Horizon CSE 3.5 Elliptical Trainer Review

Horizon Fitness is owned by Johnston Health Tech, which also builds the popular Vision Fitness treadmills and ellipticals. The Horizon elliptical trainers compete at the low to moderate price range with Icon products like ProForm. We personally think Horizon ellipticals are a much better product than ProForm.

I personally worked for a company that private labeled Horizon Fitness equipment. The machines were nothing special, but for the price they were a reasonable value. The Horizon CSE 3.5 elliptical trainer is their most popular elliptical and are sold at the big sporting goods retailers like Dick's and Sports Authority.

Regarding features, Horizon promotes their "heavy" 14 lb, flywheel. To be honest it is not all that heavy. The Smooth CE boasts a 40 lb flywheel. The CSE 3.5 comes with an articulating foot pedal, which means the pedal actually moves with the elliptical motion. A nice feature that further reduces strain to your joints.

The Horizon 3.5 is built with the flywheel in the front. There are those who swear the best elliptical machines are those with the flywheel in the rear. I recommend you try both out and see if there is a noticeable difference. I have not found one better than the other.

Fitness Source Review of the Horizon 3.5 Elliptical Trainer

We consider the Horizon CSE 3.5 to be a budget elliptical trainer. Above you'll notice we rate all the categories for the 3.5 as average. At this price range that actually is a favorable rating. You need to realize that in the sub $1,000 price range the company just naturally has to compromise on the quality of the components. That said, Horizon 3.5 is one of the better budget elliptical trainers built.

I have a friend that bought a Horizon elliptical and loves it. (He bought a 4.5). But be aware that the mechanical breaking system can pose problems and may require maintenance. If you purchase a Horizon elliptical consider buying an extended warranty to be safe. It isn't that much more.

The one comment on the CSE 3.5 is that we tested this model at two different sporting goods stores and each one had loose handlebars. In fact, the stability of the machine was compromised apparently from the constant abuse being on the floor. Not sure if this is evident on how this machine holds up.

We recommend the Horizon 3.5 elliptical trainer for moderate use. If you plan to use it regularly, or if more than one person will use the machine, then we suggest you upgrade to a mid-range machine like Sole E35.

Epinion.com Horizon 3.5 Customer Reviews

mid-priced, smooth & solid machine
Pros: good price, well-built machine, comfortable, good range of motion, quiet, programmable
Cons: not for tall people, complex assembly

Like it!
Pros: Good bottle/book-holder layout, Noiseless (finally), Good angled handle pos, Assembly tools included
Cons: Can't add workout time mid-workout, Like CSE 4.5 handle-tops better, Footpads can be slippery.