Comments on: My Review of the Cybex Arc Trainer (“The BMW of Elliptical Trainers”)

By: Lucy

Lucy — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:51:15 +0000

David, you make excellent points. I bought a couple of cheap excercise machines and yes, I never liked them enough to use them constantly so why spend any money on something I am not sure I am going to like let alone LOVE like the cybex at my gym. I’ll have to do more research and see if I can find a home version I can go try.
Thanks for replying so fast, for some reason I thought I was going to get an email confirming the comment and I forgot to check back until today.
Lucy.

By: Paul S. Cooper

Paul S. Cooper — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 02:50:32 +0000

Typo on previous submission correction:

I have an Octane Pro4700 and a Cybex 770AT next to each other in my home gym. I purchased both. They are different.

The Octane very realistically and comfortably duplicates a walking or running stride. There is no physical shock to your joints with either machine. Both are perfectly smooth. The inertia of the Octane is such that it does not ever stop in the middle of a stroke. The Cybex does.
Lengthening The Octane variable stride is an excellent duplication of running at various speeds. Increasing the length of the Cybex stride is a different experience. Try it to see if you like it.

CYBEX PROBLEMS

The Cybex display locks up. The motherboard was replaced. Still locked up. The 10 minute pause indicated in the manual is only 2 minutes. The hand held sensors for the heart rate work intermittently. Mostly not at all. The TV connectors do not connect to the Direct TV receiver connections. There is a display choice to lock the screen. If you inadvertently do it the machine is no longer operational.
The physical mechanism of the machine is near perfect. If I were to pick one machine I prefer the stride on the Octane.
Stacey Shephard in the Cybex sales department is the best. She is very patient, kind, and attentive to your needs. I cannot say the same for Bill Domineau their VP in charge of customer service. Mike their serviceman is excellent.

Although I enjoy both the Cybex 770AT and the Octane Pro4700, I have requested Cybex retrieve their machine and refund my purchase price.

The unreliability of the heart rate display, the lack of a realistic pause, and the display locking up are serious problems for me. The TV should be designed to work with Direct TV HD without the necessity of a signal degrading adaptor.

An extended pause would permit the user to answer their cell phone, rest or take a pit stop without losing the workout information. All machines should have an extended pause.

The 770AT is brand new and hopefully my criticisms will be addressed in the future.
The machine otherwise would receive an excellent rating equal to the Octane Pro4700. the Octane is considerably less expensive.
I will let you know if I receive a refund.

By: David Eckoff

David Eckoff — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:13:30 +0000

Paul, thanks for reading and for your comment. I don’t know the answers to your questions. Can I suggest calling Cybex customer service and asking them?

By: David Eckoff

David Eckoff — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:12:24 +0000

Hello Leslie. I really don’t know the answers to those questions. Suggest calling Cybex and asking them!

By: David Eckoff

David Eckoff — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:11:06 +0000

Hello Lucy, thanks for stopping by to read and for your comment. Like you, I fell in love with the commercial arc trainer at the gym. And thinking that I’d save some money and get something almost as good, I got the home version. As you can tell from my review, I didn’t like the home version. I don’t know about you, but if I don’t like something, I’m not going to use it consistently. So for me, the home version wouldn’t be a good purchase.

I’d suggest only getting the home version if either:

a) you have tried it somewhere first, so you know exactly what you are getting;
-or-
b) you have a 100% money back guarantee in case you don’t like it and what to return it (be aware of shipping charges, which could be expensive if you need to pay for shipping to return it).

What do you think about that?

By: Lucy

Lucy — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:34:28 +0000

David, thank you so much for posting your review of the arc trainer.
I am >this< close to ordering the home edition but I just have to ask you this question… let's pretend you didn't have the money to buy the commercial model, would you keep the home version?
The reason I'm asking is, I fell in love with the arc trainer at my gym but (for me) it really doesn't make any sense to pay for the full membership ($1,200 a year) when all I do is use that machine (maybe a treadmill on occassions). I cannot justify spending more than $4K for a machine, even if it pays for itself in 5 years or so, I just don't have that kind of cash right now and I refuse to use my credit card, I just paid off my car and I don't want to pay interest again in my life. Ever.
So, do you think the 360A home model is a good investment at $3,500 delivered? Again, let's pretend the commercial model is not even an option. I wish I could go try it personally but that machine is not avaible anywhere near me.

I appreciate your time and input. Lucy.

By: Leslie

Leslie — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:37:47 +0000

I want a commercial grade arc trainer and hoped you could tell me if used or remanufactured is a good way to go. Also, is the 630 a good way to go vs. the 750, to save money? Thank you so much for any comments you could offer.

By: Paul S. Cooper

Paul S. Cooper — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 01:58:02 +0000

I am ready to purchase a 770AT. I have some questions.
1. No Manual workout is listed on the Cybex website spec sheet. There is a manual workout listed on the 750AT spec sheet.
2. I was disappointed that the 750AT did not permanently display either the
incline or the resistance level. Does the 770AT have the same shortcoming?
Is there any Cybex display for the 770AT that permanently displays the incline and resistance?
3. What is the MSRP for the 770AT with the various displays?
4. Can the 770AT with the various displays be purchased through Amazon?
They seem to have very good prices. I am ready to place an order.

By: David Eckoff

David Eckoff — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:43:24 +0000

You’re welcome! I bought mine direct from Cybex and have been favorably impressed with how they stand behind their product and take care of their customers. Good luck with it! Let us know how it all goes! Most important: use it regularly. And enjoy it!

By: Kristi

Kristi — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:14:05 +0000

Thank you, David, I will try to post pics and let you know how it goes. Also, I just read over my previous post and I am hoping it will give me “peace” of mind to purchase directly from Cybex! Haha. I am truly excited about having such a versatile piece of equipment in my home. Thanks again. Kristi