Fair product for occasional exercise
Written: Dec 21 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: decent workout, does what I need it to do
Cons: cheaply made, tries to fall apart, heart rate measurement cumbersome
The Bottom Line: Basic trainer with basic features, hampered by cheap components, poor stability and noise.
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| fastolfe's Full Review: ProForm 700 CardioCross |
I've owned one of these for about 5 years, and paid roughly $400 for it. While it's performed well, I don't think it was worth what I paid.
The assembly was a bit of a chore, but I was expecting that. Tab A into Slot B, tighten with provided hex wrench. It's a two-person job, though I did it myself with only a few scrapes. I was seriously worried during assembly that I would break the weak/flimsy plastic housing.
A month or so after I got it, the resistance adjustment stopped working. It was stuck on the lowest level of resistance. I called the manufacturer and they quickly diagnosed the problem (without much of a description) and shipped me a replacement part without asking for any warranty details. This must have been a common problem. Actually replacing the component that failed was quite an adventure, especially since the directions were a little lacking. I'm fairly mechanically inclined, so I got it in after an hour or so of work, but there's no way the average person could have figured that out. I recommend an extended service plan if that's the level of service they provide by default.
It was immediately apparent that I should have probably sprung for a more stable product. The trainer is very narrow, which is great for people that are space constrained, but the lack of mass means that it rocks subtly as you use it. The product's "shoulders", where the thick neck forms a T that connects with the arms, aren't as solid as they could have been. Normal use generates enough torque here that causes it to squeak. I suspect that if I used it more often, this would get worse over time. In addition, one of the arms is constantly working its bolt out of place. I first noticed this when the bolt loosened enough to fall out and I practically fell off the thing. I recommend keeping the hex wrench around and tightening everything up every few weeks.
As far as an exercise tool, it works as well as I could expect. It does what it's there to do. The programs are adequate. The heart rate monitor works well, except that you have to put your hands on the central grips for it to work. It's a little awkward using one of the programs that adjust to your heart rate, because you have to constantly pay attention to the display so you know when you need to move your hands down to the central grips and when you can move them back. It throws your workout off and makes it hard to distract yourself with television.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
fastolfe
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Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 0 members
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