BH XS1 Elliptical Review
$999.00
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Brief Overview
The BH XS1 elliptical is a very average machine and not a good buy at $999. A fixed stride length on this machine compares poorly with adjustable stride length on the competitor's offerings. This machine should be selling for around $799 to truly get a decent comparison so don't sell your money short but something from Sole, Smooth, NordicTrack or Proform.
Overall Quality
The BH XS1, if you are looking at it in a bubble, has solid quality and a good feel. When you look at it in the context of the rest of the ellipticals on the market it is hard to see how BH justifies the price when other manufacturers are selling similar quality machines with far superior feature sets for $500 to $600 less. The BH XS1 is a decent elliptical. At $1,599, it is extremely overpriced. Fortunately, this price will have little relation to what it actually sells for. That price is only used to make you think you are getting a discount when you see the real price. If the discount is any less than $500, you shouldn't even consider purchasing it. Ergonomically speaking, this machine is nothing special. You can find ellipticals selling for $999 that offer a more natural range of motion. The lack of adjustability is awful. The stride length is fixed at 20", so you have to hope that works with your body type. Luckily, there are 16 levels of resistance that allow you to align your workout with your fitness levels. There are ellipticals selling as low as $799 that provide significantly more options for adjustments. As far as projected reliability is concerned, this model is terrible. You could save $700 and still get an elliptical that has a longer life expectancy than this one has. The quality of parts is used is also well below what you should expect from a model with a $1,599 price tag. The noise levels of this machine are below average. Most ellipticals make about the same amount of noise regardless of price, but this is one of the few models that is a bit louder than most. If quietness during operation is a major concern for you, you can find better options in this price range. The warranty on the BH XS1 is pretty good. Labor is covered for 1 year, parts are covered for 5 years, and the frame and generator is covered for life. Don't let this warranty fool you into thinking that this elliptical is more durable than it really is. BH can afford to replace parts due to the high prices they charge. While priced at $1599, the XS1 will almost never sell for this. If you pay $999 it would be an appropriate value.
Ratings
| Adjustability | 2 |
| Reliability | 5 |
| Noise Level | 4 |
| Value | 3 |
| Warranty | 5 |
| Quality | 4 |
| Ergonomics | 4 |