Thinking about an Image elliptical trainer? Wondering if it's a good buy for you? Here's a few things to know before you buy.

Image is a budget line of elliptical trainers from ICON Health and Fitness - one of the largest fitness equipment manufacturers in the world. They also manufacture brands like Weslo, Reebok, Epic, Freemotion and Proform.

Each brand has their own particular strengths. In the case of Image, the main strength is that they are affordable. Most of these ellipticals come in under $500 and are sold through a variety of different discount chain department stores.

This fact alone makes them very popular. But are they really a good value? Here's an overview of some of their main strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths:

#1) Affordable - Since most of these units come in under $500, in this economy, it makes these machines very popular. Plus while they're big, they're not monstrously huge. So many people just choose to transport them home themselves, saving on shipping costs.

#2) Ramp - There are a few Image units - like the Image 9.5 elliptical - that do offer manual ramp. This is similar to incline in that it changes the slope of your elliptical motion and helps you crosstrain different muscles.

Note however that most Image units do not come with Ramp. The ones that do use manual (not power) ramp. This means you have to get off the machine to adjust it - which can be a pain.

3) EKG Heart Rate Monitor - Most Image home ellipticals do offer some sort of heart rate monitor. This helps you stay in your target heart rate zone while exercising.

Weaknesses:

Unfortunately these ellipticals do have several strong weaknesses:

#1) Flimsy Construction - No one, not even ICON with all of their resources, can make a strong, stable elliptical for under $500. Most Image ellipticals have poor construction with cheaper parts that can often break easily.

The user weight capacities are also very low (which means they aren't built to take a lot of strain). You can probably expect some wobbling on these units if you pick up the pace.

#2) Short Warranties- You don't get much in the way of warranty with these ellipticals, Most give you around 90 days - which should tell you something. And if you do have to buy parts after the warranty runs out it can cost you. So many people elect to buy a whole new elliptical at that point.

#3) Bare Bones - You don't get much in the way of workout programs or fitness options with these machines, they're extremely bare bones. You do sometimes get a few heart rate workout programs - but that's about it. No iPod docks, fitness tracking tools or adjustable strides, that you can get with other elliptical brands.

Summary:

Image elliptical trainers are affordable and do offer some simple basics like heart rate monitors and a few workout programs. However overall, they aren't know for having strong construction.

User reviews have been poor with many people complaining about parts breaking soon after purchase. Warranties are short and options are limited. Considering all of this, it's really hard to recommend these machines.

If you have the time to buy one, take it home, assemble it, and then truck it back to the store for a refund if something should go wrong, then go for it. But you may just want to save yourself the hassle and spend a few hundred more to get a longer lasting, more stable elliptical.



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