Best Home Use Ellipticals of 2024

Home Use Ellipticals Buying Guide

Exercise equipment was once reserved for the local gym. Then it progressively became more affordable for the residential market. Today, it is possible to either invest in a local gym membership or purchase a product to store in your own home. As a result, elliptical manufactures have responded by offering two separate categories of their machines — Residential Ellipticals and Commercial Ellipticals.

Commercial ellipticals are generally reserved for gyms and hotels because they are expected to be used 6-8 hours per day and need special attention to withstand that level of use. However, consumers who are really serious about their exercise equipment and intent on owning the best elliptical available might invest in a commercial-grade elliptical for their home. Regardless, residential ellipticals will satisfy most consumers who need something that is designed for light to average use.

First and foremost, residential ellipticals are cheaper and more attractive for the home market. However, that is not to say that residential ellipticals are inferior to commercial models as there are several residential ellipticals that are surprisingly good. When shopping for an elliptical, one of the first decisions you need to make is do you want a commercial or residential elliptical?

Commercial Ellipticals

• Expensive
• Designed with highest quality parts
• Built to last even under the most intense use
• Popular among gyms and hotels

Residential Ellipticals

• Affordable for independent consumers
• Designed for home use (1-5 users)
• Warranties cover expected lifespan of elliptical
• Often do not take up as much space

Home Use Ellipticals

The term “residential ellipticals” is vague because it can include anything from the budget machines in the under $500 price range to the traditionally solid $1,500 to $2,000 price range.

So, it’s important to not automatically label all residential ellipticals inferior to commercial ellipticals because some of the high end residential models can easily compete with their commercial counterpart.

Unless you plan to use your elliptical for hours on end (along with multiple users doing the same), you should do fine with a residential elliptical.

Vital Features

If you plan to buy a residential elliptical, you need to pay attention to these vital features:

• Resistance type
• Stride length
• Levels of resistance
• Weight capacity of frame
• Flywheel

This five features are all quite important to the operation of an elliptical. Since residential ellipticals vary substantially in price range, these five specs will change drastically from the cheapest to the most expensive residential ellipticals.

The type of resistance, levels of resistance, and stride length are especially important because they ensure steady performance. Particularly short stride lengths may not work for taller users and if you only have 8 levels of resistance, your workout options will be quite limited.

Of course, you also need a durable frame and while most frames on ellipticals are backed for life you still want to make sure you’re investing in something sturdy. A good approach is to always under-sell the “maximum weight capacity” because many elliptical manufactures say it supports 350 lbs. when it probably only supports 275 to 300 lbs. adequately.

Finally, budget ellipticals rarely have a flywheel, so their operation isn’t nearly as smooth or quiet. If you’re serious about getting a strong elliptical, be sure to invest in something with a flywheel.

Important Luxuries

The following features may not be quite as important as the vital specs, but they do enhance the fitness experience substantially.

• Type of Display
• Number of Workout Programs
• iPod/mp3 compatibility
• Built-in speakers
• Cooling fan
• iFit Live

These days exercise equipment is all about maximizing performance, so you need a good display system to relay all of the important exercise data. A lot of exercise equipment has LCD display, while a few products sport LED display. Most experts think that LED display is higher quality, but personal preference may differ.

Owning a music friendly elliptical (iPod dock, built-in speakers) is very important in the mp3 era. If you’re passionate about music, make sure you get an elliptical that supports your addiction.

iFit Live is a revolutionary workout program endorsed by celebrity trainers like Jillian Michaels. It’s a fantastic program, but you’ll need to pay more for an elliptical that is compatible with iFit Live. Be sure to pay special attention to the details because some ellipticals support iFit Live. but you need to purchase the module separately (Wi-Fi also required).