Questions You Need To Ask Before Buying a Treadmill:
- What am I going to use the treadmill for? You have to answer this honestly because certain treadmills are optimal for certain types of exercise. How much are you really going to use it? Are you planning on just walking with the treadmill? Are you going to run 3 times a week on it? Or are you going to run every day and put 50+ miles a week on the treadmill? If you’re planning on just walking, a lower-end treadmill will probably suite you fine. However, that type of treadmill won’t last long if you’re planning on running 5 miles a day. You’ll need something higher-end.
- How fast am I going to go on the treadmill? This deals with how long of tread and how large of a motor you need. Walkers don’t need a very long tread, nor a large motor. The faster you run the longer the tread and larger the motor we recommend. Most people run long distances between 6-8 miles and hour. If you’re going faster than that your pretty much sprinting. Having a longer tread will keep you on the treadmill at high speeds and prevent injury. And, a larger motor will hold up longer under the faster speeds of fast runners.
- How much can I spend? Generally, you get what you pay for when talking about buying a treadmill, so we recommend spending as much as you comfortably can. We’re not saying bend over backwards or anything, but if you can spend $1000 then do it. If you can only spend $500, then that’s fine, but spend all of it. Usually the purchase of a treadmill boils down to price, so this may be the first question you want to ask yourself. You’ll also save yourself a lot of time by not looking at the dozens of treadmills that are out of your price range. Just be weary of sale prices. You might see treadmills on sale that are “50% OFF!!”. This is generally the everyday price, since nobody ever sells anything at MSRP. So compare the bottom-line prices, not the percent-off.
Things To Look For In the Best Home Treadmill:
Calling a treadmill “good” or the “best” is all relative. The most important thing is for you to find the treadmill that is “good” for you and will help you achieve your goals. Here are some things you should look at:
- Overall design and layout- Some treadmills fold nicely for storage, others don’t. If you have the room I would recommend a non-folding treadmill for two reasons. First, I think having it out makes you more inclined to get on it. There’s no setup. Second, folding and unfolding daily causes more wear on the machine. Also, some treadmills are much larger than others, so know how much space you have for the treadmill. There’s nothing worse than bringing home your new treadmill only to find that it doesn’t fit where you wanted or needed it to fit. Something I also look at is the length of the handles. Shorter handles take away from the bulkiness of the machine, but longer handles provide more safety for those who might need some added assistance getting on and off the treadmill. I personally like the longer handles.
- Size of the motor- Don’t get too caught up with this, because it’s pretty easy. First, you want a continuous duty rated motor. This is rating based on 24 hour use. Second, if you’re a walker, you don’t need a big motor. A 1.5 or 2.0 horsepower motor will be just fine, plus it will be less expensive and quieter. If you’re a sprinter and going to run 10-12 miles an hour, or a long distance runner and going to run 30 miles a week, you’ll need a beefier motor, somewhere between 2.5 and 4.0 horsepower.
*Something to watch out for, especially with larger motors for more serious runners, is how the companies advertise their motors. The term “commercial” is thrown around a lot these days like it’s part of every treadmill. Every treadmill cannot withstand the use a true commercial treadmill gets. I’m talking about the treadmills that are used 12 hours a day, every day of the week in the gym. Those are $5000 commercial treadmills that can take a beating. Just because the treadmill at Costco or at Sears has the same brand name as those you see in the gym, that doesn’t mean their quality is the same. The $500-$700 machine advertised as “commercial” wouldn’t last a month in a gym. So be aware of that and don’t be fooled.
- Quality of the belt- The runner or walking area of a treadmill is what will make the treadmill easy and smooth to use, or awkward and cumbersome. You want the tread to have a large enough area so you can use your normal walking or running stride. You shouldn’t have to adapt to the treadmill by taking shorter or narrower strides. This is uncomfortable and could cause injury. So regardless of whether you’re going to walk or run, I would stay away from any belt that is narrower than 17 inches. However, you can play around with the length; walkers that aren’t too tall would be fine with a belt 50 inches long, while taller walkers or runners will need something longer.
*Something to watch out for with belts. Some companies push and “orthopedic” belt that is supposed to be more comfortable and impact resistant. If you compare the thickness of an orthopedic belt and a normal belt you’ll notice a difference of around 1-2 mm. That’s all. If you have a good pair of shoes I guarantee you won’t be able to tell the difference between the two. The factors that make the biggest impact on cushioning are the quality of your shoes, and the design and integrity of the treadmill deck.
- Electronic display- There are a ton of options with the displays on all the different treadmills. Again, you’ve just got to find one that you like and fits your style of workouts. Some people really like having programmed workouts, others like the ability to make their own workouts and save them, and others just like to get on and run or walk with just the push of one button. Though there are many differences in displays I would look at a couple of things. First, how easy is it to use? While you’re running or walking, can you push the buttons easily? I’ve found that silicone buttons are the easiest to use on a treadmill. Second, do you want iFit technology? This allows you to create your own workouts, download workouts from the web, and then plug in an iFit card to the treadmill to use those workouts. This is a pretty cool function, but if you’re not going to use it, don’t spend the money on it.
- Where to buy- It doesn’t really matter where you buy your treadmill. I’ve found that you can find great deals both online and in stores. My only recommendation is that you go to a store first, it doesn’t matter which, and run on some treadmills. Wear your running or walking shoes and try them out. That’s the only way you’ll be able to get a feel for how big of a belt you’re comfortable on, what type of display you like, what a stable machine feels like and what an unstable machine feels like, and whether or not you really like running or walking on a treadmill. After spending an hour or so at the store, then you’ll be able to buy with confidence, whether from an online dealer, an ad in the paper for used treadmills for sale, or from a retail store.
- Warranty! Warranty! Warranty!- The warranty gives you an idea of the overall quality of the machine and the parts inside it. The cheapest treadmill that won’t last you a year will only be under warranty for 90 days. Stay away from those; they’re a waste of money. Higher end, true commercial treadmills, will have a residential lifetime warranty on all parts, frame, and motor, with a two to three year warranty on labor. Then you have all the warranties in between. What I would look at first is the labor warranty. This will tell you how fast parts can get from the warehouse to your treadmill. The faster the better, and generally, the longer the labor warranty the faster the parts will get to you. If the labor warranty is not very long, then ask how long it takes for parts to arrive. You don’t want to be out of a treadmill for a month or two, and some companies take this long to get a part to your door. Secondly, I would stick with a brand that has been around for a while. A new company that sells cheap treadmills might offer a nice warranty, but may not be around when you need your treadmill serviced. Be weary of that.
OK, so with all that being said, here are our top treadmills for each $$$ catagory (and remember, these are not BS reviews where we are just trying to sell you something like most other sites out there):
High-End Treadmills for Sale ($2,000 +)
Mid-Level Treadmills for Sale ($1,000 – $2,000)
Treadmills for Walkers ($400 – $1,000)