Precor EFX 245 Elliptical Review, Pros, Cons

Precor EFX 245 Overview

In order to become or remain fit in these more difficult times, many people are turning to personal fitness machines. Gyms are restricted or shut down, after all, so it only makes sense. However, with the number of options for these pieces of equipment on the market, some people are getting confused or would like some help on where to focus their efforts.

That’s where we come in. We’ve been going through and examining a whole host of different pieces of personal exercise equipment in order to help people decide just which of them deliver the best value for money. The latest series are the ellipticals from Precor Home Fitness. Specifically in this piece, we are going to be looking at the Precor EFX 245 home elliptical. This is the “best” (or highest number) of the 200 series of ellipticals made by Precor. Whether or not it deserves the best title is yet to be seen.

We’re going to be examining just what makes this machine tick. What are the benefits that it offers, what sorts of features it lacks and so on. Then we are going to look at the price before giving our opinion on just how that price matches up to what the elliptical actually offers. Then the ball passes into your court and you get to decide whether or not you agree with that final verdict. So with all of that out of the way, let’s hop right into our review of the Precor EFX 245 elliptical cross trainer!

Precor EFX 245 Review and Specs:

First up are the specifications of the Precor EFX 245 elliptical trainer. It makes sense to put this first, because of the importance that it could have on the potential customer. If it is too big or too cumbersome to install and/or move around the house, that automatically would rule it out. The weight is an important factor for some and there is a fair amount here. It weighs 214 lbs (80 kg) and has a tested weight capacity up to 275 lbs (125 kg). It’s surprising that those two are so close, as normally the weight capacity increases greatly with the amount of weight onboard.

In terms of how much space the EFX 245 takes up, you’ll find that you might need to plan where you are putting it. It’s dimensions measure out to be 76 inches (193 cm) long, 29 inches (74 cm) wide and 65 inches (165 cm) tall. It cannot be folded, so it certainly isn’t going to be getting any smaller. You will be able to move around this hefty piece of equipment thanks to a pair of transportation wheels on the rear end. However, we’re not sure how often you’ll be doing this.

One of the key aspects that you’ll need to consider when placing the EFX 245 (if you buy it) is where it will go and if it is in range of an outlet. In the United States and Canada, it can connect to 120 VAC outlets, though it is not mentioned what happens for the international 240 ones. We’d assume they’d customize it, but we can’t be sure. Such outlets are needed for the power of the monitor and other electronic elements, which are quite important to making the most of this elliptical.

Precor EFX 245 Elliptical Monitor

The monitors of the Precor ellipticals are often the best parts. They allow you to do a whole host of different workouts and get fit in your own personalized way. The Precor EFX 245 is no different in this sense. However, it does lack the sheer amount of customization options that some of the upper series of ellipticals have. Instead, you have the option of creating 4 different User Profiles. These allow you to keep track of your workouts and offer personalized workout suggestions based on your past sessions.

The R40 monitor can also keep track of plenty of statistics during your workouts. 27 of them to be precise. These can be as simple as the time remaining, distance travelled, and calories burnt. They can also be as advanced as the calories per minute, average heart rate and strides per minute. Whether or not you want to use all of these statistics is up to you, but it is certainly nice that they are there.

Then there are the preset workout programs. These are a series of 24 different workouts that you can plug and run. There’s a ton of variation in these, ranging from hill climbing to glute toning. You also have the manual mode if none of them tickle your fancy, though we’re sure it’ll be hard to pass up the 5K and 10K options. Regardless of how you look at the monitor of the EFX 245, it is a quality one that should be praised. We’re certainly happy to continue that praise.

Precor EFX 245 Stride and Incline

One of the most classic features of the Precor ellipticals is their use of CrossRamp® technology in order to make the user able to adjust the stride lengths and inclines to their own natural one. The same sort of technology is present here, but is not quite at the same level as some of the upper series of ellipticals. While there aren’t a ton of options for stride lengths, you do still have some sort of change when the inclines change. It can go from 18 inches (46 cm) to 21 inches (53 cm). Not a ton, but still appreciated.

In terms of the incline, there are 8 different levels that you can choose from. The lowest level of the incline that you can choose from is 15 degrees, while the maximum level can raise all the way up to 25 degrees. Clearly you have a nice choice of inclines in order to add that much more variety and challenge to your workouts. This is always appreciated.

While we might have preferred more variation in the CrossRamp® tech of the Precor EFX 245 home elliptical, it is still nice to have some. For the price, however, it almost seems like a much lower level of options than should be available. Though we’ll get to that more in-depth further down. What? We can’t explain everything in one section!

Precor EFX 245 Handlebar and Pedals

You’ll need something to hang onto and stand on while you are working out on the Precor EFX 245 cross trainer, so it only makes sense that we should review just how well they work and feel. The good news is that the handlebars are quite high quality. There’s an outer pair that moves and can help you get a full body workout in and allow your arms to actually do something while your legs move. Then there’s the inner pair that are stationary. These allow your arms to take a break. But they also have heart rate sensors in them, allowing for many of the statistics that we mentioned earlier in the monitor display.

In terms of the EFX 245 pedals, there is less fantastic news. They aren’t really that special. The actual dimensions are not listed anywhere, but they should be large enough to fit the majority of people’s feet. The polypropylene material that normally comes with these pedals makes them easy to clean, though it is not listed if it is still present here. And… that’s kind of it. There just isn’t a lot else to comment about the pedals of the EFX 245.

We’re quite glad to praise the double handlebars of the EFX 245. One pair gets you a workout in the arms, and one pair allows you to give them a rest and see your heart rate as you run. The fact that they also feel good in your hand is just another factor in their favour. In terms of the pedals on the EFX 245, there’s less good news. In fact, there’s just a lack of news at all. So you can take that as you will.

EFX 245 Assembly and Accessories

There continues to be good news when looking at the assembly process of the Precor EFX 245 elliptical. Whereas other ellipticals and pieces of equipment might have an overly difficult or ill-explained process, the EFX 245 does not suffer from such a problem. The manual that comes along does a very good job of telling the user exactly how to put together the elliptical. Even those who are not particularly handy or skilled at such assembly processes will find that it won’t take too long to get this gear up and running.

The accessories that come with the EFX 245 are less than impressive. There is a spot to recharge your mobile device, which is nice enough and not present in any other 200 series of ellipticals. Then there’s also a spot that will allow you to store a water bottle, TV remote or something of a similar size. And that’s it. Nothing else.

The lack of accessories might be unfortunate for some, but it fits in line with the philosophy that Precor have gone with. You will rarely find accessories or little bonus features on their ellipticals, as they focus more on the core features. Similarly, they take the same approach to assembly on all their machines. It should be as easy as possible for the vast majority of people, and we’re glad to report that they have done a good job of doing that.

Price, Warranty and Shipping

We’ve reached the part where many of the Precor ellipticals unfortunately fall in their evaluation. The prices are often so tall that many people are just simply unable to afford these pieces of equipment. While the Precor EFX 245 isn’t quite as ridiculous in it’s pricing, it still costs a decent amount of money. The default price is $3,700. This price can be paid monthly, getting as low as $119 a month. However, that’s still a good amount of money to be paying for some exercise gear.

The warranties of Precor ellipticals offer much better news compared to the prices. You get a solid guarantee of quality from them that will last for years. 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. The EFX 245 will stay in one piece or be replaced for a long while.

The shipping process is somewhat harder to judge. Normally it wouldn’t take much longer than a week to ship, especially for anywhere in the United States. However, with the state of pandemics and holidays coming around, it becomes harder to judge just when the EFX 245 or other ellipticals might arrive. It’s almost certainly not going to take a month or anything so long, but it might just be longer than normal.

Precor EFX 245 Cross Trainer Pros:

• Superb Monitor: The monitor that comes with the Precor EFX 245 easily outclasses those of the other ellipticals in the 200 series. It simply has so many more options for workouts and statistic tracking.
• Firm Warranty: The warranties that back up the EFX 245 are extremely good. We’re always going to praise a company backing up their product.
• Inclusion of CrossRamp Tech: Even if there are a limited amount of options to pick from, the fact that the stride and incline adjustments are still present is a definite plus.

Precor EFX 245 Cross Trainer Cons:

• High Price To Pay: The same issue that plagues all Precor ellipticals is present here. They just cost so much that you have to question whether they are worth it.
• Lack of Bonus Accessories: The core features might be quality, but for such a price, you might be wanting a little bit more added on.

Final Verdict

It’s quite hard to recommend the Precor EFX 245 elliptical at the current price. The only core features that it has going for it over, say, the EFX 222 are the inclusion of more features on the monitor and slightly more incline settings. All of that for a price increase of nearly $1,100. You would really want more for such a high price increase.

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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