This elliptical trainer from Smooth Fitness is the product that first led me here to epinions.com! I had typed the keywords, "elliptical trainer" into Google.com and found this excellent comparison chart for the top rated models. The only real competition for the Smooth CE seems to be the several expensive machines offered by Precor. And I am quite familiar with the top of the line Precor elliptical training machines because I've used them at two different commercial gyms over a period of two years. I feel very qualified to compare them with the Smooth CE.

When I examined the comparison chart, I was surprised to find this Smooth Fitness machine with it's two five star ratings sitting on the top rated list. The Precor machines all had far more numerous ratings. Of course! They've been on the market for years and the Smooth CE is apparently quite new. I read all the reviews with great interest, took a deep breath, and decided to purchase the Smooth CE elliptical trainer as a result. The price and the two excellent ratings convinced me. I honestly had no idea that the Precor machines would be so expensive, and we might not have purchased our own machine at all if the Smooth CE had not appeared on this list. Worse... we MIGHT have spent nearly the same amount of money for an inferior product because we could not afford any of the Precor machines. We could not be more pleased with our brand new Smooth CE elliptical trainer.

Unpacking and set-up

The heavy crate arrived while my husband was at work, and, in my typical fashion, I just couldn't wait, and had to proceed to attempt the set up process without him. The delivery truck driver managed to set the package down just outside the front door (I had chosen the cheapest delivery option, which was just to have it removed from the truck bed... no carrying the box inside the house... a difference of 50 bucks!). Also, in my typical fashion, working smart not hard, I proceeded to dismantle the crate outside in order to take the machine into the house piece-by-piece. This was my only brief bout with frustration in the entire process.

As I removed the cardboard box from around the packing materials, I found a rather sturdy wooden framework constructed from 1 x 2 inch boards which were screwed together with large allen screws. When I attempted to unscrew most of these attachments, the screw heads stripped and would not budge. I stood there, hands on my hips, wondering how I was going to get this thing out of the packing materials. Then I noticed the plastic package of miscellaneous parts, and the blue-handled screwdriver provided therein. It worked far better on these screws than my own allen screwdriver did, but most of them were still screwed in so tightly that they were difficult for me to remove. I persevered, however, and did manage to dismantle the protective wooden framework from around the machine. Then I was able to lug it into the house piece-by-piece and continue with the process of setting it up.

Everything else went together easily and sensibly, based upon the set of clearly laid out visual instructions provided with the unit. I think it speaks very well for a product when it can actually be set up by one woman alone with an allen screwdriver and two simple wrenches, all provided with the product. As noted from the other two reviews for the Smooth CE, the flywheel was quite heavy, and provided an extremely smooth rotation. Because there are two little wheels on the main body of the machine where the flywheel is located, I was able to roll this portion of the machine into our house and place it in the desired location all by myself... even though it must weigh well over fifty pounds! When my husband drove into the driveway, he could see the handles of the elliptical trainer through the window, and was amazed and impressed that I had actually set the whole thing up before he got home! I was delighted!

Operation and Functionality

My one standard of comparison to the Smooth CE elliptical trainer is the top of the line, professional level, Precor machine commonly found in the commercial gymnasiums... a machine that costs over $5000.00! I have used those machines for over two years. And I find that the Smooth CE operates more smoothly, provides a much more even quality of resistance during the entire rotation of the pedals, and is far quieter in operation. It even LOOKS better (something a woman would say... and I did!). I observed several instances at each of the gyms I used when one or more of the Precor elliptical trainers would become stiff and uneven in operation and have to be shut down and serviced by the staff at the gym. I know they suffered a great deal of hard use there, so I realize that this amounts to an "acid test", but I noticed that among the several Precor elliptical training machines there, one or two would chronically break down, and the others varied quite a bit in their relative smoothness of operation. I had a favorite machine that seemed to operate better than it's peers... BUT even that favorite Precor machine of mine did not operate as smoothly as my brand new Smooth CE. I am far more satisfied with the motion and feel of the Smooth Fitness machine. It feels substantial, solid and very well machined. There is a slight sense of side to side movement as I use it, but I believe that this is because it is sitting on a carpet in our family room rather than on a hard gymnasium floor. The slight side to side motion does not interfere with my enjoyment of the exercise at all. In addition, the Smooth CE includes upper body exercise in the form of moving vertical handlebars that both support your balance and exercise your arms. Even the most expensive Precor does NOT. When using the Precor, I had to choose between balancing myself by holding the stationary hand rails (thereby getting no exercise for my arms), or attempting to move my arms freely, with no support at all, which I found too difficult. So I MUCH prefer the Smooth CE. THEN... the icing on the cake was the fact that the Smooth CE also offers adjustable foot pedals, so that I, at 5 feet 7 inches tall, and my husband, at 6 feet 2 inches can each arrange the pedals to enjoy the optimum stride length for our different heights. Terrific!!!

As if all that was not good enough, to my surprise, the Smooth CE even includes an electronic read-out screen comparable to the Precor in every respect, except that the Smooth CE's display is monochromatic... grey and black... while the Precor's included a few bright colors. The Smooth CE offers a series of varied, programmable workouts (directly comparable to the Precor), keeps track of your speed in MPH, your miles traveled, your heart rate (using either hand grips on the center supports or a clip-on sensor) and even displays your fitness conditioning based upon a one minute recovery period after you cease exercising. It tracks your heart rate and lets you know how well your heart slows down after quitting activity. I was never able to use the Precor's heart rate monitor at the gym because they did not offer the little sensors to the customers. When we first clipped the Smooth CE's heart rate sensor to our earlobes as instructed, we found that it did not give a consistent read out. I was disappointed at first, but then I clipped it to my middle finger, where it functioned just fine. It is also important to use the stabilizing clip to attach the loose part of the cord to your body. This prevents the cord from flopping against the handlebars, since that disturbs the read-out as well.

Final Thoughts...

So now we have the satisfaction of knowing that our $1,399.00 appears to have been money well-spent for a superior product. And, considering that the elliptical trainer was our favorite fitness machine at the gym, and the cost of the two memberships that we will no longer be paying, this machine will pay for itself very, very soon!

Now we'll see just how well it holds up over time, and I shall update my review accordingly. As mentioned by the other two reviewers, this elliptical trainer is still just too new for us to identify any faults that may come to light during the ongoing course of use. As of today, I find no faults whatsoever.

Recommended
Yes

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