Stamina InMotion E1000 Compact Strider

WOW. Where to begin? First things first: I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS PRODUCT. You need to know, right up front, that I'm unapologetic in my enthusiasm for the Stamina InMotion E-1000 Elliptical. I know my review is also pretty long, but you have GOT to hear about this!! I stumbled upon this item after an ad for a similar product (the "cubii" brand under-desk elliptical) came across my Facebook feed. I work in an office environment. I am sitting in meetings and at my desk for around 40 hours a week at the office (and that's not even including the sitting I'm doing during after-work tv watching or computer time at home, commuting time in my car, etc.). About a year ago, I heard an NPR interview with Dr. James Levine, who has done extensive research on the negative effects of sustained sitting and lowered levels of physical movement; he has written books on the topic (also available on Amazon). I read one of his books and I started trying to get more of what he calls "NEAT" ("non-exercise activity thermogenesis" -- i.e., deliberately trying to burn more calories each day just by consciously & intentionally moving more, but not necessarily by adding in "vigorous exercise minutes") into my daily routine. I also investigated the possibility of getting a "standing desk," which my work, unfortunately, would not provide for me absent a "medical reason," but which they were happy to let me purchase on my own dime. I priced them and, as a government employee, standing desks (especially mechanical "fancy" ones) were too rich for my blood. When the ad for the "cubii" elliptical caught my attention, I thought that an under-the-desk, constantly accessible mechanism for easily adding movement into one's daily routine -- while multitasking! -- might be just the ticket to help me improve my health with Dr. Levine's "NEAT" formula. Unfortunately, with the cubii's $349 price tag (BEFORE shipping!), it just wasn't in my budget. I was frustrated at the cost, and thought there surely had to be some similar alternative out there? Well, one Amazon search and some consumer reviews later, the Stamina InMotion E1000 Elliptical seemed to be the machine that was destined for my needs. At an $80 price point (with Amazon prime free shipping!), I realized I could, theoretically, buy FOUR of Stamina's under-desk ellipticals and still not spend as much as the cubbi's asking price! (OK -- I get the appeal: cubii is the newest hottest thing -- they reviewed it on NPR, for heaven's sake! -- and it's pretty cool if you're a gadget/tech/gear head (which I'm not), and you want your elliptical to be able to talk to your fitbit and connect to apps on your phone which, for example, will sound an alarm when you haven't put in enough miles that day, etc. -- BUT: if all you want is a simple way to add movement and burn extra calories while you're sitting at your desk -- the sitting at which, by the way, is something you'd ALREADY BE DOING ANYWAY -- then "low-tech" (and low-cost, relatively speaking) is the very reasonable and affordable way to go, says I). I was very excited by the positive feedback from customers that the Stamina InMotion E-1000 had gotten, and the weight-loss stories I had read on the Amazon reviews by those who have used it were very inspiring -- so I couldn't wait to try it out. I had a hard time waiting even the two days I get with Amazon prime shipping! My Stamina In-Motion E1000 elliptical arrived two weeks ago today. Note: this product arrives in a box but is "un-assembled." Now, the kind folks at Amazon will -- for a fee of $189!! -- assemble it for you, if you wish. However, it's really basic assembly and even I could do it with no trouble. My advice: Don't spend your money on the assembly charge, unless you've got Oprah's money and you don't mind wasting it. Once the machine was assembled, it was a simple matter of skimming the instruction booklet (a quick read), setting the elliptical in front of my couch, and giving it a (literal!) whirl. It took me less than half an hour to get used to the motion such that it became second nature and didn't distract me while I tried to do other things that required more concentration than just sitting and watching t.v. does (e.g., it took a little bit of coordination, at first, to keep the Stamina InMotion elliptical "in motion" while I attempted to write, read, or play sudoku). Once I got used to the motion, though, it ceased to be a problem and I now can do it without thinking, while attending to any other tasks -- even at work. I read a review here on Amazon where the reviewer suggested aiming for 20-30 miles per day to help with calorie burn ("NEAT," if you will) over the course of an entire day. Although it sounded like a lot of miles to me at first, I found that this was a very easy goal to meet, and on my very first day, I was able to surpass it and go 50 total miles without really having to work too hard at it -- I did all of it while sitting on my couch in my living room, doing leisure activities, watching t.v., writing emails, reading, etc. I did break up the time into small 10-15 mile sessions, with some leg stretches in between sessions to keep from getting too tired or tight in my muscles, and to avoid any potential "overuse" issues. If you use this equipment and go at only a VERY VERY slow 5 mph, it will take you a great deal of time to get in 20-30 miles per day, but I believe the speed you personally will be able to maintain on the Stamina InMotion E1000 will very much depend on your own personal current fitness level and/or on whether you're recovering from an injury or from surgery, or if you have any other health issues like chronic joint pain, inflamation, arthritis, etc.-- even asthma might affect that and limit it -- and you probably ought to talk to a doctor or other health-care professional about it if you've got any misgivings or concerns about your fitness level or personal ability to use this machine. I don't know. Just be aware that your own personal number of total miles you're able to achieve daily will absolutely depend on your current personal situation. The really great thing about this type of machine, in my opinion, is that it is easily adaptable to all levels of fitness and physique types. Even if you're severely overweight and cannot walk around the block or make it up a flight of stairs without oxygen, this machine is so low-impact (and remember: you're sitting down while using it), I truly believe that if you're able to move your legs -- even in a limited range of motion -- you should be able to use this machine to some degree and receive some level of positive benefit from it. You can raise or lower the resistance level; you can prop up the front end of the machine to change the angle and work different muscles more intensely; you can add ankle weights; you can use just one leg (think of a spinning class where you're instructed at one point to use just one leg to do all the work and the other one is just kind of hanging there, as dead weight, and "going along for the ride" -- it's like that, only in this case you can take the non-working leg completely off the machine and work just one leg, then the other -- then go the reverse direction on one leg, then the other, turn up the resistance, etc.). The possibilities for "shaking up" your routine are probably only limited by your ingenuity and imagination (while taking safety into account, obviously!). Of course - you don't have to do anything fancy or unique, either -- you can just do plain old round-and-round motion the whole time -- and it just stands to reason that it will still benefit you just from getting some movement in, right? My point was -- you can be as boring or as unique as you want with this exercise equipment. It seems that flexible! I googled some youtube videos and saw reviews/tutorials of the Stamina InMotion E1000 that were done by a pair of physical therapists. They own several of these machines and use them daily for several hours in all their PT clinics. They enthusiastically recommend this product, as they attest that it wears well over the long-term, with little to no external noise and very little maintenance needed, for a long period of time (e.g., several years). Since I've had mine for only 2 weeks, I can't testify to its longevity, but I will accept their word that having several patients use it for several hours per day, it still required very little maintenance and was very durable over a period of years. They also point out that it can be adapted (they show some modifications) to different fitness levels, but they also discuss how this is a perfect product for those recovering from surgery or injury, or -- for example -- ALSO ideal for elderly people who may be home-bound and not able to get much other exercise due to balance issues, recovering from illness or injury or the like -- but who are still capable of sitting on a chair or couch and pedalling the Stamina InMotion elliptical while watching t.v., or doing other light (seated) activity. *OK, people -- *DISCLAIMER:* I am not, nor do I claim to be, a physician or a physical therapist or any other "health professional," so my suggestions/observations/opinions, such as they are, are only that -- just suggestions/observations/opinions. I'm not personally "recommending" you use this product, nor am I making any sort of promise, express or implied, or any claim that to do so would treat any disease, condition, injury, or illness you (or your child/parent/spouse/hamster) might happen to have. You use the product at your own risk, no warranties. (Ridiculous that I should need to say this AT ALL -- these seem like "common sense" things to me, but the lawyer in me thinks I probably better write the disclaimer language here, just to be safe. . . . so -- now that we've gotten that out of the way. . . let's keep going). In short, the Stamina InMotion E-1000 elliptical is amazing. It is easy to use, easy to set up, easy to clean and maintain, and it slides under a desk or table to stay out of the way (Obviously, use your best judgment when using it around or leaving it accessible to young (crawling) infants or young/small animals that might get injured from the moving parts). It is quiet/low-noise -- I can talk on the phone while using it and nobody has once asked, "What's that sound?" It doesn't require me to turn up the volume on the radio in my office or my tv at home while using it. It does not bother people out in the hallway if passing my office, nor has it affected/bothered anyone in the offices next to mine -- they are not even aware that I'm using it while I'm working, unless they walk in to my office and physically observe me doing so. In that sense, the Stamina InMotion E1000 is perfect for use in an office environment where noise might be an issue and sensitivity to potential sensory impact on others around you is of concern. In using this product, with a personal goal of pedaling about 50 miles each day (some days more, some days less), I was able to put 330 miles in during the first week alone! This was easily done each day within about 3 to 4 hours max (I'm not going breakneck speed, either -- but have figured out that I average between 15 and 18 MPH -- on about a medium resistance level). I don't know how many calories I'm burning (I don't think the counter is very accurate in that regard on ANY "health equipment," so I just ignore that). HOWEVER -- if I am constantly moving my lower body for several hours, and I'm getting in 3 to 4 hours per day of additional NEAT movement (i.e., this is not "high-impact" or highly aerobic activity -- I notice that I usually break a very light sweat after about 20 minutes at the 15-18 MPH rate, and I am able to do all my 50 miles per day in my regular office/professional attire, without feeling like I'm going home drenched in sweat or looking like I just took a steam bath), then I figure I MUST be burning some decent calories over the course of each day. I'd love to know exactly how many, but I just don't. Sorry. Before my Stamina InMotion elliptical arrived, I took my hip and waist measurements, and weighed myself. In less than two weeks -- having used the machine every day now for 13 days, at an average of roughly 45 miles per day over that time, I have already lost TWO INCHES off my waist and ONE INCH off my hips, and have dropped two lbs! My clothes (especially my pants/skirts) are fitting better already, and I notice I have more stamina in general and am not exhausted at the end of the day like I used to be when finished with work and sitting at a desk for 8-10 hours a day! I am also requiring less sleep overall -- waking up earlier and not nearly as tired as I was before I started using the product. I was so pleased with this little beauty, in fact, that I ordered another one as a gift for my 24-year-old daughter, who also works a desk job -- and she is thrilled. She will text me at the end of the day with an excited "53 miles today, mom! Woo-hoo!" or the like. She loves to play video games in her "down time," and she says she can get in her 50 miles/day in the evening in front of the tv, and hasn't even bothered to take hers to work yet, since she's easily doing several hours each evening while doing something she already does anyway. . . man, multitasking is awesome! I was getting so addicted to using this machine for several hours a day that I seriously started to worry I would go through withdrawals and get cranky over a weekend if I didn't have it to "work out my frustrations" and get a few hours of movement in. Although the Stamina InMotion E1000 IS portable, it is nevertheless about 30 pounds and it doesn't "fold down" or become more compact, so it is a bit bulky and -- though I'm no shrinking violet and have plenty of upper body strength, this still would not be something I could easily move back and forth from my car to my 8th floor office (although I would do that if it were my only option). (NOTE: This issue -- size/weight/portability -- is also something users should be aware of and take into account when thinking how easily an elderly person might be able to use the product or move it around their space, for example). Well -- my husband also works a desk job all day long, and works from his home office between 3 and 5 days a week. He needs more exercise, too - don't we all? -- so I then ordered ANOTHER Stamina InMotion E1000 for our home so no matter where I am and no matter what my day brings I can "get in my miles." In just 2 short weeks' time, this product has become such an integral part of my day that I can't imagine not using it every single day I'm able! I'm very excited to see what the future brings in terms of my physical health -- it has already started improving my muscle tone and stamina, as well as my mood and mental health, so I can't help but think that's just going to improve as time goes on! One caveat: although the machine is meant to fit under a "typical" desk, I am 5'9" tall so I have had to modify my office set-up slightly to keep my knees from hitting the underside of my desk (I think the desk is low and my chair was fairly high, though). One of the modifications I've had to make was to move my wheeled desk chair away from my desk (because the moment I tried to use the elliptical while sitting in my regular desk chair, I "pushed" the pedals and my chair shot back away from the machine! Whoops!!). Now I just use a stationary high-backed chair, with a cushion propped behind my low back for support and comfort, set back slightly from the edge of the desk to keep my knees from hitting underneath it. I've relocated my mouse and my keyboard, and now I write on the desk surface to my right instead of in front of me, while I'm using the machine. Easy-peasy, and worth it (in my opinion) for the benefits. My husband, an engineer, has also suggested ways to raise my desk height up safely -- so I will be exploring some of those in the future, but for now, this setup works just fine and I'm able to type, read, write, etc., just fine while using the elliptical. I love this machine. I think you will, too! Let me know!! P.S. All opinions and assertions herein are my own and I have received no consideration, incentive, or compensation by Stamina InMotion or affiliated companies for writing this review.

I spent several hours reading all of the reviews and questions about this product before I decided to take the plunge and purchase one, and I must say, it has been money well spent so far. Assembly - as mentioned elsewhere, very easy to assemble. Takes about ten minutes, and the instructions are clear and easy to follow. The only tricky aspect is that the body of the Elliptical is awkward to maneuver, but I managed fine by myself. My desk is 30" high, I'm 5'8 with long legs, and I have adequate clearance - no problems with knees knocking into the desk as others have mentioned, although I don't think you could go much shorter than a 30" high desk. The clearance is fine, but it's only a few inches of wiggle room. My desk top is also glass, so it's a very thin top, which helps to free up a little extra clearance room. Very little noise - there's a little sound of the wheels running over the base board, and a slight kind of "whirring" (not the best descriptor, but it's all I got at the moment) that sounds much like an exercise bike. I work from home, so I don't have to worry too much about the noise being a disturbance, but it's definitely minimal in any case, so would probably be fine for an office environment. Tension is easy to adjust, (one knob - up or down) although resistance isn't the most extreme. I'm a naturally fit person, so it's not as challenging as I would have ideally liked, but it's better than nothing. And if I dial it way way up, then I do start to feel some benefits. I'm a restless person, so it gives my legs something to do besides constantly crossing, uncrossing, shaking, jittering, etc. Like most exercise equipment, it's fairly substantial, even for being such a small thing, so take care when getting up from your chair not to trip over it. This little machine is quite sturdy and well made, much better quality than I was expecting for the price. I also have used it while standing with free weights, and I really enjoyed it. Tension's trickier to adjust while standing, obviously. I worked out next to my desk, so I could drag it out and back easily, and it gave me convenient place to set my small weights down if my arms needed a break. Broke a good sweat during my 25 minute session, and was able to keep watching Downton Abbey, since the noise is so minimal. Take with care getting on and off, as it can tip a little - remember the see-saw principles of the playground! Calorie counter is obviously inaccurate (aren't they all?) so take it with a grain of salt (or maybe pass on the salt, because you definitely haven't burned as many calories as it says you have). If you wear a Fitbit or other pedometer, it won't count the seated steps if you keep it on your wrist. To get around this problem, you can tie it with your shoes laces. So far, I've had none of the squeaking that some of the other reviews mentioned. Here's hoping it stays that way.... Warning: make sure you have a desk chair that has lockable castors or is stationary. Mine does not, and I have to work pretty hard not to go sliding all over the place. Probably going to have to invest in a new chair...

I am writing this review after about a month of use. I am basically satisfied. I wouldn't say i have lost any weight from using this (at least not yet) but i'll be happy if it simply keeps me from developing blood clots from sitting watching too much tv. So far i only use the device while seated. I am a big man and fully clothed i would be approaching the weight limit (250 lb). Given what other reviews have said about the device becoming noisy or the wheels not tracking where they are supposed to, i suspected it may get damaged or go out of alignment easily and i don't want to push it to the limit by standing on it with my full weight. If i ever lose 30 pounds, then i might start using it standing. I have had a problem with squeaking which comes and goes. Even though so far mine is fairly quiet MOST of the time, i still would not suggest trying to use it in a quiet office environment as some questioners have asked about, since the squeak comes on suddenly for no obvious reason and it could be annoying or disturbing. In my case, the squeak arises from the wheels and not from the crank mechanism. Perhaps all it needs is some WD-40 on the wheels. I have found that the two rubber or plastic caps on the ends of the bar that forms one end of the base are not enough to keep it from slipping on a smooth hard floor. With the tension knob adjusted to give a reasonable resistance, i find that the device gradually slips further and further away from me until i have to stop and grab it and pull it back to me. I think the plate on which the wheels ride might benefit from having a rubber pad backing on the underside to create additional friction and help with this problem. A handy person might just improvise and apply something themselves for this purpose if it's a problem. On a carpet it's probably not as much of an issue. I am also somewhat worried about this same metal plate scratching my floor as the device repeatedly slips away from me while in use and has to be scooted back several times over the course of a one-hour workout. I was not too pleased by the range of motion that is induced in one's legs by using this in the seated position. In the seated position, your heels are right over the wheels while your toes are over the pedals. The wheels, and thus your heels, ride straight back and forth, they do not go up or down. So your knees hardly rise and fall either. The whole up and down motion is in the front of your foot, basically as if you rested your heel on the floor and lifted your toes up in the air and down. Your knees don't move. I have modified my use of it to actually dangle half my foot over the front edge of the foot platform so that my heels are closer to the cranks and i get more up and own action in my legs. This also means pulling the machine in a little closer to me, which in turn means that the force i exert is more downward rather than forward, and this helps reduce the tendency of the thing to slip gradually further away from me. Note that when used standing, you face the opposite way so that your heels are over the cranks and you do get the up and down motion then. It is not perfectly comfortable to dangle your toes like this because the edge of the foot platform has a raised ridge and the arch of your foot is resting on this ridge. However if you keep the pressure in the back of your foot then your arch just rests on this ridge without force so it's not too bothersome. As far as i have been able to tell, the tension adjuster does not convey any information to the monitor which supposedly tells you how many calories you burn, nor does it know whether you are using the machine sitting or standing. The number of calories that it shows seems high to me, using it while sitting. Used standing, the calories it shows may be more realistic, since you are presumably doing a lot more work, lifting your whole body weight. For use while seated, i just look at the elapsed time and estimate the calories to be about the same as if i were walking for that amount of time. I think the instructions should convey a sense of what assumptions the calorie count is based on so you can take into account how your use varies from the assumptions.

Like so many before me, I bought a piece of fitness equipment and I hardly use it. Sigh. That's part of the reason I didn't want to invest too much in my first in-home fitness equipment, so I'm glad I bought this for under $100. I've had it for many months, and I've got nothing against this machine. It works the way it's described, and when I do use it I really like it so I wouldn't sell it - I expect I'll use it again in the future. It really is just like an elliptical trainer minus the handles or console. The stride isn't as large as a gym's machine, so I don't think a very tall person would like this as much as I do (I'm 5'5"). I've mostly used it standing up, and you can get yourself a bit dizzy if you're not used to it so I recommend you place it within arm's reach of a wall. Or you can plan to use it while holding on to something if you prefer. I like to touch the wall when getting on/off but I can use it easily without support otherwise. The seated style of using it - which is what I was most interested in since I sit at my home office desk all day - didn't work out for me. I can't lift my legs high enough when it's under my desk so for a while I kept it beside my desk so I could swivel in my chair towards it and use it unobstructed. After a couple of weeks I had to move it though. There's just not enough room in my office for a large machine on the floor next to my chair all day. If you're using it while seated be sure to familiarize yourself with the machine - read the manual - so you understand it has to face one way for standing and the opposite way for seated use. If you hope to fit it under a desk, you'll probably need a writing desk without any drawers or a keyhole desk with plenty of legroom. In other words, you need height to move your legs properly. If you just sit in a chair and use it (facing the right way) it'll be fine. It offers resistance control, but of course, this is hard to adjust since it's on the machine and I'm standing 5+ feet above it. So I found a setting that makes it challenging but not too much, and I just leave it there. I pay attention to the display to track time or number of strides. Again, it's far away and in the wrong lighting I can't really see it. But you can always just use a clock in the room or a watch to track your time using it. It's heavy for me so I wouldn't want to move it around on a daily basis. It's better if you find a good place to use to it regularly. But if you lift it by the T-bar handle support, it's not hard to move, especially if you're someone stronger than me. This is a sturdy quality machine for way less than a regular elliptical trainer would cost. And it takes up way less room too. I'd recommend this to someone buying their first piece of home fitness equipment, someone who has very little space or someone older or disabled who would use a seated machine anyway (like a recumbent bike) because you can save lots of space and money buying this instead. I think it would also make a fine addition to a home gym that already has a treadmill and weight bench and you want cardio variety but don't have room for another large machine. As another reviewer said, the lack of handles or console forces you to pay attention to your workout and engage your core. I don't know if a major gym rat would be impressed. I think it's better for the low-mid range fitness enthusiast, not the marathoners and weekend warriors. But I'm in the low group these days, so what do I know? ;) If/when I buy a new desk or rearrange my office I'll try it again as a seated trainer - moving your legs on this thing while seated has got to be better than sitting still, right? In the meantime, I'll try to get re-inspired to use it as a standing machine more often.

Since having a child 4 years ago, with a full-time job and commute, I no longer ever seem to have the time and/or energy to exercise. After letting out the belts a few notches, I realized I needed to do something and wanted to see if there was anything I could do while sitting at my desk all day. I found this on Amazon and, after seeing the many positive reviews, decided to give it a try. It really is an ingenious, compact but high-quality gadget. Assembly was easy. I tried it first at home in standing-up mode. Although it has a short stroke, it was easy to get used to and the action was smooth. The tension adjusts in small increments, allowing a finely tuned workout, and it is definitely enough to get your heart pumping in a short time. I have not opened it up, but it must have a large cast-iron flywheel inside. This is what makes it so smooth and such a pleasure to use. On Monday, I hauled it into work and set it up at my desk. For seated use you turn it the opposite way as for standing use. Unfortunately, it still wasn't quite low enough to use completely under the desk. My knees would have hit. But by positioning my chair a little farther away, I am able to use it while working at the computer so my knees come up just past the edge of the desk. After the first day, I found the angle wasn't quite right, so I brought in a 2x4 the next day and put it under the back stabilizer bar. That did the trick. After a week of using it, I am very happy with it. This is ideal for my purposes. I wanted a way to get some low-intensity activity over the hours I spend sitting. This is perfect. I am able to pedal away absentmindedly for several hours over the course of the day. It elevates my pulse and burns calories but I don't work up a sweat. It is very stable. It is generally very quiet and doesn't seem to bother my co-workers in cubicle land. Every once in a while it starts to chatter or squeak a little, but it goes away just as quickly. The calorie counter is likely wildly optimistic for seated use, but the stroke counter is accurate and provides a good number for comparison. I would highly recommend this for the purpose for which it was intended: a compact, easy way to work in some exercise in situations where you otherwise might not be able to. I am thrilled that I am now able to work some activity into my schedule, and I feel better already. Given that it works so well, is apparently high quality so far, and the free shipping for something this heavy (25 lbs), it seems like a good value as well. I will likely order another for my wife and possibly one for the house as well.

I have had this for less than a week and I both love it an hate it. Good stuff: Easy to put together Solid: On the love side, it feels like a well-built product and I can actually get a workout at work. Good exercise: When I first get to work, I put my sit-stand desktop in the standing position, raise my monitors as far as they will go on their stands, and it's the perfect height for me to work and walk/glide at the same time while I work (I'm 5'7" - see the pic for the setup). I can do this using a moderate resistance for about 15 or so minutes before I start to feel too hot and I have to put it down so I can sit and pedal and expend less energy (don't want to be sweaty at work). I've provided pictures of my desk setup in case you'd like to know how this works. Fun, helps concentration, makes me more efficient - to a point: I've found that when I'm sitting at my desk and peddling away I can concentrate better. It is both fun and mesmerizing. If I'm not peddling and I get tired, I start peddling and am immediately able to focus. The "to a point" comment I'll address below when I get to the negatives. This keeps me at my desk. I have a high need for activity and I get fidgety if I sit for too long. That can lead me to leave my desk and wander. This keeps me at my desk working longer so I get more done in less time. Keeps me warm: I'm also someone who is always cold, but this week. Despite the fact that I can tell the entire floor of our building is cold when I get up and leave my office, I no longer feel like I have to close my office door and turn on a heater. Usually, I am wrapped up in lots of clothes and now I am in just one layer essentially. That is very nice. Summary of benefits: In addition to getting some moderately strenuous activity in the early morning, less strenuous but pretty constant movement the rest of the day, there are a lot of benefits I hadn't even thought of. Some negatives: CLUNKING: It doesn't happen when I am standing to use the elliptical, but after a few minutes of use when I'm sitting down it starts clunking. The clunk gradually gets louder and louder. I've adjusted the position, the tension, tightened the peddles, etc. and nothing seems to stop it. While I first thought it was coming from one of the peddles, I now think it's coming from inside the wheel. It happens when I peddles forward or backward. It gets so loud that I worry about disturbing people in the surrounding offices so I have to stop using it or try to slow down, but slowing down doesn't seem to lessen the clunk, it just makes it less often because the wheel is rotating less quickly. The clunking is what provides the "hate" part of this review and what I was referring to above when I said it makes me more efficient "to a point". I spend so much time trying to stop the clunking or figure out why it's happening and then just stop peddling because of it. Calorie counter: I'm pretty sure the calorie counter is VERY generous as I'd be losing weight like crazy if I were burning anything like the number of calories it says I'm burning. I don't really care as I didn't get this for weight loss and don't count calories, but if that's something you keep track of you shouldn't trust it. Today I peddled for 38 minutes before the clunking bothered me so much I had to give it a break. Only 17 of those minutes were done standing with a higher resistance/tension where I actually "worked" my legs/cardio a bit. It says I burned 383 calories. I don't think so. Summary of the bad: The clunking seems to be escalating and it makes me have to stop using it. I don't trust the calorie counter. Neutral, but good to know Desk Height/leg room: I have a 33" inseam, and the distance between the floor and the underside of my desk is 2' 4 1/2". I get another inch by having my sit-stand pulled out beyond the edge of my desk (see pic with the side view). If I don't wear heels, this works find and there is enough leg room for me. Therefore, I can peddle without a problem. Others at my work have tried it and had less success due to drawers under their desks, keyboard trays under the desk, and lower desk height. Desk depth: if you're using this on the less deep side of the desk, you're likely to be reaching far for your keyboard and squinting at your monitor or making the resolution huge unless you have a way to extend the depth as I did. Chair: I found that my normal desk chair is not a good option with this. There are two problems with normal desk chairs. First, the base is not wide enough so when I pull in close enough to reach my keyboard comfortably, it's really hard to place it in such a way that the peddle does not hit the leg/wheel of the chair. Second, since it has wheels I find that I slowly and unintentionally push back from the desk so I'm having to regularly pull back in and readjust. I've switched to one of the chairs in my office that was for guests. It's a bit too low, but it's better than the alternatives that I had available. Portability: As another reviewer wrote, while I can move this by myself, it is not lightweight and getting it to the office was awkward. NOTE: In the attached pictures I show the standing setup, but I didn't take the time to turn around the elliptical as it is supposed to be for standing. I was using it in the sitting position and just pulled it out a bit to show the positioning, but if I were actually using it in the standing position I would need to flip it around as the instructions state.

I love this elliptical! It isn't exactly "portable", but I was able to carry it to work on public transportation without killing myself. Set up took about 15 minutes and didn't require tools or more skill than Ikea furniture. It's completely silent and I have had people standing at my desk talking to me who had no idea I was even using it. I always tell them about it though and now several other people in my office have bought one. At first I was only doing 10-15 miles a day before getting tired, or I would find it distracting as my heart rate got up, but now I have the resistance at 75% and I can use it for 4-5 hours a day, logging up to 50 miles on average. I have found a sweet-spot where I can peddle non-stop and I always feel riiiiight on the verge of breaking a serious sweat, so I take a 30 second break every 10-15 minutes just to keep from ruining my make-up. I've lost 6 lbs in 2 weeks while using this at my desk without other dietary changes. In fact, I've been skipping out on running after work now and then because my legs are sometimes SO tired from stepping all day. The only things I would caution someone considering buying this are 1, if you are using it under your desk, it feels more like a bike than an elliptical and if you have bad knees (like I do) you might feel pressure if you don't have it perfectly aligned with your chair- turning to face a computer screen or talk to someone can turn your knees at a weird angle; 2, the calorie count is complete nonsense- don't rely on it at all, I've found deskcycle .com has a more accurate calorie count based on other data this machine gives you; 3, sometimes the little step counter keeps running for several minutes after I have stopped moving. I'm not sure if it takes a few minutes to catch up on all the steps I've done (this seems unlikely), or if mine is just a little messed up, but usually if I get up from my desk when it says, say, 3 miles, when I come back a few minutes later it might say 3.5 miles, so you need to keep an eye on that too if you are trying to track progress. None of these are serious drawbacks though, and I would absolutely buy this product again. Edit: I did experience some squeaking that was annoying enough that I stopped using the elliptical for a while. Eventually I missed it though and I pretty much WD-40'd the entire thing. Not sure what was causing the squeak, but it just needed a little grease and it's working great again!

I have liked this little machine. I am a woman in my early 30s and was looking for an at home workout I could do to ease back into exercising after I took a break for a couple years after having babies. I have tried doing workout videos at home but it's hard for me to keep up the motivation and I get bored. I wanted something I could do while watching TV to distract me. So, back to the machine. It was easy to put together and seems pretty durable. No problems yet. As far as the workout, I'd you are looking for the machine alone to provide a workout that gets your heart rate really going and feel like you are really burning calories, this alone won't do that for you. I'd compare it to a very light jog or fast walk as far as intensity level. The first couple days I had it I only did this machine and was feeling like I was hardly doing anything. I'm sure it was better than the 0 workout I was doing before, but if I'm taking the time to work exercise into my schedule I want it to be doing something. So this is when I got the idea to work intervals in and it has worked great. I'll do about 4 minutes on and then get off an do 100 jump ropes, then another 4 min and 100 jumping jacks, and repeat for 20-30 min. I actually like that there are no handles because I can swing my arms, put my waist/hips into the motion and I feel like I'm working my core while pedaling. And getting my heart rate up with the intervals makes the motion seem to work a lot better on my core. I would like it if the stride was a bit longer to get more of range of motion in, I think that would help make it a little more intense, but for my purposes and especially since doing internals, it works pretty well for me. I like that the machine is small and fits in the corner of my bedroom without really noticing it, and I can move it in and out of the room easily. I think it's a good little piece of equipment for what you pay and can provide a good home workout option for a low cost.