Horizon Fitness EX-78 Elliptical Trainer Review

Friday, December 24th, 2010 at 5:16 am

Horizon Fitness EX-78 Elliptical Trainer
Average Rating:

The Horizon Fitness EX-78 Elliptical Trainer is one of the top elliptical machines on the market today. We take a look at it with our review.

Features

The Horizon Fitness EX-78 Elliptical Trainer has 20 electronic resistance levels which means you’ll be able to challenge yourself for years on end. More resistance levels means you will never plateau in your workout routine and will always be able to incrementally improve each time you work out.

It also comes with a heavy-duty 17.6 pound fly wheel. This means that it will allow for a smooth and quiet ride, not one that is rickety which is what you would expect with cheaper ellipticals that don’t have good fly wheels.

The stride length on the Horizon Fitness EX-78 Elliptical Trainer is 20 inches. This is a good, average stride length for most people. Those who are very tall may find this stride length to be too short, but for most 20 inches will feel about right.

The maximum user weight is 275 pounds.

The EX-78 also comes with surround sound speakers which allows you to plug in your MP3 player and listen to music during your ride.

Dimensions

The EX-78′s dimensions are 74.8 x 22.2 x 65.2 inches and it weighs 177.1 pounds

Warranty

Frame and brake–lifetime
Elevation motor–1 year
Parts–2 years
Labor–1 year

Price

The lowest price we found for the Horizon Fitness EX-78 Elliptical Trainer was $799.99 with FREE SHIPPING from Amazon.

Assembly/Customer Service

Assembly of the EX-78 has to be one of the easiest ellipticals to put together. All the necessary tools are provided and the parts are individually marked in their own packages so it makes it a breeze to put the machine together.

Do We Recommend?

Yes, a resounding yes, in fact. Based on what we’ve experienced and what other customers have experienced, the Horizon Fitness EX-78 gets a high recommendation from us. It’s easy to assemble, has a great warranty, has a better than average stride length, good computer read out and very well built with a good fly wheel.

Rating:

List Price: $1,199.00
Sale Price: Too low to display.
Availability: unspecified

Product Description

Bring the gym into your home and enjoy an efficient, high-caliber workout with the Horizon EX-78 elliptical trainer, which works your legs as well as your upper body. All Horizon elliptical trainers now feature SixStar Certification--a unique combination of the six key elements needed to deliver the smoothest, most natural elliptical feel available. Perfect for rigorous training routines, the EX-78 offers a 20-level electronic resistance system, along with a heavy 17.6-pound flywheel that maintains pedal and arm momentum while offering a smooth, quiet operation. For a challenging workout, the EX-78 features 11 programming options that include three targets (time, distance, calories), three workouts (rolling, mountain, reverse train), 1-30-day goal tracking, and two custom programs. Other features include a 20-inch stride length with FLATellipse foot path, 11-inch SUREstep step-on height for easy access, oversized footpad with rubberized traction, Sonic Surround speakers with MP3 compatibility, COOLfit workout fan, and pulse grip heart rate monitoring. Features and Specifications: Resistance Range: 1-20, electronic Flywheel: 17.6 pounds Elevation Range: 0 - 100% @ 5% intervals (true range: 16 degrees) Stride Length: 20-inch FLATellipse foot path Pivoting Foot Plate: Yes Footpad: Oversized footpad with traction edges User Feedback: 2 orange LED windows and an 8-digit alphanumeric window User Programs: 11 program options with on-the-fly changes plus Advanced Goal Center with 3 targets (Time, Distance, Calorie) and 4 workouts (Hills, Weight Loss, Reverse Train, Custom), 1-31 day goal training Speakers: Yes, Sonic Surround speakers with MP3 compatibility Fan: Yes, COOLfit fitness fan Contact (Hand Grip): Yes User Capacity: 300 pounds Assembled dimesions: 75 inches long by 22 inches wide by 65 inches tall Boxed dimensions: 50 inches long by 30 inches wide by 21 inches tall Manufacturer's Warranty Frame and brake--lifetime, elevation motor--1 year, parts--2 years, labor--1 year About Horizon Fitness Horizon is part of Johnson Health Tech, one of the largest manufacturers of fitness equipment in the world. They are committed to designing, engineering, and manufacturing superior products for health clubs and homes. Horizon's manufacturing facilities rank among the most sophisticated in the industry, with an intricate mix of robotics and skilled workers that maintain the highest standards of accuracy and quality. Every stage of manufacturing has a testing phase and 10 percent of Horizon's products go through a rigorous quality inspection that includes completely taking them apart and reassembling them.

Details

Elliptical trainer with 20 electronic resistance levels and heavy-duty 17.6-pound flywheel
20 levels of resistance, 20-inch stride length, oversized footpad with rubberized traction
11 programming options that include 3 targets, 3 workouts, 1-30-day goal tracking, and 2 custom programs
Sonic Surround speakers with MP3 compatibility, pulse grip heart rate monitoring
300-pound maximum user weight; lifetime warranty on frame and brake, 2-year parts, 1 year labor

Horizon Fitness EX-57 Elliptical Trainer

Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 9:34 am

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Horizon Fitness EX-57 Elliptical Trainer
Average Rating:

50 total customer reviews...

Cardio is by far the most important exercise out there. It increases your lung capacity, helps improve your heart and gives you an all around great work out. Many people use cardio as the cornerstone of their workout, and it comes as no surprise. But more often than not, people just get bored with running and jogging. That’s why the elliptical machine was invented. But what should you look for when buying an elliptical machine?

What to Look for

Elliptical machines are made in a lot of different ways, and many people are overwhelmed by the vast amount of variance. The most important thing you should look for when shopping for an elliptical is how the machine feels to you. The one that fits you best is probably the right one to buy.

Elliptical machines come in a few mechanical variations. The Horizon Fitness EX-57 is a front drive machine, meaning the circular action and resistance is at the front. Many are also rear drive, but they’re incredibly expensive in most cases. Some are also center drive. All have their pros and cons.

Some machines you will see do not have hand grips. These hand grips are optional to use; they train the upper body. Some training programs will have you use these grips while others will not. I recommend getting one with the hand grips because you never know when they’ll come in handy. Luckily, the Horizon Fitness EX-57 comes with these hand grips.

What Else is There?

The elliptical machine is a tricky machine to shop for. There is a wide array of different features on each machine, but you can’t ever be sure that you actually need them. Today, I’m going to look at some of the features of the Horizon Fitness EX-57 and tell you what is and is not important about them.

8 Resistance Levels

I have to admit, 8 resistance levels is not a lot when looking for an elliptical machine. There are machines with more varieties of resistance, but 8 is quite enough variation for resistance. I’ve seen as much as 16 levels of resistance, but in my opinion, anything over 8 is just over kill. Having different levels of resistance is key in working out, because there will be a time when you plateau, or reach a point where you no longer make any gains. Switching up the resistance will help combat this.

9 Goal Based Workout Programs

Most ellipticals, treadmills, stairclimbers and really anything else you can possibly think of comes with so-called “programs.” But on the Horizon Fitness EX-57, just what can you do with these programs? Like I said earlier, confusing your body is key to breaking through plateaus. Once you plateau, simply switching up the program you’re using is enough to bust through and start making gains again.

The goal based programs are something you’ve most likely seen on other machines. They are based off of either time, distance or calories burned. You can also choose your terrain, manual, reverse train, and hills. All of these provide different training scenarios which help in your overall fitness.

The Bad

Like all things, the Horizon Fitness EX-57 comes with some bad. It doesn’t necessarily overthrow all the good I’ve just laid out, but it’s important enough for me to share it with you here.

18 Inch Stride

An 18 inch stride is considered the norm for most people. This is taking into account the average height of the population as well as their stride length. For those of us who are either taller or have a larger stride, the Horizon Fitness EX-57 might feel slightly awkward to use at first. It can be gotten used to, but it will feel a little strange for awhile, especially if you’re very tall.

275 Pound Weight Limit

I’ve seen much larger weight capacities than this, and a 275 pound weight limit makes me wonder how sturdy this machine actually is. Most weight capacities listed are far under what the actual weight capacity actually is, but for those of you who exceed this, I would continue shopping.

Does it Come With a Warranty?

The Horizon Fitness EX-57 comes with one of the best warranties I’ve ever seen in an elliptical machine. It comes with a lifetime frame warranty, something that will probably never be used as long as you don’t throw it off the roof. It also comes with a 20 year brake warranty and a 1 year parts and labor warranty. The parts and labor warranty is the thing you should be most concerned with, as moving parts are always the first thing to go in any machine. It’s inevitable, but the same applies with every other appliance you’ve ever used.

Are There Any Other Features?

There are many features, but I felt it necessary to only go over the ones above. There are many other great and not so great features. Here is the full list of features as provided in the product description of the Horizon Fitness EX-57:

Resistance: Electronic
Resistance range: 1 to 8 resistance levels
Flywheel: 14.3-pound flywheel for fluid, quiet motion
Step-on height: 9.8 inches
Stride length: 18 inches
Pedal spacing: 2.8 inches
Screen: Non-backlit LCD (2.4 x 4.8 inches)
Programs: 9
Program type: Choose 1 of 3 different goals (time, distance, calories) and 1 of 3 terrains (manual, reverse train, and hills)
Weight capacity: 275 pounds
Dimensions: 29 x 67 x 55 inches (W x H x D)
Weight: 163 pounds
Warranties: Lifetime on frame; 20 years on brake; 1 year on parts and labor

In Closing

The Horizon Fitness EX-57 has some very good and some slightly disappointing features. It is a great machine for the average user with a price that doesn’t break the bank. For the tall or overweight user, I would weigh you options before buying the Horizon Fitness EX-57, but overall I would rate this elliptical with two thumbs up.

Rating:

List Price: $899.00
Sale Price: $499.99
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Eligible For Free Shipping

Product Description

The Horizon EX-57 elliptical gives you club-quality performance - from the smooth stride motion to the easy programmability - and recreates the feeling of running or walking without leaving home. 8 motorized resistance levels let you adjust the intensity of your workout, and the clear LCD screen displays heart rate and other key workout feedback.

Details

Elliptical trainer with 8 electronic resistance levels and heavy-duty 14.3-pound flywheel
9 goal-based program options; extra-low 9.1-inch step-on height
Non-backlit LCD display; 18-inch stride length; 275-pound capacity
Efficient flywheel maintains pedal and arm momentum while offering smooth, quiet operation
Measures 29 x 67 x 55 inches (W x H x D); 20-year warranty on brake

Elliptical Machine Reviews

Horizon Fitness EX-78 Elliptical Trainer Review