Treadmill Feedback/Advice/Reviews?

[euclid]

I'm really interested in purchasing a treadmill to help supplement my training during the months of the year when it is either too cold/snowy/icy to be outside or too hot to give it my all.

I'm also in training for an upcoming Tough Mudder event (9 miles), several 5k events during the spring, & eventually a half marathon. My mileage lately has been crap becasue of the snow and ice. I'm not interested in joining a gym because I like to train on my own schedule (e.g. a quick 5k during lunch hour, etc...)

I want to spend no more than $1500 on a treadmill and after reading reviews, which seem COMPLETELY biased, I've narrowed the search down to these two, below. I'm wondering if any of you have had experience with either model/brand? Any thoughts or feedback?

Nordic Track 1750 Commercial


Sole F80

[DC-333]

I'm really interested in purchasing a treadmill to help supplement my training during the months of the year when it is either too cold/snowy/icy to be outside or too hot to give it my all.

I'm also in training for an upcoming Tough Mudder event (9 miles), several 5k events during the spring, & eventually a half marathon. My mileage lately has been crap becasue of the snow and ice. I'm not interested in joining a gym because I like to train on my own schedule (e.g. a quick 5k during lunch hour, etc...)

I want to spend no more than $1500 on a treadmill and after reading reviews, which seem COMPLETELY biased, I've narrowed the search down to these two, below. I'm wondering if any of you have had experience with either model/brand? Any thoughts or feedback?

Nordic Track 1750 Commercial


Sole F80

I lol'd so hard reading the product description of the Nordic Track. It's made by Icon Health & Fitness, they make all the cheap sporting goods/dept store products. There is nothing commercial grade (as the name and description) indicates about the product. You wont even get into light commercial grade product for under $4k. I suppose Sole would be the lesser of two evils. Part of the Dyaco family of products, made in China. Eerily similar to Spirit (which is also part of the Dyaco family of products). Honestly, save another $500-$700 and get into an entry level Life Fitness, Precor, Pacemaster or Vision Fitness product. It will be money well spent.

[Keetman]

http://www.thefitnessoutlet.com/prec...hannelid=PGRAB



Precor 9.23 entry level treadmill. $2200 shipped to your door with a ten year warranty on everything.


I bought the equivalent 11 years ago and it going strong with zero maintenance. I just got off of it a half hour ago and I'm still pleased with the purchase. It was $2500 when I bought it and I'd not hesitate to buy the one above if it was time to do so.

[ubernoob]

http://www.thefitnessoutlet.com/prec...hannelid=PGRAB



Precor 9.23 entry level treadmill. $2200 shipped to your door with a ten year warranty on everything.


I bought the equivalent 11 years ago and it going strong with zero maintenance. I just got off of it a half hour ago and I'm still pleased with the purchase. It was $2500 when I bought it and I'd not hesitate to buy the one above if it was time to do so.

I own a 9.23 Precor Treadmill and love it. My advice to you is to look on craigslist in your area and there are several treadmills listed frequently that are great purchases. Precor, True, and Landice usually come up on craigslist and I would start with these manufacturers first before considering others. Make sure to check the age and hour usage on the treadmills before purchase. My treadmill I purchased on craigslist for $800.00 and it had only one hour usage on the treadmill. Unfortunately it was a weak deck that precor decided to fix for consumers and had it replaced for no charge to me even though I was the second owner.

[Skyaura]

I lol'd so hard reading the product description of the Nordic Track. It's made by Icon Health & Fitness, they make all the cheap sporting goods/dept store products. There is nothing commercial grade (as the name and description) indicates about the product. You wont even get into light commercial grade product for under $4k. I suppose Sole would be the lesser of two evils. Part of the Dyaco family of products, made in China. Eerily similar to Spirit (which is also part of the Dyaco family of products). Honestly, save another $500-$700 and get into an entry level Life Fitness, Precor, Pacemaster or Vision Fitness product. It will be money well spent.

I agree with you concerning the NordicTrack treadmill. In general, the fitness equipment sold in department stores, Bowflex, Proform, Weslo, etc are not well made. The Sole, however, is developing a reputation as delivering a good bang for the buck, durable product. If I was the OP, I would step up to the Sole TT8, which goes for $2,300 and is made to be used in light commercial settings. Warranty is excellent: Lifetime on frame, motor and deck, 5 years for electronics, belt and rollers with a 2 year labor-in home service.

I don't say that lightly. Given the choice, the Life Fitness 95T, Cybex 750T or Woodway Mercury has made it into our gyms. And if you have the money, choosing a treadmill from one of those manufacturers or Precor, True, Sports Art or Matrix to name a few others, is certainly the way to go. But, you are also paying for the name. For home use there are some other options where you can get a quality product.

[remdra]

stay away from folding one!!!!

have you ever saw a folding one in a gym?? hell no so why are they ( commercial grade )
wtf no sense here
its like the big general magasin ( sears, canadian tire, club piscine super fitness...ahaha )
that claim 50% off plus taxes...( 15% here), so they sell the machine 65%off and they still make a aproximatif marge of 40% on it at a retail price of 1000$ naw.....they are fooling you

go to fitness expert store, where they do this all year long
if it is a good store ( sometimes its a good store but the sellor is so-so)
well if its a good seller working for you he will ask

1- is it for running? ( a good running treadmill its 2k, dont search under because it is certainely not financially possible to make one at 1500 retail price....

2- enough place to have a straight treadmill? ( no folding )
3- anterior experience?
4- price range ? ( orthopedic belt option )

warrantly are in 99.9% case for the original owner, and obviously some product here comes with amazing warantly
dont buy under 10years pieces, it is almost a standard of the great brand out there

you have to know
barem of treadmill for running is 2.5hp and more, 2.5 is straigh limit....( 2.75 offer great performance and durability)
absorbing suspension ( not bouncy, absorbing )

and, and AND the more important test it, 5-10 minutes

[remdra]

from another point of view

i have a bodyguard t-240

really good, really well made, and best warantly of industrie ( they are from quebec city and i am proud of their product)

for the last few years i have sold in the context of my job
a lot of treadmill and trought all the brand
-bodyguard obviously
-pacemaster ( great product, great value, little labor warantly, few times best treadmill of
the year
-precor ( costly for the quality you have, you pay for the name, but great product no doubt
nordictrack ( we HAVE sold them, not anymore.......you know the reason why...hehehe:P
- vision fitness (folding...once again stay away from folding
- life fitness ( like precor...)
- spirit fitness wich is canadian version of SOLE ( see vison ccomments ) but their elliptical are great bang for the buck


any question?

[euclid]

Wow - I didn't think I was going to get any feedback but was pleasantly surprised this morning. Thanks for everyone's input. It is so hard to research these things because it seems like every "review" is manufacturer backed. Or the reviewer starts out with "My doctor told me I needed to lose weight." That isn't likely going to be a helpful review for someone like me who plans on using it daily & for duration.

My mom owns a Precor elliptical and has for many years and has never had one issue with it. Maybe I should take that experience to heart when making this decision.

Ubernoob - you mentioned checking how many hours were on the clock. Is this something fairly simple I can do?

[euclid]

stay away from folding one!!!!

have you ever saw a folding one in a gym?? hell no so why are they ( commercial grade )
wtf no sense here
its like the big general magasin ( sears, canadian tire, club piscine super fitness...ahaha )
that claim 50% off plus taxes...( 15% here), so they sell the machine 65%off and they still make a aproximatif marge of 40% on it at a retail price of 1000$ naw.....they are fooling you

go to fitness expert store, where they do this all year long
if it is a good store ( sometimes its a good store but the sellor is so-so)
well if its a good seller working for you he will ask

1- is it for running? ( a good running treadmill its 2k, dont search under because it is certainely not financially possible to make one at 1500 retail price....

2- enough place to have a straight treadmill? ( no folding )
3- anterior experience?
4- price range ? ( orthopedic belt option )

warrantly are in 99.9% case for the original owner, and obviously some product here comes with amazing warantly
dont buy under 10years pieces, it is almost a standard of the great brand out there

you have to know
barem of treadmill for running is 2.5hp and more, 2.5 is straigh limit....( 2.75 offer great performance and durability)
absorbing suspension ( not bouncy, absorbing )

and, and AND the more important test it, 5-10 minutes

Yeah - I could care less about the folding aspect. I mean, let's face it, even when the thing is folded up, it isn't like you can't tell there is a giant treadmill in the room!

I have a fitness store near me that sells the higher end stuff and I had a not-so great experience with them in the past (salesman was completely uneducated - I knew more coming off the street than this guy.) I was hoping to bypass that if at all possible. But, for the price, it seems I should definitely ask some harder questions...

[martyball619]

nice

[ctgblue]

I have the Vision Fitness, 6 years running and it still looks and runs like new.
It is 'light commercial grade'

[LymeRunner]

I own the Sole F85 (one step up from the F80). I spent literally months deciding on a treadmill. I run 50-60 miles per week, of which about 20 per week is on a treadmill. I would not trade this treadmill for anything in its price range. It is simply exactly what I wanted. I looked into used commercial grade treadmills as well. I am just in an area that is too far away from any good used deals. If you are buying new, Pick from these brands: Sole, True, PaceMaster. If you are buying used, stick with these: Precor, Life Fitness, Cybex. I would honestly stay away from everything else for the most part.

Livestrong, Horizon, ProForm, Nordictrack, Reebok are among the worst if you are a serious runner. Just trying to save you hours of weeding through reviews. I got most of my info from the Runner's world forums based on actual people using the machines, not paid reviews.

[euclid]

I have the Vision Fitness, 6 years running and it still looks and runs like new.
It is 'light commercial grade'

Do you know what model it is? Would be interested in researching it.

[euclid]

from another point of view

i have a bodyguard t-240

really good, really well made, and best warantly of industrie ( they are from quebec city and i am proud of their product)

for the last few years i have sold in the context of my job
a lot of treadmill and trought all the brand
-bodyguard obviously
-pacemaster ( great product, great value, little labor warantly, few times best treadmill of
the year
-precor ( costly for the quality you have, you pay for the name, but great product no doubt
nordictrack ( we HAVE sold them, not anymore.......you know the reason why...hehehe:P
- vision fitness (folding...once again stay away from folding
- life fitness ( like precor...)
- spirit fitness wich is canadian version of SOLE ( see vison ccomments ) but their elliptical are great bang for the buck


any question?

I meant to thank you earlier for all of your input. You mention that you own a bodyguard t-240.

If you were me and were choosing between a Precor 9.23, the Sole F85 or TT8, and the T-240, would you still go with the t-240 again? Trying to put all bias aside, of course

[euclid]

Any further feedback before I go out today and potentially buy one of these things?

[Skyaura]

Any further feedback before I go out today and potentially buy one of these things?

Between the models you listed above, I think that you can't go wrong with either the Precor 9.23 or the Sole TT8. Precor has a good name. They are very well built. The Sole TT8 which cost roughly the same as the Precor, delivers a lot of bang for the buck. They are becoming popular among serious runners and carry an excellent warranty.

[remdra]

either one you buy between the bodyguard or the precor , you will have a good treadmill


if it was to be redone, i certainly would buy again the bodyguard

you have 1year labor for the precor and 3 for the bodyguard, it is up to you

like i say to my customers, the feeling you have on the treadmill is more important than the price, only 200$ seperate the 2 product i have state above, so once your on it, you will know wich one you like the most

sorry for the delay of answer, i was busy

[remdra]

either way, let me know ( i really care ) wich one you bought and why, ( i really care the why, it allow me take comments in account )

[jay5150]

+1 for either the Bodyguard T240 or the Precor 9.23! Both excellent products...
But for comfort, I think bodyguard are a step higher than the other brands mentionned here for the price...
If sole is really the equivalent of spirit here in Canada, I could definately not recommend it for a "Runner"

[euclid]

either way, let me know ( i really care ) wich one you bought and why, ( i really care the why, it allow me take comments in account )

Remdra - I ended up going with the Precor 9.23. Although, I have a feeling I would have been perfectly satisfied with the Bodyguard. It simply came down to a matter of visual appeal & prior experience with Precor products (mother owns an EFX), since both felt great to run on and had the features I was looking for. I'm having it delivered next Friday and am excited to start ramping up my training.

It's funny, now looking back at my thought process behind trying to choose a treadmill. I started out wanting all of these fancy features like built-in speakers, lots of programs, big screen with internet connection to plot my runs, etc.. and I've ended up with what really is a pretty basic machine. It's got a few programs which I'm sure I'll never touch and the "console" is pretty minimalistic.

[commonguy001]

Remdra - I ended up going with the Precor 9.23. Although, I have a feeling I would have been perfectly satisfied with the Bodyguard. It simply came down to a matter of visual appeal & prior experience with Precor products (mother owns an EFX), since both felt great to run on and had the features I was looking for. I'm having it delivered next Friday and am excited to start ramping up my training.

It's funny, now looking back at my thought process behind trying to choose a treadmill. I started out wanting all of these fancy features like built-in speakers, lots of programs, big screen with internet connection to plot my runs, etc.. and I've ended up with what really is a pretty basic machine. It's got a few programs which I'm sure I'll never touch and the "console" is pretty minimalistic.

That is the right purchase, you're going to be happy you went the Precor route.

We have a Precore 9.31 in our home gym and I like it about as much as I could like a treadmill. This time of year I run three times a week before work and a couple times a week later in the day. It is rock solid and can take whatever you can throw at it. Both the wife and I use it and it has been flawless since new.

[jay5150]

It's funny, now looking back at my thought process behind trying to choose a treadmill. I started out wanting all of these fancy features like built-in speakers, lots of programs, big screen with internet connection to plot my runs, etc.. and I've ended up with what really is a pretty basic machine. It's got a few programs which I'm sure I'll never touch and the "console" is pretty minimalistic.

That's often what happens... Who really needs those built in speakers that sounds like crap when you can have a real hi-fi system at home? Also, programs can be fine, but the ones who really like to run (especially outside) rarely use these.

[BenW898]

I got Sole F80, and it is a really cool treadmill that I am satisfy.

[remdra]

in my mind it is plain simple

why do other brand put such '' technologie'' and gadget in their product easy answer because they cant be competitif in therm of quality...

anyway when your running, i doubt you will be able to surf on the web....i have hard time getting the speed down ( 13kph to 5) so....( i know i got to preset those interval....hehehe )

and for the program lets face it, rarely i used them and rarely the customers used them to

i do use the program feature as an argument but i use it a the start of my speech ( i start will the least important and finish wich the more important, absorbating and warantly)

i am happy you let me know your choice and have a good time on it!

[DC-333]

Euclid: You made a great choice in going with the Precor 9.23 it is a solid tread.

Also, about treads with all the gadgets (aside from an Ipod dock which I think is great) it boils down to how the cheaper companies can give value to their products. They know they can't compete with the same quality as the big boys, so the easiest way to add value is to throw on a bunch of cheap bling (Ipod dock (I like those though), speakers, fans, bazillion programs, etc). I equate it to the frosting analogy on a cake. You can frost a cake and make it as pretty as possible (frosting = speakers, fans, internet access etc), but if you don't have the core ingredients like eggs, flower, sugar, butter (core ingredients = frame, motor, deck, belt, components) your cake will taste/perform like crap.

[Keetman]

I have the 9.21 from 11 years ago (already talked about it).....I've never cared about not having the gadgets. I have enjoyed not one need for a service call after many miles of use and after having almost killed a cat with it.......long story that's on here somewhere if you care to search.......probably worth the search at that .

Anyway, its a good buy and I don't think you'll ever miss the bling.

[euclid]

Once again - I appreciate everyone's feedback. I'll rep you all as soon as I can.

DC-333: I am angry at you because now I want cake.

Keetman: I am most definitely going to seek out that near death-by-treadmill story.

[nicelife2010]

It seems that there're so many experts out there. I wanna buy a treadmill too. I've just looked into this Treadmill Incline Trainer.
http://tinyurl.com/6jdyxna
What's your opinion? Is it nice stuff to go with?

[Keetman]

It seems that there're so many experts out there. I wanna buy a treadmill too. I've just looked into this Treadmill Incline Trainer.
http://tinyurl.com/6jdyxna
What's your opinion? Is it nice stuff to go with?

Oh darn, you've been banned. Now we'll never know if your a married woman, a divorced single mom, or a guy with girlfriend troubles........oh the drama.


For those unaware......nicelife2010 is a spammer....check out his/her posts.....comical.

.......Keetman: I am most definitely going to seek out that near death-by-treadmill story.

LoL.

Cliffs:

-Running on treadmill about 10 years ago and music up really loud.
-Kept hearing odd noises that I thought were from radio, but in retrospect didn't quite sound right.
-Ran for five minutes like this.....
-Breaker blew, lights/radio/treadmill stopped.
-Heard heart stopping scream coming from under treadmill.
-Lifted treadmill to find cat under there with leg sucked up into the little space between the shroud and belt.
-Extricated cat....who was stressed, had lost some fur, and catatonic for about 2 days.
-Cat lives to this day with no obvious long term deficits.....but doesn't go near treadmill much these days.

[euclid]

Cliffs:

-Running on treadmill about 10 years ago and music up really loud.
-Kept hearing odd noises that I thought were from radio, but in retrospect didn't quite sound right.
-Ran for five minutes like this.....
-Breaker blew, lights/radio/treadmill stopped.
-Heard heart stopping scream coming from under treadmill.
-Lifted treadmill to find cat under there with leg sucked up into the little space between the shroud and belt.
-Extricated cat....who was stressed, had lost some fur, and catatonic for about 2 days.
-Cat lives to this day with no obvious long term deficits.....but doesn't go near treadmill much these days.

So, I think it is absolutely appropriate for me to say, after reading the above, that there is certainly more than one way to skin a cat!