Ironman Elliptical - Review – Elliptical Fitness Equipment

The manufacturers of the Ironman elliptical trainers are Keys Fitness who are well respected in the industry. This company is also the owner of Alliance, CardioMax and HealthTrainer. There are a range of ellipticals in the Ironman line from $600 and up to mid range. Though they are perhaps not as well known as other brands they are certainly worth considering, particularly some of the new models they have recently released. The Achiever for example has a long 21″ stride, a design that is compact and center drive technology.

Pros

• The longer stride length mean taller people are happier and the 21″ on some new models is a vast improvement on the 14 to 16 inch older models. Of course if you are shorter than 5′4″ then it may be uncomfortably long for you. However for most the longer stride means your body is moving far more naturally giving you a workout that is more efficient.

• The center drive technology as mentioned before though this is only on a few new models like the CDT elliptical and the Ironman Achiever. Normally an elliptical has one large flywheel out in front or behind, but with center drive technology there are 2 smaller flywheels on each side. Ironman have done this because they claim it gives you better posture for working out. It is also handy if you are working out in a smaller space. Nordic Track and Proform also have this 2 wheel design on some of their models.

• Experts and owners have been fairly positive about Ironman elipticals. The 320e got a ‘Budget Buy’ rating from a leading consumer rating organization. Most models seem to average 4 out of 5 stars amongst customer reviews - for the new models mainly. Users tend to compliment the smoothness and the compactness thanks to the center drive construction.
Cons

• Older models have very short stride lengths - and the same for their warranties. If you are looking at their old models there are better brands out there that will be more value for money.

• Though the newer models are more promising there is not a lot of history of use yet so nobody can confidently comment about long term use.

Bookmark: