The ProForm Carbon E10 is a sturdy elliptical designed for online classes and interactive workouts. But is the right elliptical for you? In this hands-on review, we take the Carbon E10 for a stride so you can see if it’s the right cardio machine for your goals.
Looking for a studio-grade elliptical for doing online classes and interactive workouts?
Welp, you’ve come to the right place. The ProForm Carbon E10 is built like a tank and the 10” HD touchscreen is perfect for doing online classes.
The Carbon E10 also has tons of resistance options, a motorized incline, and a heavy-duty, 25lb flywheel for a smooth and stable ride.
In this review of the Carbon E10, we look at the pros and cons of the machine, compare it to other ellipticals in its price range, and take it for a ride to see how smooth the E10 can be.
By the end, you will have a clear idea if the ProForm Carbon E10 is worth your hard-earned cash and whether it’s the best elliptical for helping you achieve your health and fitness goals.
Let’s jump right in.
ProForm Carbon E10 Elliptical – Key Specs
- Price: $1,403
- Flywheel: 25lb
- 3-year membership to iFit
- 10” HD touchscreen
- Stride: 19” adjustable
- Incline: 0-20 degrees – power-adjustable
- Machine weight: 224lb
- Max user weight: 275lb
- 24 resistance levels
- Footprint: 68.5” long x 25” wide x 67.75” high
- In-home assembly: $199
ProForm Carbon E10 Elliptical – The Pros
There are a lot of things that I really like about the Carbon E10.
Here are the biggies:
When it comes to choosing the best elliptical machine for your home gym, there are a lot of things to consider. Footprint. Price. Creature comforts like a cooling fan and USB outlet for charging devices.
But ultimately, the ride is everything. Using an elliptical machine that rocks, rattles, and clunks reduce our motivation to use the elliptical, turning it into an expensive coat-hanger, as is so often the case.
The ProForm Carbon E10 has a studio-grade ride thanks to the 200lb+ weight and a 25lb flywheel that is strong enough for a vast majority of users, beginner and experienced alike.
The flywheel is magnetic, which is sneaky-sneaky quiet, especially compared to fan-powered drives like those you see on air bikes and rower machines.
We recommend that the flywheel for a durable elliptical machine be at least 20lbs for that smooth and clunk-free striding experience, and the Carbon E10’s 25lb flywheel checks that box in a big way.
Cardio machines for weight loss and home gyms have come a long way in recent years.
While a basic LCD screen used to be the standard on ellipticals, treadmills, and bikes, we have progressed into the age of HD touchscreens, streaming, online classes, and more.
The console on the ProForm Carbon E10 has a large 10” HD touchscreen that is perfect for interactive and immersive media.
Whether you like doing online classes (via iFit, which we will cover in a hot minute) or striding through different locales and neighborhoods across the world, the big screen on the Carbon E10 is a champ.
Online classes and interactive workouts have become all the rage in recent years.
They simulate the in-person benefits of working out with a personal trainer or participating in a class without having to leave the comfort of your home.
These online portals–like Peloton, STUDIO, JRNY, and iFit–are rarely cheap, with recurring subscriptions that can cost as much as $39 per month.
With the Carbon E10, ProForm packages it with a three-year family membership to iFit. This represents a significant cost saving over time.
Ellipticals with adjustable stride length are an excellent option for home gyms with multiple users.
By adjusting the stride length, you can find a striding distance that is comfortable, targets the right muscles, and reduces the likelihood of injury from bad biomechanical positioning on the elliptical.
While the ProForm Carbon E10 isn’t what I would consider a truly adjustable stride length elliptical (these would be machines that offer 5” to 6” variable length), the E10 does give users the options of stride ranging from 17″ to 19″, giving owners some flexibility in finding that perfect stride length.
Being comfortable on the elliptical means you will simply use the machine more often and reduce the likelihood of pain-in-the-butt things like toe or foot numbness on the elliptical occurring.
Elliptical machines are awesome for a variety of reasons, with elliptical trainer benefits including low-impact exercise, it’s a full-body workout, and you can tackle all of your training goals, whether it’s fat burning or improving athletic performance.
But what isn’t so awesome, is the assembly process, which is often exacerbated with poorly illustrated/explained assembly manuals.
The ProForm Carbon E10 assembly manual is step-by-step and illustrated clearly.
I’ve put together more elliptical trainers than I can count over the years, and the manual for the E10 is one of the best I’ve seen.
ProForm Carbon E10 Elliptical – The Cons
No heart rate monitoring.
One of my favorite ways of training, whether in my own workouts or when working with clients, is being heart rate targeting. Hitting a target range of heart rate gives us a handy metric to know whether we are making the most of our time on the cardio machine.
The Carbon E10, surprisingly, doesn’t have heart rate monitors on the handles of the machine. It’s rare to see a cardio machine without this feature.
If heart rate workout programs is a key component of your workout routine, or a metric that helps you stay focused when exercising, you will want to use a FitBit or some other type of HR monitoring device.
Low max user weight.
The Carbon E10 is rated for users up to 275lb, which makes it a less than ideal choice for heavier folks and people just getting started on their weight-loss journey.
This is a low max user weight compared to other elliptical machines at this price point.
Other machines in the same price brack as the E10 have significantly heavier max user weight recommendations, including the Sole Fitness E55 (375lb), Nautilus E618 (350lb), and the NordicTrack Commercial 14.9 Elliptical (350lb).
Big-boned folks such as myself (I’m a 285ish pound sack of meat) will want to angle towards other ellipticals with a higher max user weight than the Carbon E10.
ProForm Carbon E10 vs the Competition
The Carbon E10 is built to be a sturdy machine designed for online classes.
There are some ellipticals on the market, that cost around the same, that have many of the same features as the E10.
Here is how the competition compares to the ProForm Carbon E10:
Carbon E10Sole E55NordicTrack 14.9Nautilus E618
Price$1,403$1,499$1,499$1,399
Stride19”20”17.5” – 18.7”22”
Machine weight224lb227lb210lb210lb
Max User Weight275lb375lb350lb350lb
Flywheel25lb20lb32lb30lb
Screen10” HD9” LCD14” HD5.5” LCD
Incline0-20 degrees; power20 positions; power0-20 degrees; power0-10 degrees; power
HR monitoringNoYesYesYes
ProForm Carbon E10 Elliptical – FAQs
Can you use the ProForm Carbon E10 without an iFit subscription?
The Carbon E10 has a manual mode that you can use if you don’t want to pay for the recurring membership fees of iFit.
To be honest though, if you aren’t planning on using the Carbon E10 for strictly manual mode, and not take advantage of the online programming, there are better options for a “no frills” workout experience such as the Nautilus E618 and the Sole Fitness E55.
Additionally, I would add that if you really like the iFit classes and want a big screen, the NrodicTrack Commercial 14.9 elliptical has a way bigger screen (14” vs 10”) and a heavier flywheel (32lb vs 25lb) for less than a hundred dollars more than the ProForm Carbon E10.
How loud is the ProForm Carbon E10 Elliptical?
The Carbon E10 relies on magnets to create resistance when exercising. Magnetic resistance is exceptionally quiet, much quieter than air-based resistance (like on assault bikes).
The Carbon E10 is about as quiet a cardio machine you will find, making it a great choice for those early morning workouts when you don’t want to wake the kids.
Are ProForm elliptical machines good?
ProForm ellipticals are some of the best on the market. They are manufactured by the same parent company as NordicTrack and ProForm has a long history of making durable cardio machines for both residential and commercial users.
We’ve had the opportunity to test out ProForm’s full line of ellipticals over the years, both in their showroom in Utah as well as in our respective home gyms. For a deeper look, check out this comparison of ProFrom ellipticals.
The Bottom Line
The ProForm Carbon E10 Elliptical Trainer is a great choice for people who like doing online classes and trainer-led workouts, want ultimate flexibility in stride and foot positioning, and a very sturdy ride that can accommodate more experienced users.
If you are super into the online and interactive programming, the NordicTrack Commercial 14.9’s larger screen (and heavier flywheel) will likely be a better option, especially for larger users.
To recap:
Adjustable stride lengthLow max user weight
Simplified assembly manual
Heavy flywheel that is sturdy enough for most users
10” HD screen for online classes and workouts
+ Power incline for mid-workout difficulty increase
+ Huge 10" touchscreen
+ Adjustable stride length (up to 19")
+ Heavy flywheel for smooth and stable ride
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