Gear: Home elliptical machines hit their stride

The elliptical is gaining on the venerable treadmill in the race to be the No. 1 cardiovascular machine in the nation, with sales of $687 million in 2008 as compared with the treadmill’s $870 million, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Assn. Small wonder. The flowing elliptical motion provides a similar cardiovascular workout to running but without the high impact, making it more friendly to those who have joint problems or are carrying a little extra weight. And with arm and leg stations, it delivers an all-body workout. Since sub-$1,000 models generally won’t stand up to daily use, the new, feature-laden models reviewed below start at a grand and work up.

— Roy M. Wallack

Squeaky-clean value

Sole E25: Econo elliptical with a nice array of features

Likes: Good value. With long, flowing 20-inch strides, it avoids subjecting you to the short, choppy, rhythm-wrecking motion of the typical shorter-stride ellipticals in this price range. Includes a nice lineup of programs and several practical features, such as a heart-rate hand grip and chest strap, and MP3 input and speakers. At 62 inches in length, it’s at least a foot shorter than normal ellipticals.

Dislikes: The E25 is irritatingly squeaky when compared to quieter competitors at this price, such as the Vision X1500 and AFG 2.0 AE. Because the foot platforms tilt down in front, it pitched me forward enough that I felt a bit unbalanced without using the arm handles. (The pedals are level on Sole’s similar but longer E35 model, rated a “ Best Buy” by Consumer Reports at $1,299, although it too is suspiciously squeaky.)

Price: $999 (sold only at Dick’s Sporting Goods or online). (866) 780-SOLE; https://www.solefitness.com.

Mighty mite

LifeCore CD 500: Small-footprint, “center-drive” elliptical that saves space by placing the flywheel in the middle of the machine instead of on either end.

Likes: Smooth, solid feel and flowing motion with natural, upright body position. Includes a large screen and 18 programs (four with Polar heart-rate compatible control). It has a manually (not automatically, like the Vision and Octane) adjustable stride length from 17 to 25 inches, so it can deliver a comfortable and challenging workout to everyone — tall or short, fast or slow. (The $1,999 CD 400 has the same feel but drops the stride length to a good but unadjustable 21 inches.) It’s only 42 inches long when static, half the length of some other quality ellipticals (for the caveat, see “Dislikes”). Handrails make it easy to climb aboard.

Dislikes: Although refreshingly short when not in use, the 500’s foot platforms swing a couple of feet in front and back of the machine when in use, effectively making it 3 feet longer and requiring more floor space.

Price: $2,499. (888) 815-5559; lifecorefitness.com.

Well-rounded deal

Vision S7100 Suspension Elliptical Trainer: Front-flywheel machine with a non-leaning vertical position that mimicks running.

Likes: A smooth, natural, health-club-quality feeling at all speeds — much like Vision’s older, $1,000-more S7200, which has slightly wider ranges of adjustability. The 7100 automatically changes its stride length (from 20 to 21.5 inches) as you speed up and has 20 levels of resistance, with an incline that ranges from 18% to 37%. It has heart-rate grips on the handles and foot pads that stay relatively level through the ellipse. The lower-cost Delux console includes Sprint 8, a great interval program. (Its Premier console, with more programs, heart-rate control and a chest strap, is an extra $300). Length is a compact 57 inches, with no hang-over like the LifeCore.

Dislikes: Maximum stride length, while fine for most high-performance ellipting at 21.5 inches, doesn’t come near the Octane and Lifecore. The pricey S7200 pushes it to 23 inches.

Price: $2,699 (deluxe console). (800) 335-4348; visionfitness.com.

Top-end, top-dollar

OCTANE Q47c: High-end, club-quality machine with wide-range automatic stride length.

Likes: The most natural feeling elliptical on the market. It has rock-solid health-club stability, level foot platforms, hand-contact heart-rate sensors on the moving handlebars and an exhilarating workout-enhancing feature called Smart Stride, which can automatically change your stride length from 18 to 26 inches. Go faster and the stride lengthens, as it does in real life; at top speed, when not using your hands, you feel like you’re all-out running — without the impact. Other top machines from Life Fitness have a similar auto-stride but lack the Octane’s exceptional feel. The large spread also helps the machine accommodate tall-and-short couples. Includes a nice variety of programs.

Dislikes: There is no incline ramp, as with the Vision. And it’s huge, topping out at 85 inches long on the back stride.

Price: $4,099. (847) 638-1582; https://www.octanefitness.com.

Wallack is the author of “Run for Life: The Breakthrough Plan for Fast Times, Fewer Injuries, and Spectacular Lifelong Fitness.” roywallack@aol.com