Horizon Fitness E70 Elliptical Trainer Review

Recently tested the Horizon E70 elliptical trainer. One of the problems with Horizon Fitness is they have too many models. In fact, you will find many of the models are similar, but they make slight changes to the look and console, give it a unique name, and then offer it to a merchant as their exclusive model. So if you read my Horizon elliptical trainer reviews and they seem redundant, you will know why. The Horizon E70 appears to be only available through Dick's Sporting.

I had a few issues with the Horizon E70, but there was one overwhelming reason why I would not recommend this elliptical trainer, it comes with very short 14" stride. This is one of the smallest, if not the smallest strides in the industry. If you are under 5'4" or a Lilliputian this small stride length may be comfortable. At 5'8" it felt restricting and bouncy.

The machine is rather lightweight, so if you are a bit overweight you may find that this elliptical does not feel that stable. You'll notice that Horizon rarely list the weights of the elliptical trainers. Some are under 100 lbs.

There are only ten resistance levels, so the difference from one level to the next can be extreme. The console is layout out efficiently with 5 LCD windows, allowing you to get several readouts at once. It appears this particular model has no programs, and you can only control your workouts manually. For those who find various programs, like interval training or hill climbing, to be motivating you need to upgrade.

There is one attractive feature, and that is the price. Dick's had the E70 marked down 50%, and was selling it at $600. Not sure what the price will be at the reading of this review. You get a 7 year brake, and 1 year parts and labor warranty. At $1,200 this elliptical trainer is a joke, at $600 it is a reasonable deal.

If you are considering the Horizon E70, besides size and weight limitations, this machine should only be considered for moderate use. If you plan to use an elliptical on a daily basis, upgrade to a machine in the $1,200+ area. See our Best Buy recommendations.

Dick's Sporting also had a Horizon E95 elliptical trainer on the floor. It had a few superficial upgrades from the E70, but was built on the same frame and appeared to have the same mechanical components. I have been unable to find any reference to the Horizon E95 on Dick's web site or the Horizon Fitness site.

Also See the Schwinn 430 elliptical review.

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