Read our Schwinn A40 Elliptical Machine review to see why we consider this a good choice if you are looking for a stylish and competent elliptical that won’t cost you the earth! You’ll see from our ratings round-up below that the Schwinn A40 Elliptical tends to score pretty high across the board.
Schwinn A40 Elliptical Features
- Easy to read large LCD window tracks your speed, time, distance, calories and more
- 6 workout programs
- Also with popular ‘QuickStart’ program
- 8 levels of Eddy Current Magnetic Resistance
- Grip heart rate monitor
- Comes with built in Speakers
- Grip heart rate monitor, feeds info back to LCD screen
- Book rest and water bottle holder
- Can even run on batteries!
All in all, the A40 gets great reviews all over, which is why it’s one of our top recommendations for budget elliptical machine. Scoring well and even reaching a 5 from a few distributors – very impressive. You will have noticed a 1 rating and a 2 rating in the round-up. Let’s look at those – The 2-star Target rating comes from a single review – the purchaser was not the correct size for the elliptical, so it was returned before it was even turned on. The Sports Authority review was also from a single review, and for a similar problem. In contrast, with Amazon the A40 scores 3.8 (an average of 195 reviews) and on Walmart it gets 4.1 (an average of 213 reviews).
It’s safe to say this is a well-received elliptical machine. We’ve read the reviews and the ratings and you can find all the information presented below!
Excellent Value for Money
The Schwinn A40 Elliptical Machine is a great elliptical machine if you are looking to get a quality machine for a good price. If you want an elliptical you know you can get a good workout with, but without needing all the latest gizmos and gadgets, then the Schwinn A40 is the machine for you. But don’t think the great value means you are getting low quality. Quite the opposite – the A40 holds up well in the area that inexpensive ellipticals often fail on – is it sturdy? Does it feel cheap?
The answer is – it feels great! It feels sturdy and it feels secure. Excellent quality for the price. It supports up to 275lbs weight with a 17” stride length, so if you are under this then it may not be worth your while spending any more. Quite often the expensive price tags on the top of the range machines are related to the maximum weight and maximum stride length. If you need to shop for a machine that can handle more than these levels then have a look around the site. But otherwise, this could be the machine for you.
Quiet and Compact
The A40 might be the perfect elliptical machine if you live in an apartment without acres of free space and with neighbours below. It’s not a monster of a machine, and it is surprisingly quiet given the price range. You’ll be able to use this at all hours of the day and your downstairs neighbours won’t even know it!
“Quickstart” for a no fuss, challenging workout!
The A40 comes with 6 workout programmes and 8 different levels of magnetic resistance, so there is a lot of scope for individualisation and pushing yourself on to more and more challenging and rewarding workouts. If you are a person who just wants to jump on and start training, then there is the Quickstart option that gives you exactly that – a quick start! This option is very useful if you are busy and are just squeezing in time on the elliptical as and when you can. Get home from work, and while the dinner is in the over, jump on the elliptical for a quick 20 minute workout! You’ll have wasted no time with settings and data and measurements and all that (Although all those options are still there is you want them!).
If you do want to track your data and measure all your progress, then you will find that easy to do with the large easy-to-read LCD screen. It measures your speed, distance, time etc. It even tells you how many calories you have burned, which some other models in this price range do not. So if you want to get rid of that Mars Bar you’ve just eaten you can burn it off right down the very calorie! Very useful for those who wish to use their elliptical machine specifically to help with weight loss.
Easy to Assemble
The Schwinn Elliptical is easy to assemble, taking somewhere between 60 to 120 minutes (depending on your experience with assembly). Schwinn have an excellent track record as far as providing parts, instructions and easy-to-follow steps. It even comes with all the tools you will need to put it together! It comes with batteries but it’s likely that you will want to buy the AC adaptor at some stage, which unfortunately you have to buy separately. But follow our link above and you’ll find it for a great, great price!
What About the Cons?
71% of the reviews on Amazon were 4 or 5 stars, and only 14% were 1 star reviews. The general consensus is that this is a good elliptical machine and does an ideal job until it doesn’t. A few customers have reported some issues with how the machine is put together – with at times pieces breaking after a lot of use. This is always going to be a risk when you buy budget equipment, unfortunately. Remember you get a 2 year frame and 6 month parts warranty. But for 71% of the customers it’s never been an issue.
About the Company
Schwinn Fitness has over 100 years of experience in the fitness industry and produces a huge range of exercise machines. It’s not just their elliptical trainers that this iconic American brand is known for; they also produce treadmills, stationary bikes and rowing machines. Everything you could need for your perfect home gym. With their vast amount of experience, they have been able to perfect their techniques to produce quality products at very reasonable prices. With reliable service and solid warranties, this company does everything it can to keep their customers happy.
Our Final Verdict?
This is a good option if you are looking for a budget elliptical machine. A nice range of options, a stylish design, not to mention a quiet workout. While it may not have the guaranteed longevity of a $1000 machine, it still has plenty of potential and it’s great value, and any short-term upsets should be covered by the warranty. If this is your price range, then you could do a lot worse!
