Okay, I know the correct answer to the question of which treadmill to purchase is “whatever treadmill your neighbors are selling at their garage sale.” Some of the Q&As on Amazon are funny; e.g. “How many coats will it hold?”
Last night I read three recent articles ranking the best home treadmills. Then I’d go on Amazon and read the reviews of those models and read how bad they are.
I hardly ever buy extended warranty on anything. One exception, however, is treadmills. Whichever brand you end up getting, be sure to get the extended warranty. If you’re a member of Costco or Sam’s Club, these are great places to get one for their excellent return policies. I believe my 15 year old treadmill was purchased from Costco with an extended warranty. In spite of using it very lightly, its motor went out. Fortunately, it happened about a month before the warranty expiration, so I was able to get a new motor in. It’s still good to this day.
Last year I bought the lowest priced precor treadmill
My advice is to buy a nice treadmill, don’t go cheap. I think I spent $2300 on mine. It’s been worth every dollar. I had a cheap treadmill before and it was terrible. You need a treadmill that inclines effortless and changes speed easily. Everything else is gravy.
I bought mine at a bike shop. I tried out the various treadmills that they had
Do yourself a favor… do not buy a cheapo or a garage sale treadmill. A good treadmill should be sturdy enough to support the weight of the runner. Folding treadmills quickly become clothes racks because (a) they are too flimsy and (b) folded = out of sight, out of mind.
We have the cheapest commercial grade Precor we bought almost 10 years ago… the warranty is about to expire on it. Still does what it is supposed to do!
A decent treadmill is not going to be small or foldable. If you go that route you will not enjoy it and it will sit and be useless. I went high end since I am a serious runner. I had the benefit of a lot of people’s research as well as my own, and the consensus was Landis L7. You can get different levels of displays with that- I got the middle one which does not have it’s own TV. Bunsen’s Precor is good as well. LifeFitness makes good equipment. I would go to a good equipment store- not a Dick’s or Academy- and talk to them and try some out. Maybe I’m wrong and there is a smaller model (problem is the stride and width- don’t feel as good) that would work. I use a LOT of treadmills in different gyms and hotels, so I know something about this. I also know more people than I can count who have gone the cheap route and never liked or used their treadmills.
What the posters above said… Precor, LifeFitness, and Landis are the brands that make sturdy, reliable treadmills with various levels of bells and whistles.
We bought our first treadmill (TRUE) in 1999 when I was pregnant with my son. We moved it three times (once across country). Replaced it around 2016 with a Precor. I love my treadmill and have consistently used it (or my elliptical) 6-7 days per week since 1999 - for me it was an investment in my health so paying more for a good quality machine was important to me. I also read reviews online, but purchased at a local fitness equipment store where I could try the different units and have it delivered and set up. A good treadmill should last over 10 years…
I’m not a runner. My knees can barely even handle much of an incline. A treadmill is the only way I get in any cardio. Trust me, I know myself. Don’t suggest bike, elliptical, rower. I know what I will and will not do.
If you are just walking, get whatever. You don’t need the best treadmill for walking, just good incline and convenience and price. Whoever delivers and sets it up if you need that part, for the best price. Costco any treadmill. The last sub 1000$ treadmill I had did exactly what it needed for 10 yrs, was good enough for my walking then running plus kid running, while the deck and impacted parts did get worn to a nub, the motor was just fine LOL. I replaced it with another sub 1K from costco with a better incline (15%) . Don’t overpay for any tech, that is the stuff that fails. Use your own HRM and your own TV or ipad, don’t pay for built in stuff like that. Mine doesn’t fold, that was because I did pick a wider and long option for running. Walking doesn’t require that. If it was purely for walking, I would pick folding.
The bike and rowing are much better options for knees, but that is by the by LOL. IMO you should have all 3 (LOL).
So…the type/brands of treadmills y’all are suggesting are very large for the tiny room in which it will live. So probably no room for even a murphy bed if it’s also to be my yoga space.
I should now retitle this thread: “Is it Necessary to Have a Place for all of your Grown Children to Sleep if they all Come Home at Once?”
Will a folding treadmill be too large? The footprint isn’t that big.
I agree with not having a permanent bed for the maybe visitors. An aero bed is the perfect choice. The reality is if this is your only way of getting exercise, it takes distinct priority over a guest room. Your kids will agree. Make that room a real gym, weights, yoga space, TV.
Mine live far away and the reality is that the time everyone is here at the same time is very infrequent.
I agree that your health and well being is very important.
I keep saying that I would sell this house and buy a one bedroom. If we have guests, I’ll pay for hotels. Unfortunately I like my neighborhood and there are no 1 bedrooms here.
Have inflatable mattresses gotten better? We bought one over 20 years ago - I think it was used once or twice…very uncomfortable. There’s something to be said for guests not getting TOO comfortable, but I don’t want it to be an instrument of torture.
I can vouch for the Aerobed brand - we have had two twins and one queen which is ENORMOUS it seems when blown up! Even has a “headboard”. It’s been slept on many, many times. Plug it in and push a button and in a minute it’s inflated and ready to go. Of course it’s not as high as a bed on a frame - I don’t know that I’d make my 85 year old mother sleep on it!
We got a $100 6" thick foam futon for spare guests. Takes up about 18" x 24 x 54 folded and it’s comfy!
One piece of advice I wish I’d gotten before I bought my first treadmill - pay attention to how much noise it makes. It’s not fun to watch TV with the volume on “Drown out this thing”. I have a walking desk now - a treadmill with a high desk attached - and it is quiet. I can be on the phone on conference calls or watch videos on my computer easily while walking. It’s a “LifeSpan”. It doesn’t incline at all and I don’t miss that feature at all. Simple and quiet = I use it all the time.
@missypie , LifeFitness makes a foldable treadmill that is very high quality and probably one of the few exceptions to @momofwildchild generally correct comments about foldables. It has a shorter and more narrow bed than commercial units but unless you are a serious high speed runner or are very tall, it’s size is fine. I recommended it to a couple of my training clients and they are very pleased with it. it will cost over $2K but I’m with the camp that says don’t go cheap. Not only will you get much longer life from a higher end treadmill but the quality of your usage experience will be noticeably superior. As mentioned above, Landice, Precor and LifeFitness are excellent companies offering high quality products, solid service and excellent, long warranties. Matrix is another company that also offers treadmills that are a good step up from the big box/internet company offerings.
