Horizon fitness Evolve 3 elliptical vs Nordictrack S50 treadmill
This is a comparison of the Horizon fitness Evolve 3 elliptical and the Nordictrack S50 treadmill including pros, cons, and alternatives. Follow the links for more details.
Overview and review of the Nordictrack S50 1999
This is a review of the NordicTrack S50 including pros, cons, and alternatives. This article has been originally published in “which NordicTrack treadmill or elliptical to get in the UK”. Follow the links for more details.
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Overview of the Nordictrack S50
The main features of the
S50 treadmill are the 3.5 CHP motor, 12% incline, and that it can be folded up. The full list of features for the
S50 covers the following items:
- Includes 1 Years iFit Family Membership
- iFit Integrated
- Two 2” Bluetooth Digitally Amplified Speakers
- 3.5 CHP Motor
- 0% - 12% Digital Incline
- 0 – 22 km/h Speed
- Onetouch™ Controls
- 1.9” Precision and Balanced Non-Flex Rollers
- 125kg Max User Weight
- EKG Handgrips
- FlexSelect™ Cushioning
- 51 x 152 cm Tread Belt
- This Machine Does Not Feature a Workout Fan
- SpaceSaver® Design with EasyLift™ Assist
- Assembled Dimensions - 200L x 90W x 145H cm
- Product Weight 92kg
- Boxed Weight 109kg
- Folded Dimensions - 103L x 90W x 180H cm
- Boxed Dimensions - 210L x 82W x 34H cm
- Warranty - Lifetime Frame Warranty, 10-year Motor Warranty, 2-Year Parts & Labour upon warranty registration within 28 days of purchase.
The
S50 used to be solid in the Nordictrack portfolio but might have gone a little out of date.
Pros of the Nordictrack S50
- Strong motor
- Can be gotten used
The
Nordictrack S50 has a very strong motor and therefore good longevity. If you can get one used at a very small price you will not be disappointed. Especially if it was in-home use. As it has been around for a while you will have a higher likelihood on this machine to snatch a second-hand deal. If you are considering a new machine in the UK you might want to go for a different option.
Cons of the Nordictrack S50
- Not really good value for money
- Older model
If you are looking into a new machine you are better off to look at the
NordicTrack C1650 instead of the
S50. You will get the same, maybe even better, specs at roughly the same price. You will have a harder time finding a used machine for the
C1650.
Alternatives to the Nordictrack S50
The
assault air runner is a self-propelled treadmill without a motor which is especially good for sprint/stop work. If you are an NFL or NBA player and want to work off the court on your speed development, this is a good machine to have. The
Assault air runner is said to have bearing that is a little too fast compared to the
Trueform Runner, which is said to have a better configuration.
The
TrueForm Runner is the deluxe model in the realm of self-propelled treadmills. It usually gets the highest marks in terms of calibration and features in this market segment. This comes at a higher price compared to the
Assault air runner. If you are buying for an individual athlete for home use, probably go for the
TrueForm runner. If you buy for commercial use or outfitting a facility for an entire team, go for the
Assault air runner.
The
C1650 is the better value for money option from Nordictrack to achieve the same thing than the
S50. The screen is bigger and the design is more modern for roughly the same price.
If you want to save a lot of money while maximizing the calories burned per minute I personally recommend the
Rogue Echo bike. It is compact, affordable, and sturdy. Even you run usually outdoors and want to burn some extra calories or if you ave limited budget and space, this is the bike to get for your home gym.
Summary for the Nordictrack S50
Unfortunately, the
S50 is probably not the best option out of the Nordictrack portfolio for Uk customers. Have a closer look at the
C1650 instead at similar budget and space requirements.
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
-
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
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.