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Home » Q & A » Proform
Question: Best Treadmill at a reasonable price?
Question Description:
the basic facts i am 26 years old, female, five feet and 3 inches in height i want to buy a treadmill for use at home. I dont have time to go to the gym anymore and there is no saf place to walk around my home.Previously i used to go to the gym every 6 months,, walk and jog lightly on the treadmill for 40 minutes ( 30 mins fast bouncy walk 10 mins light moderate jogging).about 4to 5 times a week, for a month and i would be in good shape Now as im older & lack of time, i want to buy a treadmill for home use. I have decided buying a new treadmill from ebay.com will be best bet but im CONFUSED about which brand to buy. I have read reviews at treadmillsensei .com & treadmillreview.net but my main concern is price( 450-550 $) plz help is weslo c71 good?( nordic track 2200c or r2200 ( difference? high price! any proform? horizon?what model?price?image? what about new nordictracks with lifetime motor guarantee?someone plz guide me. i know smooth 5.25 and spirit are great treamills but out of my price range nordic track 2200 r or c2200is also expensive but the lifetime motor guarantee attracted me. weslo c71 sounds good and good price.. but dunno? and proform has 50-50 positive and negative reviews? and so many brands! 350, 750, 6.0 x etc! I need a treadmill for fast walking and moderate jogging, 2 hours a day,5- 6 days a week.. I dont usually use an incline on the treadmill since i already have huge calves, much bigger in proportion to the rest of my body.* so i think using incline may make them bigger) I want a treamill which WILL WORK FOR MANY MANY YEARS..and which is FOLDABLE!. STURDY yet AFFORDABLE! With foot cushioning, heart rate monitoring, safety stop etc in case i fall or slip and bars to hang on to if i feel faint!. Somebody also please explain the difference between treadmill hp and cmp motor power?
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Answer#1: I'm new to this answering thing. I'll try my best though. From past experience don't waste your money on Proform. We had a Proform over $1000 and it was junk. Problems from start; very noisy engine, weird deck sounds, heart rate control was way off, very hard to fold up (I'm only 5'), substandard customer service, poor warranty etc. I should have read the TreadmillSensei report before I bought a Proform. Since then I found out Proform is basically the same as Image, Epic, Weslo, Healthrider and Nordic Track, part of the same Nordic Track family of disposable fitness equipment. Why do you think they have so many equipment brand names? It's to confuse us all. Believe me honey, you don't want the hassle of any of those brands. I truly believe in Horizon. That's what we have now and my husband and I love it. It's the Horizon T74 but the T71 would be fine for you. They are all super quiet and real reliable with long warranties. Horizons should last for years to come. For goodness sakes don't buy a used one either cause you won't have a warranty. I looked at that A2Z Fit site that someone else noted. Their pricing is better than what I paid for my treadmill. It looks like they have extra discounts, free ship and sales tax only in PA. I've heard of them and they are probably worth considering. Whoever you go with I'd say a T71 is what you want and don't settle for those so called comparable models that places like Sears sell. Lastly keep in mind this is an investment. Spend too little and you'll regret it later.
Answer#2: You are expecting a lot for a $450-550 treadmill to last for many years. Most units in this price range are basically junk. If you plan to do any running on your treadmill, you probably need to find a machine closer to $1,000 or find a good deal on a used treadmill on ebay or something -- but buying used, you really need to know what you are doing and you could get burned. The $500 units really aren't designed or built to handle running. Treadmilldoctor.com is, in my opinion, the best source for knowledgeable advice about treadmills. Check out their reviews and recommended 'best buy' models.You might try the Pro From C525 at Sam's Club which is available in-store only, not online. At $498, it is a very good value and a better quality machine than most others in this price range.Product info at Sam's Club: http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=343192&pCatg=4888Review at TM Doctor: http://www.treadmilldoctorstore.com/Product-Reviews/Treadmill-Reviews/Proform-C525TM Doc rates it as their best buy under $500. The best of the rest finishers under $500 were the Image 17.5S, Proform 400X, and Weslo Cadence C72 -- but note that these are still NOT good machines, just 'less bad' than the other cheap machines on the market. I.e. they are the 'best of the worst.'Other models I'd recommend are the Epic 425MX which was recently discontinued at Costco; originally $900 but widely available for $800. You might find them selling on ebay or Amazon. The Gold's Gym VX5000 is nearly identical, originally sold thru Sam's Club but not available there any more. I have had an Epic 425MX for about a year and it is still very solid and trouble-free after 600+ miles of running.Thanks for mentioning those other treadmill review sites; I had not heard of them and have bookmarked them.Treadmillsensei.com still is very down on the Icon models (under various brands such as Epic, NordicTrack, etc.). Treadmilldoctor.com has been critical of Icon stuff in the past but has said that Icon is putting out better and better quality models at the lower price points. I think some of these models are worth considering.You might try the Proform C500, the predecessor to the C525. It is available thru Icon's wholesaler, workoutwarehouse.com, for $449 plus $125 shipping. http://www.workoutwarehouse.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product5_11151_10051_27701_-1_15002_15001You'd be better off buying a $40 Sam's Club membership and buying the $498 Proform C525 at the store.One other piece of general advice: using your treadmill at a zero incline (i.e. flat) is harder on the motor than if you use the treadmill with a slight incline. Bump it up to 1% or 2% incline so gravity can help the treadmill do the work.
Answer#3: Hi there! The easy answer first regarding horsepower. I believe you're confused between continuous and peak horsepower (hp). Continuous horsepower is the maximum hp a motor can produce continuously, based on motor temperature limitations. Peak horsepower is the maximum hp a motor can produce for a short burst with no regards to engine overheating. Continuous horspower (chp) is commonly referred to as horsepower (hp) and is the meaningful term which most manufacturers use to describe their treadmills. Normally for periods of walking and running a treadmill with an hp rating of 2.0 or more is recommended.There are numerous treadmills on the market, but you should forget ebay and concentrate on buying new from an authorized dealer so you have a valid warranty. Also, when you buy used you could be inheriting someone elses headaches. Treadmills fall into basic, midrange, and high-end categories. You mentioned Weslo, Image, and Proform treadmills, which are made by Icon Fitness and all fall under the basic to low midrange category of treadmills. They should only be considered for walking as they're noisy, they have limited warranties, and lack many features of better machines. I'd recommend Horizon and Endurance treadmills because I feel they're pure quality and will last for many years to come. Prices for Horizon models range from $624 - $1,299 (midrange category) and Endurance models range from $999 - $2,499 (midrange to high-end category). Both brands have all of the features you're looking for and more!Endurance has "Lifetime" warranties on all of their treadmills, but you'll pay a little more. However, I feel the Horizon line has the best treadmills for the money, with reasonably low prices and great warranties. Also, Horizon has state-of-the-art features not found in plenty of treadmill lines unless you pay top dollars, such as a featherlight folding system, console fan, well cushioned deck, tapered belt rollers, low engine noise, etc.I hope that helps... Happy treadmill hunting!
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