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With at-home workouts being all the rage RN, many people are looking for ways to up their cardio game without leaving their house. Enter Horizon Fitness, a company that specializes in home fitness equipment. Think treadmills, bikes, rowers, and — you guessed it — ellipticals.
Horizon says the EX-59 is their best-selling and most-awarded elliptical. So, should it be on the horizon for your home gym? Here’s everything you need to know to decide whether the Horizon Fitness EX-59 Elliptical is the key to hitting your fitness stride.
Want to step to it? Here are the pros and cons.
Pros
- Easy on the joints. An elliptical is an excellent option for low impact cardio.
- A nice ride. The EX-59 is built to be quiet and smooth.
- Budget-friendly. Priced just under $1,000, the EX-59 is a relatively affordable elliptical.
- Custom cardio. Choose from 10 resistance levels and 10 built-in programs.
- Plug in. The EX-59 comes with a device stand, a USB charging port for your phone or tablet, and built-in Bluetooth speakers.
- Till death do you part. The frame comes with a lifetime warranty.
Cons
- Stay put. The EX-59 doesn’t fold or have transport wheels for easy relocation.
- You’re grounded. There’s no way to add an incline.
- Disconnected. The EX-59 comes with built-in programs but no connected fitness options for interactive streaming.
- Stridin’ solo. There’s no option to set up different profiles for friends or members of the fam.
Horizon Fitness EX-59 Elliptical
Cost
The Horizon EX-59 Elliptical is $999, and financing options are available. That’s not too shabby in the land of ellipticals — the price is on par with those of models from other brands, like Schwinn and ProForm. Plus, the EX-59 is often on sale on Horizon’s website.
Specs
At 74 inches (in.) long, 25 in. wide, and 64.5 in. tall, the Horizon Fitness EX-59 Elliptical isn’t a small piece of equipment. But the company says it’s built to let your body stride comfortably.
Horizon notes the following design deets for this elliptical:
- pedals low to the ground so you can easily step on and off and close together to put less strain on your hips and back
- a frame positioned to promote upright posture
- easy-to-reach handles and grips
- a flat ellipse pattern designed to mirror natural walking and running movements
- a 14.3-pound (lb.) flywheel that provides a super smooth motion
- maximum weight capacity of 300 lbs.
Display
The console isn’t anything fancy (it gives us old apartment-gym vibes), but it lets you customize your sweat sesh with 10 built-in programs and one-touch buttons for 10 resistance levels. You can also monitor your calories, distance, heart rate, speed, time, watts, and program level.
It’s awesome that a machine at this price point has built-in programs and resistance levels, but TBH, it doesn’t have many of either, so take note.
Features
What about in-flight entertainment? The elliptical has Bluetooth speakers to connect to your device of choice, a stand to hold that device, and a USB port to keep it charged. There’s no built-in fan to keep you cool, but there’s a water bottle holder for easy access to your H2O.
Assembly pro tip
The elliptical is supposed to take only 30 minutes to set up. But keep in mind that this machine is large and heavy and doesn’t fold — so it’s not quite as easy to move around as, say, your yoga mat.
We’d recommend assembling it where you want it to be pretty much forever, so think about where you want it to live in your home before putting it together.
What reviewers say
Horizon striders say the elliptical is quiet, smooth, and good quality — especially for the price.
Most customers agree it’s easy to assemble, although some say it takes longer than the 30 minutes the company advertises. Reviewers also say they struggled to figure out how to use the built-in workout programs, and some say the resistance levels are tougher than they expected.
Horizon’s policies are pretty run-of-the-mill. The company offers some expected perks (like free shipping) but falls flat in other areas (like a lack of free returns).
Shipping
Horizon advertises free shipping and says in-stock items ship 1 to 7 business days after purchase (10 days during busy seasons). A partner shipping company will contact you to schedule the delivery and bring the elliptical to your main entrance, porch, garage, or driveway.
You can also opt for “Room-of-Choice Delivery” for an extra $119, which means the crew will carry your new elliptical to wherever you want it in your home, as long as it doesn’t involve more than one flight of stairs (sorry, third floor walk-up folks 😩 ).
This all sounds fine and dandy, but be sure to check the fine print. According to the company’s full shipping policy, it can take up to 15 days for items to ship during busy seasons and your elliptical could be in transit for an additional 10 days.
Bottom line: Patience is the name of this home gym game.
Return policy
Horizon’s return policy states that if you’re not completely satisfied with your elliptical, you can return it for a full refund as long as it’s within 30 days of purchase. But you’ll have to pay a return shipping fee.
Plus, your elliptical must be returned in its original packaging or you could be charged a restocking fee of up to 20 percent of the cost. And again, patience is required. If you do score a refund, it could take 6 to 8 weeks to be processed.
Warranty
A Horizon elliptical comes with:
- a lifetime warranty on the frame
- a 1-year warranty on labor
- a 1-year warranty on parts (except the flywheel)
But a warranty is only as good as your ability to use it. Customers complain that it’s impossible to get in touch with the warranty department — or any customer service, for that matter.
If you’re looking for basic, the Horizon Fitness EX-59 Elliptical is just that. It’s a great option for those just venturing into elliptical life or striders who like to keep it simple.
But this elliptical may NOT be for you if:
- You have limited space. Remember, the Horizon EX-59 doesn’t fold and has no transport wheels.
- You like to stride hard. The machine has 10 resistance levels, which is solid — but others come with more. Also, there’s no way to add incline to intensify your workout.
- You like to stream interactive workouts. You can connect a device via Bluetooth for audio, but the EX-59 doesn’t have any connected fitness capabilities. You can try using a service like iFit if you BYO tablet, but the machine isn’t iFit-enabled, so it might not be an amazing experience.
- Other members of your household will use it. Some other machines offer multiple user profiles, but with this elliptical, you’re one and done.
The Horizon EX-59 Elliptical is a quality elliptical that’s much less expensive than those from popular brands like NordicTrack and Nautilus. But before you click “Add to Cart,” you may want to keep shopping to ensure you’re getting the most bang for your buck.
Here’s a comparison with two other ellipticals at the same price point:
| Horizon EX-59 | Schwinn 470 | ProForm Carbon EX | |
| Price | $999 | $999 | $999 |
| Incline capability | no | yes | yes |
| Resistance levels | 10 | 25 | 20 |
| Display type | yellow-green LCD | blue backlit LCD | high contrast display |
| Built-in fan | no | yes | no |
| Transport wheels | no | yes | yes |
| Additional user profiles | no | yes | yes |
| Workout programs | 10 | 29 | iFit-enabled for streaming classes |
| Connected fitness | no | yes, BYO tablet | yes, BYO tablet |
You can buy the Horizon EX-59 elliptical directly on Horizon’s website, but it’s also available from popular retailers like Amazon and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
The Horizon EX-59 Elliptical is a solid choice for a no-frills cardio addition to your home gym. It’s designed to give you a comfortable low impact workout.
But sadly, that’s kinda all it offers. Some other ellipticals on the market are just as budget-friendly and not quite as basic.
Our verdict: The Horizon EX-59 is a great option for beginners or folks on a budget, but seasoned striders may want an elliptical with a little more ✨ ex-citement. ✨
