Smooth CE Plus Elliptical Trainer Review:
The
Smooth Fitness CE Plus elliptical trainer replaces the original Smooth CE
in the Smooth elliptical product line. It's a compact home elliptical trainer with a space-saving 55" footprint, which makes it a great solution for
apartment dwellers or people with limited space for in-home fitness equipment. But don't let it's size fool you! The Smooth CE Plus sports
a hefty 50 lb flywheel and with its extended 19" stride length, this is a silky smooth elliptical trainer with loads of stability. It's
not cheap (most expensive of the Smooth ellipticals), but if space is an issue and you don't want to compromise on quality, then you'd be
hard-pressed to do better than the
Smooth CE Plus Elliptical Trainer.
Features:
- Drive System - eddy current braking system with a hefty 50 lb flywheel.
- Dual Action - ergonomically-bent upper body handles for proper arm and back position.
- Resistance Levels - 75 levels in 5 Watt increments.
- Stride length - 19" fixed. Uses patented "Extended Motion" technology to achieve a longer stride length in a small 55" footprint.
- Frame - robotically welded steel tubing with high quality powder coating.
- Joints - top grade sealed ball bearings are used in all pivot and drive points. This provides for smooth and quiet operation along with increased durability.
- Foot Pedals - gliding footplates roll along the foot rails for a more dynamic feel. This is also how the extended motion is achieved.
- Heart Rate Monitor & Control - hand grip monitor and included Polar-compatible chest strap. Also has a pulse-rate program.
- Console -large multi-purpose LCD screen displays full range of typical workout parameters.Separate backlit blue display for workout parameters and a graphic load profile LCD display below. Keypad allows dynamic resistance adjustment when in manual resistance mode.
- Easy Com - console can guide you through the operations or you can just start and go.
- USB Interface - for interactive software training and exchangeable preset programs.
- Exercise Programs - 48 programs along with individually programmable profiles: pulse directed training and preset pulse range for fat burning and fitness cardio zone training.
- Transport Rollers - underneath front base for ease in moving. Important, since it weighs 200 lbs.
- Floor Levelers - underneath the frame’s rear base for stabilization on uneven floors.
- Power Requirements - plugs into 110 V wall outlet
- Weight Capacity - 325 lbs
- Warranty - lifetime frame and braking system, 5 year parts & electronics,
1 year in-home service.
MSRP - $3097.00 Average Selling Price - $2399.00
Dimensions:
- Length - 55"
- Width - 25"
- Height - 61"
- Weight - 200 lbs
- Flywheel weight - 50 lbs.
Our Recommendation: 
**EH Best Buy**
Like the original Smooth CE, the Smooth CE Plus is a rebranded Kettler elliptical (EXT7). Kettler is a German fitness manufacturer who puts their unique metal tubing manufacturing and cutting process to good use in their products. This is particularly evident in their high-quality elliptical trainers. The Smooth CE Plus has a very solid and durable frame, which Smooth is so confident in that they back it with a lifetime warranty.
Siemans, another German company known for quality products, makes the LCD console on the Smooth CE Plus. A weakness of the original Smooth CE was its hard to see and confusing LCD display. The LCD on the Smooth CE Plus is larger as well as backlit for better viewing. I still prefer a LED dot-matrix display like Smooth uses on their American designed ellipticals such as the Ce 7.4, but the CE Plus console is still decent enough.
The great stability of the Smooth CE plus comes from its 50 lb flywheel (2 lbs heavier than the original CE) and overall unit weight of 200 lbs, which is only 10 lbs lighter than the massive CE 7.4! It's truly amazing that Kettler got this into a 55" footprint when the CE 7.4 consumes 85" of space!
The other engineering marvel of the Smooth CE Plus is its extended stride length of 19". This was achieved using their patented Extended Motion Technology. The original CE only had a 16" stride length, which presented limitations for some people over 6'2". You can stand well over 6' and still get a quality elliptical feel on the the Smooth CE Plus.
My recommendation is that if you have the space, then you can save yourself about $900 and get the Smooth CE 3.2 elliptical trainer. Just be aware that it takes up some space and even if you do have a basement or separate exercise room, some people still wind up putting their fitness equipment in the living room. This way they can be close to the TV and the rest of the family. If this is your case, then definitely go with the Smooth CE Plus!