NordicTrack March 11, 2012

Very sturdy, love it! Love the fan and the sound system!!

Nordictrack ACT elliptical March 09, 2012

I bought the Nordictrack ACT elliptical in Nov 2011 and am sorry I didn't look further for another machine. This elliptical has a very annoying clunk sound and sometime catches on random revolutions. Forget about peddling backwards as too jerky!

Poorly made product & customer service February 29, 2012

We purchased this ?commercial? elliptical from Sears because of its small footprint & the adjustable stride length.  We have also had very good luck with other products purchased & services by Sears.  The elliptical is made by Icon Fitness in China.  Icon Fitness also sells products under the ProForm Fitness brand name.

After reading the reviews on how difficult is was to assemble, we decided to pay $75 to have a service person assemble it.  We also purchased a 3-year extended warranty from Sears.

The very 1st time I used it, the following problems occurred:

1. The ?Cardiogrip? heart rate monitor readings were totally inaccurate. It showed my heart rate was 180, 5 seconds after starting my exercise.  Then it dropped to 98.  Several seconds later it was 156.
2. The mechanical arms started making a ?clunking? noise with each revolution.
3. The ?Coolaire? fan started making a loud noise (like putting a knife blade into a fan), even on the slowest speed.
4. The stride reading incremented at twice the actual amount.

I called Sears service on January 31st & was immediately transferred to Icon Fitness.  As it turns out, Sears does not have anything to do with providing service on these products.  The customer service person I spoke to provided the following responses:

1. 1. The Cardiogrip feature is only accurate every 3 revolutions.
2. 2. The ?clunking? noise is normal.
3. 3. The Coolaire fan noise is not normal & we will send you a new console.  However, we are out of stock on the consoles & there is no estimated date when they will be sent to you (it has been 3 weeks since I called).
4. 4. The incorrect stride reading is an adjustment covered in the manual & it is your responsibility to adjust it. I asked why this would not be covered under the warranty & was told, we only come out once a year to perform a routine inspection.

The customer service person was absolutely unsympathetic towards my problems.  I was also surprised to find out the warranty work was not handled by Sears.  Sears should have been upfront with this fact.  Had I known Sears would not handle the service, I would not have purchased it.

The Cardiogrip heart rate feature is absolutely useless. It might show the correct reading once every minute or so, but most of the time it is wrong.  The customer service person?s statement about getting an accurate reading every 3 readings is wrong.

The clunking noise is something I guess I will have to live with.  Turning up the music on my iPod helps muffle it.

With regards to the replacement console, other reviews indicate Icon never has replacement parts in stock.  It would appear this is their way of avoiding having to fix their defective products.  It demonstrates a total lack of quality control.  I can accept being out of stock once in a while for short time periods, but not for over 2 weeks.

I attempted to adjust the Reed switch, which controls the stride reading. I followed the instructions in the manual by removing the left large & small rail covers. As it turns out, the manual is incorrect.  The Reed switch is located on the right side, not the left.  That wasted 30 minutes on my time.

If the replacement console does not arrive in the next 2 weeks, we will return the unit to Sears for credit.

I would never purchase another product made by Icon.  They are poorly made (China) and their customer service is one of the worst I have dealt with.

Compact. Quiet. Efficient. December 29, 2011

We had been looking at ellipticals for a couple of months and had not seen the Nordic Track A.C.T. When I saw it and tried it out at our local Sears, I was sold. It was the perfect size! And it is quiet.

The delivery was on-time and the delivery guys very polite and professional.

It was a little difficult to assemble, but all of the pieces were there and we did get it put together just fine.