ProForm Smart Strider 895 CSE Elliptical Review

Quick Summary

The ProForm Smart Strider 895 CSE is an iFit-Ready elliptical trainer with 7” touchscreen.

Designed for convenient home use, it arrives almost fully assembled, can be used without a power cord, and folds for storage.

Specs include a rear drive design, an 18” stride, an 18-pound resistance system and wireless pulse monitoring.

The 895 CSE also has quick incline settings and 32 workout apps. Read on for our detailed Smart Strider review.

Specifications

Model	ProForm Smart Strider 895 CSE
Rating Our custom rating considers all of the elliptical's features, specs, warranties, and 100's of user & expert reviews, to save you time!	85.8%
List Price Suggested retail price, typically higher than the price you'll pay with our recommended retailers.	$1,999
Best Price Since prices change daily, this link goes to our preferred retailer for the best price we've found.
Resistance Resistance is what determines calories burned per stride. The more levels, the more precisely you can control the difficulty.	24 Levels
Resistance Type The type of resistance affects the performance of your elliptical. Magnetic and Eddy-Current are the most common types.	SMR Silent 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).	18"
Pedals Elliptical pedals can be cushioned and adjustable for maximum comfort and minimum impact on joints for injury prevention.	Oversized, Adjustable & Cushioned
Incline Some elliptical trainers can be set at an incline to increase difficulty and burn more calories.	0 - 10 degrees
Flywheel The flywheel controls the smoothness and resistance of your workout. In general, the higher the better.	18 lb. Inertia-Enhanced
Programs Elliptical Programs allow you to complete a workout with changing speeds and inclines, without changing anything manually.	32
User Profiles For each profile the elliptical allows, you can create a custom user account with saved programs and goal settings.	1 User
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 & Wireless Chest Strap
Display Elliptical Display refers to the screen you'll look at to monitor workouts. LED and LCD displays are similar to TV screens.	7" Full Color Touchscreen
Max. Weight Max User Weight is the amount of weight, in pounds (lbs), that it can safely support, which can represent durability.	325 lbs
Dimensions Dimensions are included to help you figure out if this elliptical will fit properly (Length x Width x Height and Height x Depth).	65" x 32" x 80"
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 Parts: 3 Years Labor: 1 Year

Our Rating

Rating: 85.8/100. The ProForm Smart Strider 895 CSE ($1999) is an elliptical with 7” touchscreen. Also equipped with a power incline, this modern fitness machine helps you make the most of virtual outdoor workout programs created with Google Maps and iFit, which automatically adjust the pedal slope to copy real-life terrain. While iFit access costs extra (subscription required), the ProForm 895 CSE also has 32 built-in workouts to support efficient training for performance and calorie burn.

This Smart Strider’s main source of challenge is the effectively 18-pound drive with 24 resistance levels. Its cushioned pedals follow an 18” elliptical path, and for extra challenge the pedals can be electronically adjusted by up to 10 percent. Each incline setting offers a different benefit in terms of target-toning major muscle groups in your lower body. The machine has moving arm bars as well for total body training.

As mentioned above, a web browser is included with the elliptical trainer’s touchscreen display. The 895 CSE console also has iPod-compatible speakers for audio motivation and can display your tablet computer or smartphone to make your apps handy during workouts.

Other specs include a water bottle holder, a two-speed workout fan and a foldable steel frame. The factory-direct warranty on the ProForm 895 CSE includes lifetime coverage for the frame, three years for parts and one year for labor.

Pros:

Rear drive stability
Arrives almost fully assembled
Cushioned pedals and handgrips
24 preset workouts
18-pound effective flywheel
24 resistance levels
Resistance controls on handlebars
10 percent incline with quick-set controls
Smartphone-compatible (2” speakers)
Wireless transmitter included for heart rate data
Grip heart rate sensors on handlebars
Ledge for tablet computer
Water bottle holder
Workout fan
Steel frame has lifetime warranty
325-pound user weight capacity
Space-Saver® design (Folds for storage)
Transport wheels attached

Cons:

The resistance system is a bit light for the price class
Warranty isn’t ProForm’s best
Customer service has a reputation for being slow

Introduction

The 895 CSE elliptical is one of four ProForm Smart Strider cross-trainers (895, 695, 495, 935), and it’s one of the more advanced Smart Striders in terms of performance and electronics. Compared with lower models its most obvious upgrade is the console, which has a 7” touchscreen in place of an LED display for workouts — and the touchscreen accesses 32 preloaded workouts,and can connect with iFit for unlimited workout program downloads. Other key specs include an 18” stride, an 18-pound effective flywheel, 24 resistance levels and a 10 percent power incline. Here’s a look at the Smart Strider 895 CSE’s workout offerings, other features and factory-direct warranty.

Workout Programs

The Smart Strider 895 CSE elliptical has 32 preloaded workout programs that adjust the pedals’ resistance and incline. Designed by a certified personal trainer, each program helps maximize the efficiency of your training time.

Additionally an unlimited number of iFit workouts are available with an iFit subscription. The 895 CSE console lends itself to seamless iFit integration via its 7” touchscreen. Using your home’s wireless web connection you can download an infinite variety of iFit workouts built with Google Maps™, which automatically adjust the elliptical’s incline to match your chosen map route. For many routes a Google Street View is available throughout, so you can visually immerse yourself in destinations worldwide. iFit also lets you download video workouts and save new customized personal training workouts to the 895 CSE anytime.

ProForm Smart Strider 895 CSE Features

As mentioned above the 895 CSE has a 7” display for workouts and surfing the web. The exercise data shown are speed, time, distance, calories burned, heart rate and resistance.

The 895 CSE elliptical and other ProForm Smart Striders have an 18” footpath, which is ideal for trainees on the shorter end of the height spectrum.

The Smart Strider 895 CSE has an 18-pound flywheel. With the console buttons or handlebar-based controls, you can alternate among 24 resistance levels. Most ellipticals offer no more than 20 tension settings, so here you get better precision. The options are just right for most people who’d consider themselves beginners to intermediate trainees with ellipticals.

Pedals on this unit are cushioned and oversized for comfort.

For extra cardio challenge and targeted muscle toning for the lower body, the pedals can be power-tilted up to 10%. The incline ramp is labeled for quick reference about which muscle groups are being emphasized from the calves to the thighs.

Moving handlebars help tone your upper body and have fingertip controls for resistance.

Heart rate can be measured with contact sensors on the handlebars or with a wireless chest strap (included).

To help regulate your body temperature the 895 CSE console has a two-speed fan and a drink holder.

To help you maximize your living space, this Smart Strider has a Space-Saver design and attached wheels for easy repositioning.

ProForm Smart Strider frames are built from commercial-gauge steel and have lifetime warranties.

Warranty & Guarantee

The ProForm Smart Strider 895 CSE elliptical warranty package includes:

– Frame: Lifetime
– Parts: 3 Years
– Labor: 1 Year

ProForm also provides a 30-day money back guarantee on all of its factory-direct cardio trainers.

Conclusion

The 895 CSE is one of the top ProForm Smart Strider models and can be very motivating for newcomers to elliptical training. It features a rear drive and an incline, which are generally associated with higher cost, and has an integrated touchscreen for accessing built-in workouts,and iFit. We also appreciate the cushioned pedals and the chest strap for heart rate monitoring. It’s possible to find a trainer with more resistance for the $1999 MSRP, but if heavy resistance isn’t your top priority this feature-rich option could be a very satisfying choice. It looks like they’ve updated their sale price to $999.