Precor EFX 425 Elliptical Machine Review (Pros + Cons)

Quick Summary

The Precor EFX 425 is a luxury elliptical trainer for full-body workouts.

It meets Precor’s high standards for commercial cross trainers, but it costs less and carries a very long residential warranty.

Key specs for this model are optional handlebar motion, a motorized incline, 20 resistance levels and 10 workout programs.

It’s built to hold your tablet computer and control iPod volume too.

Get the details below from our full EFX 425 review.

Specifications

Model	Precor EFX 425
Rating Our custom rating considers all of the elliptical's features, specs, warranties, and 100's of user & expert reviews, to save you time!	85 %
List Price Suggested retail price, typically higher than the price you'll pay with our recommended retailers.	$4,999
Best Price Since prices change daily, this link goes to our preferred retailer for the best price we've found.	$4799
Resistance Resistance is what determines calories burned per stride. The more levels, the more precisely you can control the difficulty.	20 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° - 40° 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).	84" x 31" x 67"
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: 10 Years Console: 3 Years Labor: 1 Year

Our Rating

Rating: 85/100. The Precor EFX 425 with movable arm bars is a luxury elliptical trainer for home use. It’s the middle model in the Precor Precision Series, which also features the EFX 423 and 447. The EFX 425 is an upgrade to the 423 because it has movable arm bars; other than that, the units are identical. Some key specs are a motorized ramp with maximum 40 degree angle, 10 workout programs, and a magnetic resistance range of 10 to 625 watts. Here are lists of pros and cons about choosing the Precor EFX 425.

Pros:

Arm bars can move or stay stationary
Precor’s patented motion is ultra-smooth
Reversible pedal motion
Power incline range of 15° to 40° (20 levels)
20 resistance levels (10 to 625 watts)
Quiet magnetic resistance
10 training programs including manual mode
Two user profiles
Metric or standard data display
Wireless heart rate receiver
Contact heart rate monitor
iPhone/Android volume control
Tablet computer holder
Two accessory holders
Extra-large water bottle holder
10-year warranty for parts and wear items
3-year warranty for console

Cons:

- Luxury price
- Large footprint (84″ x 31″)

For comparison the top-of-the-line Precor EFX 447 (the only Precision Series upgrade to the model in this review) has the same motorized ramp and resistance, but even more workout programs plus 4 user profiles, wireless fitness tracking and a touch screen.

Introduction

Want to get club-quality cardio training at home? The Precor EFX 425 is a commercial-quality elliptical trainer with a very long home warranty. Just like Precors at health clubs, this Precision Series unit is designed to match virtually any trainee’s needs in terms of physical comfort and workout challenge. Plenty of workout variety is offered: Precision Series ellipticals have 20 resistance levels, 20 incline settings and forward/reverse motion. Other specs for the EFX 425 include 10 workout programs, a tablet computer holder and console-based volume control for your connected iPod. Read on for details about the workout programs, special features and long warranty for the Precor EFX 425.

Workout Programs

The Precor EFX 425 lets you control resistance and incline manually or choose from nine preset workouts. Each workout can be used at a beginner, intermediate or advanced level. The program names are 1-1 Interval, 1-2 Interval, Weight Loss, Basic HRC, Aerobic, Hill Climb, Cross Country, Gluteal, Cross Trainer and Manual. Several of these workouts are what Precor calls “accelerators” because they can show tips that help you maximize training time.

The console computer can save two user profiles. Advantages of using a profile are getting more accurate data feedback and being able to retrieve your previous workout.

The data fields shown during each workout are Time Elapsed, Time Remaining, Percent Complete, Calories, Calories per Minute, Distance, Strides per Minute, Average Strides per Minute, Resistance, Heart Rate, Target Heart Rate and SmartRate® Zone. After each workout a four-point summary is shown: Time Elapsed, Total Calories, Total Distance and Average Strides per Minute.

Precor EFX 425 Features

The Precor EFX 425 is a rear drive elliptical trainer. Precor invented this comfortable and durable design in the 1990’s and used it to launch the entire elliptical industry. Precor’s rear drive design is the “gold standard” that many other manufacturers strive to meet.

Want on-board motivation? Add your tablet computer to the console’s secure holder. The Precor EFX 425 also has a jack and volume control for your music player.

A special feature on Precision Series EFX models is the power ramp. The EFX 425 has 20 incline settings ranging from 15° to 40°. This means that in addition to taking your usual strides with very low impact, you can use an additional 20 elliptical footpaths to speed up calorie burn and train specific muscle groups. Precor calls this “variable stride geometry.”

For heart rate monitoring the Precor EFX 425 has a Polar compatible wireless receiver (chest strap sold separately) and built-in contact pulse sensors. The available feedback are Heart Rate, Target Heart Rate and SmartRate® Zone.

Warranty & Guarantee

The Precor EFX 425 elliptical warranty includes:

– Frame: Lifetime

– Parts and Wear Items: 10 years

– Console: 3 years

– Labor: 1 year

Conclusion

For club-quality workouts at home, the Precor EFX 425 is a great cross trainer elliptical. This luxury elliptical costs more than most others up front — but it pays for itself in the long run; owners take millions of strides before their Precors need maintenance. This Precor is a very good buy in its price range.