Schwinn
420 Elliptical Trainer Review
"New for 2010"
 The Schwinn 420 Elliptical Trainer is the 2010 version of the very popular Schwinn 430. The Schwinn 430 has been out for several years, and it has proven to be one of the best budget elliptical trainers on the market. The satisfaction of this low cost machine is apparent with the near 5-star rating it gets from hundreds of customers on Amazon.com.
Realize that there are some pieces of @#%& in this price range. So to get a relatively durable elliptical for under $700 is not a guarantee. However, Schwinn has managed to build some very reliable machines at an inexpensive price.
Note: As of 3/11/10 the Schwinn 420 was selling for $599 with shipping at Amazon. That is $150 less than schwinnfitness.com. Go to Amazon.com
for the lastest price.
The Schwinn 420 elliptical takes the best of the Schwinn 430 and makes some minor improvements. And I do mean minor, because there is not a great deal of difference between the two ellipticals. When you got a winner why mess with it.
Schwinn 420 Elliptical Trainer Features
18" Elliptical Stride — This stride length is best suited for average height individuals that are no taller than 6'. There are ellipticals with longer and smoother strides, but for the money the Schwinn 420 has a comfortable elliptical motion.
Articulating Foot Pedals — The pedals angle with the elliptical stride to limit heal lifting. This reduces stress and strain to your ankle and foot.
 LCD Display — This is an inexpensive display by industry standards, but it does provide simultaneous data like speed, calories burned, time, watts level and distance. It also has a chart that shows your levels of resistance and progress.
152" Unit Weight — This is not the heaviest elliptical on the block and not the most stable. They put the user weight limit at 300 lbs., which I feel is excessive. I would place it at around 240 lbs. Regardless, the Schwinn 420 is much more stable than many of the budget models like Weslo, Image, Horizon and ProForm.
Warranty — This is where Schwinn comes up short. You get 1-year parts and 90-days labor. There are many comparably priced ellipticals that offer 1-year parts. You may want to consider getting additional coverage. Although, most of the customer feedback would suggest the Schwinn 420/430 holds up well.
Our Review — Schwinn 420 Elliptical Trainer
It appears the Schwinn 420 offers the same quality workout and durability found on the 430. I would have been surprised if they introduced the next generation and it was inferior. I currently have the Schwinn 430 as a "Best Buy" for an elliptical under $1,000. I suspect once they discontinue the 430 the Schwinn 420 elliptical will replace it as a "Best Buy".
It should be noted that this is a budget elliptical trainer. That means it is not engineered to be a heavy duty machine. What I mean by heavy duty is that it is not designed for strenuous use and/or multiple users working out several hours a day.
However, for $699 with shipping (The price on Amazon.com), it is a very good value. In fact, it is the best value at $699.
Amazon Customer Reviews
There were a couple of complaints. First, several customers said the manual is not very informative and difficult to follow. Second, they mention that there is a cup holder description, but that seems to be a misprint. Finally, I a customer had a bad experiences with the shipping company showing up with a semi and not be able to make it up their 1/4 driveway. Ouch.
Here are some comments:
The elliptical itself feels sturdy and well built. I am 300 pounds and it supports my weight without shaking or wobbling. The 18" stride and the handles feel comfortable for my 5'10" frame. I heard some complaints from the salesmen at the sports store that the handles were to far forward but I did not have that problem. The console is pretty basic but what was expected for the price.
Bottom line is if you are looking for a sub $600 elliptical that is well built, this is the one for you.
Note: I would not recommend this elliptical for someone weighing 300 lbs., but this user had no issues.
I've been working out with Precor elliptical machine at a nearby gym and I quite liked it but decided to purchase Schwinn 420 for my exercise room at home (did not want to pay thousands of dollars).
The assembly took just under 2 hours and you do need 2 people. The package is quite heavy as well so do not attempt to build this on your own. The workout is smooth and quiet which is a real treat. I also found setting the custom work-out was a bit hard but I figured it out eventually.
And no, the WATER BOTTLE HOLDER is NOT INCLUDED in this purchase.
Overall you will not be disappointed with this machine especially at this price. It looks good, makes you work out hard and keeps you in shape. I'm short (5' 2") and my husband's 6' but we both find the size of this machine suiting.
We've had it for less than a month and this is great! We have not had any issues with the product as mentioned in other reviews. Love it and well worth the money so far. Still need to go through the manual for the programs. We purchased an extended warranty (based on my research) since the coverage is very limited.
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