<p>What kind do you have, where did you get it, do you like it, would you buy it again, any other advice you would offer a first-time buyer . . .</p>
<p>Which treadmill is right for you depends a lot on how you will use it. There are a ton of good options if you mainly plan to walk and do some light running. On the other hand, serious running requires a serious treadmill.</p>
<p>We have a Nordictrack Commercial that was made by Epic. Almost exactly the same as the EPIC View 550. Costco normally sells it online for around $1000 … I think we paid $800 in the store about 2 years ago. My wife uses it all winter for walking/light running and it is great. I sometimes run on it, but I limit my runs to around 3 or 4 miles … for longer runs I prefer to go to the health club and beat up on their machines.</p>
<p>If I planned on running a lot on it, I would consider something from True, Precor, Landice, etc. … but they start at around $3000.</p>
<p>Craigslist is a great option if you know what you are looking for and are willing to take a chance. One problem with this is you’ll have to pick it up yourself. Treadmills are really heavy and hard to move (ours weighs 300 lbs), especially once they have been assembled.</p>
<p>sedluhs, all good points. I should have said that I am looking for a treadmill for walking/light running. And before I started thinking about buying one, I had not contemplated how heavy they are. My big fear now is getting one set up and then having it not work properly.</p>
<p>Have you considered a rowing machine (ergometer)?</p>
<p>They are lighter and easier to move - we got ours off eBay I think, for $500 – if you go with a Concept2 machine you can’t go wrong.</p>
<p>We bought a Precor treadmill after researching and trying other brands in local fitness equipment stores. Precors are manufactured in our backyard (yes, they are made in the US in the little town in our neck of the woods). So far, so good - I’ve been running on my treadmill since January and I like it. We bought the basic model with as little fluff as possible, but it was not cheap (even before the price increase). It is very heavy, bu it has built in wheels so I can move it if I have to.</p>
<p>With a treadmill, the most important factors are (i) it has to weigh more than the heaviest runner; (ii) it has to have a motor with at least 3 horses; (iii) the belt has to be sturdy and wide enough for you to run comfortably (belt length only matters for really tall people). The other stuff is not so important IMO (iPod docks, creative bottle holders, 38 preset programs, etc.)</p>
<p>This is our model:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.precor.com/cons/en/tre/931[/url]”>http://www.precor.com/cons/en/tre/931</a></p>
<p>However, we did not pay that much :)</p>
<p>This web site helped me a lot when I was looking for a treadmill:</p>
<p>[Treadmill</a> - Elliptical Reviews, Service, & Parts : Treadmill Doctor](<a href=“http://www.treadmilldoctor.com/]Treadmill”>http://www.treadmilldoctor.com/)</p>
<p>Based on their reviews I got a Pacemaster Gold, waited for them to go on sale at a local store, and saved around $700. It’s been great so far.</p>
<p>I own a treadmill, I can’t think of a brand at the moment. I would not buy again. It is too high impact for me, my knees and ankles and feet ache when I get off it just from going for a light jog. I prefer an elliptical these days and will probably be selling my treadmill, it’s just so much easier on the joints and in my opinion more fun and a better work out.</p>
<p>I have a Sole F80 treadmill which I’ve had for 3 years and can highly recommend it. It is probably more treadmill than I need but I’m glad I have it when my faster and heavier than me son runs on it. I enjoy the little programmed walks on there but they are not necessary. I think it was around $1500. My husband and kids carried it down to the basement for me but I think I will have to hire someone to get it out when the time comes because it is heavy and I don’t think I could talk them into moving it again. It does fold up.</p>
<p>We have a LifeFitness commercial grade treadmill. It was pretty pricey, but it is used daily by multiple people in our household. I don’t believe a cheap one would last long in this house. Our last treadmill was used almost every day for 11 years and was still working when I finally retired it, except for the programs. I hated to see the old girl go, but I wanted to start doing some interval training programs.</p>
<p>A good treadmill is a great exercise tool because you can get several kinds of workouts from it.<br>
-walking, with or without weights
- jogging
-incline set high: a challenging non-impact workout.
You can even walk backwards on it, though I keep forgetting to try this.
Treadmills are boring, but less so than other machines IMO. I wouldn’t want
to be without one in bad weather.</p>
<p>We have a Lifefitness and have had it for somewhere between ten and fifteen years I would guess. I think it’s had one repair and I think we’ve replaced the mat once. It gets heavy use. My husband is on it for 60-90 minutes a day and I am often on it for 30-50 minutes. It has held up really, really well. Occasionally as of late, it shuts itself off if it gets hot between use but it hasn’t died or anything. Like I said, we’ve had it a long time. It’s pretty easy on the joints, user-friendly and he uses the heart monitor that works with it, which is important for him as his cardiologist wants his heart rate at a target rate. It was expensive at the time, but way cheaper over time than a gym membership would be. Definitely a good purchase.</p>
<p>I have a Nordic Track treadmill that I bought in Sears about 19 yrs ago. It has held up pretty well over the yrs and we still use it too , not just for a coat hanger ;)</p>
<p>I used a True treadmill for five winters before my knee problems forced a changeover to an elliptical machine (got the Octane). Sold the treadmill to a friend. It’s now 8 years old and still doing quite well. Required one $200 repair four years in. Turns out it’s not a great idea to use a treadmill on carpet because the lint gets into the parts.</p>
<p>Ours came with the house when we bought it. Our 100-lb. dog (Akita-Shepherd mix) stands on it and whines for us to turn it on. He’s in great shape.</p>
<p>We had one, bought new, broke very quickly after very few uses, will never own one. I cannot walk on treadmill anyway and we have had gym membership for the past 30 years anyway. I like to walk outside, and swim outside in a summer. they say, you should spend about 1 hour/day in daylight outside. We bought tredmill for our D. She likes eliptical (so do I) much better. I use eliptical to warm up before my weight lifting routine.</p>
<p>^^^I like the elliptical very much. However, my back does not, so I can’t use it. We have a LifeFitness elliptical that my husband uses several times a week, as well as a Life Fitness recumbent bicycle that my daughter and I use to vary our treadmill workouts. They are all very sturdy, sound machines.</p>
<p>I like exercising outside, also. But the Texas heat makes it unbearable for a good part of the year. Also, the pavement isn’t great for my back and knees, but when the weather is cool, I go ahead and punish myself. I probably wouldn’t exercise 6 months a year if I didn’t have a home gym.</p>
<p>Many posts here talk about treadmills that have been made 10-20 years ago, when they were probably manufactured in the US. Many companies have shifted their production overseas, and quality might have suffered as the result. On the other hand, newer models/makers do not have histories long enough to make meaningful conclusions about their durability/reliability. So do your research carefully, go to a fitness store in your running shoes, and try running on a few treadmills before choosing one - unless you buy from Costco, treadmills are not easy to return!</p>
<p>^^^^The treadmill that served me so well was a Spirit treadmill. You are right-it was made in the US-but is no longer. When we shopped for our newest treadmill, we were informed that the highest quality treadmills tend to be manufactured in the US.</p>
<p>^Everything old works much better, I miss my dishwasher from ages ago, that actually used water and was doing much better job in 15 min cycle than the current best of the best in a world (although, very quiet one).</p>
<p>My only piece of advice: do not allow your ferret or other small pet to play or lounge near the treadmill. </p>
<p>This is not my personal experience, but rather the experience of one of my customers. The ferret did survive.</p>