Buy Treadmill: Top 5 Things To Consider

Are you looking to buy a treadmill? Before you spend your hard earned money here are the top 5 things you should consider as well as reviews of some of the more popular models.

treadmill

1. Price

This is a no brainer. You don’t want to spend $2000 on a crappy piece of equipment that will break down, require lots of customer service and parts at your expense. This happens surprisingly often even for the higher end of treadmills in the $2000 and above range.

Personally I think the best value for money is to be found in the mid range of treadmills. I’m talking the $600 to $1000 range. Several of the mid range line of products have the most commonly used features of the high-end treadmills and are also sturdy enough that they won’t wobble and fall apart at high speeds or when used by heavy folks—a common problem with the sub $200 treadmills.

With a mid-range treadmills you will not get the advanced features but what you really want is a good run and a great workout, not bells and whistles that can track the calories burned by your pinky finger while you run and graphs so detailed that the machine might as well be a hospital EKG monitor!

If you really cannot afford a new mid-range treadmill, try looking on Ebay for a used one. Just be cautious and make sure the seller has a good review history and is willing to accept returns.

I personally think Horizon Treadmill [link] has the best mid-range treadmills.

2. Motorised Or Non-Motorised

This is a factor still used by some treadmill review sites but in my mind it no longer makes sense to get a non motorised treadmill. Prices of motorized ones have fallen so much in the last few years that they can be had by just about anyone serious about getting a treadmill. See this article on motorized treadmill.[link]

Since I am assuming you will get a motorized treadmill, the logical thing to consider is the motor capacity i.e. how powerful the motor is. The metric to look out for is “continuous duty rating” rather than raw horsepower or “peak duty rating”. A “continuous duty rating” of between 1.5 and 2.5 is good.

3. Fold or No-Fold

This is important if you have little space for the treadmill and might need to fold it when not in use. Some people actually use the treadmill in their living room then fold it and put it away when not in use. Having a folding treadmill is handy in these types of situations. The best folding treadmill brands are Sole Treadmill and Smooth Treadmill.

In years past getting a folding treadmill necessarily meant that you were getting an inferior treadmill. You had to sacrifice quality for the convenience of having the treadmill fold. Not so anymore. The best folding treadmills are as good as the best stationary treadmill with all the advances in design.

4. Noise Level

Generally speaking cheaper treadmills tend to be noisier. If you’d like to listen to music or watch TV or are just wary of disturbing other people in the house you definitely want a quieter treadmill. The best way to gauge this is to read product reviews written by actual customers who have bought the product, which you will often find [here] Amazon.com link.

Don’t always trust so called “expert reviews” because some of the experts who write slick and professional reviews are actually sales reps for the treadmill companies!

5. Warranty

At a minimum there should be a 1 year warranty on the motor. Anything less is unacceptable.

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Below are some other useful treadmill resources and reviews. [links]

Treadmill Workouts

Motorised Treadmill

Treadmill Factory

Horizon Treadmill

Sportcraft Treadmill

Cadence Treadmill

Life Fitness Treadmill

Lifestyler Treadmill