Hello,
I recently purchased two new Spirit EX 550 Elliptical trainers. These trainers replaced my older Fitness Quest 1100 hr trainers. I first became aware of elliptical trainers when I took rehab for a vehicle accident I was involved in several years ago. My injuries made it hard for me to walk without pain. My PT therapist introduced me to elliptical training when efforts failed on a treadmill. I was able to make very good progress in my rehabilitation due in most part to the use of an elliptical trainer. I was sold on the benefits of elliptical training and bought a Fitness Quest elliptical trainer for my own personal use. My wife enjoyed using my elliptical trainer so much we purchased another Fitness Quest elliptical trainer for her as well.
While the Fitness Quest elliptical trainers are very good and are very compact my wife and I have always wanted a more gym quality elliptical trainer. We were at Play It Again Sports recently and my wife tried out the Spirit EX 550 Elliptical trainer. She fell in love with it right away. I tried it as well and did the same. The Spirit EX 550 is the top of the line model from Spirit. It is what I would call a heavy-duty home use elliptical. While not designed for commercial use it should last a lifetime for home use.
The first thing you notice when you step on to the Spirit EX 550 is how solid it feels. It is a big heavy piece of equipment. The XE 550 weights 203 pounds and its dimensions are L 82" x W 27" x H 67" with a user capacity of 400 pounds. Just the toy for big girls and boys! If you would like to see it here is the web site for it:
http://www.spiritfitness.com/xe550series.htm . You can also click on the specs for more info.
Once you start to use the Spirit XE 550 elliptical you will notice how smooth it is and I really do mean smooooooth! The big ol' 30 pound flywheel keeps this baby going with freight train locomotion. As you glide along you will be stepping out with a 20-inch stride. This is more than enough length except for those who have legs akin to a giraffe. While ellipticals are already joint friendly the designers at Spirit must also have bad knees and tired feet for they have put oversize foot pedals with durable foam cushioning on the XE 550. The pedals are also designed with a 2-degree inward slope and a three-position angle adjustment to customize the pedal for the way you walk. You will also find the XE 550 has oversize custom molded handgrips for the most comfortable feel. My wife and I are both of average height and the ergonomics are just about perfect for us.
The XE 550 has both hand pulse sensors and a chest strap sensor. They both work very well. The chest strap sensor allows you to monitor your heart readings while using the moving handles. This is a big plus to me. The electronic console has all the bells and whistles you could want and gives you all the information you need. It displays information for time, distance, calories, speed, rpm, level, laps, and heart rate. If it told me to keep out of my fridge at night it would be perfect, oh well. It also comes with 10 built in programs so you want get bored. It also comes with 20 levels of "kick your ass" resistance. The only thing I have been dissatisfied with is the piece of CRAP built in cooling fan. A mouse could break bigger wind. This thing really is a joke. I hope the people at Spirit address this problem.
The warranty is good. You get lifetime on frame and brake. 5 years on everything else and 2 years in home labor coverage. I have already had to use the warranty because I lost a wave washer while unpacking one of my machines. I called Spirit told them I had butter fingers and lost a part. They were very nice and told me no problem and they would be sending me a part ASAP. I received my washer in a few days. If this is an example of their customer service I know I will be in good hands should something major go wrong.
Lastly while some of you will have not seen the Spirit line of ellipticals you may have seen the Sole line of ellipticals. Both Spirit and Sole are owned by the same parent company. You can find Sole elliptical trainers at Dick's Sporting Goods or order them on line from Sole. For all Spirit ellipticals you will have to purchase them from an authorized dealer. I was able to purchase my Spirit elliptical much cheaper from a dealer than I could have gotten a Sole elliptical at Dick's. While you may not find this to be true in the area you live it is sure worth comparing prices because you may save yourself several hundred dollars. Just think of all the protein mix you can buy with that!
The bottom line: Would I buy another Spirit XE 550 elliptical? I guess I would because I did, one for her and one for me. I did however put a bicycle horn on my elliptical because you never know when you might have to honk to pass!
Happy Ellipticaling,
Brother Steel
P.S. Treadmill Doctor rates the Spirit XE550 a best buy in the $1500.00 to $2000.00 price range. You can find the review for it at:
http://www.treadmilldoctorstore.com/.../Spirit-XE-550
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