I got the Sol. It has some of the best ratings and I love it. The only negative is it's size. The machine is enormous! I originally was looking at the Bowflex because the commercials looked so good but after researching it decided against it. It has some of the worst ratings of any of the exercise machines. I was surprised because I had a Bowflex resistance machine when they came out about 30 years ago and really liked it.

I know this is an older post but I just had to comment. I LOVE the elliptical trainer much more than any other cardio equipment. I have used two different machines, one made by PreCor and the other Pro form I believe. The PreCor is much smoother and has so many different levels of resistance and you can adjust the steepness, much like a treadmill. I have knee problems and ankle problems and the elliptical trainer is much easier on my joints. It is a great workout, seems almost effortless (trust me, it's not) and I find it less boring than a treadmill. It helped me lose 50 lbs!

Thanks to all of you for the tips. I'll try the vinegar tomorrow. Pbrisjar--does it matter if it is white vinegar vs. the brownish cider vinegar? I sprayed the floor and all the walls with a peroxide and baking soda solution yesterday (recommended in a thread that I found on the flooring forum). That seemed to help at first, but I think the smell is coming back. It sounds like I will probably have to buy a lot of primer and seal the odor into the walls and/or the floor. I went to petsmart today and bought a blacklight; hopefully that will help me find the worst areas so that I know where to concentrate my efforts. I have a feeling the walls are worse than the floor; when applying the peroxide solution I noticed some discoloration and residue about 2 feet up from the floor on a few walls, so those may have been major spraying locations. I bought a large bottle of an enzymatic cleaner that sounded like it might help with older stains, but it was $35 and I know it won't be enough for the whole area, so if it's not much different from vinegar I may as well return it for a refund. Yes, I'm sure the prior owners knew about it. I have no idea how they managed to hide it every time that I came to the house (I have a sensitive nose), and it irks me that they did. If I'd known, I could have had a painter seal everything before I moved in, while it was still empty. At the closing, the owner mentioned that the cats had been "stressed" because of the move; I guess she knew that I would soon discover the smell. Thanks again!!

I enjoyed walking on one at the gym this winter. I used one that you could adjust the incline and liked that better than just a flat surface. For some reason I can walk better if I raise the front a bit (not to mention a better work out). The one I used was not one you could jog on, but still had some nice features. You could check with local gyms to see if they will be replacing any soon. You may get a good deal. beverly