The Sunny Health E905 Elliptical is a compact and inexpensive elliptical for home gyms. But is it right for you and your goals? This review looks at the pros, cons, and comparable alternatives to the Sunny E905 Elliptical Trainer.
The Sunny Health E905 is a low-cost and compact elliptical trainer designed for home gyms.
It’s a no-frills machine, with just eight level resistance levels, but its $200 price tag and tiny footprint make it an excellent option for beginners looking for a space-saving elliptical.
In this review of the Sunny Health SF-E905, we will look at the pros of this inexpensive elliptical, the cons, who it’s for, how it compares to other budget ellipticals, and more.
Let’s jump right in.
Sunny Health E905 – The Key Specs
- Price: $200
- Footprint: 28” wide x 17” long
- Resistance levels: 8
- Unit weight: 60lb
- Max user weight: 220lb
- Stride length: 11”
- Warranty: 3 years (frame), 180 days (parts and electronics)
Sunny Health E905 – The Pros
The main features and benefits of the E905 include:
- Compact design
- Very quiet machine
- Short stride length
- Lightweight—easy to move
- Budget-friendly
✅ Extremely compact design
Elliptical machines and home gyms tend to be a difficult combination because of the inherently long footprint of ellipticals, which can be as long as 84”.
For home gyms that are short on space, the E905 is an excellent option as you can hammer out all of your HIIT sessions or steady-state workouts without requiring half a bedroom for the machine.
The E905 is also easily movable with its low unit weight—the E905 weighs just 60lbs—and caster wheels for easy tilting and moving.
✅ Low price point
Elliptical machines are NOT cheap. Like other cardio machines like treadmills and rowing machines, the elliptical trainer costs around $800-2,000 for a decent model and quickly goes up from there.
The Sunny SF-E905 runs counter to this pricing, retailing for less than $200 on Amazon (when it’s in stock—click here for current availability at Amazon), giving you the option of a quality elliptical that doesn’t break the bank.
The E905’s primary benefit is that you can get a fairly quality elliptical and stride experience in the comfort of your home for around 4-5 months worth of gym membership dues.
✅ Short stride length (for short users)
Nailing the right stride length on the elliptical is crucial. If the stride length is too long, you end up twisting your body and hyper-extending the knees in order to complete the full range of the striding motion.
Too short, and the knees strain from the cramped range of motion, there is an over-emphasis on the quads, and the striding experience begins to feel more like a stepper than elliptical.
While most elliptical machines have a stride length of 18-20”, this isn’t ideal for shorter trainees.
The E905 has one of the shortest stride lengths on the market at just 11”, making it an ideal trainer for shorter users.
✅ Silent and deadly!
Cardio machines are a loud bunch—looking especially at you treadmills, steppers, and air bikes!
Ellipticals are generally not an exception to his, particularly the machines that use air resistance in the housing.
The Sunny Health E905, on the other hand, is almost completely silent, a veritable silent assassin when being operated.
Resistance is generated using magnets that are exceptionally quiet—perfect for shared living spaces or for exercisers who like silent serenity when working out.
Sunny Health E905 – The Cons
While there are some excellent benefits and advantages of this particular elliptical, there are some things that could be improved.
Including:
Short stride length (for taller users).
While the short stride length is good news for shorter users, it makes it very uncomfortable for taller users.
Taller (and longer-legged) users will want to opt for an elliptical like the Sole Fitness E35 Elliptical Trainer (20” stride length), True Fitness PS300 Elliptical (21” stride length), or the Schwinn 411 Elliptical Trainer (18” stride).
Not suitable for heavy-duty use.
The unit weight of an elliptical is a good indication of how strong and stable an elliptical will be when doing a workout on it.
The E905is very light—which is awesome for moving it around your home when necessary—but not awesome for providing a stable ride.
More experienced users will want to opt for a heavier and more stable elliptical, while beginners and light users should be good with the E905.
No tray for smartphone/tablet/book.
The console—if we want to call it that—is very basic, with just a simple digital display about the size of a stopwatch.
Unfortunately, that’s the extent of the console, which means there is nowhere to put your smartphone (particularly if you want to take advantage of the online classes available through Sunny Fitness’s training app) or tablet.
Sunny Health E905 – FAQs
How hard is the E905 to put together?
Assembly is relatively straightforward, especially compared to other elliptical brands (looking at you, Sole Fitness!).
I highly recommend reading the assembly instructions all the way through before starting as some of the instructions will pull a “before you do the above” after you’ve already completed the instruction.
Sunny Health also has a video on its website to assist in the assembly here. There are also plenty of videos on YouTube detailing assembly from other users who purchased the E905.
The Bottom Line
When it comes to choosing the right elliptical, there’s a lot to consider. Price. Size. Stride length. User weight. Training programs. And so on.
For the beginner trainee, who wants a shorter stride length, the Sunny SF-E905 represents an excellent elliptical for training at home that is remarkably inexpensive.
It’s got everything that the newbie elliptical trainee could want out of a compact and budget-friendly elliptical machine.
| ✅ PROS | ❌ CONS |
| Extremely budget friendly | Shorter stride length |
| Compact design and footprint | Not suitable for heavy users |
| Easy to move | |
| Quiet; great for home use and shared spaces |
+ Compact design
+ Short stride length (11”)
+ Budget-friendly pricing
+ Whisper-quiet magnetic drive
More Budget-Friendly Elliptical Guides and Reviews
Sole Fitness Elliptical Comparison | Which One is Best for You? Looking for a detailed comparison of Sole Fitness Ellipticals? Here’s a detailed breakdown of every Sole Elliptical, including key features, price, functionality, and much more.
Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer Review | The Best Elliptical Ever for Home Gyms? Wondering if the Sole E95 Elliptical is the right one for you? In this guide, we do a deep dive on this popular elliptical trainer, looking at the pros, cons, and how it compares to other ellipticals for home gyms.
