The Diamondback Fitness 1260Ef Elliptical Trainer is the Rolls Royce of the elliptical market — expensive, but manufactured to an extremely high standard and offering both a very high quality exercise experience and a tantalizing array of features and options.
Sturdily built, with precision machining and careful engineering to provide the maximum smoothness and workout value, the machine delivers one of the best elliptical experiences on the market for both beginners and experienced users, and will last a long time with normal or even heavy use. The computer is extremely advanced, and the main faults of the 1260Ef—heavy weight, unclear assembly instructions—are common to all ellipticals and are not specific flaws of this machine.
Size and Weight
Because of its clean, upright design, the Diamondback Elliptical looks smaller than it actually is, and you should be careful to choose a spot where it will fit based on its actual dimensions, rather than simply guessing.
The machine is 70 inches long, 28 inches wide, and 65 inches high — or in other words, close to 6 feet by 2.5 feet by 5.5 feet, which will occupy a good part of a medium-sized room in many living spaces.
The elliptical weighs 245 pounds, meaning that it is extremely hard to move without disassembling it first.
A Tough Machine with an Excellent Warranty
The frame of the Diamondback Fitness 1260Ef is made of heavy-gauge steel, welded for extra durability (since there are many joints where there is no chance of a bolt coming loose), and the warranties accompanying the machine back up this impression of strength.
A limited lifetime warranty applies to both the frame and the brake, while parts and electronics are warranted for five years and labor is warranted for one year. Although a warranty is not an absolute guide to quality, a long-term guarantee of this type bespeaks confidence on the part of the machine’s creators in the solidity of their work. The weight capacity is 325 lbs.
A Problematic Assembly Manual
It seems to be almost standard procedure for exercise machine assembly manuals to be poorly written, and the documentation for the Diamondback Fitness 1260Ef is unfortunately no exception to this rule. Assembly is lengthy and complicated — another typical feature of elliptical trainers, which are complex pieces of equipment despite the straightforward nature of the exercise they offer — and will probably take several hours.
Useful Assembly Tips
The user should note that the labels on the screw packages are correct when there is any conflict between their instructions and those in the manual; and that there are left and right swing poles, but these are difficult to tell apart and you must be careful to install them on the correct side. They are labeled, but the R and L tags are small and easy to overlook, so alertness pays as much at this stage of assembly as at all others.
Stride, Resistance, Steps per Minute
It is in performance that the Diamondback Fitness 1260Ef Elliptical Trainer shines. The machine has a magnetic brake, controlled electronically from the console so that you can adjust the resistance instantly and easily, picking from 20 levels of resistance. The stride of the machine is 19", which is long enough to provide taller users with a comfortable pace while still remaining within the tolerances of shorter users. The step rate ranges from 25 to 130 steps per minute, and the resistance range varies from 20 to 700 watts, giving nearly any user exactly the workout that they need.
Details of the Pedals, Incline, and Cushioning
The pedals of the Diamondback 1260Ef Elliptical are comfortably cushioned, and can be adjusted easily with electronic commands to one of 10 different angles. The machine has warm-up and cool-down modes to ease you into and out of your workout regimen, and a built-in reading rack allows you to occupy your mind with a good book or magazine while building your cardiac health and losing weight.
The motor easily operates in incline mode to give you a stair-climbing or jogging-like experience while maintaining the fluid, continuous, impact-free exercise that elliptical machines are meant to offer.
As one user, Carleton Eve, describes the machine, "best of all, it is so easy to use, has a variety of great and interesting programs, it moves so smoothly and it is quiet."
Handgrips Provide Arm Exercise Too
The Diamondback Elliptical also offers a workout for the arms with the two rotating, dual-action handgrips, allowing you to work out your arms and upper body at the same time as you work your legs and lower back. There are also stationary grips for the times when you only want to work out your legs, but still need to steady yourself against the motion of the machine and your own body.
Excellent Controls, 13 Exercise Programs
The Diamondback’s computer console is among the most sophisticated currently on the market, with enough functions to keep even the most avid, detail-oriented exercise enthusiast happy. The console includes electronic controls for all of the elliptical trainer’s functions, including resistance, incline, and so on, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual adjustments. The computer also gives you 13 different programs to choose from, including a random workout, a ‘fat burner’ session, and more.
Information on the Computer, Heart Tate Monitor
The controls track time, segment time, watts, intensity level, incline, percentage of maximum heart rate, calories burned, calories per minutes, speed, pulse, RPM, and distance, and it is possible to track several of these information streams at once. Finally, the computer supports two methods of heart rate monitoring — one through the hand grips, and the other by means of an included heart rate belt. The receiver can also pick up heart rate signals from Polar heart rate meters.
Overview of the Diamondback
All in all, the Diamondback 1260Ef Elliptical Trainer is a magnificently-engineered, sleek, powerful, smoothly-operating machine that provides anyone interested in the unique health benefits of ellipticals with the market’s current best all-round experience. The construction is top-notch and the machine will typically last for years without problems. The warranties are very solid, and customer service is prompt when telephoned. Resistance is challenging for even advanced users, and the computer console includes nearly every control and function that it is possible to include in such a device. In short, the Diamondback is an expensive elliptical trainer, but delivers splendid value for its price.
Best Price on Diamondback – Where You Can Get A Discount
One of the best deals on the Internet for the Diamondback 1260Ef is to be found on Amazon.
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