Just recently bought a 418 schwinn elliptical. A few years old model that has gotten mostly positive reviews and has been a Consumer Report best buy for at least a couple of years. For the month of March it is $499 shipped from Amazon.

Buying and shipping experience: love Amazon. The $100 off March special was taken automatically. Just had to click super saver shipping. Item was shipped by a freight company. No problem with them. They gave a 2-hour window (have to be home) and delivered it in the first 20 minutes. The gentleman did 'tip' the box into the front hallway. He is not 'allowed' to enter the house.

Putting it together: First off will need 2 people. The box is big and the unit itself is heavy (172lbs). We carried piece by piece to the upstairs where we were going to assemble it. No problem. Everything was there except 2 wave washers. Called customer service. They were nice and said items would be shipped asap. Called Monday evening received them on Thursday UPS express. As it turns out we did not need the 2 wave washers. 2 of them were pre-installed but in the old instructions they were not. If you end up buying remember you only need 2 wave washers. Otherwise everything was there.

It took about 2 hours. The written instructions are not so good but the pictures are. Mostly straight-forward. Needed a hammer on one piece.

Impressions: Very sturdy. I am probably 263 with clothes and it is extremely stable for me. Not very noisy at all. Resistence levels go smoothly and the exercise motion is very smooth.

Why I bought: Had plateaued with a gazelle. This is night and day different. I could go 40 minutes on a gazelle hard with hardly breaking a sweat. I start sweating on this within 2 minutes and my heart rate gets up and stays up. Resistence levels and computer program are great. Just an incredible workout. I feel it when I am doing it but afterwards no soreness.

Comparison to schwinn 430. The 430 is a newer model. It has 16 levels of resistence compared to 8 for the 418. But the 430 is 20lbs lighter (not a good thing for an elliptical and the warranty is not as long reflecting it not being as sturdy). Also the 418 has a couple of heart rate programs (where resistence is changed automatically to keep you at your target heart rate) and the 430 does not.

Lastly amazon is taking $100 off the 418 for March but not the 430. If you are in the market for an elliptical (widely regarded as one of if not the best cardio machines available) this is an award winner. It is at a great price at Amazon for March. Assembly is what it is. Schwinn assembled what they could reasonably assemble to ship it. I never once thought oh this could have been done at the factory. Takes a couple of hours but worth it.

It gives a heck of a workout. And it uses your whole body (upper arms swing). It also is a lot more silent than the gazelle. Goggle up some reseach on it, if interested, but I would highly recommend it.

[nelie]

Diamond - I also believe the Schwinn was the elliptical that Consumer Reports recommended in their inexpensive category.

It was. And not too long about it was selling for $699 or $799. Even on Amazon it was $650 just a couple of months ago. So $499 is a real treat. I found many reviews on the net that said it was the best elliptical for under $1,000.

[Just Deb]

I love my Elliptical! Absolutely one of the best purchases I have ever made.

The April 1st (no joke) 'gold box' deal on Amazon at 9pm eastern is listed as a 'top-rated elliptical'. Not sure which one. But anyone reading this at the right time might want to check it out. I have seen gold box deals sale out in 2 minutes or last the entire 4 hours. Thinking it might be the 418 at an even better price.

BTW 3 weeks later still love it. Can go further on it. Bought an equipment mat and it is almost noiseless. VERY good workout, very stable. Great buy so far.

[improbable]

2 hours left guys if you want it at 399