Crescendo Fitness Magnetic Resistance Elliptical Cross Trainer

Assembly was a little confusing and tedious as the instructions were not exactly for this machine model. It took over 2 hours for an experienced assembler. The completed machine is quiet, smooth, easy to use and adjust. No flimsy parts and all stressed parts ware solid steel. Also it looks well designed, made, and feels durable, but time will tell. I am very happy with it so far. I am a formerly paralyzed stroke patient and an elliptical machine is the best walking therapy ever. It works muscles that my normal shuffling does not, and makes my walking technique is more normal. I wish I would have had access to a machine like this during my formal rehab. I may be able to use this machine to train my muscles for running again.Update after 30 days: I had de-rate this machine from 5 to 3 when the both the plastic pedals, or footplates, broke. The bolts broke the un-re-inforced plastic retainers. This is definitely a design error. Also Amazon cannot locate the manufacturer, so I am going to have to have stronger custom pedals made from aluminum. Beware! no warranty and no support! Amazon said they would replace, but the cost of dissasembly, reassembly of replacement and shipping makes custom replacements cheaper. Other wise it seems like s good machine. I also agree with other reviewers, the instruction manual is very poor. Without an experienced assembler (an equipment fabricator) I would have had a problem.Further update. Amazon got a hold of the manufacturer and they shipped out 2 more pedals but even with very careful assembly and use, 1 has already broken. Now that I have used it frequently, I think the maximum step and resistance range is not high enough even for me, a stroke patient. 2.5 stars at best. I think I would try the Schwinn 450 for my next purchase,even though it is a lot more money. I have been able to use it to work my muscles better than my normal shuffling walk, but cannot duplicate running positions. I would need a machine where I can adjust the vertical angle of the pedals. I have a person designing adjustable angle pedals. I will see if it is technically and economically feasible.Further update. Both replacement pedals now have broken, even though installed very carefully making sure no to over-tighten the retaining bolts. Finally replaced with custom fabricated over-sized aluminum pedals which have had many hours of use and seem to be holding up well. Have to de-rate the original equipment to 2 stars because of the flimsy pedals. Also the electronics which I would not normally use anyway, failed in 2 weeks and battery replacements do not last more than a couple of days, probably shorted. It does need a slightly wider base for good stability. I use it every day for a few minutes only.

Step 3 for install of front upright frame is impossible to complete, because the cable that the instructions tell you to "force" into the metal bracket is not even remotely long enough to extend between the two portions of the cable, thus making it physically impossible no matter how much bending, pulling, squeezing, or pushing you do. Also, the cable is too slack in the body of the machine to move the magnet at all, so even if you are able to magically attach that piece, it will still not move the magnet.When I called the customer service number listed in the manual, I was put through to voice mail (At 12:30pm PST - 3:30pm EST) on a Thursday. When I called back a half hour later, they said they were closed and their hours ended at 5pm. They didn't have an accent of any sort, so I would assume they were in the United States...DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT - THE CONSTRUCTION IS FAULTY.I feel fairly confident the company is just trying to unload as much of these faulty machines as possible. Not to mention that the seller will not only not cover return shipping, but they will deduct the original shipping costs from the refund of the product if it was listed as free shipping (which is probably half the cost of the item.Also, as someone who works for an online reputation management company and an SEO specialist, I noticed upon further research of the product (while trying to find a resource for how to deal with this issue) that the company artificially enhances its search results by inundating the internet with search result mill articles (notice the lack of reviews and little relevant buyer information).

I did not have a lot of money to spend, but I needed to get in shape so I gave this elliptical a try. It is amazing! It does not take up too much space and is completely silent when in use. It was pretty easy to put together, with my friend's help and works like a charm. The best part is it does not do the work for you, but at the same time, causes no joint pain. The only problem I could think of is it is not built for really big or tall people. The stride is not as long as higher end machines, but is perfect for medium sized people on a budget. It also may seem to rock a little at higher speeds, but it has never been a big problem. If you can not spend more than two hundred and fifty dollars, this is a great buy!

I was able to put this together in one night. I have had this for two days now.The assembly was pretty easy accept for two important steps. First, when the tension control wire is connected. The assembly instructions acknowledge that this is a hard step and provide two tips for completion. One is right and one is wrong. To make it easier, it says to turn the tension control knob to the lowest setting. This is correct. It also says to rotate the metal bracket counter clockwise. This is incorrect. For easiest completion, turn clockwise as far as it will go. You will also have to bend the bracket's metal teeth apart to fit the wire in. Afterwards, bend teeth back to original position and rotate bracket back counter clockwise. Also important: The large bolts that connect the footpad supporter bars to the spinning turbine are specific left and right. Make sure they are on the right side or you may risk permanently breaking the machine. Other left and right specific parts are clearly marked. I almost lost my machine in both cases and thought it only right to warn others of these problems but I still ended up with a perfectly working machine.

As soon as it arrived I worked hard at putting it together. It was almost complete when it came time to connect the wires for t he resistance levels and light up monitor. I discovered that these wires would not connect the way they should and that one was already broken apart. I didn't bother returning it since that would mean having to disassemble everything and pay for the return of such a heavy object. I decided to be content with one level of resistance and no timer.