Schwinn Elliptical Trainer Review
Good Value for Budget Ellipticals

schwinn elliptical trainer review If your budget is limited, but you still want a quality machine, with a smooth elliptical motion, you may want to consider the Schwinn elliptical trainers.

Schwinn offers four models ranging from $600 - $900. What has driven sales was a Best Buy rating from Consumer Reports for the Schwinn 418. A positive review from CR is powerful. In general, I feel the Schwinn ellipticals offer some of the best value in their price range. In particular, I find the Schwinn 430 elliptical to be an excellent buy.

I have tested all four models and I find the elliptical motion smooth, and the machines relatively quiet. Each has an 18" stride, which is adequate for my 5'8" height, but if you are over 6', you may find it too restrictive.

Note: In comparing prices, Amazon.com has the best deals on Schwinn Elliptical Trainers. As of 10/1/08 each model came with free shipping. In fact, the price for the Schwinn 430 was $200 less than on www.SchwinnFitness.com, when you included shipping.

The articulating foot pedals make for a comfortable and natural elliptical motion. The ergonomic foot pedals help to prevent numbness in your foot.

schwinn elliptical trainer console The Schwinn 418 and 438 are basically the same machines, except the 438 have wireless heart rate control, more programs, better warranty and an upgraded console and display. My one criticism of both machines is the single wheel that rides on the rail. These are front drive ellipticals. The pedals are attached to a bar that rolls back and forth on a rail. Cheaper machines use a single wheel that rolls between a groove. This single wheel tends to shift left and right, and is not as stable as a machine that rolls on two wheels. The single wheel design is more likely to wear out.

In comparison, the Schwinn 430 has an improved design. Although it still only has one wheel, it is larger and concave, giving the rolling motion more stability. It is ironic that their cheapest elliptical has a better design.

Each model has extra length handlebars so it can accommodate users of different size. You can also change the location of your grip and emphasize resistance to different parts of your upper body.

Schwinn Elliptical Warranties

The parts warranties on all three models is reasonable, coverage is 2-3 years parts and 1 year electronics. Where Schwinn is weak is their service warranties. The 418 and the 438 come with 6 month service warranty, and the 430 only has 90-day coverage.

Consumer Report Review

One of the reasons the Schwinn ellipticals are so popular is because of a "Best Buy" rating from CR for the 418. They gave it an "Excellent" for quality and "Very Good" for exercise range. They suggest it has better quality than other brands in this price range.

Our Review

My overall impression is that Schwinn offers some of the best value for ellipticals under $1,000. I believe the Schwinn 430 is an excellent value for $600, which is the price I found at Amazon. Although, you must realize the limitations of machines in this price range.

If you plan to use your elliptical extensively, have multiple users, are over 6' and/or weigh over 200 lbs, you may want to upgrade to Sole, Smooth or the New Balance 9.0.

Customer Reviews - Amazon.com

All four models rated between 4-5 stars our of 5. The Schwinn 430 received a 4.5 star rating from over 148 customers, which is impressive considering it is a budget machine. You can check out the reviews at Amazon.com.

Here are several comments:

"High Quality Elliptical Trainer"
"Should have bought it long time ago!"
"Great machine!!"
"Silky smooth, totally silent"

Schwinn Reviews:

Schwinn 430 Elliptical Review

Schwinn 431 Elliptical Review

Schwinn 418 Elliptical Review