Treadmills

[Jenny]

What do people own? Pros? Cons? Mostly I want to be able to avoid buying a piece of junk that looks good in the store but falls apart immediately upon use.

We need nothing fancy - just the basics. It doesn’t need to connect to anything, just let us walk at various speeds and various inclines. And if my husband decides he wants to run on it, it should be able to handle it (keeping in mind we each only weigh @150 lbs). And it needs to be able to hold a book/tablet for reading while on the move. It will get at least an hour, usually two, of use per day.

 

[BC.]

As a daily runner, my LifeFitness has been excellent/durable.

 

[newboots]

Buy used? Probably 1/3 the price or better, and we all know that most of them are out gathering dust in some bedroom, not being worn out.

 

[wyowindrunner]

No longer a daily runner, every other day lately but have had a Life Fitness for about 14-15 ? years now- somewhere in that range. F3 model-their first folder. absolutely no problems and the unit has been moved across 4 states and five houses since I have owned it. Think I had to adjust the track a small amount once. Have the basic console-just 5 programs- but all I ever use is the manual- I can push a speed and elevation button!

 

[Mel]

I am on my second treadmill at home - first was a PaceMaster Platinum (no longer made), new one purchased this year is a Precor 243 Energy series. My first one was good, but over 15 years of distance running on it beat the stuffing out of it. When I was a more hard core runner, I would use it 5-6 days a week and did ultra marathon training on it one particularly bad winter. It eventually had to be replaced for electrical issues with no replacement parts available.

If you aren’t looking for any fancy features or connectivity, the main consideration is the motor. For brisk walking or running you need at least a 2.5HP continuous duty motor - 3.0HP is better. Cheap TMs tend to have 2.0HP or less, and the motor just won’t be able to handle 1-2 hours of use regularly. If either of you are really tall, you may want a longer belt, but that’s not usually an issue unless you’re over six feet with the stride of a gazelle.

If you’re planning to use it for a long time, buying used can be a disadvantage. You never know how it’s been treated, and many treadmills have “original owner” warranties. That helped me immensely when my original TM had issues at around 10 years old, as they replaced the belt and motor under warranty at no cost to me.

 

[Jenny]

Thanks for the info. Looked around locally and have several different brands in person, and verified local servicing if there are issues, so now I just have to commit and choose.

 

[Tom K.]

We bought a Sole treadmill many years ago. It has been free of any problems whatsoever. Following the "buy nice or buy twice" theory, we bought their best one -- partly because it was wide like my shoulders, so less likely to smack the handles with your hands. It think it is currently called the TT8.

I'd buy it again, but warning, it is HEAVY! My BIL and I just horsed it up the stairs in our new home, and it was challenging, to say the least.

Hilarious Side Note: My sister just scored a lightly used Sole treadmill a notch or two down from ours for $60. The owner was asking $100 and when she inquired about a lesser offer, was basically told "offer away, we want this gone today". Some great Christmas fortune for her!

 

[Jenny]

Hilarious Side Note: My sister just scored a lightly used Sole treadmill a notch or two down from ours for $60. The owner was asking $100 and when she inquired about a lesser offer, was basically told "offer away, we want this gone today". Some great Christmas fortune for her!

Dang! What a deal.

After visiting several places in town, to see the various brands people mentioned, we ended up with a Horizon. We could purchase it from a local store we've dealt with before, and they deal with any service issues. It seems quite sturdy (heavy as heck, steel frame), and we bought it at lunch time and had it delivered and set up later the same day.

The place that sold LifeSpan and LifeFitness was local, too, but did not fill us with confidence, one of the other local places was too spendy for our budget, and there wasn't a local supplier for the Sole brand, so I never got a chance to look at that one. Online pics show it would likely be too big for our space, anyway.

 

[Henry]

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/treadmills.htm?searchToken=Treadmills
If you're not a subscriber, it's worth the cost of a subscription to avoid wasting money.

And, if you find the brands and models that will work for you, do look for a used one, probably very lightly used, that someone with more ambition than perseverance wants out of their house.

 

[Tony Storaro]

We bought a Sole treadmill many years ago. It has been free of any problems whatsoever. Following the "buy nice or buy twice" theory, we bought their best one -- partly because it was wide like my shoulders, so less likely to smack the handles with your hands. It think it is currently called the TT8.

Another vote for Sole. Bombproof.

 

[Seldomski]

Manual treadmills are great for running, but not so much for walking while reading a book. Somehow they cost as much as the motorized kind. Not sure how that math works out.

So if you see a used one for cheap, it might be worth trying. Foot impact is minimal. I can run on one with minimal shoes (ie not cushy running shoes) without joint pain. I have only used them in a crossfit gym.

Commercial grade:

AssaultRunner Elite

The AssaultRunner is the premiere manual treadmill built to burn more calories and sustain over 150,000 miles of intense running. Built with HIIT in mind, the AssaultRunner console offers customizable programming. Designed and tested in the USA. Used by professional athletes and top gyms around...

www.assaultfitness.com

 

[oldschoolskier]

We have a treadmill with a wooden plate that flexes, sort of like running on grass making it less hard on the joints.

 

[Yo Momma]

Stairmaster not a treadmill but saves the knees for the real thing. It totally mimics climbs to the peak for delicious pow. No hiding from a real Stairmaster and not talking those shock absorber cheapos. I searched for 5 yrs till I found one almost brand new for $200. It's a $3,000 + unit that they just wanted to unload.

 

[doc]

Stairmaster not a treadmill but saves the knees for the real thing. It totally mimics climbs to the peak for delicious pow. No hiding from a real Stairmaster and not talking those shock absorber cheapos. I searched for 5 yrs till I found one almost brand new for $200. It's a $3,000 + unit that they just wanted to unload.

Ah, the stairway to hell. Use one every day that I don't ride my peloton. Heckuva workout, if you do it correctly.

 

[Jenny]

Stairmaster not a treadmill but saves the knees for the real thing. It totally mimics climbs to the peak for delicious pow. No hiding from a real Stairmaster and not talking those shock absorber cheapos. I searched for 5 yrs till I found one almost brand new for $200. It's a $3,000 + unit that they just wanted to unload.

Kill me now. I HATE those things!

 

[Rdputnam515]

Stairmaster not a treadmill but saves the knees for the real thing. It totally mimics climbs to the peak for delicious pow. No hiding from a real Stairmaster and not talking those shock absorber cheapos. I searched for 5 yrs till I found one almost brand new for $200. It's a $3,000 + unit that they just wanted to unload.

How does it work with 8 ft ceilings? I’d love to get one

 

[doc]

How does it work with 8 ft ceilings?

It doesn't. Get a bigger house!

 

[Rdputnam515]

It doesn't. Get a bigger house!

Lol that was my worry. I love the stair master, but not practical for many.

 

[Yo Momma]

How does it work with 8 ft ceilings? I’d love to get one

My ceiling is 7' 8". Works great. I'm 6'

 

[Rdputnam515]

My ceiling is 7' 8". Works great. I'm 6'

Do you have the stepper or stair “mill” type?