Treadmill Buyers Guide

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You’ve decided you want to become more fit, you want to lose weight – but heading out to the gym isn’t what you want to do and going outside isn’t always convenient – so you’ve decided to buy a treadmill and need help. Welcome to our Treadmill Buyers Guide where we’ll show you exactly how to buy a treadmill.

Although we’ve talked about a few reasons to buy a treadmill, think about it again. Why are you thinking about buying a treadmill? Treadmills are very popular exercise machines and are the #1 selling fitness machines for several reason. #1 – they work and #2 – it’s a natural motion, walking.

Fitness fad come and go, but the treadmill has been around and always sells well. Go into any fitness stores and you’ll see more treadmills than any other type of fitness equipment. See where people are clustered? Around the treadmills. They are the top selling fitness products for a reason – they work.

Depending on what your reasons are for buying a treadmill, will determine how much to spend. We’ve put together a questionnaire for you that we used when buying our first, and now second treadmill.

How Much Should You Spend?

Like anything else, you should not start shopping for a treadmill until you know how much you want to spend and what features you would like to have. If you go shopping without a budget you could quickly find yourself spending thousands more than you wanted or needed to on a treadmill. If you buy on features alone, you could be missing the most important parts of the treadmill to concentrate on such as the motor and tread.

What is your budget? What are your limits on spending? If you you equate a $3,000 treadmill to a used vehicle – don’t budget this much. Determine what the maximum you want to spend and then stick to it.

Depending on how you will use your treadmill, and how much it will be used will determine the amount you should spend and the type of treadmill to purchase. for example, if you’re only going to be walking but will be using it every day for 1 hour then you want to spend a little more on one – but if you’ll use it only a few hours per month for walking then you can probably spend a little less.

Spending too little to try and save money will only cause frustration when your treadmill breaks down after 6-months of use.

If you plan on using it for walking, and running – then you need something that will hold up to that level of use. Treadmills used in fitness clubs can run into the tens of thousands of dollars for that reason – they hold up very well.

If you want one with full programmability, like the gyms use, be prepared to pay more. The electronics is what drives the price of the equipment up – but it’s not only that, that is only one component of the total cost of a treadmill.

You need to determine who will be using it, and where you will place it. Will two or more people be using it? Consider spending more since it will be used more often. How much do they weigh? Will it be used more then 30 minutes per day, ever day? How big is the unit? Where will you put it? A 10×10 room may not be enough space if you plan on purchasing a commercial quality treadmill that is big, and heavy.

We spoke to a salesperson at a local fitness depot and he had this advice for us:

At one time the price of the product was a good way to determine quality, but today the price of component parts and the efficiency of the factories have improved to the point where you could overpay if you choose a model from a small inefficient factory when compared with a large, highly automated factory. There are many $1,000 treadmills today that use the exact same motor that you can find in some $3,000 machines. Only a few years ago you needed to pay $2000 to get a decent quality machine. Eventhough we carry some treadmills under $600, it isn’t possible to get a good quality machine for that price range – as many as we sell, 50% need to be serviced within a few months and 50% are returned within 30-days for the next step-up in quality.

Brand names are not always the best buy, and I shouldn’t say this – but you don’t need to go into a fitness shop (like mine) to buy a treadmill.

If you want to compare quality levels by price ranges, I can provide this to you:

Under $400 – not worth the money. We sell them because people ask for them, but those people quickly stop using the machine because it doesn’t do what they want it to do. Next would be the $400 to $700 range – again, not the best quality but people ask for them. Once you get into the $700 to $1000 range you’re starting to get much better quality and a treadmill that you will use for several years. If you can afford it the next set of treadmills to consider are in the $1000+ range, typically in increments of $400 – $500.

What To Consider

Weight – how much do the individuals who will be using the treadmill weigh?  If they are heavy – you should spend more otherwise you will have problems with the treadmill breaking down.  If the heaviest user is 350 lbs, expect to pay between $1,000 and $1,499 on a treadmill to support them and everyone else under that weight.

Time – how much will it be used?  The more you use it, the more stress you put on the components and the more you should be spending.

People – how many people will be using it?  As with time and weight, the more that use it the better quality you should be looking for.

Treadmill Doctor has this to say about three important components of your treadmill:

POWER
The transfer of power should feel smooth. You should not hear the motor having to really work to keep the pace. You should not have a great lag when you step on the belt. Don’t worry much with horse power ratings.

Right now, HP ratings are so convoluted, you can’t believe the rating. Some people or websites will tell you to look at motor horsepower or if they really think they know what they are doing you will be told to look for continuous duty horsepower.

The truth is there is no accepted standard for rating treadmill motors and so continuous duty to one company is different than another company. We have seen treadmill motors hardly the size of a can of soda rated at 2.5 HP while motors that are 5 times the size rated at 1.5 HP.

This is one area where it takes someone who really knows what they are doing to help you figure it out and that’s why our power ratings on our reviews may not correspond with a company’s printed literature. Simply said, we pull the motor out of the treadmill, study it, and determine if a company is trying to monkey around with the rating. Then we tell you about it in the online ratings.

WALKING BELT
The belt should not be any larger than necessary and stay away from overly thick belts. Oversize and thick belts are now the rage but most people only need 18” of width and 52” of length. Some runners need more room but the more belt surface area you have, the harder the power system has to work to keep it all going.

Belts that are too thick hold in heat which increases electrical consumption and wears out key components faster. The added weight of the belt also puts more stress on the roller bearings. Additionally, the added heat wears out the belt quicker. Find a belt size on which you are comfortable and don’t be lured by the big, cushioned belts…they are unnecessary in most cases and you will pay more in the long run.

NOISE
An overly noisy treadmill points to poor engineering or poor components and in some cases poor assembly. All treadmills make noise but a reasonably quiet machine generally means less friction and wear on the treadmill. On the flip side, a dead silent treadmill does not necessarily mean that it is perfect.

Some manufacturers have used steel surrounded motor areas and others have used foam to absorb noise, so make sure you know the construction before you judge a treadmill by its noise but generally, the noise a treadmill generates is a good indicator of the machine’s quality. Plus, when you don’t wake up the neighborhood with your morning workouts, it makes for friendlier neighbors.

Treadmill Options

There are a lot of cool options when it comes to treadmills:

• MP3 and iPod docks
• LCD screens with DVD players
• Fans
• Programming
• Heart Rate Control
• Folding

Before you fall for all the gimmicks think about what you need.  Why spend hundreds extra on the options like MP3 and iPod docks, LCD screens and fans when you could take that money and put it towards a high-end treadmill that you’ll get years of use out of?  Besides – if any of those parts breakdown you’ll have to pay to have it repaired or replaced unless you’ve purchased an extended warranty on the treadmill.  Our opinion – don’t add the bells ‘n whistles, put the money towards a high quality treadmill instead.

Treadmill Selection Checklist

Circle the answer that bests fits.  You may want to print this post out or bookmark it and refer back to it if you’re shopping online for your treadmill.

1. Why are you buying a treadmill?
   1. I want to walk on my treadmill to lose weight, have light aerobic activity, or to rehabilitate.
   2. I want to jog on my treadmill for cardiovascular health and training.
   3. I want to run on my treadmill for regular exercise or cross-training.
   4. I am planning to use my treadmill for serious training such as a marathon.
2. What is your experience with treadmills in the past?
   1. I have never used a treadmill.
   2. I have only used a treadmill on one or a few occasions.
   3. I have used a treadmill on and off over time.
   4. I have used a treadmill regularly
3. Who will be using your new treadmill?
   1. I will be the only person using my treadmill.
   2. I, along with one other person, will be using my treadmill.
   3. I, along with two other people, will be using my treadmill.
   4. Several different people will be using my treadmill on a regular basis.
4. How long per day will your treadmill be operated?
   1. My treadmill will be used less than an hour per day.
   2. My treadmill will be used for more than 1 hour but less than 90 minutes per day.
   3. My treadmill will be used for more than 90 minutes but less than 2 hours per day.
   4. My treadmill will be used for over 2 hours per day.
5. How much do the people weigh that will use the treadmill? (we know this is a touchy subject, but we won’t know your answers unless you fax it to us!)
   1. No one who uses my treadmill will weigh over 200 lbs.
   2. At least one person who uses my treadmill will weigh over 200 lbs.
   3. At least one person who uses my treadmill will weigh over 250 lbs.
   4. At least one person who uses my treadmill will weigh over 300 lbs.

Assign the following point values for each answer: For every (a) you circled, give yourself 1 point. For every (b) you circled, give yourself 2 points. For every (c) you circled, give yourself 3 points. For every (d) you circled, give yourself 4 points.

Now, let’s fill out the following form using your survey information.

For instance, if you answered (d) on Question 2, your form would look like this: Question 2- 4 points x 3= 12

Question 1_____ points x 2=_____
Question 2_____ points x 3=_____
Question 3_____ points x 2=_____
Question 4_____ points x 4=_____
Question 5_____ points x 3=_____

Now, let’s total up the points and place your total here_____________ .

Compare your point total to the chart below and it will give you which price range you should consider as a minimum quality level for your new treadmill.

Point Total Price Range
14 Points $399 and Under
15 to 22 Points $400 to $699
23 to 30 Points $700 to $999
31 to 34 Points $1,000 to $1,499
35 to 38 Points $1,500 to $1,999
39 to 42 Points $2,000 to $2,499
43 to 45 Points $2,500 to $2,999
46 to 48 Points $3,000 to $3,499
49 to 51 Points $3,500 to $3,999
52 or More Points $4,000 or More

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