Precor EFX 222 Elliptical Machine Review

Quick Summary

Get club-quality elliptical training at home! The Precor EFX 222 is the lowest priced total body trainer in Precor’s popular Energy Series.

It’s built to suit virtually any trainee: The EFX 222 has adjustable stride length, offers incline levels up to 25° and has a wide range of resistance settings. Its arm bars can be left stationary or used for upper-body toning.

Preset workouts support efficient interval training, cross-country training, heart rate control and more.

Get the details from our full Precor EFX 222 review below.

Specifications

Model	Precor EFX 222
Rating Our custom rating considers all of the elliptical's features, specs, warranties, and 100's of user & expert reviews, to save you time!	84.5%
List Price Suggested retail price, typically higher than the price you'll pay with our recommended retailers.	$2,799
Best Price Since prices change daily, this link goes to our preferred retailer for the best price we've found.	$2495
Resistance Resistance is what determines calories burned per stride. The more levels, the more precisely you can control the difficulty.	16 Levels
Resistance Type The type of resistance affects the performance of your elliptical. Magnetic and Eddy-Current are the most common types.	Magnetic
Stride Length Stride Length is important for comfort and smooth strides. A stride length of 18-21 inches is ideal for most heights (5'3 - 6'7).	n/a
Pedals Elliptical pedals can be cushioned and adjustable for maximum comfort and minimum impact on joints for injury prevention.	Heavy Duty Plastic
Incline Some elliptical trainers can be set at an incline to increase difficulty and burn more calories.	15°, 20° and 25° Elevation Range
Flywheel The flywheel controls the smoothness and resistance of your workout. In general, the higher the better.	Undisclosed
Programs Elliptical Programs allow you to complete a workout with changing speeds and inclines, without changing anything manually.	10
User Profiles For each profile the elliptical allows, you can create a custom user account with saved programs and goal settings.	2 Users
Heart Rate Heart Rate programs allow you to track how many times your heart is beating per minute (bpm), and some control the workout for you.	Pulse Grips & Chest Strap (Optional)
Display Elliptical Display refers to the screen you'll look at to monitor workouts. LED and LCD displays are similar to TV screens.	High contrast blue-white LCD
Max. Weight Max User Weight is the amount of weight, in pounds (lbs), that it can safely support, which can represent durability.	Undisclosed
Dimensions Dimensions are included to help you figure out if this elliptical will fit properly (Length x Width x Height and Height x Depth).	75" x 29" x 65"
Upper Body Most ellipticals have handles to hold while you're working out that provide an upper body workout.
Accessory Tray Some ellipticals include an accessory tray for holding items such as water bottles, wallets, keys, or MP3 players like iPods.
Speakers Ellipticals that include a sound system allow you to listen to your MP3 player/iPod through built-in speakers (without headphones).
Cooling Fans Cooling Fans are designed to help keep you cool during an intense workout on your elliptical.
Folding? Some ellipticals are designed to conserve space by folding up. This is a convenient option, but some features might be reduced.
Quick Controls Quick Controls allow you to select speed, incline and even workout programs with the touch of a button (usually on the handles).
Warranty The warranty is an important part of your investment. The longer the warranty, the longer you can get free/discounted repairs.	Frame: Lifetime Welds: Lifetime Parts: 5 Years Console: 3 Years Labor: 1 Year

Our Rating

Rating: 84.5/100. The high quality Precor EFX 222 is a rear drive elliptical with moving arm bars. A key feature is its CrossRamp® technology, which lets you choose from three levels of incline (15°, 20° and 25°). Using the incline revs up your metabolism and lets you target specific muscle groups such as glutes and quads. Additionally the EFX 222 has reversible motion to recruit different muscles and add variety to exercise. Preset programs are provided for interval training, cross-country training, weight loss training, heart rate control and other types of elliptical workouts. These programs have beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. The Precor EFX 222 sells for $2,599 online (full price $2,899) and carries an excellent warranty for its frame, parts, electronics and labor. Here are pros and cons to consider.

Pros:

Movable arm bars
Adjustable stride length
Adjustable incline
Reversible motion
Quiet magnetic resistance
16 resistance levels (10 watts to 550 watts)
10 varied preset workout programs
Wireless pulse monitoring
Contact pulse monitoring
Two user profiles
12 data points
Metric and standard data choices
iPod/iPhone/Android compatible (Volume control)
Tablet computer holder
Accessory holder
Water bottle holder
Competitive warranty
Great customer service from Precor

Cons:

- Incline adjustments are manual (not motorized)
- Delivery costs extra
- Not a folding elliptical; footprint is 75″ x 29″

How does this product compare with its nearest Precor neighbors? The lower model (the EFX 221) does not have movable arm bars. The next step up (the EFX 225) has a motorized CrossRamp® instead of requiring manual adjustment. Also, the EFX 225 lets you choose from eight incline levels instead of three. It has the same maximum incline of 25 degrees.

Introduction

Precor is a top-notch fitness brand and holds the world’s first elliptical trainer patents. While many Precor ellipticals are built and priced for fitness clubs, the durable Precor EFX 222 is more affordable for home use. This elliptical with optional upper-body training and lower-body motion lets you choose from three stride lengths, three ramp angles and 16 resistance levels. It helps you reach a variety of fitness goals with its 10 workout programs, plus it has features to help keep you entertained or let you multitask during training. The whole machine has a great warranty and Precor customer service has an excellent reputation.

Here are details about the workout guidance, special features and generous warranty on the Precor EFX 222 cross trainer.

Workout Programs

What are your fitness goals? The EFX 222 has programming to help with weight loss or maintenance, cardio training and endurance training. You can use Manual Mode or select from three levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced) in each of nine programs: 1-1 Interval, 1-2 Interval, Weight Loss, Basic HRC, Aerobic, Hill Climb, Cross Country, Gluteal and Cross Trainer. Five of these programs are called “accelerators” because they include tips to help you maximize each training session. Precor advises that each elliptical workout last for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Two users can save their profiles to the EFX 222 console. Twelve categories of feedback are displayed during training: Time Elapsed, Time Remaining, Distance, Calories, Calories/Min, Target Heart Rate, Heart Rate, SmartRate® Zone, Strides/Min, Average Strides/Min, Resistance and Percent Complete. After each workout a session summary is shown. The summary shows the Time Elapsed, Total Calories, Total Distance and Average Strides/Min.

Precor EFX 222 Features

A top selling point for any Precor elliptical machine is its comfortable and trouble-free design. Precor engineered the world’s first elliptical machines and patented a design that supports smooth natural motion while being unlikely to break down. The EFX 222 and other Precors make it easy to maintain a straight posture (instead of leaning forward or feeling off-balance) and they contain fewer parts than other styles of ellipticals do. Their streamlined design makes it less likely that problems will arise.

For impressive body sculpting the Precor EFX 222 supports three incline levels: 15°, 20° and 25°. You can also vary the elliptical path by choosing from three stride lengths.

Moving arm bars help you sculpt your upper body. (Moving arm bars are included on three Precor EFX ellipticals: the 222 in this review, plus the more expensive 225 and 245.)

The workout screen is a high contrast blue and white LCD. Along with the other electronics it’s under warranty for three years.

Want to watch movies or listen to music during workouts? You can cover the EFX 222’s display with your own tablet computer. The fitness machine’s console also lets you control the volume of your iPod or smartphone.

To get heart rate feedback you can wear a Polar chest strap or use built-in contact sensors.

Warranty & Guarantee

The Precor EFX 222 elliptical warranty is above average. It includes:

– Frame: Lifetime

– Parts: 5 years

– Console: 3 years

– Labor: 1 year

Conclusion

Highly recommended! The Precor EFX 222 is the most affordable total-body elliptical machine from the industry’s leader. If your priorities are comfortable motion, effective workouts for any fitness level, and low maintenance design, then this could be the best elliptical trainer for your home workout space.