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Spirit XE 550 Elliptical Trainer

Spirit XE 550 Elliptical Trainer Review

Our Spirit XE 550 elliptical trainer review investigates a tremendous elliptical that appears to represent excellent value for money – does it?

The XE 550 sits above the XE 150 and XE 350 in the Spirit XE elliptical range.

All three models are fundamentally the same elliptical, just with a few more bells and whistles added with the more expensive models.

Spirit is a brand that’s owned by Taiwanese company Dyaco, which also numbers Sole in its stable.

As a result, the XE 550 is similar to the outstanding Sole E95.

As with the other models in the range, these ellipticals are so well put together and with such a high spec that they represent tremendous value for money for anyone in the market for an elliptical in the intensely competitive mid-price market.

Quite how Spirit do it for the money I don’t know, but in the XE 550 they have a winner on their hands.

So let’s take a look in more detail.

Spirit XE 550 Elliptical Trainer Review – Features

Spirit XE 550 Elliptical Trainer

Our Spirit XE 550 elliptical trainer review reaches the same conclusions over the build quality and design, which are both excellent at this price.Our reviews of the XE 150 and XE 350 have covered the nuts and bolts of the range. The XE 550 comes with some added features that justify the higher price tag.

Sure, the XE 550 isn’t quite commercial quality, for which you’d expect to pay over twice the price, but this elliptical would still represent good value if sold for $1,000 to $2,000 more than it is at present.

Any home user will find the front drive system a delight, with the heavy 30lb flywheel and smooth eddy current brake (ECB) resistance system offering a ride quality, solidity and stability rarely found in ellipticals much under $2,500.

The articulating pedals, adjustable footplates and cushioned footpads all add to the comfortable ride, which practically eliminates any strain on your lower body joints.

The 20 resistance levels offer a great deal of flexibilty to your workout and should prove more than enough for even the fittest of users.

A feature of the XE 550 that I’ve commented on in reviews of the rest of the range is just how quiet it is. Jump on the competition and you’ll soon hear the difference.

The 20″ stride length accommodates the tallest of users and really facilitates a workout through the maximum range of motion, which results in more calories burned and better weight loss results.

Use the upper body levers and you’ll get a really satisfying whole body workout.

The XE 550 has six standard workout programs, as well as two user defined programs and two heart rate programs.

The latter is a feature I like and use often myself, as it automatically adjusts the resistance during a workout to maintain the heart rate you program in at the start.

The result is that you can stay in a specific training zone depending on whether you want to burn fat or increase your aerobic fitness.

Allied with the heart rate autopilot feature that is an additional feature on the XE 550 and you’ve got the recipe for many a productive workout.

The telemetry belt – chest strap – ensures you get the most out of this feature as it ensures continuous, hands-free heart rate monitoring.

The LED display console is an improvement on the LCD displays on the other models, with it’s two windows, tri-colour display, 20 character message window and heart rate percentage graph.

The warranties are the same as the cheaper models, with a lifetime warranty on the frame, five years on the parts and electronics and two years on the labour – outstanding and a measure of the confidence the manufacturers have in this line of ellipticals.

The XE 550 normally retails for around $2,000 but our Spirit XE 550 elliptical trainer review found it for $1,699 at

with free shipping within the US.

Spirit XE 550 Elliptical Trainer Review – The Bottom Line…

As with the other models in the range, our Spirit XE 550 elliptical trainer review would conclude that this model offers everything the serious home user could want in a package that should prove pretty much impossible to beat at the price.

Finding an elliptical this good at a price well under $2,000 is nothing short of remarkable.

Given that there are so many poor and at best mediocre elliptical trainers on the market, finding products this good is a rare pleasure.

Our Spirit XE 550 elliptical trainer verdict? This is a real bargain, snap one up at this ludicrously low price while you can – it will surely go up at some point in the not too distant future.

About Ebnul Karim