FITNESSQUEST GAZELLE GLIDER FREESTYLE ELITE - Tony's Little Toy
Written: Nov 19 '03 (Updated Nov 19 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Gets the heart pumping.
Cons: Expensive, Poor Construction
The Bottom Line: Tony's Little Toy
|
|
|
| spongebob_man1's Full Review: FitnessQuest Tony Little Gazelle Glider Freestyle ... |
A surprising number of people have picked up the phone or logged on to the internet to purchase Tony's Little toy. The surprising success has spawned other fitness products by Tony. The frequency of his infomercials (aka - propaganda) has become annoying too. Well, any infomercial is annoying but anyway...
The low-impact workout king has arrived...
Fitness Quest:
Fitness Quest is a well known brand name. They have put out popular products and established a strong "as seen on TV" presence. Their other major TV product is the Total Gym series of equipment. www.fitnessquest.com
Tony Little has an extensive line of products available on the Fitness Quest website. If you enjoy his Gazelle's you might like some of his other products to go along with your Gazelle.
Freestyle Elite:
The whole Gazelle product line is best for people that need low impact exercises. Either because they are recovering from injuries or because they are elderly. For the price, this is actually a decent product. But there are some major flaws in the quality of the machine. Under even modest use the entire machine tends to become loosened and therefore shakes and squeaks. It won't stand up well to frequent use by heavier people trying to lose weight.
Maximum recommended user weight is 350 lbs so this is not a good one for larger men and women. However, that's 50 lbs. more than the cheaper models so if you're in need of serious weight loss consider the Elite. The machine is fairly large, especially when the legs are swinging, so it does take some planning to fit it into your home. Unless your place is sparsly furnished or really large. It's heavier than some of the other models so it may be difficult for one person to move because of the size.
Weight: 61 lbs.
Max User Weight: 350 lbs.
Size: 38"(L) x 36"(W) x 55.5"(H)
The small computer is easy to use but goes through batteries fairly quickly for how small it is. It's also made cheaply, so don't be rough with it, press the buttons gently. The functions are: speed, distance, time, calories burned, heart rate and scan. The heart rate monitor is low quality. Don't expect it to last too long or be very accurate. But it is an added touch some of the lower models don't have.
A feature in favor of the Gazelle is that it folds up easily. So storage in a closet is quick and easy.
The 2 instructional videos are a bit cheasy, but at least Tony has energy and enthusiasm about his product and your health. They will show you various ways you can use the Elite's exercises to get fit.
The Freestyle Elite gives you 17 aerobic, stretching, and strengthening exercises. These are low impact, and low effort, workouts. Unless you are in abysmal shape, or spend over 45 minutes on here, you really don't get much of a workout from this machine. The resistance and movement are a part of the dual action split suspension that Tony has patented. One major difference about the Elite is that it has adjustable "Power Pistons" that have 3 levels of resistance. These add a bit of difficulty to the exercises and allow more versatility. To get a decent workout I recommend putting it on the most intense setting.
The gym I workout at has two of the Freestyle Elites. My college gym has some of the lower models. I've used the lower models more. I've rarely used the Freestyle Elite longer than 30 minutes because I don't like using it. Even when I pushed myself hard I didn't get too winded. And my muscles never felt tight, like after pedaling an exercise bike for 30 minutes would (or running for that matter).
With your $400+ purchase you get the Gazelle Freestyle Elite, on-board computer and heart rate monitor, two personal training videos, owner's manual, healthy eating guide, Personal Trainer card, remote caddy and water bottle.
Features:
- Workout Computer
- Heart Rate Monitor
- Easy Storage
- Low Impact Workout
- Low Price
- Healthy Eating Guide
- Steel Construction
- 350 lbs Capacity
- Power Pistons
- 2 Workout Videos
The Lower Models:
If you get a cheaper model, Fitness Quest kind of dicks the consumer. You are charged $29.99 for S&H (not so with the higher end models), you must pay in full (no payments), you also don't get access to the toll free trainer help line.
Final Say:
Though the intensity on this machine is limited, even with the Power Pistons, many recreational exercisers may find this to be an economical, if not helpful, piece of exercise equipment. The reason that the Elite get's an average rating is becuase of the poor construction quality, the cheap workout computer, the cost, and lack of muscle building exercises (it's all about aerobics). And even for the price, which is low compared to some machines, it's not really that good. I would say stick to running shoes and free weights. Unless you need low impact - then you might just want to go swimming. I do not really recommend the Gazelle Freestyle Elite, or the other models, unless you don't like swimming and can't cycle. This is an extremely cheap piece of equipment so if you desperately need an alternative to a bike, treadmill, or rower, this may be a decent choice. For fitness enthusiasts, I recommend you look elsewhere!
www.ebay.com has more than a few Gazelle Freestyle exercise machines for sale. Wal-Mart also has good deals too. Give either of them a try if you have your heart set on a Gazelle.
Check It: www.gazelle-products.com
Thanks!
Recommended:
No
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
spongebob_man1
|
 - Top 50 |
|
Location: Vancouver, WA
Reviews written: 264
Trusted by: 178 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.