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The best exercise equipment is the one you'll use :) Try them out, figure out what you enjoy and buy that.

I'm no expert, but to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you're taking in, so even if you're doing strength exercises but you're not burning calories, you'll gain muscle, but not lose fat, so probably doing cardio things would be better than exercises that just isolate one muscle group. Elliptical machines burn calories faster than most other cardio machines, but don't expect it to be either easy or fast going at first. Its taken me three months to be able to stay on one for a half an hour. When I started I could barely get to 5 minutes.

I would seriously read into "as seen on tv" exercise equipment though. Most of the time from what I've read, they're crap. Go to a Nordic Track store or if you really wanna go all in on it, go to lifefitness.com and get a high quality machine.

ab lounge, and most ab machines, are a joke. the best way to loose weight in the middle is not from spot work (crunches) but from cardio. Similarly, maintaining a healthy diet will help. and elliptical machine is great, if you'll use it. I've never used one (not in any gym i've ever been to) and i have no interest in one. I'd rather use a tread mill--if i must--but i prefer to be outside (yes, all seasons). Walking outside is great, and i usually do it 2-3 times a day for about 30 minutes. in the winter, i may only do one walk outside a day.

you don't need any equipment to loose excess weight, you just need to get out there and move! :)

I agree with zoebird. Any ab exercise machine is going to be a waste of your money. I am on my way to gaining a six-pack and all I do are regular crunches, hip raises, and other exercises simply using my own body weight.

I also read in a fitness book that cardio machines aren't always worth your money. I would ramble on about it but you seem focused on buying a machine so..hmm yeah, as said already just buy something you will enjoy and that will offer a bit of variety so you can up the intensity when you need to.

Inspiring story: A girl I work with lost 40lbs by changing her diet and walking for 40-60 minutes a day, 3 to 4 days a week. And it cost nothing, which I think is pretty cool :)