Proform 330 Elliptical Trainer

4 Comments

1. Ty M. Riley says:

   May 6, 2010 at 5:48 pm

   We recently purchased the Proform 330 Elliptical Trainer for home use by my wife and me. This is the 3rd machine I have purchased from Proform over the past 10 years. Overall, this machine is the best of the three although it is far from perfect. But before I describe the “negatives” for this product, let me start with the “positives”.

   The price of the machine is unbeatable. For $300, you cannot go wrong. Even if it is worn into the ground in 2-3 years, it is economial to simply buy a new one. This model is eqipped with a solid control panel as well as a fan. For the most part, it is light and easy to move around. It seems more durable that the two machines I purchased in the past. The sole purpose of this machine is to work out 4-5 times a week for 30 minutes each time. It fits our needs perfectly and it didn’t break the bank.

   There are some drawbacks to this machine. It is very noisy. Since it is made primarily of plastic, it makes loud creaking noises during use. It’s not a squeaking sound as if it needs lubricant, but it creaks at the joints. I suggest playing your ipod on loud to drown out the noise and waiting for your spouse to wake up before the god-awful sound wakes them up! The hand bars are connected to the base only by tightning knobs that seem to always come loose and slide down during use. The overall durability of this machine is weak and I can tell it will likely not live past 3 years.

   Overall, this machine gets the job done. I work out regularly and it has helped me lose much weight. I could have spent >$1K on a steel machine but I didn’t want to make that large of an investment. Although this product has its faults, for the price it cannot be beat. I would recommend buying one if your needs for the machine are similar to mine. As long as you don’t expect too much and all you want is a machine to help lose weight and build muscle, it is certainly worth the $300. If you want a machine that has the durability of the ones you find at top-noth fitness centers, this is not for you.
   
   Rating: 2 / 5
2. B. Peress says:

   May 6, 2010 at 8:10 pm

   I had owned a similar Proform elliptical (made by Icon Fitness) previously, and it proved to be a piece of junk that broke quickly. But when I looked for a replacement, I found that, as a short woman, I could not find any other eliptical that was confomfortable for me.

   So I went and bought another of the same, but this time had the sense, or so I thought, to purchase an extended warrantee. Bad idea!

   This elliptical breaks down regularly; the pieces just come loose and it starts falling apart. Each time it does, it takes so long to get it fixed that it’s ridiculous. (Icon’s warrantee company, UTS, won’t send a technician until you have received the parts that they send you via ground shipping from Utah. Once the parts arrive, then you have to call their local outlet and get scheduled with a technician, wait until the technician gets out to you, then invariably they’ve sent the wrong parts (since they were only guessing in the first place), then you wait another week or two while the local company goes through some red tape with UTS, then you wait until Icon sends the right parts out via ground shipping, then when they arrive you have to call and get on the technician’s schedule again… And none of this happens without your making MANY calls to UTS and their local outlet begging them to get the process moving along, with long waits on hold, and so many conversations with people who don’t know what they are talking about that you could tear your hair out…)

   After a year and-a-half, this second elliptical has also hit the dust (it literally fell apart) and, according to the technician, is not repairable. It has taken three weeks and numerous phone calls to UTS and their local outlet (and LOTS of waiting on hold) just to BEGIN the process of requesting a credit with which to replace it, and they have already warned me that it is going to be another three weeks until they process the paperwork and get the replacement item out to me.

   Unfortunately, I am locked into a warrantee with Icon & UTS and have to accept a credit toward another Proform or other Icon brand (Reebock, Nordic Track, etc.). The UTS representative informed me frankly that I’d be better off using my $299 credit to “upgrade” to a model that might hold up a little longer. Well, I hope so!

   My recommendations:

   1) Spend a little more and get a machine that works. (Whether all Icon (ie: Pro-Form, Nordic Track, Reebock, etc.) products are this bad or only their low-end ones, I don’t yet know.)

   2) Don’t rely on a UTS warrantee unless you’re okay with waiting three weeks or more for service.
   Rating: 1 / 5
3. G. Arlet says:

   May 6, 2010 at 9:44 pm

   After a month of use, the machine developed a crack in a weld on the bottom of the center support and I have been fighting with ProForm ever since. They refuse to do anything about it because I didn’t buy it from them directly. Their customer service is the worst I have ever dealt with, it’s not so much “customer service” as “company service”. Do me, and yourself a favor, don’t buy from ProForm.
   Rating: 1 / 5
4. Amanda A. Gooding says:

   May 6, 2010 at 11:14 pm

   very complicated to put together – make sure it is assembled or mostly assembled when you order it! there was an option to pay $200 to put it together ….
   
   after a few goes, it is SO NOISY – creaks very loudly and i’ve had complaints from other tenants as it awakes them – so it has proved useless as i could only exercise in the morning.
   
   the handle bars slip down whilst in use (not obviously) – you have to screw them to the desired height, but however hard you tighten them, they seem to head downwards.
   
   apart from that, if you don’t mind the noise and have no immediate neighbours – it will do the job.
   Rating: 2 / 5