Spirit Esprit EL-455 20-Inch Stride Elliptical Review
| Product Code | B002LKC4AG |
| Product Rating |  |
| Price | $1,223.65 |
| Where To Buy | See More Details |
| Customer Review | See More Reviews |
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #124047 in Sports & Outdoors
- Brand: Spirit Fitness
- Model: EL-455
- Released on: 2009-09-01
- Dimensions: 66.92" h x
23.62" w x
64.56" l,
196.90 pounds
Features
- 20-inch stride on dual chrome rails for smooth motion
- 30-pound heavy-duty flywheel; health club commercial bearings and premium bushings for fluid motion
- Large, easy to read blue backlit display
- Speakers and audio jack for your MP3 player
- 350-pound user capacity
- 20-inch stride on dual chrome rails for smooth motion
- 30-pound heavy-duty flywheel; health club commercial bearings and premium bushings for fluid motion
- Large, easy to read blue backlit display
- Speakers and audio jack for your MP3 player
- 350-pound user capacity
Product Description
Experience the smoothest, front drive elliptical available today! The Spirit Esprit EL-455 dual action, 20" stride elliptical is the most feature-rich elliptical available. With a flywheel weight of 30lbs with sealed health club quality bearings and bushing this unit offer unmatched quality, durability and consistent feel. The concave wheels glide over the dual chrome rails to help you throughout your workout. Unique features include the 3-position adjustable pedal angle which is great for multiple users and fights foot fatigue. An extra large, blue backlit LCD display is easy to use and includes built in speakers for your MP3 player. Reach your fitness goals with a variety of 6 pre-set, 2 user and 2 heart rate programs and 20 resistant levels. Transport wheels are built in for convenient mobility. The user capacity is 350lbs and the EL-455 is warranted for life on the frame and brake, 5 years for parts and 1year for in-home labor
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
108 of 109 people found the following review helpful.
Quick delivery, solid machine.
By Jerry F.
I had been using a Proform elliptical for a few years until it started to breakdown. It had a 18 inch stride and provided a good workout. After the Proform started to give me problems I knew it was time to start looking for a new machine. My first inclination was to go with a Schwinn since my parents had a Schwinn recumbent cycle and I had always thought it was a quality product. I read the reviews on the Schwinn 420,430, 431 and the new 460. I live near a Dicks sporting goods and went to see what they had to offer, although they had Schwinn recumbents on the floor, they didn't have any Schwinn ellipticals to try.They did have 2 Sole models, the E25 and the E95. Once I stepped on the Sole E25 I felt the quality of the machine, the E95 was even better but at 80+ inches long it was not of interest but the E25 was. The Sole E25 was priced at $950 plus tax. I then started reviewing other similar ellipticals and came upon the Spirit Esprit line which I came to learn was made by the same company that makes Sole.In my reviewing I discovered that flywheel weight is important, the heavier the better it seems, that's the thing that gives you the smooth feel, instead of a choppy run where you exert effort on each peddle on each individual stroke. It's hard to explain until you feel the difference but the flywheel weight makes the difference. Cheap machines don't mention flywheel weight because they don't have it.The Schwinn's come with a 25 lb flywheel the Sole E25 has a 23 lb flywheel, this machine has a 30 lb flywheel and you can feel it. It takes a little effort to get this thing going, but once you do it wants to just keep going. This provides a boost for those times that you feel like slowing down, this machine pushes you to keep it up, you can slow down on the pace but it takes a few revolutions. I bought the Esprit EL-455 for these reasons:It is shorter in length than the Sole 95 and the Sole 25It has a heavier flywheel 30 lbIt has heart rate control with telemetryAdjustable footpadsBack lit screen20 inch strideCustom programsMade by Spirit who makes Sole machinesLess expensive than similar SoleThe Schwinn 430 may be better but I don't know since I couldn't test one. The Schwinn 460 was intreging but as it's new I wasn't willing to take a chance. Once you get a 200 lb machine delivered and then assemble it, the last thing you want to do is have to take it apart and send it back.I've only had the Spirit for 1 day so I can't advise on much beyond assembly but it wasn't to hard. It took about 2 hours. 30 minuites was cutting the box and unpacking, 30 minuites was trying to feed the electrical wire through the column, I ended up using a coat hanger to push it through. The rest went pretty smooth but I was trying to be careful to do things in order and right because I know that if you screw up the assembly you might never get another chance to get it right.Upon trying the machine I found it very smooth and quiet as I expected it would be. I went for 20 miniutes and was sweating pretty good. I'm used to going 50 minutes, but then I was already sweating from putting the thing together so I'll leave the full work out till tomorrow.Just a note about delivery, I choose to take the free delivery offered by Amazon, total price was $999 no tax no shipping, they notified me a week after my order that the order had been shipped. Once I tracked the order I found that it had already arrived in my town and was ready for delivery, 10 days before Amazon said I should expect it. The delivery man wheeled it up my driveway and placed it in my living room exactly where I wanted to assemble it. The invoice said I had inside delivery included. I was worried I might have to pull it up the driveway myself because I didn't pay for preimium delivery.I'll update in a few weeks after I put the Esprit EL -455 through it's paces.Update - The machine does not have or use a heart rate strap and can only use the stationary grips for heart rate control programs. As I use a separate heart rate monitor, this is not a problem for me. It does make the heart rate control programs rather useless unless you don't use the swinging arms and keep your hands on the stationary grips. The machine itself has had a few minor skweeks but they seem to have gone away with use. I did spray a little wd40 on the joints this morning and the machine made very little noise at all. The work out is good, I have set up a program that keeps it on level 3 for 52 minutes. Once I build up some endurance I plan to try some of the programs that vary the level.Update 2 - The manufacturer Spirit emailed me and now says the machine does use a heart rate strap they just don't include it. They suggested I could purchase one from them. As stated before I use a clip on HR monitor so I won't be trying the strap. After 2 weeks of use I am still very pleased with my purchase, the ride is smooth and quiet a real work out. Still on level 3 but my avg. speed is increasing, got it up to 82 RPM's briefly today and my HR is staying lower so I'll need to increase the resistance soon. Haven't tried the speakers as I use earbuds, so they are really useless to me.Update 3 - About a month in I am very pleased with my purchase. The machine is quiet and smooth. I have 2 seperate user programs, one is more aggressive than the other. I use them both depending on how hard I want to go that day. Sometimes I use the easier program one day and then the harder the next. I set a long workout of 52 minuits so the preprograms are not used as they are all 30 minutes. I expect this machine to last many years and I intend to use it at least 3 - 4 days a week for as long as I am able. At 52 I spent most of my life as a couch potato, I am overweight but after six months on an elliptical 4 times a week for an hour, I am wearing clothes I haven't worn in years. The best part is that I feel good all the time and I have pride in the fact that I have changed my life around. Yes, I dread starting each workout, I think about quitting early every time, but I don't, I finish, then I feel great the rest of the day.
71 of 71 people found the following review helpful.Gym Quality - Quiet - Easy to Assemble
By Lawrence Sutherland
This is an excellent machine! Better than the LifeFitness machines at the gym.Easy to assemble - comes with all required tools - though use of a ratchet is recommended for speed. The only "hiccup" with assembly is attaching the pole that holds the display to the main unit - requires a little bit of a wrestling match (a helper would be a good idea here - I was solo). There are only 4 steps in the assembly and the bolts are separated by step. If you have basic "toolbox skills" this is a very easy assembly.Have them leave it in your garage or by the door if you don't have any stairs to negotiate. You can cut the box at the bottom and lift up - then move all the parts to the assembly area. This makes for an easy clean-up. The only heavy part is the flywheel - but it is easy to move as it has wheels.Also, the feet are heavy duty cushioned rubber. It is not necessary to order a Mat. In fact, if you are planning on moving it into position for a workout a Mat would be a waste of money. We have nice hardwoods and I am confident this machine is not going to harm them.Ordered from Amazon on Friday night for $999 with free shipping. It was delivered on Wednesday. I live in Metro Atlanta and it was shipped from Arkansas. ABF shipping is great. First ring pick-up to a human being to arrange delivery...awesome experience.The machine is attractive, movable, silent, and heavy duty. It has a great back-lit display panel with an ample rack capable of accommodating a large book (it is positioned so that you can comfortably read while exercising). A storage cubby for MP3 etc. and a nice, properly sized water bottle holder on the pole. There are several workout modes or you can use manual and just go. Resistance is 1-20. 20 is very hard as this is a substantial machine. It tracks calories, speed, and seems to accurately read a pulse. Provides a nice summary at the end of the workout.It also comes with an MP3 input, a cable that will fit any MP3 player via the headphone jack, and a fairly nice set of speakers. You control the music from the player - there is no complicated interface.I weigh 210 pounds and my wife is 5'6" and the machine accommodates either of us perfectly.A Spirit machine is number 2 on the list of Consumer Reports latest ratings (out of 29). Based upon my exhaustive research and testing, all of the Spirit Machines are basically the same. The number one machine on Consumer Reports retails for $2,600 and this machine is comparable in quality.If you want to get a feel for the machine...find a local specialty store that sells Spirit (Or Esprit by Spirit - they are the same-it doesn't matter which model except for the display and the flywheel weight) and check it out. They will not be able to match the deal from Amazon and they have to have it delivered too...so what's the harm in ordering from Amazon?I ordered the 455 for the heavier flywheel. Which I recommend.In summary, I agonized for weeks over this decision. Trust me...this is a great machine and an incredible value. We are going to cancel our gym membership and save $$$. You can't go wrong.GET IT!!!
55 of 56 people found the following review helpful.
Very disappointed
By Seb
A very quick summary of my experience with the Spirit Esprit EL-455 goes like this: I haven't been able to use my machine in the two months since I have purchased it. Details follow below.I bought the machine in the middle of January. Delivery was within the time frame expected for this type of product, absolutely no complain there.Assembling the machine is not difficult. Simply follow the manual and you should not have any problems except that one part was missing. Not too big of a deal, it was just the front cover which is there only for aesthetic. I thought that I could just call later to have that part shipped. The machine is heavy so if you need to take it up of down the stairs, have one or two people helping you.After assembly, I tried the machine at a low pace. Everything seemed to be working perfectly: the machine was fully functional, stable and very smooth. All that I wanted. However, in my first workout, as I pushed harder and increased speed, I noticed a clunking noise coming from the left side. I stopped thinking that the problem might be coming from the machine not sitting perfectly leveled in on the floor. I used a level, made some adjustment and tried the machine again. The clunking noise was still there. Going back to the manual, it says to tightened up every screw before calling service. I did just that but it did not solve the problem.So I called Spirit Fitness to service my machine. Waited on the line for a while, the period after the Christmas holidays is apparently the busiest of the year. I talked to someone who then ordered that parts be shipped to me and who told me that someone who call me within three days to schedule an appointment to service my machine. I ordered at the same time the front cover that was missing. A few days later I received the parts: the missing front cover plus a few washers...LAPD engineering, the company that was going to server my machine, called me to schedule an appointment. I think this was within the said three days or, if not, not much longer than three days. Very unfortunately, I was not able to take the call but the person left a message saying to call back. I did call back, many, many times and never got an answer. I tried for almost a week and I nobody ever answered the phone. I finally called back Spirit Fitness who then called again LAPD engineering. I received a call a couple days later to schedule an appointment a week and a half later. So, in total, between my first call to Spirit Fitness and the time my machine was first service, it took about three weeks...Service does not mean however that the machine gets fixed. The person who came over to my place did practically nothing. He basically concluded that the cause of the problem was me. I have a bad ankle from a previous injury which slightly reduces my flexibility. He said that the problem came from me lifting my heal on the left side. I always keep the front of my foot on the pedal though. I did not agree with that conclusion but naively accepted it. I never had any problem with an elliptical machine at the gym because of my ankle.I tried using the machine a few more time keeping more weight on the left side to stop the machine from clunking. The problem only kept going worst. The pedal on the left side now lifts up and get off the track. I called Spirit Fitness again and other part were shipped to me and was told that someone would call me within three days to schedule an appointment. I received the parts quickly. The call however never came. Not exactly true, the call came 10 days later after I called Spirit Fitness twice.Right now, I've had my machine for about two months and been able to use it only a couple of times. Second service is scheduled in a few days but I doubt that it will solve the problem. My diagnostic is a problem with the fly-wheel, or the attachment of the fly-wheel. I can't be 100% sure because I don't want to open the machine and void the warranty. The parts that were sent to me are unrelated to the fly-wheel.At this point, I strongly consider returning the machine. The problem however is that I will have to pay for shipment, which is expensive for this type of product. It is also difficult to pack an elliptical ready for shipment.########## Update April 5, 2011 ##########The machine was finally repaired a week and half ago. I'm surprised and happy that it is actually now working properly. My diagnostic was wrong. I've done about a half dozen workout so far and the machine is working very well. The only thing that I notice is that while working out, if I readjust one of my foot sometimes the wheel would come off the rail.As another review points out, the calorie count is lower than from other machine (e.g. Precor). The speed reading is also lower. These are not issues to me as long as the calculation is consistent from one workout to the other.I added one star to the review because I find it enjoyable to use the machine. I'll add one more star if the machine is reliable for an extended period of time. I won't go higher than three stars though given all the problems that I had.########## Update July 19, 2011 ##########It's been a few months and the machine has been functioning. Not always smoothly but it has been working. I use the machine four or five times per week, for an hour each time.I have discovered a few things. It's a good idea to grease those joints during assembly. I had a noise squeechy noise on the left. It was gone after I took the parts off on the left side off and greased everything. I later had a banging noise on the right side. That took me a bit longer to find out where it was coming from. I tightened all the bolts but the noise remained. I finally discovered that it was two broken washers on the wheels. Those curved washers keep the wheels stable. I fixed the machine myself. It was not difficult because I had some washers from the first package that Spirit Fitness sent me. There are on many other parts of the machine that use the same washers and Spirit Fitness does not include any extra one with the machine. I expect those to wear out again. The fix is simple and not costly. I don't know however if it's possible to find those washers at the store. I later changed another washer because it had sort of flattened and was causing some noise.I'm not ready yet to give one more stars. I don't expect the machine to be perfectly silent but I don't expect banging noises. I'll wait to see what happens with those washers.########## Update February 19, 2013 ##########I should have updated before, totally forgot.I upgraded my rating to three stars. The reason is that the machine has been overall reliable. I still have the issue with the washers though. Every two months or so, one of the washer breaks and the machine starts making banging noises. I'm getting good at changing the washers as it now takes me about two minutes. I'm almost out of washers though. I'll have to find those somewhere or get Spirit Fitness to send me more.I still don't know if I ended with a defective machine or if it is because of my use of the machine from my bad ankle. Other than the washers issue, it's been working very well.
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