Horizon fitness Evolve 3 elliptical vs Run rocket

This is a comparison of the Horizon fitness Evolve 3 elliptical and the Run rocket including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

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Overview and review of the Run rocket

The Run Rocket comes in at $1999. In this article you will learn more about the product itself, its Pros and cons and alternatives you might want to consider. This article has originally been published in the overview "Which conditioning equipment to buy from Rogue".

Overview of the Run Rocket

The run rocket is a piece of acceleration equipment which especially helps for sprint and acceleration training. This machine will be very useful for

Football players
Rugby players
Soccer players
Tennis players

And any other sport where you have to sprint and change direction often. The Run rocket has adjustable resistance and comes with the following specifications:

Length 37“
Width 28“
Height 40“
Weight 165l
44lb Flywheel

The big difference to many other machines or sleds is that the run rocket provides consistent resistance when you are running forward and does not pull back on you. Sleds have the challenge that they have an uneven resistance and also not truly mimic a running pattern. Bands and straps simulate a real running resistance, but the pullback leaves your athletes exposed to injury risk. The run rocket solves both of these problems for sprinting work.

Pros of the Run Rocket

The pros of the run rocket are:

Sturdy
No pull back
Easy swap

This machine is built like a professional lawnmower. It can be left outside and survives rain and other weather conditions. It’s the ideal companion for the pitch.

The resistance immediately stops when the forward pull ceases. This makes it a good machine for sprint work without breaking any ankles.

With the hook and click system, you can easily swap between athletes to get a good workout in for the entire team. Parachutes are way more complicated to handle.

Cons of the Run rocket

The cons of the run rocket are

Space requirements
Price

To work effectively with the run rocket you need access to a pitch. This machine is a waste of your time and money if it is placed into a tiny gym or back garden. You need the necessary space to do a bit of distance for your sprint work.

Compared to other sprint Resistance options like bands and harnesses the run rocket is ten times the price and also does not include the necessary vests for the entire team. They would come in at an additional $50 to $100 a player depending on what you are getting.

Alternatives to the Run rocket

Resistance bands

Resistance bands of all forms and lengths can be an alternative to the run rocket. While less easy to use and setup they come in at a fraction of the cost.

Summary for the Run rocket

The run rocket is the right option for professional training facilities which focus on speed. If you are lucky enough to be a world class athlete who has a pitch in their own home and to whom $2000 are peanuts tja this is a gijd piece of equipment to get. You can spend a whole lot of more money on things which will do a lot less for your professional development.

Overview and review of the Horizon fitness Evolve 3 elliptical

This is an overview of the Horizon fitness Evolve 3 elliptical including pros, cons, and alternatives. This article was first published in Which Horizon fitness elliptical to get?

For the most up to date information and asking direct questions you can follow me on Instagram.

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Overview of the Evolve 3 elliptical $1,199

The Horizon Evolve 3 elliptical is a commercial-sized machine that can be folded up when it is not in use. The console is one of the older generations with no integrated touchscreen. This is the middle-of-the-road elliptical from Horizon if you are interested in a big frame. The full specifications are:

Frame Type: Six Star Folding

Flywheel: 18

Stride Length: 20

Incline Range: N/A

Resistance Range: 20 Electronically adjustable

Step on height (inches): 10

Extras: Built-in Speakers, Energy Saver Mode, Passport ready, Tabet rack, Water Bottle Holder

Electrical requirements: 110 Volt / 220 Volt

Weight: 175 lbs.

Assembled dimensions: 69"x 28" x 69"

Max user weight: 300

Warranty - Frame: Lifetime

Warranty - Brake: 3 years

Warranty - Flywheel: N/A

Warranty - Parts: 3 years

Warranty - Labor: 1 year

Pros of the Evolve 3 elliptical

The pros of the Horizon Evolve 3 elliptical are:

Folding mechanism
Price
Size

The folding mechanism is the distinguishing feature of the Evolve series of Horizon ellipticals. It is easy to use and sturdy. If you are looking for an exercise machine that is big enough to take a big person doing a proper workout, but then can shrink to a smaller footprint, then the Horizon Evolve 3 will tick the boxes.

The price of $1.199 is great for how many ellipticals you are getting for the price with a proper folding mechanism. Many competitors with similar-sized ellipticals charge more in the range of $1400 to $1600. The only downside might be the console that has no Touchscreen/Tv Screen included.

This elliptical has a great frame that can take a beating. If you have no concerns about the size of your machine you will get a lot of frame for little money with this elliptical.

Cons of the Evolve 3 elliptical

The cons of the Horizon Evolve 3 elliptical are:

It is an in-between solution
Console
Other cheaper options for hard workouts

The Horizon Evolve 3 falls victim to what I would call the “in-between” trap of product design. The foldable frame makes it a suboptimal choice for commercial use as sturdy frames are better in this scenario. The size and build push it in a price range where many home buyers hesitate to pull the trigger. Walkers might be intimidated by its size while dedicated home warrior won’t take it seriously as it is an elliptical.

The console lacks a TV screen/touchscreen to browse the Internet or extent your devices to. You can plug them in via an audio link but the console is majorly used to navigate the pre-installed programs of the Horizon Evolve 3. In times of peloton and YouTube follow-along videos, this is a little being the time.

If you are someone who wants to go hardcore on your workouts and does not need any entertainment onboard there are cheaper versions of machines out there that will torture better to make gains.

Alternatives to the Evolve 3 elliptical

The Horizon Evolve 5 is the big brother of the Evolve 3. Its main distinguishing feature is the bigger flywheel which translates to a smoother ride and more mileage to be taken before needing to be serviced. I personally don’t k ow whether the extra money is worth the bigger flywheel. I would consider this when more than one person in the house will put significant mileage on the elliptical, otherwise stick with the Evolve and invest the mo way saves to get one of your old television mounted on the wall near the elliptical.

The horizon AE 7.0 is in my opinion the best value for money elliptical from Horizon fitness due to the upgraded console which is more media-ready. If you do not need your elliptical to fold up after use in your home, trade up on multimedia and even save some money with the AE 7.0. Commercial gyms might consider the Evolve line when TVs are installed already nearby or when you get a whole Horizon fleet of different machines for your cardio area.

The Nordictrack SE7i is the lowest-priced elliptical from Nordictrack currently available. If you need an elliptical fast and Horizon has no stock, this elliptical is similarly priced to the Evolve 3. Nordictrack is also a little ahead on their IFit subscription service in an industry where everyone is playing catch-up to Peloton. Horizon is further behind in this regard but catching up with new products like the AE 7.0 or GR3.

The Rogue echo bike is in my opinion the best option for cardio at home for someone who wants go hard after the calories and interval training. This machine has no extra bells and whistles but all the basics have been drilled to perfection at a competitive price for an Airbike. The copycat competitor of the Rogue echo bike is the TITAN fan bike with bigger wheels at a smaller price.

Conclusion for the Evolve 3 elliptical

The evolve 3 elliptical is in my opinion one of the weaker options in the Horizon elliptical lineup. If you want to save Money go for the EX-59. If you like the design you might as well go for the Evolve 5. The best choice for the home gym is the AE 7.0 as I don’t believe that much in the space savings of a foldable treadmill or elliptical.