Customer Reviews

Kettler HKS Vito XL Elliptical Cross Trainer

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I retired my ancient and boring compact bicycle (also Kettler) in favour of a Cross Trainer after if became my favourite machine at the gym. I am not a fitness fanatic but enjoy a 30-45 min daily workout and in winter, this is as good as it gets. When it comes to home machines, it pays to purchase the best model you can afford. This Trainer mimics the movements of cycling (upright) walking and stepping in one ... and it goes backwards too! The handles provide a decent upper body workout as well. It behaves like a professional machine, very smooth, quiet and sturdy. Foot plates are adjustable and resistance levels can be changed while you exercise. The training computer display is simple to use, easy to read and informative, it even tells you the temperature! I like the bottle holder in front, very handy. Accessories recommended: cardio pulse set. The hand grip sensors take a while to read pulse and as with many machines like this, not entirely accurate. I use a Polar belt & watch which are very reliable. Assembly can be tricky, reading the instructions 2-3 times is recommended plus a little patience. All worth it in the end!

First, I did extensive research for the right elliptical for less than $1,300. The Kettler Vito XL so far lives up to all of the positive comments I'd found on it. It's an excellent elliptical machine that's exceeded my expectations so far. My wife and I have each used the machine about once a day since we purchased it 3 weeks ago, and we are extremely pleased with its performance. The machine is so quiet, yet quite sturdy (no wobbling!!) and provides very useful cardio feedback and info on energy burned, mph, rpms ... even room temperature! Relatively small footprint, too, since we live in a one-bedroom apartment, and not too shabby to look at, either. The stride is 16", but for us that's more than fine, since I'm 5'8" tall and my wife is 5'3" tall. The movement feels very natural, much like cross-country skiing. The upper body workout is great, too, and provides excellent stretching of the upper limbs. I had a bit of a problem with 'frozen shoulder', but since using the Kettler elliptical, I have almost no shoulder pain, which is a very pleasant added surprise to what is turning out to be a very wise purchase.