When we talk about exercise machines, ellipticals are an excellent choice. This equipment does not put a lot of pressure on your joints as you’d find in treadmills and also helps you burn that stubborn fat.
Whenever we think of buying a piece of gym equipment, having a budget is the first thing we consider. As you know, exercise machines are not cheap and you don’t want to go overboard, no matter how attractive that fine elliptical looks, right?
It might be hard for you to believe, but there are many options that offer an amazing combination of aesthetics, ergonomics, and affordability.
In this article, article I will share my review of the best low cost ellipticals for 2024 and also talk about how you can buy your perfect machine.
Before we begin, here are the ellipticals that I will talk about today:
- Sunny Health & Fitness SF-E905
- Sunny Health & Fitness Fully Assembled SF-E3872
- Sunny Health And Fitness SF-E3607
- Sunny Health And Fitness Pink Magnetic Elliptical Trainer
- MaxKare Exercise Bike Cardio Training Elliptical
5 Best Affordable Elliptical Machine In 2024
1. Sunny Health & Fitness SF-E905
The Sunny Health and Fitness SF-E905 elliptical machine is a great machine for cardio training and delivers a low-impact workout. It delivers a complete upper and lower body workout and imposes less impact on the knee joints.
It comprises a compact 11-inch stride length, a hand pulse monitor for reading the heart rate, a digital monitor, 8 levels of magnetic resistance, transportation wheels, and a sizeable anti-slip food platform. This product measures 28”x17”x57” and weighs 220 lbs.
You can burn your calories quickly and efficiently and also monitor your workout intensity and heart rate. The display shows the time, scan, speed, calories, and distance.
This is a very stable machine and has a compact design too. It offers a superb home workout and keeps your fitness levels up. It comes at a very affordable price of $181.25.
Here is a list of its pros and cons:
Pros
- It is a compact and portable machine
- The digital monitor helps in monitoring the workout
- The eight resistance levels deliver a powerful workout
- It is a safe machine because it has an anti-slip platform
- It delivers a low-impact cardio workout that is not harsh on joints
Cons
- It is not ideal for people with a height more than 5’3”
- The machine is not so durable
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2. Sunny Health & Fitness Fully Assembled SF-E3872
The Sunny Health and Fitness SF-E3872 Magnetic Under Desk Elliptical machine is a compact machine that does not stress up the joints. Its foot pedals are textured which avoids any slipping incidence while pedaling.
This machine is ideal if you want to improve your blood circulation, lower body muscular endurance, and joint range of motion.
It has 8 levels of belt-driven magnetic resistance, a digital monitor to track the workout progress, and a transportation handle located centrally for portability.
The resistance is adjustable with the help of a tension knob. This is an excellent space-saving exercise machine that comes at an affordable price of $119.59 and measures 24”x19”x24.2” inches. Get over your sedentary lifestyle and buy this space-efficient and budget-friendly machine.
Here are the pros and cons:
Pros
- It helps in increasing blood circulation, lower body endurance, and a range of motions
- It has a space-saver design that is ideal for home use and for under the desk storage
- It offers a stride length of 7-inches on a stable frame
- This machine is portable as it comes with integrated wheels and a transportation handlebar
- It lets you perform a variety of exercises of varying intensities
Cons
- This machine can be noisy for home use
- The stride length is smaller than other budget machines
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3. Sunny Health and Fitness SF-E3607
The Sunny Health and Fitness SF-E3607 Elliptical Trainer is an excellent machine for your upper and lower body workout.
The pushing and pulling motion you do against the full-motion handlebars engages all your muscles and gives a great workout. Its digital monitor tracks your fitness progress by showing the vitals like speed, time, distance, pulse, calories, and odometer.
Its hand pulse sensors give accurate heart rate readings so that your cardio health is perfect always. It offers 8 levels of adjustable resistance that offers a variety of workouts and has a stride length of 12 inches.
It also comes with a built-in tablet holder where you can keep your phone and tablet while exercising. Its built-in transportation wheels make this machine portable. Its large, anti-slip footpads make exercising safer. This machine measures 39×23.5×63 inches.
Its pros and cons are as follows:
Pros
- It engages all the muscles of the body and gives a full-body workout
- It offers an excellent stride length of 12 inches
- The 8 levels of adjustable resistance offer a variety of workouts
- The tablet holder is an add-on feature to this elliptical
- This machine has a space saver design and is also portable
- The anti-slip foot pads offer a safe workout
Cons
- The machine is not smooth in working
- The tension controller cable is hard
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4. Sunny Health and Fitness Pink Magnetic Elliptical Trainer
The Sunny Health and Fitness Pink Magnetic Elliptical Machine look very stylish in pink color. It offers 8 levels of magnetic resistance and has large foam-padded handlebars. It offers great stability and safety to the user while exercising.
Its fitness monitor helps in tracking the workout progress by displaying distance, time, speed, and calories. Its petals are removable and oversized, thus giving added support to the user.
This trainer is resistant to rust and is built up of heavy-duty steel and metal. This is a reliable machine and will last longer. Its platform is slip-resistant giving a secure grip to the foot. It delivers a low-impact toning workout for both the upper and lower body.
The magnetic resistance ensures that the machine is silent and smooth in operation. It measures 45x24x60 inches and comes at an affordable price.
Here are its pros and cons:
Pros
- It helps you make a statement in your room with this pink color and chic style
- It offers excellent aerobic training for respiratory fitness
- It is a light-weight machine
- The 11 inches stride allows easy striding of the feet, both forward and backward
- This machine targets the full body and helps in building endurance
Cons
- The product is not long-lasting
- Due to being light-weight, it wobbles during an intense workout
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5. MaxKare Training Elliptical [Out Of Stock]
The MaxKare Exercise Training Elliptical is an upright exercise bike that offers 8 levels of magnetic resistance. This feature helps you customize your workout and enjoy working out on any model you want.
This is a low-decibel machine because it is noiseless and ideal for home use. Simply pushing you can move this machine as it is portable and lets you work out indoors or outdoors.
The LCD screen shows the distance, speed, time, calories burned, and heart rate information to help you in monitoring your workout.
The foot platforms are large in size and can accommodate all foot sizes to ensure safe pedaling while exercising. It also comes with a tablet/mobile holder, which is ideal for all sizes of phones and pads.
The designing of this machine is done in the most scientific way and thus has the best motion track. It has a maximum stride length of 13 inches and does not put stress on the joints too. It is an affordable machine that will help you form a healthy workout routine.
Here are its pros and cons:
Pros
- The machine is built with a scientific design and delivers the best motion
- Its stride length is superb and measures 13 inches
- The pedals are wide and anti-slip that ensure safety and security
- The add-on feature of the phone/pad holder lets you choose your favorite programs while exercising
- The machine is noiseless and ideal for home use
- It is a portable machine as it comes with integrated transport wheels
Cons
- Due to short handles, it is not ideal for tall people
- The machine can be unsteady at times
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How To Select An Inexpensive Elliptical Machine?
With the range of choices available, choosing a value-for-money elliptical machine can be a bit overwhelming. You must know beforehand what points to consider before finalizing a product and making a purchase.
Let’s have a look at the following pointers:
Stride Length
The stride length is a crucial feature of an elliptical, irrespective of its price. The stride length should be between 17 to 21 inches, ideally for people with average height.
For shorter people, a lower stride length will also do. Sometimes the ellipticals come with adjustable stride lengths, so be careful while choosing the right one.
Adjustable Resistance
Adjustable resistance is preferred, especially when the resistance range is wider. The lowest resistance offers the easiest movement and as the levels go up the difficulty increases and make the workout challenging. This feature helps in building strength and endurance.
Adjustable Incline
The incline feature in an elliptical is important as it adjusts the ramp of the machine. The incline adds an extra dimension to the workout intensity. Some machines have manual whereas others have automatic adjustments.
Smooth Movements
A good elliptical should deliver smooth and silent movements on pedaling. A jerky elliptical is not good and you should avoid buying such a product.
Height
Height refers to the maximum height you will reach when standing on the highest point of the elliptical. So always calculate this height according to your height and finalize the appropriate elliptical. This will ensure that you do not hit your head against the ceiling.
Comfortability
The elliptical machine should be comfortable to use it should have arm handles to give a comfortable grip. It is always a pleasure to work out on a comfortable machine.
Noise
It is advisable to look for a noiseless machine that works silently so that the people around you do not get disturbed. Especially, people with babies at home should prefer a machine that is low in decibels.
User Experience
Great user experience is always preferable because no one likes to work on a jerky or noisy machine. A seamless workout experience is something that you must look out for.
Safety
Any gym equipment must be safe so the user can use it without fearing any accident. An ideal elliptical machine consists of safety features like both cool-down and warm-up time periods.
They also have handrails to give balance to the user and an easy-to-read LCD that displays all the required workout data. The machine you get home must have other safety features too like a decent warranty and low maintenance.
Cost
Cost is an essential factor for the majority of people because buying an elliptical is not so cheap. But, you should also know that such machines are reachable too and you can find a cheap elliptical in your budget if you choose it wisely.
Moreover, always compare the features with the price you are paying for the machine and if you think it suits the purpose then go for it.
Reverse Motion
An elliptical can work in both forward and backward motions. Not many people know the health benefits of working out in a reverser direction and only know how to gain muscular fitness with forward motion.
So, make sure the elliptical works in both motions equally well to give you all the health benefits.
Extra Features To Look For
Some ellipticals come with amazing accessories and you also get extra features as a cherry on top. So, you might wanna go all out and consider ellipticals that have these features:
- A heart rate monitor, which is interactive and can automatically adjust your workout scenario and keep you within your target heart rate zone.
- A water bottle holder so that you can keep yourself hydrated while exercising.
- A tablet holder to keep yourself entertained while working out.
- Wi-Fi, motivational software, and a fitness tracker in case these features suit your budget.
FAQs
What is the best cheap elliptical machine?
There are many budget-friendly ellipticals on the market that offer decent features and functions. One of the recommended cost-friendly ellipticals is the MaxKare Exercise Bike Cardio Training Elliptical, as it performs well due to its great features. Its 13-inch stride length is ideal for home use. It is portable and comes with extra features like a pad/phone holder too. It delivers an effective workout.
What is Q-factor and why should I care about it?
Usually, bikes use the Q-factor term but even elliptical trainers use it now. It is actually the distance between the two cranks of the bike, or the distance between the legs or feet from each other while working out on an elliptical. It stands for “Quack”, i.e. if a bike’s Q-factor is wide then the feet of the rider become very wide like a duck and the effort becomes hard on hips and knees. So, choose a bike with an appropriate Q-factor so that you work out like a human and not a duck.
Which is better – a treadmill or an elliptical?
Treadmills are surely better cardio machines than ellipticals but budget-wise ellipticals are a good investment. Here are the reasons why ellipticals are better than treadmills: Treadmills require more space than ellipticals and are also heavier than them. Ellipticals are lightweight and space-saving. Ellipticals are quieter in working than treadmills as there is no motor in them. Ellipticals require less maintenance than treadmills. Ellipticals cost less than treadmills, so ideal for low-budget people.
Conclusion
It is essential to stay in shape and if you are health-conscious as well as a budget-conscious person, then choose one of the above ellipticals for home use. All these machines have a low impact on the knees and enhance the workout stamina, cardio workout, etc.
Make sure you take care of all the pointers discussed in the buying guide before choosing the right one. It can be a herculean task but this article will answer all your questions.
The most recommended elliptical out of these will be the Sunny Health & Fitness SF-E3607. It is a portable and low-decibel machine, thus ideal for home space.
Its adjustable resistance offers a workout variety and the 13-inch stride length offers freedom of movement. It comes with a pad/phone holder as well and is ideal for staying fit while working out at your home. All this comes at an affordable price too.
