I searched long and hard before deciding to buy Sole F63. Runners up were the Sole F80, Smooth 5.45 and NordicTrac 1500. It finally came down to Sole F63 and the F80.

I chose the Sole F63 because the F80 was 50% more in price and I couldn’t justify the price difference. The F80 does have a better deck, larger motor and better warranty. But the warranty on Sole F63 is not that bad. The deck is a little harder but it’s more flexible than the street! I also liked the electronics on Sole F63 more than the F80. If you are deciding between these two units you can visit a Dick’s Sporting Goods and try them out.

I’m a jogger who is 6′1 and weighs 170lbs. I cruise along between 6 and 7 Mph. The 2.5HP motor can definitely pull me along with no strain and the running deck is plenty long for my stride. If you weigh more or run at or above 10mph you may want to upgrade.

Sole F63 Treadmill is very sturdy, even on a carpeted floor. There is no rocking when I’m jogging. It weighs 260lb. It took three guys to get it up our stairs due to its weight and the awkwardness of its size and shape.

Assembly was easy, you just have to mind the points where wire harnesses are involved. Once assembled its easy to roll around even though it weighs 260lb.

Why I like Sole. I went to their website to order direct. It was cheaper than Amazon and free shipping. They also have all their manuals online so you can see what you are getting into before purchasing. They also provide you repair and maintenance manuals. One person reported that his belt started to come apart after a month of use. It could be that he did not adjust the unit to his gate and step pattern. You see, if when you are walking or jogging and you favor your right foot for power, then the belt will tend to start moving toward the right of the deck. You need to adjust the belt to your gate and stride. Sole F63 manual shows you how to do this. It also comes with your first supplies for general maintenance. That is what I like about this company.

Also it says it does not come with a heat rate monitor program but it does. You get the chest strap plus two programs that allow you to work out according to your heart rate.

The heat rate handles on the front of the unit are too low for my liking and I find it hard to use while working out. For my wife , who is shorter, this is not a problem. The cooling fans are OK. They could be a lot stronger.

Another neat feature I like is the up/down speed and incline buttons build into the hand rails. This is great for me because I like to lengthen my stride and move away from the console. These buttons are easier to reach than the console buttons.

Overall I am very impressed with the treadmill. For less than 1,000 you can’t beat it. It feels like Sole F63 should be more.

Click to See Complete Features and Specs on Sole F63 Treadmill

Related Products
Sole F80, Stamina 5325, Schwinn 420, Stamina InMotion 2

I have not used 2 in 1 Elliptical Cross Trainer yet, and I hate when people write reviews about a product when they havnt used it yet, however I am reviewing now the putting it together process and in a couple of months I will g-d willing update my review on how well it works.

I read a review before I bought 2 in 1 Elliptical Cross Trainer and the guy stated that it took him over 3 hours to put together, so thats what I prepared myself for…except I am a 25 year old girl and was determined to beat this guy…well, what do you know? It took me an hour and a half, but I have to admit, most of the putting together was my common sense. The directions are NOT clear at all, but if you have some sense, you can figure it out by yourself.

For those of you who just got 2 in 1 Elliptical Cross Trainer and want an easy step by step, here it goes
1. flip the base so the bottom is facing up. of the two bars for the btm, the one with the wheels is for the front (petals are in the back). The screw they tell you to use, take off the washer. put the screw in the hole, put washer then nut on the outside.
2. you are going to put on the petal bolt on first (look at the bolts carefully, as it has written R and L on each one)
3. put the handle bar shaft on, make sure the petaling tubes are inline with the base then slide it through. put the screw on using the little “L” shaped tools. sit on a chair, with your knees steady the inlinment, then put one “L” shaped tool on each side and twist the opposite direction.
4. attach the petals, directions are pretty simple
5. attach the handle bars either so it stays steady or dual action mode
6.put batteries in moniter and attach, as per instructions
7. the washer and nuts for the seat are on the seat already. unscrew, pull out the seat bar from the base and screw on using a wrench.
8. there is an adjustable handle piece that is to hold the seat in place…its not easy to find the hole. you really got to push and pull till you get. (i really bought this for the elliptical, more than the bike so i dont really care that much about it.

Good luck, I hope I get good use out of 2 in 1 Elliptical Cross Trainer bike and it that case my rating will go up

Click to See Complete Features and Specs on 2 in 1 Elliptical Cross Trainer & Exercise Bike

Related Products
Marcy Recumbent Mag Cycle, CycleOps Mag Indoor Bicycle Trainer, Sole E35, Horizon Fitness T101

First one arrived broken, had no problems with return/replacement.

Very easy to assemble and does a good job for a low price. Some people may have a bit of trouble keeping their balance, but I had no difficulty after a few spins on Stamina 55-1610 InMotion E1000 — I think trying to maintain balance only enhances the effects of the workout. Small computer does a decent job.

Biggest cons would have to be that 1) the range of motion is definitely smaller than on a “real” elliptical and 2) the resistance setting isn’t all that great.

All in all, if you have a small place and don’t want to pay $40+/mo for a gym membership, Stamina 55-1610 InMotion E1000 is a great alternative to running up and down stairs.

Click to See Complete Features and Specs on Stamina 55-1610 InMotion E1000 Elliptical Trainer

Related Products
Schwinn 140, CycleOps Fluid 2, Merit Fitness 725T, Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050

I bought Bowflex PR3000 last week from a local store for $847.00. It has been nothing but, wonderful. I will definetly need to upgrade to 310lbs later but, for now it is just great.
PROS- Easy to put together, a perfect machine for me even at 6′3″ tall. Felt a little awkward at first doing kickbacks but, got used to it quickly.
CON – It states it has over 50 plus exercises but only lists 27 in the book. I called Bowflex and they told me to go to their site and look up Bowflex PR3000 for the Extreme 2. I did and it shows ALOT more exercises because both machines are very similar except for the lat pulldown bar on the Extreme 2.
Everything else is perfect. I will definetly be using Bowflex PR3000 for a long time. The fact that the weight is upgradeable to 310lbs and the no pulley change system are huge differences in the workout saving valuable amounts of time to focus on lifting.

Click to See Complete Features and Specs on Bowflex PR3000 Home Gym

Related Products
Best Fitness BFMG20, Valeo WV40, Ironman ATIS 1000, PowerBlock SportBlock 24

Teeter Hang Ups EP-550 tables are all sort of expensive but I am happy with Teeter Hang Ups EP-550. I think that if you are going to hang by your feet you should want to do it as safe and secure as well as comfortable as possible. Teeter Hang Ups EP-550 table just feels solid whether you are just at an angle or if you go with the full inversion. I have to admit that for me it took a few times to get used to the inverted sensation but I also had never done it before.

If I had to point out a drawback I find that the method for holding the feet is not perfect. I like to go fully inverted and it is not the most comfortable on the feet/ankles. Part of that is that I had a broken foot not that long ago and theres a big pad that goes right across the foot and that doesnt feel too great on a foot that is still somewhat sore. I do plan to get the conversion bar and use some of the gravity boots in order to make inverting more comfortable when I do it for longer periods of time.

Assembly is not difficult at all I just read the instructions and went at it although the DVD that comes with it has a part covering assembly that might explain it better than the instructions did. I would say that unpacking the item from the box was more of a challenge than assembly.

Overall I like Teeter Hang Ups EP-550 table, I use it daily. The ONLY reason it didnt get 5 stars is that I am going to have to get the gravity boots-bar attachment to make it more comfortable, but a lot of the reason for that is that sore foot not really Teeter Hang Ups EP-550. I really like to use it after working out especially if I do back or legs, both of which put a lot of strain on the back. I do notice that the muscles up and down my back seem slightly sore, not bad sore just the type that let you know they were worked-stretched. I take this as proof that inversion stretches the muscles of the back…especially the erectors. I havent tried the ab work with it yet…waiting till I get the gravity boots-conversion bar for that just to make it more comfortable.

Click to See Complete Features and Specs on Teeter Hang Ups EP-550 Inversion Therapy Table

Related Products
Bowflex SelectTech Adjustable Bench Series 5.1, Teeter Hang Ups EP-950, Best Fitness BFFID10, Bowflex PR1000

First off, Bowflex SelectTech 1090 is a great product, but I will not spend the time reviewing the great things about Bowflex SelectTech 1090 because I feel there are many other reviews that have already done that. Here are some things I found I thought should be helpful to others:

1) In the “most helpful critical review” it is listed that the rectangular chrome handles are a pain to deal with. This almost compelled me not to buy Bowflex SelectTech 1090. However, after trying out the DBs, I did not find it much of a bother. The “rectangular” handles are pretty much round with a hint of “rectangulariness” if you will. Not much of a bother to me, but some thick tape cloth should remedy the problem if you have sensitive hands.

2) To those that do not want to buy the $150 stand, I found that instead of picking the DBs off the floor, you can simply make use of the shipping boxes as a custom made stand. Just turn over the Styrofoam and cut off the top lid of the box and place the DB within the box and you are set. The DBs are still a little low, but it is better than picking them off the floor.

3) If you ever have the problem of a DB not fitting within the base evenly, the dials are stuck, and one of the plates does not attach to the DB, do not send in the DB to the manufacturer just yet (I had this occur to me today). After some experimenting, I finally figured out that all I had to do was remove the DB from the base and remove the plates from the base until the base was completely emptied. Then, with the emptied base, place the DB back within the base (without remaining plates on the floor). You should be able to switch the dials back to 10 lbs with plates from the DB coming off. Then simply place back all the plates within the base and place the DB back within the base with the plates ready to go. The DB should pick the plates right back up. This experiment saved me a lot of money because I forgot to send in the warranty mail within 30 days (it’s on the back of the paperback instructions). Hope you found at least one of these points helpful!

Click to See Complete Features and Specs on Bowflex SelectTech 1090 Single Dumbbell

Related Products
Ironman Gravity 4000, Ironman Gravity 1000, Body Vision PT600, Bowflex SelectTech 552 / 1090

I’ve had Schwinn Active 20 bike for about 5 weeks now and am very pleased with my purchase. I just sit in front of the TV and play PS3 for about 1-2 hours every day and burn plenty of calories. The Schwinn Active 20 chair is much more comfortable than our old standard exercise bike, which is paramount when using it as much as we do.

We also looked at the more expensive, older Schwinn model. Personally, we liked this one better, and it’s 200 bucks cheaper. This one was more comfortable and also much more easily adjusted, which is nice when you have 2 people using it at very different heights. This one hasn’t been on the market as long, so I’m not sure how it’ll last over the years, but so far it’s been strong and sturdy. Still, we got a 3 year warranty (not from Amazon) just in case. Even with the warranty it’s still much cheaper than the $[...] Schwinn model.

As for negatives, you can get a lot of resistance from Schwinn Active 20 bike, but each step up is a big jump. It would have been nicer to be able to ramp up more gradually. Also, I believe the calorie burner count is too high. I have a hard time believing that I can burn almost 1000 calories in an hour (although I do get the resistance up pretty high and break a good sweat).

All told though, Schwinn Active 20 is an excellent bike at an excellent price. Highly recommend.

Click to See Complete Features and Specs on Schwinn Active 20 Series Recumbent Exercise Bike

Related Products
Body Champ IT8070, Schwinn Active 10, Bowflex SelectTech 552, Body Max IT6000

Just received my Asus UL30A-X5 yesterday. After much review, and a try-out with an Acer 1410, I decided that I wanted a full-sized chiclet/island keyboard and the larger screen. I’m already quite pleased with my decision. At the <$700 price point, Asus UL30A-X5 is an excellent notebook.

Pros
- Keyboard. A pleasure to type on.
- Touchpad. It drags at first, but once you get some finger oil on it, and change the pointer speed, it’s one of the best that I’ve used. Very smooth two finger scroller. Support for customized two and three finger click.
- Screen. Bright and easy to read at 30 degree angles.
- Battery life. Yes, it will do over 10 hours.
- Weight/size. 1 inch thin and very light.
- Body. Love the brushed black metal look on the case.
- Asus facial recognition login. Didn’t think that I would care, but it’s nice to have the computer log in, without touch, when I’m sitting in front of it.
- Asus FastBoot (not the BIOS fast boot). This lets you configure which programs load during startup and which load after. Speeds up the boot quite a bit.
- Decent speakers. Not ear-destroying, but suitable for the size. Much better than most netbooks.

Cons
- Placement of touchpad. It still registers my palm as I’m typing even at the extreme setting. Downloaded the new touchpad driver, but that didn’t fix. Still looking for a solution. This is by far the most frustrating problem. UPDATE: The TouchFreeze utility seems to almost fix the issue.
- Case still shows fingerprints.

- Web cam is low res and has difficulty in low light (haven’t tried different drivers yet).

Click to See Complete Features and Specs on ASUS UL30A-X5 Thin and Light 13.3-Inch Black Laptop

Related Products
Ab Circle Pro, Schwinn 240, Lifecore Corebell 5- to 30-Pound, Schwinn 430

Arnold OEM-190-833 was well packaged and shipped promptly. However, Arnold OEM-190-833 had to be returned because it would not fit my 700 series lawn tractor. The web site stated it would fit all tractors while the box stated it would not fit 700 series machines, which it did not. Arnold OEM-190-833 was returned at Amazon’s expense and their refund of my money was prompt. Overall, a smooth transaction.

• Dozer blade fits all MTD lawn and garden tractors (except MTD/Yard-Man Revolution 2001 and after)
• Quick-change angle adjustment from straight ahead to 30 degrees left or right
• Spring-loaded blade return protects the blade and tractor
• Adjustable skid shoes allow blade height to be set 2 inches above ground level
• No tools required; skid shoes and scraper blade are easily replaceable

Click to See Complete Features and Specs on Arnold OEM-190-833 Fast Attach 46-Inch Snow Blade

Related Products
Steele Products SP-SB055P, Keurig B70, Keurig B60, Krups KM7000

Dimplex CS1205, Some critter got under the house and detached our heating ducts a few years ago so we only use electric heat and ambient heat from other rooms in the livingroom. I was looking for a better space heater after an Econoheat panel shorted and melted while I slept.

The problem with most space heaters is they are UGLY. They look like they belong in a garage. I wanted something that looked like a piece of furniture that wouldn’t set fire to my cats and that could heat up a big room with open doorways. I should also mention that I have a humor-based decorating style, so whether someone else will find it tacky or not is of no concern to me. I don’t invite people without a sense of humor into my home.

Anyway, I went with this. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being an orange spotlight behind a fan blowing white bits of fabric around like some Halloween decorations, and 10 being a real fire, I’d give it a 7.5. It only looks like a real fire if you’re not looking directly at it. The foily logs help a bit and it does have a slight 3D effect that makes it better than some, but even if you add a crackling fire mp3 and burn wood incense in the room no one is going to mistake it for a real fire.

That’s not to say I don’t like it. It does provide that hypnotizing effect you look for in a fireplace!

Additionally, it was 35 degrees F last night. I live in a farmhouse with 4 inch walls and cellulose insulation. I put it in my livingroom, which is approximately 500 sq feet, with an open doorway, 2 large windows, a sliding glass door, no basement, and an open stairway. It kept the room at 72 to 74 degrees all night.

It seems to be of sturdy construction. The top stays cool. The fan is very quiet. It’s also light and portable. Overall I’m satisfied enough to get another one for my office.

Click to See Complete Features and Specs on Dimplex CS1205 Compact Electric Stove

Related Products
Poulan Pro PR624ES, Toro 1800, Murray 1695539, Husqvarna 14527SB-LS