The two major factors that fitness enthusiasts actually look for in an elliptical are its benefits for all-around fitness and its price. Consumers are becoming more and more practical these days, and manufacturers are challenged to come up with machines that not only showcase several features but are also reasonably priced.

This is because people get to choose between working out at home or in a gym, but if the equipment costs more in the long run than signing up for a gym membership, chances are they'd go for the latter.

In this light, let's see whether the ProForm Epic EL 1200 Elliptical will hold up to that challenge or not by examining its features and its price tag.

ProForm claims that this particular machine can give you a full body workout for the cost of $30 or less a month. It has 14 pre-programmed workouts plus two user programs which allow you to customize your own program and save it for later use. Your upper and lower body are both exercised due to total body cross training.

The Power Incline Ramp of the ProForm Epic EL 1200 Elliptical automatically computes for a configuration that is customized for you. It also has the Quick Target Toning technology which helps you strengthen your legs and glutes via a feature that encourages exclusive use of certain muscle groups. When you set your own programs, you can make a comparison of how exercising on the ProForm Epic EL 1200 Elliptical feels as compared to using a treadmill on a high resistance setting.

At a relatively high setting, the ProForm Epic EL 1200 Elliptical effectively gives you that feeling of making an uphill walk or run. And at less than $1000 for the whole package, you'll be rewarded with a total body workout after you consistently burn large amounts of calories.

Th expected downside to the ProForm Epic EL 1200 Elliptical or to any elliptical in the same price range for that matter is the durability issue. It definitely cannot compare to the degree of extreme pounding that, say, a $2500 machine is subjected to and it is not designed for use by several members in the household.

One thing is for sure - the ProForm Epic EL 1200 Elliptical does not have a commercial-grade motor, so purchase it only if you're planning to do light to moderate workouts.

What's more, it only has a 90-day warranty for parts and labor so you might end up paying extra just to extend its warranty a few more months. Nevertheless, if you plan on using the ProForm Epic EL 1200 Elliptical for light running at the most, it may serve you well for years.

Its other attractive features are non-slip, moderately sized pedals; a powerful pulse heart rate monitor that keeps you within your target heart rate zone; workout fans for a relaxing upper-body cooling; and an acceptable 18-inch-stride length. If you're over 5 feet 11 inches, however, a 20" stride is more appropriate.

The manufacturer's Silent Magnetic Resistance is standard with the ProForm Epic EL 1200 Elliptical, allowing for 16 degrees of difficulty.