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Horizon Fitness EX-59 Review

Quick Summary

Selling for just $649 online, the Horizon EX-59 elliptical (also called the EX-59-02) is the lowest priced elliptical trainer from Horizon Fitness. Like other Horizon ellipticals, it features six design elements that comfortably support a natural gait. Its key selling points are an 18″ stride, a 14.3-pound flywheel, and 10 levels of resistance. It’s also worth noting that Horizon offers 0% financing on their equipment, making it even easier to get a new elliptical into your home.

Learn more from our full Horizon EX-59 review below.

Specifications

Model Horizon EX59
Rating

Our custom rating considers all of the elliptical's features, specs, warranties, and 100's of user & expert reviews, to save you time!

83%
List Price

Suggested retail price, typically higher than the price you'll pay with our recommended retailers.

$999
Best Price

Since prices change daily, this link goes to our preferred retailer for the best price we've found.

$649
Resistance

Resistance is what determines calories burned per stride. The more levels, the more precisely you can control the difficulty.

10 Levels
Resistance Type

The type of resistance affects the performance of your elliptical. Magnetic and Eddy-Current are the most common types.

Electronically Adjustable
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
Incline

Some elliptical trainers can be set at an incline to increase difficulty and burn more calories.

none
Flywheel

The flywheel controls the smoothness and resistance of your workout. In general, the higher the better.

14.3 lbs
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.

n/a
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.

Contact Grips
Display

Elliptical Display refers to the screen you'll look at to monitor workouts. LED and LCD displays are similar to TV screens.

4" Yellow-Green LCD
Max. Weight

Max User Weight is the amount of weight, in pounds (lbs), that it can safely support, which can represent durability.

275 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).

68” x 25” x 64”
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: 2 Years
Labor: 1 Year

Rating: 83%

Our Rating

Rating: 83/100. The Horizon EX-59 is a budget-friendly elliptical trainer for beginners. It is sale priced at $699 (full price $999) and carries a two-year parts warranty plus one year of labor. Its standard warranty package is likely the best consumer protection included with an elliptical in its price category. This fitness machine’s essentials are a 14.3-pound flywheel and an ergonomic 18″ stride. To help you train wisely the Horizon EX-59 has 10 preset workout programs. Other specs are iPod compatibility, a rack for a tablet computer, and a water bottle holder. Is this the best discount elliptical for your home gym? Here are lists of pros and cons.

Pros:

  • Low price
  • Good warranty
  • 18″ stride
  • Ergonomic pedal spacing
  • Moving arm bars
  • Optimal arm bar spacing
  • 10 built-in workouts
  • iPod-compatible
  • Tablet computer holder
  • Water bottle holder
  • 0% financing
  • User weight capacity 275 pounds

Cons:

  • 14.3-pound flywheel
  • No incline for “extra burn”
  • Heart rate monitor is inaccurate according to some customers
  • No fan on console
  • Not foldable

The $699 EX-59 is a very stripped-down version of other Horizon elliptical trainers. Trainers in the Horizon Evolve and Horizon Elite series have 10 percent inclines, personal cooling fans, many more built-in workouts, the option to use interactive videos, and other benefits. The price difference is big though; the next step up is the Evolve 7, which is sale priced at $1,299.

Introduction

The Horizon EX-59 is a better quality discount elliptical trainer. Unlike many other cheap elliptical trainers, it has an 18″ stride (long enough for many adults) and a comfortable design overall. It carries the most competitive warranty that we’ve seen on a $699 elliptical too. This elliptical has a 4.5″ data screen that can show progress through 10 preset workout programs. Riders can choose from 10 resistance levels and the maximum challenge level is about 14 pounds. This machine has suitable power for beginners and is sized most comfortably for people who aren’t especially tall or heavy. Here is more info about EX-59 elliptical workout programs and other features.

Workout Programs

To take the guesswork out of your training sessions the Horizon EX-59 has 10 preset workout programs. These set the duration of your workouts and automatically adjust the elliptical machine’s resistance. Session data are shown on an 4.5″ LCD with yellow-green backlighting. The data fields are Heart Rate, Time, Speed, Distance, Calories, Program Level and Watts.

Horizon Fitness EX-59 Features

This elliptical trainer fits what Horizon Fitness calls “SixStar” design. It was engineered to include six features that promote comfortable motion: It helps you stay upright (instead of leaning forward), has narrow pedal spacing, has optimal handlebar spacing, has a low step-on height (10″), supports a natural stride and offers smooth momentum. The EX-59 or EX-59-02 offers the best momentum to people who weigh under 150 pounds or so; other shoppers would probably prefer an elliptical trainer with a heavier drive.

To help keep you motivated and entertained the Horizon EX-59 elliptical has a tablet computer rack. Keep your favorite apps and other files handy during workouts! It’s also an iPod-compatible elliptical; you can ditch your earbuds and use its integrated speaker system.

For heart rate monitoring the EX-59 has grip sensors built into the handlebars. The data can be useful but aren’t considered medically accurate; the best pulse monitoring comes with wireless sensors.

To make hydration convenient this elliptical has a water bottle holder placed within easy reach.

Warranty & Guarantee

The Horizon EX-59-02 carries a great warranty for its price class. The warranty includes:

– Frame: Lifetime

– Parts: 2 Years

– Labor: 1 Year

Horizon customers also get a 30-day money back guarantee.

Conclusion

The Horizon EX-59 is very basic for a Horizon elliptical. It offers the best value to trainees who carry less weight and have shorter strides. The two-year parts warranty is impressive considering the trainer’s sale price of just $699. After a year or two have passed, the typical trainee will be ready to upgrade to an elliptical trainer with a heavier drive.

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