JLL CT300 Elliptical Cross Trainer Review: Worth It?

The JLL CT300 elliptical cross trainer is one of the best-selling cross trainers in the UK, but is it actually worth buying, or are there better alternatives for the money? To find out, we bought the CT300 and put it through several weeks of real-world testing to see how well it performs and how it stacks up against close rivals.

This review is an honest account of what we thought of the CT300, including the drawbacks. If you're thinking about buying this machine, read this first.

Delivery, set up and assembly

Delivery was fast and efficient from Amazon UK, with the machine on our doorstep within two days of ordering.

At around 37 kg it isn't a particularly heavy machine compared with other home cross trainers, so moving it into your chosen room is fairly manageable. Even so, the built machine can be awkward to shift, so we'd suggest unpacking and assembling it in the room you actually intend to use it in.

Out of the box, it's clear this is a significant build. This isn't one of those "80% assembled" machines. It needs almost complete assembly, so set aside the best part of an hour or two. If you have a second pair of hands, make the most of them.

The parts were labelled clearly and the instructions were easy enough to follow, yet we still struggled with the build. This is where we felt let down, as JLL are well known for their home fitness gear, so we'd hoped for a smoother process. The honest truth is the assembly was the worst part of this cross trainer, and there's a fair chance you'll get lost putting it together.

Once it was built, we were ready to take it for a test run.

Using the JLL CT300 elliptical cross trainer

This is a low-to-mid-range machine, so we have certain expectations of it: we want it to feel smooth, make little noise and have solid build quality.

The good news is it performed really well. Over several weeks of testing the full range of features, the build quality felt exactly as it should, with no rattly, poorly designed parts, and a smooth, comfortable feel even during longer sessions.

The maximum user weight is 100 kg, or around 15 stone 10 pounds. We'd have liked to see a higher limit here, given this isn't a budget machine. If you're heavier than that, the Reebok ZR8 cross trainer is a better fit.

Having stationary handlebars alongside the standard moving ones is a nice touch, letting you rest your arms when you need to. They're finished with comfortable foam grips rather than bare metal, so they're easy to hold for longer workouts. Operation is quiet too, with the machine making little noise even when we pushed it to its limits.

What are the features like?

Here's a closer look at the main features of the JLL CT300.

LCD display

The LCD display gives you the usual vital stats: time, speed, distance, calories burned and pulse/heart rate.

Unusually for a machine at this price, it can also estimate your body fat percentage. It's a nice extra, but we wouldn't put much faith in the figures, as it relies on the pulse sensors alone, which tend to give poor readings, especially for anyone with above-average muscle mass.

The CT300 also offers a Pulse Recovery readout. Put very simply, this is the average heart rate between strenuous exercise and two minutes of rest afterwards, and it's meant to give a rough sense of your fitness. In practice, we didn't really use it during testing.

Beyond that it's a fairly basic display. It's also battery powered, which is a shame, as we'd have preferred a mains-powered console.

Resistance levels

The CT300 uses magnetic resistance with eight levels. Magnetic resistance is great in principle, but two things stood out as downsides:

1. Resistance is controlled by a manual dial that you turn clockwise to make the workout harder. We'd much rather adjust it from the console.
2. Although eight levels sounds generous, we found ourselves leaving it on the highest setting throughout testing. The resistance simply didn't feel challenging enough at the top end.

Other features

Other notable features include:

• Transport wheels so you can move and store the cross trainer when it's not in use.
• Heart rate sensors on the stationary central handlebars to track your heart rate as you work out.
• A tablet holder on the front of the machine, so you can watch shows or videos while you exercise.

Verdict: should you buy one?

The JLL CT300 is aimed at the low-to-mid-range buyer, and frankly JLL face stiff competition at this price. It does plenty well, with its small floor space, simple but sturdy build and good overall finish, but we felt there are better alternatives offering more features for similar money.

Unless you specifically want a stripped-back cross trainer that does the basics well, we'd point you to the Reebok ZR8 cross trainer. It's a similar price to the CT300 but gives you a higher max user weight, a lot more features, more resistance levels and the backing of one of the biggest names in fitness. You can also read our full Reebok ZR8 review.

FAQs

For more cross trainer guidance, see our Reebok ZR8 cross trainer review and our guide on what type of rowing machine is best.