Kettler Elliptical Reviews – Well Constructed, Quiet Machines
We’re surprised that Kettler elliptical reviews are not in more demand, as this company actually makes some very good ellipticals in the low, middle and upper price ranges.
Kettler was started in Germany in the late 1940s and manufacturers everything from bikes to table tennis equipment to patio furniture. One of the biggest assets the company has is that all of their products, including their ellipticals, recumbent bikes, rowers and strength equipment are still manufactured in Germany to this day. As you may be aware, German engineering is still unparalleled.
Kettler offers a number of different elliptical models currently, including the UNIX, Axos, RIVO and ELYX, among others. At the low end is the AXOS Cross P which sells for around $600. At the upper end you have the UNIX EX elliptical, which sells for around $2,400. Let’s take a closer look at these ellipticals.
We started our Kettler elliptical reviews at the official site, KettlerUSA.com. For starters, we always look at what you can expect to find on all models, regardless of price.
All Kettler ellipticals come with very heavy flywheels, at least 30 lbs. according to the manufacturer, which means that the motion on all machines will be smooth and quiet, like you’s find in a gym. There are at least 16 resistance levels, LCD displays showing stats such as distance, speed, time, energy and heart rate.
Speaking of heart rate, all machines offer measuring not only through the typical hand grip sensors, but also an infrared ear clip sensor or an optional wireless Polar chest strap. This will ensure accurate measurements.
Foot plates are adjustable, built in levelers help you ensure that the machines sit flat, and there are maintenance-free sealed ball bearings. All of these are nice features to have.
OK…so those are all of the good features. Did we find any bad features during our Kettler elliptical reviews? Unfortunately there are drawbacks to every brand, and we make sure we let you know about them to help you make a more informed decision.
The two lower end models, the AXOS Cross P and the RIVO P, only have 15″ stride lengths, which are very short and will not be comfortable for taller users. Most of the UNIX models also have a short stride length, at 16″, with the PX and EX offering 19″ strides…not much better given the higher price of these models. This is a little troubling as you’ll find 20″ and more on most ellipticals in the higher price range.
Also, it’s interesting to note that none of the machines, even the ones at $1,800 and up, offer any extra features that you find on other ellipticals. There is no power incline capability, no tablet holder, no internet capability or app integration. All machines also have a paltry 3 year warranty.
We continued our Kettler elliptical review at Amazon, as they sell a lot of exercise equipment there. Here we found a few more models, including ones that the company is no longer making. The interesting part is that there are not too many ratings here, reconfirming the fact that these are not the most popular machines out there.
The Kettler Axos Cross P has the most ratings, with a total of 7 reviews averaging 4 1/2 stars out of 5. Not bad. Positive comments were as expected. Users appreciated the great construction as well as the smoothness/quietness of the workout. A few mentioned that they were difficult to set up, but once it was put together it was great. It did not get any 1 or 2 star ratings which is great. But again, a sample size of 7 is not much to go on. The other Kettler ellipticals have 1 or no rating, so it’s hard to gauge whether those machines are winners or not.
So what’s the bottom line?
The selling point of these machines is the quality of construction and the heavy flywheels. So you are getting very well built ellipticals that will be super smooth and quiet while you work out, and probably last you for years and years without any maintenance issues.
But you’re not getting too much else, so if you are considering one of the more expensive models you should also consider offerings from other manufacturers like NordicTrack and Smooth that give you the extra features that you want in addition to the high quality and heavy flywheel. We find that the extra features, although not 100% necessary, do help motivate you to get on the elliptical every day so if you can find a well-built machine with some great features that’s the ideal situation.
You can get the best deals on the full lineup of Kettler ellipticals at Amazon as they offer free shipping, Prime delivery and other special options for you.