I bought this about the middle of December 2009, so I''ve had it over three months now. I use this thing an hour a day, at least five days a week (can''t run anymore because my knees won''t take it). So this isn''t a first impression kind of review.While there are many things to recommend Precor for, this model has some problems that you should be aware of if you''re thinking about buying one.
Pros:
-overall excellent quality materials and build
-machine motion is top notch, very smooth, no rough or jerky places within the range of travel -which is important if you''re actually going to spend even half an hour at stretch on it
-excellent customer service and technical support from Precor, they left me with the definite impression that they care about their customers (and for the price they should)
Cons:
-this unit has a couple of significant design flaws, see below
Amazon shipped the machine to my house with no problem, no complaints there. It came on a semi-tractor trailer, so be aware because they''ll have to be able to get in front of your house with a truck that big. It''s tail gate delivery. I had a couple of carts that the truck driver helped me set it on, and I rolled it into my garage. It''s heavy, so one person it''s going to pick it up and carry it around.
I''m a product design engineer, so I know something about what goes into the design and fabrication of this kind of product. I was also a technician for five years before I went to college, so I''m pretty handy. But I''m also busy, so I called Precor to get someone to assemble it. They gave me the name of their local rep, who I called -and they called me back once, promised to show up in a week, but didn''t. They also refused to answer my calls after that.
I called Precor twice more, who tried to contact the field rep. Nothing, no response from them. Precor apologized, but by now a month had gone by so I said I''d assemble it myself. They gave me their tech support number, which I did end up calling just to make sure I was doing everything right.
Note: getting a hold of people at Precor was easy, and I felt like they really went out of their way to help me. Their customer service and tech support get 5+ stars. I subtracted zero stars for the field rep not showing up. Hey, things like this can happen sometimes when you''ve got subcontractors.
Assembly was straight forward, no problem if you can use a wrench and a screw driver. There was one gummed up thread in one of the welded on nut plates, but I ran a tap through it and it was fine. At the end of assembly I was impressed, they really did use high quality materials and the component build quality is impressive. One gummed up thread is no big deal to me, it''s very easy to happen and easy enough to fix
.
So then I started using it. I''ve used Precor ellipticals in gyms for years and always been impressed with them. For the money I spent I was *really* expecting something pretty close to the same kind of controls and kinematics. Why else would anybody spend the money on a Precor elliptical? But this unit is quite different from what you find in gyms, in two ways:
1) The control panel. Unlike the commercial grade machines, you cannot get on this thing, set the resistance where you want, and just go. Instead you HAVE to push a sequence of buttons when you first get on. It reminds me of certain well known computer operating systems, which insist on getting in your way as you work. Because they know better than you do, how you should live your life.
They''ve got all the buttons already built into the control panel. It would have been a piece of cake to make it work just like a commercial machine, where default is "step onto machine, set resistance where you want, and just go for as long as you want". If somebody wants to use the programs they can just push one of those buttons and start the program.
Instead, if you just want to set the resistance and go for 45 to 60 minutes -without the stinking thing stopping in the middle of your workout -you''ve got to push about half a dozen buttons. I spent time with their tech support making sure it''s not just me, not knowing how the thing works. This IS how the EFX 5.31 works.
Dumb, unnecessarily complicated user control panel: minus one star. Once you know the button sequences you can live with it. Which is good because by the time you''ve bought it, you''ll have to. But for this much money it really shouldn''t be like this.
2) There was still room for a good rating until I learned about the kinematics of this elliptical. I''ve used probably every Precor model that''s been in gyms (like Ballys) for the last ten years. There''s never been one that I couldn''t get on, and just stand up straight on while using it, without need to lean on the handle bars (and I go pretty fast, usually 45 to 60 minute work outs). The foot pedals and overall motion are such that it''s comfortable to stand upright on their commercial machines. Note: I always use ellipticals with the ramp all the way at the bottom, lowest angle.
Precor has set up the kinematics of this machine quite different. I absolutely cannot stand up straight while using this machine, as it comes out of the box. It forces me to lean over on the hand rails. Which I may not mind when I''m 90 years old. I found this quite annoying. The kinematics of the EFX 5.31 are quite different from their commercial machines.
I''m six feet tall, and my wife is five feet tall. She can stand up straight while using this machine just fine. I''ve since had friends in to try it, and it seems that people on the shorter side can use it fine. But taller people generally have the same problem with it that I do, and find that they have to lean forward and grab onto the handle bars.
So, being an engineer (and having spent lots of money on it), I started looking into why. We went and tried a couple of commercial Precors in gyms and sure enough, my wife and I both can use them standing up with no problems. I did some measuring and I''d estimate that the foot pedals on my machine at home (the EFX 5.31) need to be (about) 3 inches further back than they are, and also the foot pedal angle on the 5.31 is different. Whether the foot pedal angles would be right if located 3 inches back I''m not sure.
But I found from playing with my home machine, that if I let my feet hang off the back of the pedals about 3 inches (meaning, I''m standing on top of the backs of the pedals), then I can stand up on it without leaning over, and use it just like the commercial Precors. At this, the backs of my feet almost touch the rear housing on the unit. But "almost" I can live with.
Which means that to use my home unit comfortably, I needed to build some wedges to go inside the foot pedals. I got some modeling clay, laid plastic sheet inside the pedals, and made a pattern with the clay (note, right and left foot pedals are identical). Then got some plaster of paris and made a mold from the clay patterns. Then got some epoxy from a hobby store and cast that in the mold, and made myself a couple of custom foot pedal inserts.
At this, I can now use my EFX 5.31 just like the commercial models they put in the gyms. It''s now a very smooth, very stable, very nice machine to work out on. But it took some effort to get there.
Messed up kinematics on the EFX 5.31 elliptical machine: minus 2 stars. I still cannot believe they did this........???? Hello, Precor? What did you think it was, that makes people willing to spend the money you charge for elliptical machines?
I''m a product design engineer so maybe I''m being harsh here. But I cannot forgive this basic design flaw in the EFX 5.31. Were they trying to save pennies by making this thing just a little shorter? I know what extruded aluminum costs -they really didn''t save enough pennies to make it worth screwing up the excellent kinematics of their commercial machines.
This machine looks like it''s kinematics and mechanics are about the same as their commercial models, but it''s not (yet they charge big money for it anyway). Don''t buy any elliptical machine that you haven''t used for about half an hour continuously, to make sure it''s going to be comfortable for you. I looked at many before I bought this one, and there''s lots of machines out there with horrible kinematics. Fortunately I was able to fix this one so I can use it.
Why should I?... running is free... and I already had several bikes.
The truth, however, is that somewhere along the line... I got older. (not "OLD", just older)
After one surgery, my knee can''t take the abuse of daily running and cycling on the roads around my city is death-defying.
I was familiar with Precor elliptical machines from the gym in my office (prior to retirement) and I have used them intermittently (usually after a running injury or when my back was acting up). Still, I researched all the usual resources... CR, Internet and Amazon. Because of the cost, Precor wasn''t my 1st choice, but after more and more research I finally decided on the 5.31. Given that there was only one (fairly harsh) review on Amazon... I took the plunge anyway; trusting, instead, my past experience with Precor ellipticals and the predominance of the positive reviews elsewhere.
Although I''ve only had the machine for a week... these are my impressions...
Ordering...
Piece of cake Ordering through Amazon was definitely the right move. Already discounted, I also received free shipping and no sales tax (a savings of over $400).
Delivery...
No worries Amazon kept me informed of changes to the estimated delivery date and their "Customer Service" was so professional (and unexpected) that I had to write complimenting them. Communication fell down, slightly, once the local delivery company had the ball... but after several phone calls the machine delivered on the day estimated and in good condition. (Note: this thing is HEAVY) having an extra pair of hands around is almost a requirement. Fortunately, the room I planned to use the machine had an entrance to the outside, so it could be delivered directly where it was needed.
Assembly...
Straight forward The instructions were adequate, although not entirely comprehensive. There were a couple steps that left me scratching my head a little but not too much. Note: this could have come as a result of my inclination to look at pictures and not "read" instructions. Again, having an assistant is helpful.
Usage...
Smooth As I type this I''m contemplating my next workout. After a week, I''ve tried most of the programs; the operation is exactly as I anticipated. I am impressed with how smooth the motion is... how quiet the strides are... and how excellent the workout is. I purchased a Polar (chest-strap) heart rate monitor which paired without issue to the machine. Unfortunately, the heart rate monitor reads somewhat erratically. I think, however, this is more the issue with the monitor than the elliptical. Finally, the small workout display makes messages difficult to read. This is especially so because they are displayed for such a brief period of time. I don''t tend to stare at the screen during my workout so there are times that, when glancing down at the screen, I notice that I just missed a message. I''m then left wondering what I missed.
Summary...
Pros
Painless ordering and delivery process (ordering through Amazon saves $$$). Look for discounts, for bigger savings.
Assembly was easy, especially with an assistant.
Operation is great... smooth, quiet, sturdy.
Cons
Heart rate reading can be erratic. (Although this might be the fault of the Polar HR monitor rather than the elliptical)
Throughout your workout, the display can be cryptic and messages display too briefly. The workout summary is similarly difficult to read/understand.
Buy Precor EFX 5.31 Premium Series Elliptical Fitness Crosstrainer Now
I have been exercising on Precore EFX elliptical crosstrainers for 11 years at fitness centers and really like them. I purchased this product because of this experience, and I was not disappointed. It is every bit as good as the commercial models I came to like at the fitness centers. You can pay thousands more for Precor''s highest end ellipticals, but, in my opinion, the few more "bells and whistles" are not worth the extra money. I assembled my EFX myself and had little problem completing the task.I read the negative review from the self proclaimed engineer and do not see any of the problems he wrote about.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT!
Read Best Reviews of Precor EFX 5.31 Premium Series Elliptical Fitness Crosstrainer Here
After much research on all kinds of units from cheap to most expensive, I shelled out the big bucks for this unit. I have not been disappointed for a moment. I have used this machine fairly religiously for almost 7 years, 40 minutes a day 4-5 days per week. Off and on my husband uses it too. It has never needed a repair In all that time. When/if it wears out, I''ll likely buy another one.I am 48, and have had rheumatoid arthritis for 31 years for which I take a lot of expensive medication. Over the years I have learned that regular exercise is the real key to keeping the disease and pain at bay. I have belonged to a gym and for years swimming was the only exercise I thought I could manage without causing joint stress --until I discovered the elliptical trainer. There is still nothing like swimming, but it is more time consuming as you have to drive somewhere to do it etc. Eventually with work and kids I moved to the elliptical more frequently as it took less prep time etc. Then by the time I had the fourth kid, I looked to purchasing something for home so that I could cut out the travel time and would have no excuse not to get the exercise done. --I am pretty miserable and I can''t sleep well anymore if I don''t get a work out in and this makes it easy. It takes up a lot of space and it weighs a ton (so don''t expect to move it around a lot) and give some thought to where you are going to put it.. Park it somewhere near a tv if possible or near enough to a wifi connection to stream Netflix to your iPad or iPhone and you''ll be glad you did.
I am 5''10 and I hear what the engineer is saying about the shorter stride. However, this was explained to me in the store when I purchased it. I asked the salesman what the difference was between this home use model and what was in my local gym and he told me that in general the stride was shorter and it was "fixed" whereas the ones in the gym are set longer and can apparently be adjusted. He let me come in my work out clothes to the store and try it out and I decided I could live with it. And I don''t notice it anymore. I don''t hold onto the hand rails, but I may be leaning forward a bit as I run to compensate. I like the idea of modify the foot pedals and I might try that.
Overall, I''d spend that hefty price again. --Especially if you are someone who will really give it regular use. I figure if I had bought a cheaper model I would have replaced it a few times by now and spent the same.
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The engineer who reviewed the Precor gave some pretty good insight. My experience is from having a Precor like this one for five years. Of those five years, it''s been used maybe 15 months.Right after we got the machine,it broke, had to be repaired under warranty. The bolt that holds the cross ramp at the pivot point tends to work itself loose. When one of the bolts falls out,
the one that is left on the other side cannot sustain the sheer force, and sheers off at the surface of the frame. the second time this happened, it was impossible to remove so the frame was ruined. Precor cannot complain that the unit was not properly assembled--their factory trained personnel assembled it in my home, and repaired it when it broke.
Hopefully Precor has re-engineered the faulty pivot point at the cross ramp. The pivot bolt on our unit failed twice and there was no abuse of the unit. You should find out who can repair in your local area. In our case, the original company went out of business and the closest person you could get to work on it was over 100 miles away. And not inexpensive either--mileage plus $125 per hour for "diagnosis".; diagnosis was obvious, pivot bolt sheered due to engineering defect.
Vendor expected me to order parts before they would repair. We purchased the unit expecting it was a one time event. So no more Precor for us; if it is not durable or at least readily serviceable, then it''s not worth $5,000. We could have bought three other brand machines ( and used them like consummable goods) for what we paid for the Precor. We thought we were getting commercial quality equipment for this price, but it simply is not.
And here''s the final insult: if you think this will be an "investment", consider this: after all this, I offered my $5000 Precor to Fit-Serve of Covington, LA to salvage for parts for $100, and they said, "No thanks." So the value of this investment is what?
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