Horizon fitness Evolve 3 elliptical vs Nordictrack 6.5s treadmill

This is a comparison of the Horizon fitness Evolve 3 elliptical and the Nordictrack 6.5s treadmill including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.

If you want the most up to date news or ask direct questions, then you can follow me on Instagram.

Overview and review NordicTrack T6.5 Treadmill $999 - $1299

This is a review of the NordicTrack 6.5S treadmill which was originally published in "Which Treadmill to get from Nordictrack". Follow the links for more details.

Overview NordicTrack T6.5 Treadmill $999 - $1299

The Nordictrack 6.5 treadmill is the most compact and cheapest version from Nordictrack. This is the right treadmill to get to save space and money. You can put this treadmill into your back shed or in a cramped apartment. Commercial buyers can optimize small rooms for group training or peak times or just put a large fleet in a big space. This comes at the price of the weakest motor in the Nordictrack line up. The full specs are:

10” Smart HD Touchscreen
Includes 1-Year NordicTrack iFit® membership**
Auxiliary Music Port
Dual 2” Digitally Amplified Speakers
FlexSelect™ Cushioning
20” x 55” Commercial Tread Belt
0-10% Incline
0-10 MPH Speed
One Touch® Controls
2.6 CHP DurX™ Commercial Plus Motor◊
1.9” Precision and Balanced Non-Flex Rollers
300 Lb. User Capacity
EKG Grip Pulse
SpaceSaver® Design with EasyLift™ Assist
20 On-Board Workout Programs
54" H x 36" W x 73.5" H Footprint
10-Year Frame Warranty
2-Year Parts Warranty
1-Year Labor Warranty

This is the lower end of the range you get what you pay for. Expect more breakdowns in commercial settings compared to other models out of the Nordictrack range.

Pros of the Nordictrack T 6.5 treadmill

The pros of the Nordictrack T 6.5 are:

Compact size
Low price

This is the option to save money and space. Simple enough.

Cons of the Nordictrack T 6.5 treadmill

The cons of the T 6.5 treadmill are:

Small belt
Weak motor

The T 6.5 model is not the right choice if you have a long stride or if you will press a lot of miles on this machine. The 2.6 CHP motor is more likely to break when used heavily than in the other Nordictrack models which usually range from 3.0 up to 4.2 CHP.

Alternatives to the T 6.5 treadmill

A good alternative to the T 6.5 would be the Rogue Echo bike. It is slightly cheaper, burns more calories per second and takes up less floor space. Of course, strictly speaking, it is not a treadmill. That depends on your goals.

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.

Which Horizon fitness treadmill to get?
Which Horizon fitness bike to get?
Which Horizon fitness elliptical to get?

Which Nordictrack treadmill to get?
Which Nordictrack elliptical to get?
Which Nordictrack bike to get?

Which Cardio Equipment to get from TITAN?
Which conditioning equipment to get from Rogue Fitness?

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.