Treadmill Reviews, Elliptical Trainer Reviews, Home Gym Reviews, and other fitness equipment reviews from an industry insider.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Horizon Fitness T83 Treadmill Review

Horizon T83 Treadmill ReviewsHorizon T83 Treadmill Review
Horizon T83 Treadmill Rating:
4.5 stars out of 5 for being one of the best treadmills in its class
Price: $999
Horizon Fitness T83 Treadmill

I’m very much in to the stock market. I’ve even devised my own inflation index I call the MCD-I or McDonalds’ Index. It’s an excellent index for tracking inflation, and based on the return of the 4 Chicken McNuggets for a $1 sale, the index has temporarily leveled off. Fortunately, the fitness industry has not seen too much inflation. The Horizon Fitness Treadmill line has not seen too many price fluctuations. I can’t say the same thing of Bowflex, Spirit, and Schwinn though. Anyway, in honor the Horizon T83 still being a $1000 here is my review of the Horizon T83 Treadmill.

I judge treadmills based on six cardinal features: maximum speed, continuous duty horsepower rating, training programs, shock absorption system, warranty, and price. The Horizon T83 Treadmill has a 12 MPH maximum speed. I’m always a bit skeptical about treadmills with a top speed as high as 12 MPH when they’re under a $1000 because the motor generally can’t support the speed without the treadmill belt slipping. Needless to say, if the belt slips there’s a good chance you’re going to slip too! However, the Horizon T83 Treadmill comes equipped with a very powerful 2.5 Continuous Duty Horsepower Motor that can support heavy users running at 12 MPH. Powerful motor and high top speed perfectly describe the Horizon T83 Treadmill.

One of the things I’ve really been hammering treadmill and elliptical trainer manufacturers for is programs. It seems in their rush to deliver well designed shock absorption systems they overlooked fitness programs. Horizon Fitness has included a incredible 16 fitness programs that are designed to help users lose weight, improve cardiovascular endurance, or simply warm up the body for stretching and weight training. The Horizon T83 has a wide variety of fitness programs created by fitness experts that will help with just about any fitness goal.

I wish I could say the Horizon T83 has a stellar warranty to match the stellar running speed, motor, and program array but I can’t. The T83 has an average warranty and is the only thing preventing the Horizon T83 Treadmill from achieving a perfect 5 star rating.

The final reason why the Horizon T83 Treadmill has been ranked so high is how the T83 compares to other treadmills in the $1000 price range. Take the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill for example, it has a maximum speed of 10 MPH, a 1.75 HP motor, and a pathetic six fitness programs. The only reason why the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill sells better than the Horizon T83 is brand name recognition. If people actually researched their treadmills before they buy them they would know the better deal is definitely a Horizon T83 Treadmill.


1 comment:

Unknown said...

I got one last month. It's a nice looking machine but extremely heavy, it was a pain to take it to the basement. I haven't use the top speeds yet, but it's good to know it's there. The machine feels powerful, but it's boring, besides, the console is too high and I cannot watch tv on front. Besides, since it needs a whole circuit for itlself, IDK where to plug the TV