New Balance Elliptical Trainer Review

I love New Balance shoes, in fact that is all I ever run in, but would I buy a New Balance elliptical trainer? Hmmm! New Balance is a relative new comer to the fitness equipment industry, and generally the new players have to go through a learn curve. Regardless, their name recognition has made the fitness machines very popular.

Their elliptical trainers, treadmills and exercise bikes are distributed by Fitness Quest, known for various infomercial products like the Tony Little Gazelle (I hate those commercials). But don't let that give you too negative a view of their ellipticals. New Balance actually hired some talented and experienced individuals from the fitness industry.

The New Balance Ellipticals are sold on the New Balance web site and the Fitness Quest site. They are also for sale at Dick's Sporting, Fogdog, Gatelys and Sears, but call your local store to make sure they are in stock. And good luck trying to get someone to serve you.

New Balance Elliptical Trainer Reviews

Fitness Source Review

We find that out of the four New Balance ellipticals the two low-end models and the two mid-range models almost appear to be built by two different companies. The rear drive 5.5 and 8.0 seem like toys in comparison to the front drive 9.0 and 9.5. The 5.5 and 8.0 only have a 15" stride, which is very small. They claim it can comfortably handle a person as tall as 6'6". Are they serious! I find 19" stride are the minimum I am comfortable with, and I am 5'8".

We also find the handlebars are located too close to the footpedals on both these models. And if we haven't driven the nail in yet, both machines weigh approximately 100 lbs. With any type of strenuous exercise you'll notice the lack of stability.

We consider the 9.0 and 9.5 to be an in whole other class in design and quality. These ellipticals have a very sleek design that makes them a nice addition to any home gym. Your company will be impressed even if you never get on it.

They have 18" strides and you can reverse the motion and workout additional muscles. What we particularly like is the heart rate sensors located on the moveable handgrips. Most ellipticals put the heart sensors on stationary grips, thus negating the upper body benefits. It requires some additional engineering to get the heart rate grips on the moveable bars, but it makes considerably more sense.

The 9.5 comes with wireless heart rate control and has 16 levels of resistance, which gives you small intervals between settings. Sometimes you just want to change the resistances ever so slightly.

All their models, including the 5.5, come with a two year electronics and one year parts and labor warranty. For the price of the 5.5 that is a good coverage, at the price of the 9.0 and the 9.5 it average.

Consumer Report Review

CR reviewed the 9.5e. They gave it a "Very Good" for ease of use, ergonomics and exercise range. The gave the quality a "Good".

Customer Review - New Balance 9.5e Elliptical

"One of the better made elliptical machines FOR HOME USE. I RATED IT 4 STARS BECAUSE IT ISN'T QUITE AS SOLID AS A $2000-$4000 UNIT THAT YOU WOULD FIND IN A COMMERCIAL GYM. However, it does have a lot of the features in exercise programs and monitoring that say, a Pre-Cor has."