $1500.


Find out more about the Spirit XE350. Save an additional 3% with coupon code TMSENSEI.

Spirit XE350 Elliptical Specifications
Stride: 20″
Max User Weight: 350 lbs.
Unit Weight: 195 lbs
Resistance: 20 Levels
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip and wireless
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Programs: 10
Display: LCD
Readouts: Time, distance, calories, weight, speed, RPM, level, laps, heart rate
Articulating Footpads: Yes
Flywheel: 30 lbs.
Price: $1399

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

You know, the Treadmill Sensei really hates to write bad reviews for treadmills and ellipticals. Well, strike that, the Treadmill Sensei hates having to write reviews for bad treadmills and ellipticals. I also hate to write a review which I know the manufacturer (or one of its reps) is going to write me to complain about (again). Unfortunately, because of my love for my loyal readers I have to do it and I have to warn you about less than spectacular treadmills. In this case, the Bowflex Series 3 Treadmill.

Now, the Series 3 treadmill I’m basing my review on is one we purchased about 6 months ago when I thought it was a good idea to purchase some equipment for the Treadmill Sensei reviews. I figured I’d order treadmills I knew people wanted more information on instead of waiting around for one to come through the repair shop. The unit itself has only been used for approximately 30-35 hours since its arrival at the shop. In spite of constant maintenance in our service shop it has not held up very well at all.

Before I get in to the problems I see with our specific model, I want to go over some of the features (and lack of features) of the Bowflex Series 3 treadmill. I’ll start with the pros.

The only two things which set this unit above being a glorified dirty clothes hamper are its very spiffy design (if nothing else, Bowflex has some great designers!) and its weight. The unit looks cool and has a very solid mass to it.

That’s all.

The cons, sad to say, out number the pros almost 5 to 1.

In spite of being a fairly heavy unit (I’d estimate around 250 pounds), the unit contains a lot of flimsy plastic. Our unit, which sits in my office and gets very very light use (I think only 1 or 2 of the techs have used it consistantly), already has a major crack in the motor shroud, a number of cracks in the console and a crack on the side rails. The shroud crack came strictly from an average sized person running on the deck for less than 2 hours a week. This is not a good sign.

Speaking of the deck, for the $1000 price, I really wish Bowflex hadn’t scrimped with a 20″ x 54″ deck. For the price it really should have been at least 20″ x 55″ or 20″ x 56″. The same goes for the 10 mph speed and 12% incline. Most people won’t need more than that, but it is a strange place to cut corners on a $1000 machine. The lack of a heart rate control mode or wireless heart rate monitoring is a disappointment, too.

In what we’re now hearing is a fairly common occurance, there is quite a lag in response time on the Bowflex Series 3 treadmill’s buttons. This was also a problem when we tried out their Treadclimbers at the 2006 IHRSA show, so it may be a company-wide issue.

Other problems come from a tiny 1.75 HP motor which seems to strain under even light usage. A 1-ply belt which on our under 6 month old machine has already begun to fray and come apart. For heavier use my opinion is that the belt will last for 3 months or less before needing replacement.

Finally, due to all of the plastic and the under powered motor, the Bowflex Series 3 is a very loud treadmill to work out on. You’ll run in to problems if you like to watch television or hold a conversation while you work out. The sounds which spill off the Series 3 are annoying at best.

In my view, the Series 3 treadmill is lackluster and performs more poorly than its bigger brother, the Bowflex Series 7. For being another Bowflex disappointment, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Bowflex Series 3 Treadmill 2 out of 5 golden buddahs.

The Bowflex Series 3 Treadmill is another “No Buy” unit from Bowflex…what can’t they learn from their sister-company, Schwinn, and put out some decent equipment?

Compare the Bowflex Series 3 Treadmill.

Bowflex Series 3 Treadmill Specifications
Motor: 1.75 HP
Speed: 10 mph
Incline: 12%
Programs: 6
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip
Heart Rate Control: None
Display: LED
Max User Weight: 250 lbs
Treadmill Weight: Approx. 250 lbs.
Deck Size: 20″ x 54″
Rollers: 2″
Belt: 1 ply
Folding: Yes
Price: $999

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

Although I was a little unsure about this who computer-internet thing back in May, 2006 when I started this website, I am in love with the email I get in from my readers. I especially enjoy getting in notes from other members of the fitness industry. This morning I received the below note from Dan Sharshel, owner of Stay-Fit Fitness in Kansas. Let’s see what he has to say.

Take it away, Dan!

Hello my name is Dan Sharshel, owner of Stay-Fit Fitness Equipment in Wichita, KS. I was looking at your web site on some of the ratings. I have been working on exercise equipment for over 32 years now and am always curious what others have to say about some of the equipment I have worked on and in some cases regreted ever laying my eyes on. Yes we are a retail store as well as a service center here.

I do not claim to know everything but I do know that when the number of repairs we do here on some of the equipment exceed what they should and we contact the manufacturer and they tell us the old BS line of “gee, we have never heard of this issue before” you want to just reach into the phone and slap the crap out of them. Take care and good luck, Dan.

Dan:

Thanks for the note and I’m glad you are enjoying the website. It is always good to hear from a retailer or another service tech. I know what you mean about manufacturer BS. Just like you, we run in to that “we had no idea that was a problem” crap almost weekly. A prime example was the Z700 treadmill from a certain manufacturer. They shipped those units knowing full well there was an issue with the consoles loooking blurry due to the distance of the plastic screen from the console below it. It was a design fla; tt was known about well in advance of the unit shipping; and they still shipped it out, denying knowledge of a problem they knew about in advance when customers and retailers called in with complaints or trying to get repair. That’s not even mentioning the poor retailers who got stuck selling the closeout stock without being warned of the issues in advance. Do I even need to go in to what some of the bigger manufacturers pull on customers and retailers?

We all know some of the manufacturers are a little shady and people like you and I are left to clean up the mess.

Enough ranting from me. Thanks again for the note, Dan! For those of you in the Wichita, Kansas area, make sure to check out Stay-Fit Fitness.

Take care and I’ll “see” you all tomorrow. Stay fit!

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

The Treadmill Sensei had a bit of insomnia last night. You see, Mrs. Sensei left for Phoeniz, Arizona yesterday and after more than 25 years of marriage I have a bit of a problem sleeping in bed without my wife. I know it’s a bit corny but I miss my wife already…don’t worry, though, she gets back on Saturday!

Since I reviewed one of their ellipticals yesterday, and since I’m sleep deprived and don’t really know any better, I thought I’d talk a bit about Schwinn Fitness. Schwinn as a company has been around since the late 1890s and has been producing bicycles ever since. In fact, Schwinn is probably the most recognizable bicycle brand in the world and their reputation has been excellent for much of its existance.

In the late 1990s, Schwinn enters in to the non-bicycle areas of the fitness industry and then is purchased by Nautilus (known originally as Direct Focus) in 2001. Unfortunately for Schwinn and consumers, the quality of those early Nautilus-produced fitness units did not live up to the 100+ year old standards of quality Schwinn was known for. In the eyes of the fitness industry (and lowly service techs like the Treadmill Sensei), Schwinn became known for putting out some pretty low end, poorly manufactured units…even their higher cost units were full of manufacturing and quality control problems. Top this off with the level of customer service at Schwinn/Nautilus being known as some of the worst in the industry and you’ve got a company in need of improvement.

I am glad to report those improvement came in 2006 with refinements in the Schwinn ellipticals in general and the production of the very fine Schwinn 430 and 438 in particular. The Scwhinn treadmill line is anemic and a bit of a disappointment, but the ellipticals are solid and worth checking out if you’re looking for a good workout on a budget. Finally the company seems to be getting back on track. Hopefully they will be able to overcome their continued reputation for terrible customer service and live up to their 100+ year legacy of quality.

Schwinn Ellipticals:

• Schwinn 418 Elliptical
• Schwinn 430 Elliptical
• Schwinn 431 Elliptical
• Schwinn 438 Elliptical

Schwinn Treadmills:

• Schwinn 820p Treadmill

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

One of the problems with the way your Treadmill Sensei does reviews is that I just don’t have the time to search out every single elliptical or treadmill out there. And, unlike some other review sites that like to prescribe equipment to you, I don’t want to write up a mass of reviews on equipment I’ve never seen before. It’s not fair to you, my readers, and it’s not fair to the manufacturers. Unfortunately, that means I miss some equipment and some equipment doesn’t get reviewed fast enough to make it in to my Best Buy Awards. One such piece is the one I want to talk about today — the Schwinn 430 Elliptical. I’m a bit bummed that I didn’t have a chance to review this unit for the Ichi-Ban Best Buy Awards last year because it may very well have been a top contender. I’d expect it to do very well in this year’s Awards.

As a side note, the 430 elliptical I’m basing my review on was actually brought in by Hikaru to work on this passed week. Hikaru is doing a lot of extra work at the DOJO and has been out looking for additional repair jobs every single day. I don’t like to admit it to him, but he’s a good kid and is on his way to becoming a very fine Sensei in his own right.

The 430 Elliptical is a unit which Nautilus started producing a little over a year ago as their entry in to the budget fitness arena. Interestingly enough, when it comes down to a unit versus unit comparison of the Schwinn 430 and it’s higher priced brother, the Schwinn 418, the 430 comes out on top. This little unit packs a lot of value for a $599 elliptical.

The 430 elliptical is solid, weighing in somewhere at around 150 pounds and with a flywheel in the 14 pound weight (unfortunately, I could find no official specs on the weight of the unit or the flywheel, so these are my estimates based on one of my daily 45 minute workouts). The 430 is exceptionally smooth for a lower cost elliptical and compares well to a lot of units up in the $999 range.

With 16 levels of resistance, 8 programs, very comfortable articulating foodpads (an excellent and rare feature in a lower end elliptical), heart rate monitoring and control, the Schwinn 430 is an excellent choice for someone looking for a high quality elliptical on a low budget.

After having worked out on a unit here at the DOJO a couple of times this week, I will say that you need to keep the rails well-lubricated. I’d suggest lubricating at least once every 30 hours of working out or there abouts. Aside from the lubrication, I also wish Nautilus would have given the Schwinn 430 a more competitive warranty. 90 days for labor just doesn’t cut it. Adding on an extended warranty would be a worthwhile thing for most buyers.

For light workouts the Schwinn 430 is a hard unit to beat…and, for being a great little elliptical, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Schwinn 430 elliptical 4 out of 5 golden buddahs.

At $599 the Schwinn 430 is a slick little elliptical.


Compare the Schwinn 430 elliptical and get more information.

Schwinn 430 Elliptical Specifications
Stride: 18″
Max User Weight: 275 lbs
Unit Weight: Approximately 150 lbs.
Programs: 8
Resistance Levels: 16
Display: LCD
Readouts: Speed, Time, Distance, RPM, Watts, Pulse, Calorie, Interval Time, Resistance level Course Profile
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip
Footpads: Articulating
Reverse Direction: Yes
Price: $599

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

Just a quick note while we’re waiting for the freight guys to unload. You’ll notice a new feature over on the right nav bar. It’s for a live chat with the Treadmill Sensei. As I am on the computer during the day I’ll log in and, if you have questions, comments or just want to chat, you’ll be able to click on the “Live Support” button and talk to me in a little pop-up window. Unfortunately, I can’t be on all the time and won’t have any sort of regular schedule for it, but if you see me listed as “online” then feel free to say “hello.”

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

I can’t believe it’s been over 6 months since I posted the Ichi-Ban Best Buy Awards for 2006-2007…and I still haven’t finished doing my extended reviews for the winners of those awards. Doh! The Treadmill Sensei is a lazy bum. I promise to have the reviews done in advance of the best buy awards later on this year.

Today I want to talk about the 2006-2007 Ichi-Ban Elliptical Best Buy Award winner for $1501-$2000, the SportsArt 803 Elliptical. One of the reasons the Treadmill Sensei is excited about this review is because the SportsArt 803 is the elliptical which I work out on at home. That’s right, after I a unit came in to the shop last summer and I show how darn sleek it look and how smooth the stride was, I had Mrs. Sensei get me one for my last birthday. And, before you ask, no I won’t tell you how old I am.

Before I talk about one of the prides of my home workout room, I want to talk a bit about the company which produced such a fine piece of equipment, SportsArt Fitness. SportsArt Industrial has been around for over 20 years now and has had a reputation for excellence and quality for much of that time. In the past they’ve mainly supplied equipment to mid-range health clubs and corporate style gyms, as well as had a fairly strong presence overseas. They had a rough couple of years recently in regards to quality, but are now back on track with some of the best equipment around. If they had work their price point down a bit more on the consumer models, I think they’ll dominate the $1200-$2200 home market with their quality and customer service.

Plus, and this has nothing to do with the equipment, the sales staff they had at the 2007 IHRSA fitness show was made up of some of the friendliest and most courteous people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in quite some time. Both their sales staff and their customer service department knows the most important thing is keeping their customers happy, and they do a mighty fine job at it.

Let’s talk a bit about the SportsArt 803 Elliptical. I workout on my 803 every day of the week for a minimum of 45 minutes to an hour during the local LA morning news at 7am (I love Jillian but my wife forgives me for it) — on Thursday, if you stand outside my house, you can hear me complaining loudly at whatever American Idol reject is being interviewed. This is my time of piece and I picked the SportsArt 803 for a couple of reasons.

First, I wanted an elliptical that I knew wasn’t going to break down or have technical issues. I work on fitness equipment all day and absolutely did not want a flimsy, finicky or flawed elliptical in my house. Second, having bad knees, I wanted as smooth an elliptical ride as I could possibly get. The SportsArt 803 was the elliptical that answered both of those questions for me. Adding in the ability to adjust the stride was a huge benefit as well because my wife likes to work out at a shorter stride than I do — I like the feel of 20+ inches and she likes 18 inches. I prefer the manual stride adjustment controls on the 803 versus the electronic ones on some of the other SportsArt units. From what I’ve seen they are a lot more reliable and are longer lasting.

As you’ve all heard the Treadmill Sensei talk about before, the SportsArt 803 has a very solid frame and heavy unit weight which helps give you a sturdy, solid ride without the shakes a lot of lesser ellipticals have. If you want a smooth, solid workout then the SportsArt 803 elliptical is hard to beat.

There are a couple of weaknesses that I want to point out. The first is the MSRP on the unit which usually runs at about $1999. If you look around, you can find the 803 elliptical for a more reasonable $1699-$1799.

Next, I don’t mind the low number of programs it has (3 preset and then “manual” – if that can be considered a program), but a lot of people like more program options.

Finally, 10 levels of resistance just aren’t enough for fine tuning a workout, especially if you’re doing heart rate training. I really hope SportsArt gets smart and raises this to 16. If they can fix those minor problems they’ll have a perfect scoring elliptical on their hands.

For being just about perfect with only a couple of minor quibbles, the Treadmill Sensei gives the SportsArt 803 Elliptical 4.5 out of 5 golden buddahs.

The SportsArt 803 elliptical is the Treadmill Sensei’s personal choice for an elliptical in his home.

Shop for SportsArt Ellipticals at Amazon.com

SportsArt 803 Elliptical Specifications
Programs: 3
Stride: Adjustable 18″ – 26″ (6 presets)
Resistance Levels: 10
Max User Weight: 350 lbs.
Elliptical Weight: 172 lbs.
Heart Rate Monitor: Wireless optional
Display: LCD
Readouts: Time, distance, calories, level, steps per minute
Price: $1699

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

It’s Saturday and the Treadmill Sensei needs to keep this post short or Mrs. Sensei will kill him. You see, we’re heading out to the beach for the day and if my beloved wife catches me working instead of getting ready to have fun she will beat me.

I just wanted to show off the new artwork I had designed by a fantastic artist known as se7en for our Ichi-Ban Awards. Yes, I know the awards came out in December 2006 and it’s now May 2007, but better late than never…and I’ll use them for the 2007-2008 Ichi-Ban awards later this year.

Any manufacturers out there who won awards last year, please feel free to make use of these images on your website for the products. The only requirement is that you include a link back to www.treadmillsensei.com. If you don’t include the link I will have you remove the image.

I have high resolution images available upon request that can be used for print purposes.

Have a great weekend and I’ll “see” you all again on Monday. Take care.

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com