Horizon Fitness EX-69-2 Elliptical Trainer

After spending quite some time researching, comparing, and reading tons of reviews regarding various brands of Elliptical machine, I decided to buy "Horizon 69-2" from Amazon since the reviews were a bit better.Within a couple days after placing the order, I received a call for delivery arrangement & the machine was delivered 5 days later without any problem other than the fact that as other reviewers stated the box is very heavy (easily over 200lbs). The delivery guy told me point blank that his job is just to drop off the box in loading dock area; I'm a 5ft tall, 130lbs female, thank God for elevator & the very nice, helpful & strong HOA maintenance gentleman that help me get the box to my unit.As the box got off the truck, I noticed a few dents which show up on a couple of the parts as I unpacked, but nothing major (just some scratches & a slightly damage 'left Lower Handlebar' that I'll need to get a replacement for). Other than that, the parts were nicely packaged & seemed to be all there. But the 2 bits of tools provided can't really do the job without a screwdriver.The elliptical was easy to assemble thanks to the instructions provided. My 12 years old son & I got it done within 2 hrs or so, but we couldn't completely finished the job since the 'left Upper Handlebar' refused to be set in place. I think the bar is defective or the built-in screws are in too deep. Also, there's an annoying clunky sound that seems to be coming from the left side, and I have no clue why is that happening. Quick observation: any issue with this elliptical so far is from the left side (I don't know if that has any significance or not).Overall, aside from the few issues mentioned, I think this is a good home workout machine! I would recommend it if you can't afford a better quality one. I will be contacting customer service tomorrow for replacement parts & questions regarding the clunky sound, and I'll post an update. I usually don't take time to review any product in such details, but having able to find so many reviews to use as a guide prior to purchasing this elliptical made me realize the importance of taking a few minutes to post a review that might actually help someone.Review follow-up: Reaching a customer service representative wasn't an easy task. I had to call 3 times and wait on hold for a long while before I finally reach someone. I have this elliptical since the 2nd of July, it is now July 20th and I can't use it because I'm still waiting on parts to arrived. I have to say it's quite frustrating considering I spent $800 on this machine & was very excited at the prospect of having it at home to use whenever I want! I just downgrade my original 4 stars to 3:-( hopefully I'll be able to use it without any other problems when I finally receive the parts. Future buyer beware!!!

I gave this trainer to my wife for her birthday, and so far I've used it more than she has.The gym I frequent is between work and home, so when I don't have to go straight home, I hit the gym. On their trainer, I get my cardio rate at level 7 and about 7.5 MPH. I get my heartrate just from holding the moving handles.I get my cardio heartrate about 5.5 MPH, and level 1. I have to hold the stationary handles to get my heart rate. That takes about 30 seconds. I can get a good cardio workout at home in about the time it takes to drive to the gym, find a parking spot, walk from there to the gym, back to the car, and drive home. Its easier to stretch and do resistance training at the gym, so I'm keeping my membership.It took me several hours to assemble the trainer. The instructions say you can pick it up by one end and wheel it around. It is possible, and even though you have a long lever, and the weight is on the far end, its still heavy. I messed up a bit when I was ready to attach the cable in the upper console to the cables in the lower console. I pulled the cables all the way through before they were connected to anything. DO NOT DO THAT! It took me a long time with a wire fish to undo that mistake.Finally, they don't tell you where the power plugs into. I had to ask my neighbor to help me look. The power jack is in the middle of the front of the fly wheel housing.Almost everything is roller bearings, so I didn't really need to grease anything to keep it from squeaking. But, since I already had the lithium grease, I used it. I tried to avoid inhaling it, and minimized skin contact. There are no roller bearings where the upper handles pivot on the rods on the upper console, so I made sure it was lubricated there.It has a fan and speakers and a volume control). I like the auto on, and auto off feature.