I ordered this item on June 11 and it is now August 1st. I have just called in to ask where the item is and customer service has no idea and practically encouraged me to cancel the order and receive a refund. I am very disappointed in Amazon. I was impressed with their Free SuperSaver Shipping option but now I know WHY IT WAS FREE! I have just opted to receive my refund and buy from someone else! Signed, Angry in Texas

Purchased this machine from Amazon 2+ years ago after using a Matrix elliptical at the gym and really liking the workout. Was a bit concerned about durability long term, as this is comparably a cheaper piece of equipment. But... have used it about 3 - 4 times/week ever since. Have never had any problems with it! Love the user memory -- just jump on the elliptical, pick your name and go! A great addition to any home gym.

I put it together in about two hours and while there were occasions when I had to guess a bit about what the instructions meant ... and there were a couple of times when the parts list was slightly off ... it was still fairly easy. Once assembled, the unit feels sturdy and works well. I had a couple of squeaks and called Nautilus (they make Schwinn) to ask their advice. I was told I had probably overtightened the fasteners and to loosen them slightly. Seems to have worked. Hope this elliptical will last a long time -- it's been good for the first month!

My overall opinion of this is just as the title states.

But our journey with this was quite a process. Even still it was so worth it!

Most people, I'm sure, will not have to go through what we did. But I just want to tell you my story just in case one of you out there has any problems to let you know they can be fixed and that you will still love the machine!

The shipment came fast but the box was wet when it came. (So I was concerned about metal and electronics being wet.)

Assembly was not bad, but lay out all of your parts and check your parts list to make sure you have everything before you begin. We were missing a few things. Which my husband just purchased at our local hardware store. (we could have called the company and they would have shipped them for free)

My husband assembled the machine only to find out that the counsel did not work. I still started to use it though the counsel was not functioning at all. It was nice to know that it worked apart from its' electronic element. Upon use, the wheels on the glide started to create rust on the track and a bit of friction.

We phoned the number listed in the owners manual and they sent out parts to fix the issues. They also sent a necessary tool to help.

Shipment arrived fast and my husband followed their instructions and the tool broke. He phoned them again and they sent another tool.

Upon receiving the tool he tried again only to have the tool break again and to find another issue.

He phoned the company again and this time they scheduled a technician to come out at their expense. The technician stated that part of the machine was faulty (that's why the tool kept breaking) and he did not want to reassemble the machine. (which I was thankful for!) The technician then left and inquired as to what to do from his manager. The company stated that the failed part would not hinder use and so contacted us to set up an appointment for reassembly. At this point my husband was a bit unsettled and inquired about future issues with the machine as a result of the failed part.

With that inquiry, via the technicians manager, we were sent a form to fill out to request a brand new machine. Confused as to what to do with this form as it was quite extensive my husband again phoned the company and dealt straight with them instead of dealing with contracted service people. With that the process started for us to receive a new machine. This was the easiest part of all. Within a short period of time we were told the machine would be shipped out and the only delay was that the truck had to wait until it was fully loaded to travel to our part of the United States and who could blame them for that as the cost of gasoline/diesel is outrageous!

After all of that our new machine arrived.

We were not billed for any of the above. We have a new elliptical(the other one was new, too) and parts ta boot if anything happens to it beyond the warrenty!

The machine is fabulous to use. It glides so incredibly smooth. It is very quiet. All of the functions on the LCD screen are awesome to have. For exercise, it is so relaxing because the glide is so smooth. This machine has the Eddy current braking system, which is what you want in an elliptical for resistance. This system uses the pull of a magnet to create resistence which allows for the smooth glide. The magnet never touches the glide wheel.

Shipping for the first and second machines were free. Amazon has that once in a while which is great! If you really want to buy one of these don't wait till the end of December or the beginning of the new year as prices go up then because most people have new year's resolutions to get in shape. I bought this machine at the beginning of December 2007. I saw the price go up quite a bit after that.

I hope what we went through will not deter you from purchasing this machine. I went through consumer reports when considering an elliptical and they suggested the Schwinn 418 at the time. I chose this one because other reviews stated that the screen was better and the machine was more quiet. I am glad I chose this one over the 418 model.

Also, thanks to all of the other people who reviewed this machine as it was important in making my decision.

Just received my elliptical today. The packaging of this elliptical leaves something to be desired. The elliptical's parts are nestled between two very large and awkward pieces of styrofoam - a material I don't really like having to dispose of or store in the meantime. However, it did keep the elliptical safe and sound during transit. It took my wonderful husband about 2 hours to put it together, with some slight cursing. I was glad I remembered the reviews I had read prior to purchasing this machine, because I ended up going back and reviewing the problems other people mentioned about the LCD display. Indeed, our was also mounted a tad bit too tightly to the rack and the display would just blink and not respond to me, also the fan did not work at all. A little loosening of the screws made all of the difference and now the computer and the fan work perfectly. I had my first workout on it already and am quite impressed. The machine seems quite sound, stable, and quiet. I am really excited to have it and am glad I made this purchase. For the money, it is a great machine and I would recommend it.