FitDesk Under Desk Elliptical

I have a FitDesk 2 and love it, wrote a 5-star review for it. I bought the under desk elliptical for my office, thinking the quality would be the same. It did not arrive with any visible damage, but the unit is too stiff to pedal even on the lowest setting, and makes a squeal and hiss.from inside the mechanism. It feels like it is grinding against something when trying to pedal. I contacted FitDesk's customer service twice before getting a response, and that response was my question (how do I fix this?) was forwarded to a tech, who has not responded. I wasn't given the tech's contact information. My only real option is to return this item at this point.UPDATE: Customer service finally got in touch with me, and wrote back that the mechanism was faulty. They said they would send me a new one. One arrived yesterday, and it knocks continuously on the left side. It also is not new; it has scratches and dirt on the floor-side of the mechanism, and oil stains by the pedal shaft and on the brand sticker from where someone presumably tried to fix the knocking my lubricating the pedal. I think I was given someone else's returned defective unit.

This is a fantastic product!! I absolutely LOVE using it!!1. Took about 25 minutes to put together2. Fits perfect under my desk, but it is a little long, so be sure to measure. It cannot be seen under my desk!3. Very quiet, but keep a can of WD-40 handy in case it starts to squeak. It does need a little bit after initial use.4. Even on low, it's great for the legs all the way up to the glutes5. You can pedal forward or backward, and backwards is even more challenging6. The timer cord fits perfect around the back of my desk, and sits up by my monitors, so I can easily read all the stats. Plus it can be reset at any time, so I can track all day calories. The time only goes up to 100 minutes, then restarts at 0.7. Because I like wearing sandals, heels and boots, I bought a pair of slip on sneakers to leave on the pedals. This way no outside dirt, salt or water will get on it, and I always have something to slip into to use the elliptical. They work great!!8. I have a keyboard tray, and my knees do not touch it. My knees barely move up and down. Mostly the motion is stretched out a little, and goes down versus way up. Hard to explain, but bottom line is I have no issue with my knees hitting, which is awesome!!9. I always have my rolling chair hooked on the foot massage, which keeps me stable as I use it.Overall a great product!! Even my co-workers have tried it, and were surprised at how well it works!! It's a must buy for those who don't have time to get to the gym, don't want to hit the gym after a long day or are sitting so much all day. It's a time saver for sure! Also, it keeps me moving all day!

Three days into my effort to get some exercise during my work day, given that my creaky knees and back severely limit my options and my time is limited. Overall, the FitDesk is a welcome addition to my work area. Its sturdy, fits under my oversized desk and, with some modifications of my work area that us in the open space between a u shaped desk (including putting a pillow under me so that I am raised slightly up and raising my keyboard station), I can type and read and talk on the phone without interference from my legs as they pump along on the FitDesk (and I am 6'5"). And unlike at home, rather than being a boring, repetitive exercise, its a great, small distraction from just sitting and working. The glide is smooth and the resistance more than sufficient to get some meaningful exercise. The first level is indeed a little tough out of the box, but I was able to loosen it up a little by spraying some silicone lubricant into each side of the crankshaft. The machine does squeak a little as I pedal though, regardless of how much lubricant I spray. I have an office away from others, so it is not a big issue, but it would be unacceptable if I shared space with others (and part of the reason for my point deduction; suggestions to reduce the squeak welcomed!). The FitDesk is heavy enough that It does not move much at all and i have bungy-corded my wheel-bottomed chair to it so I am securely in place as I pedal. Doing 45 minutes to an hour a day so far in the course of about a 9 hour day. The monitor extends to my desk, but it does not sit securely in the stand provided, so I velcroed them together, and it has randomly reset itself at times (other reasons for my deduction). The foot massager is cheap plastic and already breaking, an unnecessary, cheap gimmick. Now I have my fingers crossed that it will last over time. For the discounted price, I like the Fitdesk, particularly given there is only one really expensive alternative that has this low a profile. I hope to write more as time progresses.1/3/18 Update: Like this so much, I got another one for home during a holiday sale. Had monitor issues and some squeaking, so I contacted customer service -- received a response within 12 hours and then had several exchanges over the course of a day -- great responsiveness! Provided a new monitor that works well so far, and made suggestions about applying lubricant to easy to get to places on the machine that have solved all of the squeaking so far. I've used the machines pretty much every day for 45 minutes to an hour and actually enjoyed doing so while working or watching television. So far no serious wear and tear on my knees or back. So far, quite pleased.