Over the last few years more Epic elliptical machines have been moved into the market than any other specialty manufacture on the market. What is of concern for the larger retailers and mid size companies is that hardly any manufacturing parts are being sold for the Epic. When I first used an Epic elliptical machine when I was in college I quickly became aware, that one of the biggest sleeping giants in the industry was only a few steps away from market domination wherein a clean quality brand was being introduced to the consumer.
Epic brand machines are made by a larger company called Icon whose factory and engineer force numbers over 200 to make their products. In a nut shell these are the best made elliptical machines on the market today design wise. What put them in their current position of years of using inferior parts to still craft a machine that was user friendly and reliable. What ended up happening was that they made the proper connections over seas that allowed them to reduce cost on heavier parts like motors and rive belts which freed up allocated budget for things like the belt and frame. This allows the machine to function properly and last longer.
Topping just over $1 billion in sales annually Icon has become the largest fitness equipment maker in the world. When it comes to buying a consistant, quality machine Icon is clearly the best but where they lose market share is in their customer service. Several complaints has made the customer service issue a priority for the company but it takes more than acknowledgment to change the reputation. Because the Epic elliptical has become such an icon in the market (pun intended) the low price is an equal match for the lack of service. In order to combat that in the short term many retailers will pick up the slack from a customer service end.
What many people don’t know is that the Epic was designed initially to be sold just at Costco. So Icon took what it had learned from its Reebok line of products and used the Epic label to avoid showing like a Reebok machine. While the warranty is a little on the short end so is the price, its typically 30% less than its competition.
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