Life Fitness X5i Cross-Trainer

Pros: Smooth, no impact riding elliptical machine with great technological features
Cons: The Cross-Train features don't beep, so you may miss them if you're watching Television

Four years ago I went from a svelte 102 pounds to a whopping 169... in just nine months. No, I didn't develop some sudden addiction to Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream (okay, maybe I did, but that isn't where all the weight came from!). After my bea ...

Pros: Adjustable stride length, interactive package, overall quality
Cons: Expensive, initial feeling of forward tilt, less rigid frame than x9i

After a 40 years of sports related abuse and resulting surgeries on my legs, I found myself in need of a cardio workout that did not require a trip to the pool at a certain time for lap swimming. With a bit of research I settled on the idea of ...

Pros: Best workout -- both upper and lower body. Adjustable stride is great
Cons: If you use it, you will face constant repairs. Designed/f VERY light duty cycle.

I got mine about two years ago. Upon receiving it, I noticed various annoying sounds. After replacing 75% of the unit and 4 months of service calls, lifefitness gave me a new one. I do believe the first production models were clearly not put together ...

Pros: Adjustable stride, heart-rate belt, variety of workouts, robustness, length of stride.
Cons: Size, cost

We have owned our LifeFitness X5i for 2 years. Before purchasing, we tried many many elliptical machines, including models by PreCor, Smooth, ProForm, Nautilus, Eclipse, NordicTrack and Reebok. We chose this machine for four reasons: 1. The stride ...

Pros: Fairly smooth, fairly sturdy, adjustable stride length, excellent whole body workout
Cons: Sticker shock, consumes a LOT of space, somewhat ugly

I just discovered epinions yesterday. This is a great site. I wish I would have known about it when I was trying to decide which elliptical model to buy this spring. Anyway, hope I can help someone with my thoughts on the Lifefitness x5i… This ...

Pros: BUILT LIKE A BRICK OUTHOUSE
Cons: SIZE, PRICE

My wife and I were looking for a home cardio solution about 2 years ago and shopped around for the u ...

Pros: Smooth motion means ease on joints, fun workout, multiple aerobic routines
Cons: Cost does not equal durable quality, unsatisfactory repair technician, slow to return service calls

We purchased a Life Fitness X5i Cross-Trainer and had it delivered in January. We were excited to have a non-impact aerobic elliptical trainer as a part of our home gym. It has a fabulous LCD display with many different exercise options and routines to...

Pros: Very smooth rotation, My workouts feature, adjustable stride
Cons: Not too durable, bumbling technicians, long repair and down times

I've had my x5i for 1 year now and use it everyday for an hour a day. The x5i provides very smooth operation with an adjustable stride that makes it ideal for both me and my wife, as switching between shorter and longer stride lengths takes only a few ...

Pros: Smooth ride, adjustable stride, easy on the joints, multiple routines, personal settings
Cons: Flywheel knocks on forward stroke. High tolerances for mechanical errors. Poor redesign and quality.

Testing & Purchase Looking for a low impact aerobic workout, we set out to find an all around elliptical trainer. We fell in love with the elliptical trainers at the gym. We both got an excellent aerobic workout while working the upper and ...

Pros: Smooth, low impact, vigorous workout.
Cons: Poor customer service, especially the repair service.

We bought the x5i and really enjoyed it for the first 4 weeks, using it almost daily. It gave a very good cardio workout, and was much easier on my knees than the stepper I had been using. But after only 4 weeks of use the electronics panel went out, ...

Pros: Large display monitor, interesting programs keep you motivated, adjustable steps.
Cons: Squeaking and clicking noises. Mechanical flaws not expected from such a high end equipment.

After trying several elliptical machines in the market, I decided to purchase the Life Fitness X5I. Within the first week it started making clicking sounds . After calling technical support a technician from a repair company arrived. He said he never saw...

Pros: fantastic machine; great fun to use.
Cons: very expensive; not durable

I bought the X5i 1 year ago, ignoring the advice given earlier in this forum.
Initially it was a superb machine which was great fun to use.
Both my wife and myself lost several pounds and we felt better, which we hoped for, before we bought the machine as we are getting a little bit older ( 62 and 63 years9
Everything was nice.
Te machine was only used by my wife and myself each 30 minutes per day.
After 6 months a clonking noise started from the rear left of the machine but we ignored this as this did not seem to be serious( we thought).
To our detriment the steering mechanism gave up after 11 months, everything else ran apparently normal.
The machine ran then only with a rather heavy force ( at least 10 on the scale of 20)
This all should not be possible for a machine of this price category.
We expected this machine to last without problems for at least 5 years.

Pros: Built like a tank, very similar to club models, smooooooth, great workout options.
Cons: Pricey for most budgets.

It really is true that with fitness equipment you get what you pay for. The Lifefitness X5i is worth every cent. The construction quality is top-notch. A word of caution that the overall experience you have with this machine is directly related to the retailer you buy it from. It's the retailer that is responsible for delivery, assembly, and service. I purchased mine from US Fitness products and the service was pretty good. The first unit they sent had a problem so I contacted lifefitness directly. Customer service was awesome. Lifefitness worked with the retailer and replaced the unit ASAP. I opted to self-assemble the replacement since I'm comfortable with stuff like that. Haven't had any issues since.

Try a cheap elliptical trainer then find a Lifefitness dealer and try an X5i. You'll see for yourself that it's worth the price difference.