Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First off, this thing is a pain to put together, but not difficult to figure out. In other words its tedious and annoying, not rocket science. The stride length is only 13" according to specs, so it does not feel like your gym's elliptical. The motion is a little stiff because you are truly the only thing moving this machine, unlike a motorized ones that have very smooth rotations. This is kind of jerky at first and takes some time to be comfortable. If you try and "rest" during one of your strides you will just stop dead in your tracks, again unlike a motorized version where you can sorta ride it for a few seconds to rest. BUT, because of that, you do get a good workout. The tension knob actually works very well - you won't think so as you are putting it together (the knob tension wire part WAS VERY DIFFICULT to fit together). On the highest setting it would challenge just about anyone, and the lowest setting is easier but still a good workout. Time will tell if it will hold up to the abuse that my wife and especially me (being a bigger guy), but for under $200 I thought it was worth a shot. So far so good. I gave it 4 stars because for the price I don't think there is anything out there better. Of course if the thing falls apart in a few months I'll refer to the phrase, "you get what you pay for." UPDATE 4/3/2013: So far this thing is holding up pretty well. It does squeak LOUD! I have tried wd-40, but it only helps for a few minutes. Personally I wear headphones LOUD so it doesn't bother me too much. I was more concerned that the machine would come apart, but so far it has not! We use it at least 5 days a week between us, sometimes more. We do between 30-50 minutes at a time, so i feel like we have given it a good beating. In other words its not a clothes hanger, we actually use it. The tension still works well and you can get a sweat and your heartbeat up real quickly if you want to. For sub $200, it was worth the buy. EDIT 10/29/2013 The eliptical broke. The main stem broke, the metal actually tore?? Obviously very SUB-PAR materials were used to construct this. It did get a lot of use, but we are WELL under the weight limits. I called Amazon, they said, call the manufacturer...I will update when I speak to them. For essentially $20 a month I should of joined a gym - bummer. WHEN WILL I LEARN IT'S A CHEAP PRICE BECAUSE THE ITEM IS CHEAP!!!