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“Robust but be aware”

written by RCR01 on 18/09/2012

This review though pertains to captiva elliptical would be relevant for Sanibel elliptical since the design and motion is similar.


My Opinion:
- The build of the product is good.
- The instructions on assembly are not very clear and some of it is wrong for some of the screws provided, but fortunately these are not for the main parts.
- Though it is smooth, at times you could get some low click sounds.
- The motion of the product is different, but I didn't find the benefits as the company describes in their videos.
- Though the company advertises it as a core body elliptical, its manual specifically states that it is for lower body. To be frank, for me, lower body is where the intensity of the workout was felt.
- Since the motion is different, my advice is to try out the elliptical for some time before you buy.
- Service is good. When you call them they are eager to hear your issues and try to resolve them. I ordered a few screws which were missing and they arrived quickly.

Though there is a return option there are lots of difficulties:
- You need to repack the product yourself. Since there is no repacking information, it would be difficult to impossible to do it alone.
- You can ask for repackaging service ($250), but the authorized technician also does not know how to repack
- So you are helpless irrespective of what you pay for repacking and you are solely responsible for any damage while shipping back
- Shipping back would be expensive and would cost much more, around ($400) than the $100 you might have paid for shipment when you bought the product.
- Also, even if the company offered you free shipping when you bought the elliptical, they would deduct the shipping cost from the refund if you decide to return the product.
- This means that you may end up losing around $750 plus any deduction the company might make on fees like restocking, if you didn't like the product and decide to return the product. For me the total loss came to $870.
- The company does not refund you fast. I received the refund after two months since I returned the product, that too after persistent calls and emails.

Conclusion:
This is a robust product. There are other brands that are as robust as this, but cost less. If the motion suits you and you are getting the benefits of upper body workout, go for it. Since this product is not widely used in fitness centers, you may have to buy it and try out for some time before you decide to keep it. For this, get into a deal with the company keeping in mind the product return issues that I faced. Before you buy, try to get a return shipping rate from Yowza. Plan to repack yourself. To aid in repacking take snaps of how the elliptical is packed before unpacking and during assembly. You can use the same box to return, but would require a lot of packing tape to hold it together as you would have cut open the box to take the elliptical parts out for assembly.
If you are planning to assemble/repack yourself, make sure there is at least another guy to aid you. Since the parts are heavy and assembly not easy, you can as well opt for assembly option for $150 or so from the company and somebody will come and assemble it at your house.
Stars reduced for:
- Doesn’t entirely meet the expectation as advertised
- Refund delay and related issues
- Return difficulties