Fitness Depot : Symmetry HC810 (Elliptical) ??

[ACCORD MAN]

I need help with this...


They are selling it for $2,000.



My questions are:

- It's a new brand. But is it any good? FD staff claim it's as good as Precor (that it should last 10-15 years easy).

- Is it worth its price? As far as I can tell, quality is good. And the incline functions are fantastic. But I'm a noob..

- It does NOT have handlebars. They say it actually helps develop stabilizer muscles, which does make sense. But again, I'm a noob.


- Anything else I should know?

Thanks!!!

[Frankie3s]

I can't comment on the quality but don't forget that everything is negotiable and I know they will go down on price if you persist just like they do at the Fitness Source.

[ACCORD MAN]

I can't comment on the quality but don't forget that everything is negotiable and I know they will go down on price if you persist just like they do at the Fitness Source.

Thanks. Will definitely keep that in mind.



Anyone have views on this machine?

[movado]

It's a good quality elliptical with a unique feel. As good as a Precor quality wise probably not. I know the unit can be had for $1800.00.

[ACCORD MAN]

It's a good quality elliptical with a unique feel. As good as a Precor quality wise probably not. I know the unit can be had for $1800.00.



thanks!

[s.m.c]

My wife and I purchased one of these back in November, and are very happy with it. The machine is solid, and its ergonomics adapts well to suite our different needs. I have bad knees, and can adjust the stride length to an optimal position and my wife likes the variation. I've found that other machines are harder on my knees.

- It's a new brand. But is it any good? FD staff claim it's as good as Precor (that it should last 10-15 years easy).Time will tell. It is not an established brand like Precor, but so far so good.

- Is it worth its price? As far as I can tell, quality is good. And the incline functions are fantastic. But I'm a noob..That's your call to make. I personally dislike the incline feature on Precor and other brands, so for us the Symmetry stride adjustment is a significant differentiator. The Life Fitness X7 has since been released with a similar feature (at twice the price).

- It does NOT have handlebars. They say it actually helps develop stabilizer muscles, which does make sense. But again, I'm a noob.
Others will tell you that you get a better workout with upper-body motion, and I suspect they are right. Sure it's better for your stabilizers if you're not holding on ... but just because arm bars are there, you don't need to use them. I think it is technically much more difficult to implement upper-body motion that coincides correctly with the variable stride length, so Symmetry didn't try. Life Fitness did in the X7.

Of course, you can also just grab some weights to keep your upper body busy.

BTW - It's probably worthwhile to try to negotiate before purchasing. If you're worried about the "untested quality" of the brand, suggest that they throw in a 5 year warranty for no extra cost. You might also try to work in free delivery and setup. The thing is huge and heavy -- you don't want to try to bring it home yourself.

[symmetry HC810]

I would advise against buying a Symmetry product. I have reason to believe the manufacturer, Symmetry Fitness LLC of North Carolina has gone bankrupt. Their website (www.symmfit.com) has been down for a month or more. They don't respond to repair requests or phone calls. Their mailbox is full. There are documented BBB cases of unresolved complaints.
Fitness Depot has some Symmetry parts at their head office but it's no guarantee
your machine will be fixed and they won't help stranded buyers who didn't buy from them. I think it's pretty sleazy to sell equipment under these circumstances, without disclosure. They don't have to help customers who bought elsewhere, but how much does it cost them to offer advice to stranded buyers ?

My HC810 quit after 6 uses from a dead display.
It's probably something simple like a stuck relay or fuse, but with no schematics or help of any kind, it's like finding a needle in a hay stack.
I'm out $2000 and have no chance of recovering it that I'm aware of.
I would avoid any fitness equipment or fitness contract until the economy is fully recovered, as this is a particularly hard hit business sector, and be sure to contact BBB before putting down your money.

Signed: An unfortunate HC 810 owner