Best Deals on Fitness Equipment and Accessories

The Google Pixel Watch 2 has an elegant design, seamless compatibility with the Pixel phone, and a full Google ecosystem. It’s worth noting that as far as performance, it barely edged out its predecessor (which is also on sale and at a significantly lower price). Its new features include sensors that monitor stress and irregular heart rhythms and Safety Check, which alerts emergency contacts if you don’t arrive at your destination within a set time.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch6 has a bright, round AMOLED display with a sapphire crystal that performed excellently in our scratch resistance test, as well as a mic and speaker for handling phone calls and a slightly bigger and more pixel-dense screen than the previous-gen Watch5. As far as features, our testers admire the wide range of health and fitness capabilities, including a blood oxygen sensor and ECG monitoring (which could detect irregularities in heart rhythm).

Think of the elegant Pixel Watch as the Apple Watch of the Android world. It’s designed to integrate smoothly with Google’s devices, like the Pixel phone and earbuds, as well as those Google-owned services that dominate the internet. The watch sits near the top of our ratings, with strong scores for ease of use, readability in bright and low light, and heart rate accuracy. Battery life is a bit of a disappointment at only 24 hours.

While we’ve seen these smartwatches selling for about $60 less during the recent holidays, this is still a good deal.

Compatible with both Android and iPhone models, the GTR 3 has two big things going for it—the price is very low, and the battery life is really good, at a claimed 21 days. (The newer GTR 4 model also performed well in our tests, but got a significant price bump.) The GTR 3’s case design is sleek, channeling some higher-end analog watches, and the touchscreen display is bright and easy to read. The model also features stand-alone GPS, which is useful when you’re out running without your smartphone. Our testers give the watch solid marks across the board, except for its heart rate monitoring, where the Amazfit’s performance is just average.

Amazfit’s fitness trackers are some of the most affordable options CR has tested, and the Band 7 earns a spot among CR’s recommended models. It has an impressive 18-day claimed battery life and pairs easily with recent versions of both iPhone and Android phones. That said, our testers found it wasn’t quite as accurate at step tracking as other models, but its heart rate accuracy was adequate.

The Sunny Walking Pad has the best safety key stop of any under-desk treadmill we tested, and the belt comes to a stop if no user is detected for 5 seconds, giving this machine points for safety, despite the narrow belt. It’s the second loudest machine we tested, and you can’t mute any beeping sounds caused by the controller or changing settings. It’s recommended for users under 220 pounds.

The partial triangle handle and adjustable massage head on this Renpho massage gun make it easy for users to more comfortably target hard-to-reach areas of the body. “The handle on my massage gun is really one of the biggest selling points,” said one of the Renpho R4 users we heard from, who also praised the light weight of the device. 

This very affordable device is not particularly powerful, but its moderate massage should still be sufficient for many users. It’s straightforward to use, with one button to change speeds. And while it does very well in our evaluations of handle ergonomics, postural stress, and ease of use, it doesn’t have the premium feel of some of the more expensive devices we’ve tested. Changing the attachments feels a little clunky and can require a lot of force.

Don’t be fooled by the "limited deal" badge for the Renpho R3 massage gun—it’s almost always available on sale for this price, but it’s still a good offer. This massage gun might be the best all-around device for most average users because it’s small, lightweight, and quieter than other devices. But it’s not the ideal choice for people who want the most intense massage or the best model to massage areas on the back. 

The pistol grip could add some more postural stress than other devices, though its light weight and small form could help alleviate stress for some. As a bonus, this can be charged with a standard USB-C charging cable.

This is a good travel-sized massager with a nice storage case that offers a moderately powerful massage at moderate noise levels. It’s simple, and most users should find it easy to use, with a nice pistol-type handle that can be pinched in your palm as an additional way of holding the device. This device charges via USB-C.

“I specifically like the size, I like the ergonomic shape, and I like the weight . . . It’s very convenient to hold and very convenient to travel with,” said one user.

This is the cheapest massage device we’ve tested, and it could be a decent budget purchase even at its usual price of around $50. It offers a weaker massage than other devices, though it may still be enough for some users—and it’s pretty quiet as a result. The interface on this device can be cumbersome. While it comes with 10 attachments and a case, the attachments often come loose and get jumbled up inside the case, making it hard to fit the massage gun in. This device charges via USB-C.

“Even on low it gets the job done,” said one participant in our user research. “One thing that could be improved is that . . . the [massage head] attachments really get stuck on [the device] sometimes. And on the display, there’s a thumbprint that you use to turn it on, and I don’t really care for that. I wish there was a clear on/off.”

The Schwinn 470 elliptical is one of the best CR has tested, especially because it includes an electronic incline feature that’s not often seen at this price. The display shows a comprehensive list of exercise statistics, and there’s a low-cost option to add heart-rate-controlled programs that automatically adjust the workout intensity.

The highly rated Horizon Fitness 7.4AT is a folding treadmill with a reading shelf and quick control dials to rapidly change speed or incline. It has excellent ratings in all tests except user safety, where it still earns a score of very good. It comes with a heart rate monitor to connect directly to training programs and has built-in speakers and Bluetooth connectivity.

The Horizon 7.0AT is a folding treadmill that garners excellent scores for ergonomics, ease of user safety, and exercise range. It receives a rating of very good for construction. This model has Bluetooth connectivity, built-in speakers, and a responsive motor that keeps in sync with fitness apps and trackers like Peloton and Zwift. It also includes a reading shelf.

The Echelon EX-5S has a 22-inch touchscreen display (AC-powered) for connected classes and browsing session data. Its screen rotates for off-bike exercises, with many different exercise programs available through its subscription service Echelon Connect, which costs $40 per month or $400 per year. You can adjust the bike’s resistance by turning a knob. This bike uses SPD pedal clips for use with bike shoes and has toe cages for use with other shoes. It has dual bottle holders.

The Trek Starvos WaveCel gets top marks for its impact absorption and ease of use, and earns a respectable rating for ventilation. As its name suggests, it features WaveCel technology, which is meant to reduce the effects of rotational impact. It also comes in five sizes and has reflective features, so you can still see it in low light. There’s a crash replacement program in case you damage your helmet in an accident within the first year of ownership.

The moderately priced Weight Watchers WW26 bathroom scale was recently about $10 less, so this isn’t the best price, but it’s still cost-effective compared to other options. It earns excellent ratings across the board in CR’s tests. It can measure up to 400 pounds and shows weight in 0.1-pound increments. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity that some other scales have, but our tester found it very simple to use.