Spirit Espirt EL-5 Elliptical

Pros

Treadmills411 Editor Comments

Strong parts warranty of 5 years

The EL-5 comes with a good overall warranty for its price but we'd like to give emphasis about its 5-year parts warranty since it's a rare offering for ellipticals in the sub-$1000 category. A 2-year parts warranty is already acceptable for this price range so having a 5-year guarantee on the El-5's components is something else.

200-lb machine

The EL-5 weighs slightly heavier than many sub-$1000 ellipticals tipping in at 200 pounds but more than this, you may be putting too much stress on this machine since we also feel that the 350-lb maximum user weight capacity may be exaggerated. Our take on this is that there shouldn't be a 100-lb difference between the machine weight and user weight or else you'll be putting  your safety and the EL-5's components into compromise.

30-lb flywheel

Information about the elliptical's flywheel are oftentimes left out for one reason or another. The most common may be  because this would be the last thing a buyer would ask about since it's an internal component. Another feasible reason is that manufacturers put flywheels that aren't too heavy. This is important because the weight of the flywheel determines the smoothness of the stride motion. It's one general notion that if you aren't too proud of something, you'd rather keep mum about it. Same thing goes with the elliptical flywheels for many manufacturers. Fortunately for the EL-5, you have a 30-lb flywheel that's heavier than the average 18lbs to 24lbs commonly found in many ellipticals.

Pedals are cushioned,  oversized with 2 degree inversion, and 3 positions with twist lock pin.

The EL-5 got high scores in our grade cards for their enhanced foot pedals. In fact, this elliptical got full marks because of its oversized and cushioned pedals. It's also adjustable so you can position your feet in a way that's comfortable for you.

Cons

Treadmills411 Editor Comments

Adjustable stride up to 20"

Not having these features are still acceptable for a $900 elliptical but we're listing it here because we've seen other more affordable Spirit ellipticals offer one of these 2 features. It' s just puzzling why this manufacturer has to remove components in their higher model ellipticals. These features would have given you  more comfortable and entertaining workout.

30 degree incline

When you pedal backwards, you focus on your legs' back muscles particularly the quads, glutes, and hamstrings. This would give you a more toned lower body and a firmer butt. Sadly, there's no reverse stride feature available with the EL-255.