Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My $60 yard sale elliptical finally gave up the ghost and I went looking for a replacement. After nearly a week of searching, of actually going to Wal-Mart to buy a machine only to find that the Wal-Marts in my area no longer carry exercise equipment in store and then finding the reviews that would have made me instantly regret my original choice, I found this machine on Amazon. I like the Prime shipping, especially after seeing the shipping costs. I was not that impressed by the cycle option, but, hell, the entire machine costs a good deal less than I expected to pay, so I concentrated on what it is. 1) It's an elliptical, which is what I want 2) It's inexpensive, which is what I want 3) It's got a higher weight limit than is standard, which is what I want 4) It does not require AC current, which is what I want 4) It has 14 resistance levels, which is more than I want but that's cool 5) It allows me to rest my Kindle HDX on a board between the handle bars so I can watch video while I work out, which is what I want 6) It does not take up a lot of room, which is what I want 7) It's quiet enough that I can hear my video with my headphones, which is what I want 8) It counts revolutions rather than distance, which is not what I want but can live with 9) It's got a 15" stride which is shorter than I want but I can live with it 10) It's got more of what I want than what I don't want. Assembly was fairly straightforward. I am methodical so I unpacked all pieces before I started and made certain I had the right tools. From start to finish, it took just a bit over two hours for me to put the thing together. This included several interruptions and phone calls because it is the universal rule that no one needs to talk with you until you are in the middle of something else. I heeded the advice given concerning lithium grease and had a can on hand during assembly. Whenever the instructions called for grease, I used it and tossed the included packet. After assembly and tightening and use of a few days, I am not hearing any squeaks. It might be the lithium grease I used, it might be my superior assembly skills, or it may be my inhuman strength and ability that has caused mere bolt tightening to become the equivalent of an industrial weld. Pick the one which makes me most attractive in your eyes. My first time using the machine, I selected the highest resistance level, 14. I did this because I have used elliptical for several years now and, typically, set the resistance level high. Or I did it because I made the assumption that this low cost machine would barely make me sweat. Either way, I was wrong. Now I use level 7 and am dripping in sweat at the end of 45 minutes. This is a solid piece of equipment and I would recommend it. Now, it ain't magic and you will have to actually use it consistently before you will see results but that's how life is. You just can't show up one day and demand the world cater to your whim and then stomp off when it refuses and come back a couple of months later claiming you made a mistake and then get angry when you are turned away. But, I'm not bitter.