Our Nordic Track Elliptical Trainer review takes a look at a range of budget treadmills under $1,000 – do they offer good value for money?
Now, I’m usually very wary of budget exercise equipment as often it’s a false economy.
The machines break down after a few months of regular use, normally after the short warranty has ended and they cost nearly as much to fix as replace.
However, we’ve heard good things about Nordic Track’s budget ellipticals and after being pleasantly surprised by Nordic Track treadmills, we thought we’d investigate further!
Nordic Track Elliptical Trainer Review – Introduction to the Range
Nordic Track are owned by Icon Health and Fitness, one of the largest manufacturers of exercise equipment.
They also own brands like Health Rider, Weslo, Reebok and Gold’s Gym.
Now Nordic Track have recently started making some decent treadmills designed for the home market and have added a range of elliptical trainers to their portfolio.
The budget to low priced – under $1,000 market – is hugely competitive, with a plethora of low-priced machines jostling for your attention.
If you’re in the market for a low-priced elliptical trainer, then our Nordic Track Elliptical Trainer review would suggest that there are two models from Nordic Track that are worth a look..
Nordic Track CX938 Elliptical Trainer
Nordic Track CX985 Elliptical Trainer
Nordic Track update their elliptical trainers on a very regular basis and it can be a little hard to keep up, but these are their current offerings in this category.
The CX985 retails for $949, but we’ve found it for as low as $719 online.
The CX938 retails for $799, and can be discounted to as low as $539.
Both of the ellipticals have a number of shared features…
Nordic Track Elliptical Trainer Review – Features…
#1. Rear driveWhen compiling our Nordic Track Elliptical Trainer review, I was pleasantly surprised by the range of features you get for your money. For instance…
Both machines come with rear drive, which means the flywheel is at the back of the elliptical. My preference errs towards rear drive machines as the action tends to be a truer elliptical motion.
However, the excellent range of Sole elliptical trainers come with the alternative front drive, so with better machines there’s not a lot to choose between the two formats.
#2. Silent Magnetic Resistance (SMR)
Both machines share SMR, common on machines in this price range. Whilst it’s a fairly smooth resistance system, it’s not a patch on the excellent eddy current brake (ECB) resistance found on more expensive machines.
SMR is an acceptable system at this price, and Nordic Track’s is pretty good for the money.
#3. Electronic features
Nordic Track are well-known for producing feature-packed machines, and these elliptical trainers are no exceptions.
Both come with plenty of workout programs and iFit.com compatibility if you want to download some more, a carb counter, a training zone indicator and so on…
I guess one comment I’d make is that by providing all these features on budget treadmills like these, it makes you wonder where the compromises have been made elsewhere in the machine.
#4. Warranties
Both ellipticals come with one year motor, parts and labour warranties. Common on machines at this price and better than the ubiquitous 90-day warranty.
However, they don’t give you much protection when things start to wrong…which they will!
Nordic Track Elliptical Trainer Review – The Bottom Line…
Firstly, whilst these are good value, low-priced elliptical trainers, they are still essentially budget machines and are built accordingly.
If you have a limited budget, then they’re both decent choices and will certainly give you a lot for your money.
However, don’t expect a club quality machine that will provide an ultra smooth, stable ride and last forever.
I’m always reluctant to recommend elliptical trainers under $1,000, but if that’s your budget then our Nordic Track Elliptical Trainer review would conclude that you could do far worse than these two machines – why not check out our reviews below?
However, if you can stretch your budget by a few hundred dollars, you may want to look at the Sole E25 Elliptical Trainer first.
Nordic Track CX938 Elliptical Trainer Review
Nordic Track CX985 Elliptical Trainer Review.