The Ironman 1811 Elliptical – Not Recommended

The Ironman 1811 elliptical is a letdown if you were hoping to read the words “outstanding” and “value” associated with this machine. It’s hard to find many good things in a budget elliptical, and buying this one is just asking for headaches.

What You Get

The Ironman 1811 elliptical comes with an LCD window on the console showing speed, time, distance, calories and pulse. The console also features a Pulse Recovery Program to determine your fitness level after a workout session by monitoring your recovery rate and showing you a score.

The features on the Ironman 1811 include:

• 16" Stride Length
• 8 Resistance Levels
• Pulse grips sensors
• Upper Body Handlebars
• Front Drive
• Unit wt/dimensions: 74.8 lbs/ 58.7 x 22.1 x 63 in
• Front Transport Wheels
• 250-lb. User Capacity
• Warranty: 2 yrs frame, 1 yr mechanical, 6 mo electronics, 90 days labor

UPDATE: The Ironman 1811 has been discontinued and is no longer available.  The H-Class 610 and X-Class 610 are the only remaining ellipticals.  You can learn more about them here:

Compare Most Popular Ironman Ellipticals at Amazon

The Word on the Street

The good news is that Star Trac has bought Ironman fitness equipment and will be working to improve the quality of the elliptical line. The bad news is that isn’t going to happen this year.

As budget front-drive ellipticals go, the Ironman 1811 will feel a bit more solid than a rear drive unit, but will still have some wobble. The magnetic resistance and aluminum track wheel system is basic and made with cheap parts, so don’t expect to get a lot of mileage out of this model. It is backed by only a 90-day warranty, so beware.

Ironman makes better ellipticals in the plus-$1000 range but most elliptical reviews on the company’s cheap models such as the 1811 are generally unkind.

The 16" stride length is actually a positive selling point as most budget machines have a 13" to 15" stride, and it is a bit more quiet than expected, but these models have no fan, the HR readout monitor tends to be inaccurate, the user capacity rating is a joke, the elliptical oval is not as smooth, and … well, you get the idea.

Our Thoughts

This is an expensive clothes rack that sells for around $300. If you’re interested in buying the Ironman 1811 elliptical, we’ve got a bridge to sell you too.

Save your money and get a better machine, which would be a ProForm or Schwinn in the $399-$599 range.

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