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Our Smooth CE 7.4 elliptical trainer review investigates a much better effort from Smooth – the best choice in the range, but better than the best of the rest?
Smooth – great treadmills, pretty average ellipticals…until you try the CE 7.4.
This is more like it. In this elliptical you can begin to see why there’s all the fuss about Smooth.
This is a vast improvement on the CE 2.1 and CE 3.2, Where they were ok but uninspiring, the CE 7.4 is good enough to poke its flywheel above the parapet and garner some serious attention.
If you want a Smooth, then this is the model to go for.
However, the quality comes at a price – at $3,297, how does it compare with the serious competition in this price range?
Smooth CE 7.4 Elliptical Trainer Review – Features
For a start, the heavy duty flywheel at the heart of the sturdy drive system ensures a very fluid ride with a comfortable, natural elliptical motion.The Smooth CE 7.4 is a very different animal to the cheaper elliptical’s in the CE range.
The pivoting foot pedals eliminate any interruption to the motion so you experience no jerkiness or strain on your joints. Very nicely executed, I must say.
The 21″ stride length is more generous than most of the competition where 20″ is standard. Not a lot of difference you may think, but an inch does make quite a bit of difference to taller users.
The dual action upper body workout handles are much better than on the cheaper models, providing a much smoother and more challenging level of resistance so as to increase the muscle toning and weight loss potential of each workout.
The 3:1 lower to upper body ratio ensures that each half of your body gets a balanced workout and doesn’t tire before the other.
You get what you pay for with build quality, and the heavy guage, double welded, tubular steel frame is a seriously strong and stable piece of engineering that allows a maximum user weight of 350 lbs.
The 16 resistance levels, which work in both forward and reverse should enable beginners and seasoned trainers to find the right level for an optimal workout.
The eight preset workout programs add variety and additional challenges to maximise the fitness benefits of the CE 7.4.
Combine that with the wireless heart monitor and you can personalise each workout – interval training, fat burning, fitness testing and so on.
I do like the four window, dot matrix LED console display – it’s easy to read, fully featured and does everything that you’d expect of a machine at this price.
Finally, the warranties – they’re not bad – a lifetime on the frame and brake, five years on the parts but only one year on the labour.
You can pick up a Smooth elliptical at a wide range of online and offline retailers. Our Smooth CE 7.4 elliptical trainer review found it for ÂŁ2,499 at Treadmills Central.
Smooth CE 7.4 Elliptical Trainer Review – The Bottom Line…
Our Smooth CE 7.4 elliptical trainer review couldn’t help but be impressed by this machine. It’s a really well put together package that would struggle to disappoint.
But the quality comes at a price and I would question whether it offers the value for money of the best of the competition.
I personally don’t think you need to spend this much on an elliptical for home use. But if you can afford to there are in my opinion better options to consider.
If I was investing around $2,500 I’d go for something like a Sole E95, which normally lists for around $2,600 but the last time I checked you can get for as low as $1,699 online.
