Precor EFX 225 Elliptical Review, Pros, Cons, & Comparison

Precor EFX 225 Overview

The Precor EFX 225 elliptical cross trainer is a machine that should allow many different people to experience a commercial and gym-level elliptical in your own home. As such, we’ve decided to look at it and check it out in order to see if it is worth all the hype and praise.

We’re going to look at various elements of the EFX 225 and see just what it’s made of. Then we’re going to see if the individual parts can make up the price that Precor wants for it. Then finally, we’re going to give our decision on whether or not their evaluation is fair. Precor ellipticals are notorious for being rather costly, so we want to make sure that if you are going to drop such an investment in it that it will be worth it.

In this time of COVID, it only makes sense that people should be looking for some of these pieces of more personal fitness equipment. Now (at the time of writing) with the winter descending, it becomes all the more worthwhile. We just want to make sure that whoever decides to investigate this piece of gear from Precor has a long and worthwhile experience from the elliptical. So with all of that out of the way, let’s hop right into our review of the Precor EFX 225 home elliptical!

Precor EFX 225 Review and Specs:

It makes sense that we should start with the specifications of the Precor EFX 225 elliptical machine. How much space it takes up and how much it weighs can play an important part in whether or not you think that it would be a suitable fit for your home. In terms of the weight, you’ll find that it is a pretty hefty machine. It weighs 214 lbs (80 kg). So it most certainly is not a lightweight machine that you can just pick up and reposition whenever you feel like it.

In terms of how much space the EFX 225 takes up, it actually isn’t as big as some of the other models in the upper series. It’s dimensions measure out to be 76 inches (193 cm) long, 29 inches (74 cm) wide and 65 inches (165 cm) tall. While it might be smaller than some others, we didn’t say that it is actually small. It can’t be folded either in order to take up less space. There are a pair of wheels on the rear to make it easier to move around.

Lastly, in order to have the monitor and other electronic components powered, you’ll need to place it near an outlet. In the United States and Canada, it is suitable for those 120 VAC outlets that are commonplace. It is unspecified about whether or not it can be adjusted for the 240 outlets of international locations, so some more investigation might be needed there. To summarize, the EFX 225 takes up a decent amount of space, weighs a lot and should be placed in range of an appropriate outlet to get the maximum features.

Precor EFX 225 Trainer Monitor

The monitors and consoles of Precor ellipticals tend to be the highlight of these machines. This is often thanks to their deep customization, workout routines and statistical tracking. Unfortunately, only two of the aforementioned are strongly present here. The customization aspect is somewhat lacking. You can create User Profiles in order to keep track of your progress and have the machine suggest the next workout. You can also switch between metric and U.S standard measurements, but that’s about it for customization.

The statistics, while not as advanced on some of the other Precor ellipticals, still show plenty of information. There are basic ones like time remaining and calories burnt. Then there are the more advanced ones like your strides per minute, your heart rate and the targeted heart rate. In total, there are 13 metrics that you can view during and after you exercise onboard the Precor EFX 225 elliptical trainer.

Finally, there’s the preset workouts available. These 10 workouts (that includes a manual mode) allow you to simply plug and run. There are options like hill climbing, weight loss and endurance training in order to give you plenty of options. While there aren’t as many as you might find on some of the upper ellipticals, you should still find it a quality console to play around with.

Precor 225 Stride and Incline

One of the parts that separates the Precor ellipticals from other options is their choice and invention of the CrossRamp® technology that they’ve implemented across the board. Basically, what this does is allow you to change the stride lengths and inclines on the pedals in order to get more into your natural stride while exercising on the machines. And while the Precor EFX 225 doesn’t have as many options as some of the upper series of ellipticals (seems like we’re saying that a lot, aren’t we?) it still allows for users to adapt.

The stride length is more adjustable than that of the EFX 222. There are 8 different levels of which you can choose from. Meanwhile, the incline has about a 10 degrees difference between the minimum setting and the maximum one. The lowest incline setting sits at 15 degrees, while the highest one goes up to 25 degrees. Not the greatest amount of customization, but should serve many people to get them into a more natural stride while onboard.

It’s praiseworthy that Precor have included the stride and incline adjustments through the CrossRamp® tech in these lower-tier ellipticals. While it might not technically be as good as some of their other ellipticals, we really don’t have a problem with it. Other companies might have just skipped implementing it in these machines all together, so it’s good that it’s there.

Precor EFX 225 Handlebar and Pedals

Up next are the handlebars and pedals. It only seems natural that people should know how the elements that they are interacting with online the elliptical should work? The handlebars of the Precor EFX 225 cross trainer should suit the vast majority of users, as there are two of them. The outside handlebars are a moving pair that will allow you to get a full-body workout in as opposed to just the lower body. Then the inner pair that sit stationary are the ones that have some heart rate sensors on them. These allow you to get a break from the grind and can give you an update on how your heart is doing.

The pedals are where the news gets somewhat less jolly. We should start off by saying that they are not bad pedals. They just don’t seem to be as good as some of those on the upper tiers of the ellipticals. For example, it isn’t clarified if these are made of the same polypropylene material that is so easy to clean. Nor is it mentioned where the low point is and how big they are. These might not seem like big elements, but it is always nice to know more about the product you’re investing in.

The handlebars and pedals offer different experiences. The double pairs of handlebars allow you to see your heart rate and get a full body workout in, so they are most certainly better than ellipticals that lack these features. The pedals are just not as good. They are fine at best and will keep your feet on the machine.

Precor 225 Assembly and Accessories

Now we’ve reached one of the most divided sections in the Precor elliptical category. On one hand, you’ve got the assembly process. Now, on a lot of elliptical machines, the assembly process is a nightmare and can take forever. Even if you are good at assembling such things, you can still find yourself bamboozled on how to put it together. This is not the case with the Precor EFX 225 or nearly any of their ellipticals. You get a manual that tells you exactly what goes where and how to set it up efficiently and quickly. Even those that are less-than-skilled with their hands will find that the process doesn’t take long if they follow the instructions.

The accessories, on the other hand, are rather pitiful. You get a single accessory holder that sits right underneath the console. You can fit a water bottle there for hydration or maybe a TV remote for some entertainment while you exercise. Otherwise, you’re not going to find much in the way of bonus features here.

While the lack of accessories is unfortunate, the core features of the Precor EFX 225 elliptical should be enough to satisfy most. However, for the price you might wish for a bit more (though we’ll get to that in a second). The assembly process, on the other hand, should be praised to the high heavens. We wish that all ellipticals could be so easily put together. It would save a lot of time and a lot of headaches.

Price, Warranty and Shipping

This is the part which will turn plenty of people away from the Precor EFX 225 elliptical machine. The prices of almost all the Precor ellipticals stand quite tall thanks to their quality builds and what they are made up of. It is no different here, as the EFX 225 costs $3,200. You could pay for it in segments as low as $103 a month, but that’s still a decent amount for many people.

While the price might be tall, that’s partly because Precor are willing to put their money where their mouths are. The warranties that come with this elliptical are quite generous indeed. There is a lifetime warranty on the frame, 5 year warrant on the parts and wear items, 3 years on the console and 1 year on the labour. Totalled together, it’s a pretty good deal to guarantee it stays in one piece (or at least gets replaced if it doesn’t).

The shipping process is one that’s somewhat hard to account for. Normally it shouldn’t take much more than a week. However, considering that these aren’t exactly normal times, don’t be too surprised if it happens to take longer. We certainly don’t expect it to take a month or anything like that. Just might be longer than normal.

Precor EFX 225 Elliptical Machine Pros:

• Good Monitor: The monitor allows for users to set up a profile, see how they perform during workouts and choose from a variety of preset workouts. It’s just a useful piece of tech to have along for the run.
• Helpful Warranty: The warranty backs you up if this machine were to break (which is unlikely thanks to the solid design and build). We’ll always praise a company backing up their products with guarantees.
• CrossRamp System, Even If Limited: Many other companies probably would have just left this technology out. Precor have not, and the EFX 225 is better off for it. Adjusting the stride length and incline are two great features to have.

Precor EFX 225 Elliptical Machine Cons:

• Hefty Price: It might be hard to justify the price of the EFX 225. Especially when the only difference between it and the EFX 222 are a few extra levels of incline. Is that worth an extra $600?
• Lack of Bonus Features/Accessories: Related to the above, if you are going to charge more money, you expect more features. A good way to make up some of this difference would be in the little added features. But they chose not to do this, which is unfortunate.

Final Verdict

The Precor EFX 225 elliptical is in a bit of a weird spot. It is cheaper than a lot of other Precor ellipticals. This means that it is easier to recommend. However, it is more expensive than the EFX 222 with very little difference between the two. This makes it more difficult to recommend over that one. So we can say that if you really want to experience slightly more CrossRamp tech, then the EFX 225 is the one to go for. However, if you don’t particularly care about that and would like to save $600, the EFX 222 is a better investment.

Compare Precor EFX Ellipticals From 200 Line

Review	Image	C.C.R	Price	Capacity	Display	Stride	Programs	Incline	Charger	Metrics	Handlebars	Resistance
Precor EFX 245		No Converging Cross Ramp	Check on Amazon	275 lbs / 125 kg	R40 - 7" LCD	18-21 in (46-53 cm)	27 programs	15-25° Motorized variable	Yes	27 Feedback Metrics	Moving and Stationary	550 Watts
Precor EFX 225		No Converging Cross Ramp	Check on Amazon	275 lbs / 125 kg	R20 - 5" LCD	18-21 in (46-53 cm)	12 programs	15-25°Motorized variable	No	13 Feedback Metrics	Moving and Stationary	550 Watts
Precor EFX 222		No Converging Cross Ramp	Check on Amazon	275 lbs / 125 kg	R20 - 5" LCD	18-21 in (46-53 cm)	10 programs	15-25° Manual variable	No	13 Feedback Metrics	Moving and Stationary	550 Watts
Precor EFX 221		No Converging Cross Ramp	Check on Amazon	275 lbs / 125 kg	R20 - 5" LCD	18-21 in (46-53 cm)	10 programs	15-25° Manual variable	No	13 Feedback Metrics	Only Stationary	550 Watts

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