I got a new elliptical. My new one is a Tunturi c80. The frame is solid and has a lifetime warranty, and there is absolutely NO noise produced by the machine. The salesman said it is fit for light commercial use, and would easily last me for 15-20 years. It has several different training programs available, and the heart rate monitor is a strap that fits around your chest and transmits to the machine. It's really a solid and interesting piece of equipment with top notch features. Some companies are trying different ideas such as an elliptical/weight machine or an elliptical/recumbent bike. I don't care for the whole idea of these. You can only do one exercise at a time, and it must be a pain to switch over. I wanted an elliptical. That's it. Not only did I get an elliptical, but I got a solid, well made one. Many brands that are making just ellipticals can't even do that well enough, but they want to load it up with bells and whistles, or even these combo machines. Mine is just an elliptical, and it doesn't even have a fan on the console like some I saw. But it does exactly what it is supposed to do, and it does it well.

The unique part about this machine is that it was free. Or at least it will be. There is a 35 month deferred rebate available on it. Apparently, the fitness store who sold it to me has contracted with a company that provides rebates. The rebate company is betting that you will forget to claim your rebate since you have only one month to do so, and that's three years from now. If you try and get the rebate, you are betting that you will not forget. With the price of this machine, I would not buy it if I didn't want it, just so I could get it for free. I bought it because I wanted it anyway. But this is a nice little bonus. In 3 years, I get a nice piece of exercise equipment for free, provided I can remember about it. It's an interesting idea. Since most people don't cash in their normal rebates, the company probably does very well, and can afford to operate this program. But if I remember and they do pay out, then everyone is happy. The rebate company is happy because they still have made money. The company that sold me the machine is happy, because I am likely to take my money and buy another piece of equipment that has a rebate. I am happy, because I have a large check coming to me. It's time to setup a futureme.org email to myself as a reminder. It's something to consider if you are good with rebates. This isn't the first time I've seen equipment like this for free after rebate. And according to the company, there are many stores that engage in things like this.