Treadmill Review Master

Proform Epic View 550 Treadmill Review

2010-06-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

Treadmill Review: Proform Epic View 550 Treadmill
Price: $1999
Click to Read User Review

A lot of people place a treadmill in a room with the TV. Some people will go through hoops just to get their treadmill lined up in a perfect spot to see the television. And who wouldn't want to watch TV while they're exercising anyway? I know I jump on the treadmill I have a TV in front of me things seem to go by exponentially faster. Even though I enjoy running, sometimes it is a chore and I just want to get it over with as soon as possible. Why am I saying all of this? Because the Logitech has TV built right into the console. The built-in TV really is the center of the Logitech.

The Logitech includes a 3.0 HP Odyssey two commercial motor. This motor is specially designed to keep noise to a minimum and to last as long as possible. Design features include direct cooling which keeps the components of the motor cooler enabling them to withstand years of workouts. The deck of the Logitech is a spacious 20" x 60". There may be a couple treadmills here or there with an extra inch or two of length or width, but these treadmills are very rare. If you want a larger treadmill you're probably going to have to spend several thousand dollars more than the price of Logitech or have something custom made. A 20" x 60" treadmill deck is pretty much the largest treadmill deck you're going to find at any store or online retailer. The powerful 3.0 HP motor can propel the belle of the Logitech up to 12 mph. For me personally, a jogging pace is about eight or 9 mph. A 12 mph pace is just insane! Unless your sprinter, you'll find very little use for a treadmill that goes faster than 12 mph. The treadmill deck is sturdy enough and the motor is powerful enough to handle users up to 350 pounds. ProForm puts their treadmills under extensive tests to make sure that the weight capacity rating on the label really measures up.

The Logitech comes with a vast array of features, and for a $2000 treadmill why shouldn't it? This treadmill comes equipped with a shock absorption system that reduces the impact of running when compared to running on your average street. This treadmill can fold up so you can have more space or even stored out of the way when you're not using it. Dual heart rate monitors track your pulse and are displayed on the extra-large backlit LCD display. In addition to everything that I just mentioned, the Logitech comes with a built-in 7 inch flatscreen TV. I can't think of a better future to include on a high end treadmill.

Proform 995 Treadmill Review

2010-06-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

Treadmill Review: Proform 995 Treadmill
Price: $999

Click Now to Buy the Proform 995 Treadmill

The Proform Power 995 Treadmill is a $1000 treadmill that Proform has built to compete against treadmills several hundred dollars more in price. After I write a detailed review of the Proform Power 995 Treadmill and cover every square inch of the Proform Power 995 Treadmill in this treadmill review you will know exactly why.

One of the great leaps forward in fitness equipment technology is Proform’s iFit system. The iFit system integrates the Internet with your treadmill. You will be able to run courses from around the world by accessing Google maps. You can sink your treadmill with popular social networking sites like Facebook and even compete against or work with other human beings who use iFit. There's so many features to the iFit I don't think I could describe all of them in a single post. The iFit system has ushered the treadmill into the modern-day age.

It takes a lot more to make a great treadmill than social networking an excellent fitness programs. A good treadmill requires solid fundamentals. To that end, the Proform Power 995 Treadmill has been equipped with a 3.5 CHP Mach Z treadmill motor. The general motor built into the Proform Power 995 Treadmill is a commercial grade motor is designed to allow users to work out for extended periods of time. The motor built into the Proform Power 995 Treadmill even has a built-in self cooling system so the inside components do not become heated and stressed to the point of motor failure.

One of the obstacles people who are trying to lose weight face is pain. Proform recognizes this problem and has taken steps to correct it by designing a cushioned treadmill deck that can reduce the impact on your joints by as much as 15% compared to running on an average road. A fan has also been built into the console of the Proform Power 995 Treadmill to keep you cool when you're working really hard during a strenuous workout. Rather than target your face, the fan is pointed towards your core muscles to facilitate bodily cooling. Proform has done its homework and then everything possible to create an excellent treadmill.

Some of the other really cool features I liked are the touchscreen display and built-in iPod support. The touch screen display will make you feel like you're on the deck of a spaceship. The console is large and easy use. If you just can't work out without listening to some your favorite tunes like me you'll love the built-in iPod speakers. No more messy wires choking your neck when you're trying to run, just a clean mess free way of listening to music and stay in “the zone”.

Proform 1050T Treadmill Review

2010-06-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

Treadmill Review: Proform 1050T Treadmill
Price: $799
Click Now To Read User Reviews
It's time for my review of the Proform 1050T Treadmill. The Proform 1050T Treadmill is a midrange treadmill designed to deliver performance. A lot of people think treadmills and as for cardiovascular endurance, that's because they don't know how to use treadmills. The Proform 1050T Treadmill can do everything from help you lose weight to help you build some muscle! I'm going to give you a detailed treadmill review and cover everything you need to know about the Proform 1050T Treadmill.

This treadmill is built with a 3.0 CHP Mach Z commercial grade motor. The more powerful the motor, the longer treadmill is likely to last. Every time someone uses a treadmill stress is being placed on all the components. A treadmill with a high level of horsepower will not have to work as hard to meet what you are demanding of it, and therefore last much longer. Combine a powerful motor with an advanced cooling system and you have yourself a treadmill that is going to last for years to come, even when heavy users are running fast for a long period of time. On that note, the motor can propel the Proform 1050T Treadmill at 12 mph which is just about as high as you will find on treadmill at any price.

The 20" x 60”running surface is wide and spacious. Even treadmills that retail for more than $1500 tend to limit their running area to 20" x 60". If you are a larger or taller person and looking for something with a lot of space to stretch your legs the Proform 1050T Treadmill is a good option to consider. In addition to a large and spacious running area, you can customize the cushioning. The cushioning on the Proform 1050T Treadmill is fully adjustable from very soft to very firm. A lot of people have a lot of different opinions about how firm a treadmill should be, and with this feature everyone can be accommodated.

The Proform 1050T Treadmill does really well with the fundamentals of a treadmill and it does even better with all the extras. You get built-in iPod compatibility and built-in speakers. I personally don't like to wear headphones when I run so the built-in speakers are a great way to still listen to my music and avoid all the wires. There are also loads of fitness programs on the Proform 1050T Treadmill which makes this an excellent treadmill to consider.

Proform 790T Treadmill Review

2010-06-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

Treadmill Review: Proform 790T Treadmill
Price: $699
Click Now To Read User Reviews

The Proform 790T Treadmill is equipped with a 2.5 CHP mach Z motor. The motor of this treadmill is a commercial grade motor and is designed to last and stand up to longer training periods. Sometimes treadmills with a low amount power can skip when you run or make quick strides. A powerful motor will help guard against this and keep you safe and deliver an enjoyable treadmill workout. The longevity of the Proform 790T Treadmill is also increased by the built-in fan that reduces heat and noise, reducing the stress is placed on your treadmill allowing it to last longer.

Some of the really cool features of the Proform 790T Treadmill are adjustable cushioning which allows you to make the surface of the treadmill harder or softer depending on your preference. This treadmills also designed fold up vertically so you can keep it out of the way when you're not using it. This also means that you have more space to do exercises like situps and crunches if you have a smaller room to keep your treadmill in.

Proform is one of the better companies when it comes to features. The Proform 790T Treadmill has built-in heart rate monitoring at your fingertips. Use the data from the heart rate monitor in tandem with any of the several built-in fitness programs that are designed by professionals and will help you get the most from your workouts. But it is easy to keep track of with a built-in backlit LCD screen that tracks time, distance, calories burned, and a whole lot more.

Another really cool feature on the Proform 790T Treadmill that I would like to see in every treadmill elliptical trainer is built-in iPod compatibility. The Proform 790T Treadmill has speakers built right into the console and the Port for plugging your iPod. I hate liars and not having to wear a set of headphones when I go running or walking is incredibly appealing to someone like me who spends a lot of time in treadmills and elliptical trainers. There's also the iFit system that allows you to expand your access to a wide variety of programs designed by famous fitness professionals like Jillian Michaels. You can even purchase eight week training programs that are sure to help you get peak condition.

One last thing I'll mention is that the Proform 790T Treadmill comes with a full two year parts and one-year labor warranty. A two-year parts warranty is pretty much unheard of for treadmills under $1000 as nice to see that there is at least one company out there that goes the extra distance to deliver value quality to the consumer.

Smooth CE 2.7 Elliptical Trainer Review

2009-09-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,
Elliptical Trainer Review: Smooth CE 2.7 Elliptical Trainer Review
Elliptical Trainer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 for an excellent feel, low price, and adjustable stride
Price: $1099 (On sale right now, $200 off!)
Click To Buy The Smooth CE 2.7 Elliptical Trainer

Well, I've been going down my list of and Smooth Elliptical Trainers and we have reached the Smooth 2.7 Elliptical Trainer. The Smooth 2.7 Elliptical Trainer actually happens to be on sale as of the time I wrote this article I which makes it the best deal Smooth Fitness has to offer. I'm not privy to special information from Smooth Fitness and therefore I do not know when this sale will end. If you like this elliptical trainer I suggest you hop on over to Smooth Fitness’ site right now and order it. For those of you who need a little bit more information to make a choice I invite you to read my full Smooth 2.7 Elliptical Trainer review.

Anyone who knows me knows I could go on for ever talking about a single treadmill or elliptical trainer. For the benefit of everyone I will try to stick with the basics of the Smooth 2.7 Elliptical Trainer. The most fundamental and important piece of information you'll need to know when buying elliptical trainer or treadmill is how comfortable is this elliptical trainer. I've been on literally dozens of pieces of fitness equipment during my fitness career and I know that Smooth Fitness offers the best elliptical trainers hands down. Comfort is the Smooth 2.7 Elliptical Trainers strong suit.

After comfort comes warranty. If I tried out the most comfortable elliptical trainer ever but it didn't have a warranty I could hardly feel comfortable recommending that elliptical trainer. What if it breaks? The Mac customer would be out hundreds possibly even thousands of dollars. And elliptical trainer without a decent warranty is just not worth the risk. Fortunately, the Smooth 2.7 Elliptical Trainer is backed by an industry-standard one-year parts and labor warranty. If anything breaks on this elliptical trainer you're covered for a full 12 months! I have seen elliptical trainers that retail for $600 or more that are backed by an anemic 90 day parts and labor warranty and some cases no parts or labor warranty. I would think twice before buying an elliptical trainer that covers parts and labor for less than a year. It's just not a very safe bet.

Another cool feature is adjustable stride length. The fitness industry is adding this feature to more elliptical trainers. This is an excellent addition to any elliptical trainer and eliminates many of the problems caused by multiple users, especially if one user is tall and when users short. All you have to do to get a comfortable stride is turn a knob.

One thing I do a lot of complaining about when it comes to local trainers is the console. Elliptical trainer consoles are often small and hard to read. The Smooth 2.7 Elliptical Trainer console is still small but all the important data are displayed large to make it easier to read when working out. This is just a small detail but coming from an elliptical trainer and aficionados it's an important one.

Final Analysis
I think I've covered all the important points of the Smooth 2.7 Elliptical Trainer. In short, it's comfortable. Comfort is the most important thing to consider when buying elliptical trainer. If you're elliptical trainer is not comfortable you probably won't use it. It also has a decent warranty and a large console display. The adjustable stride length makes this an ideal elliptical trainer for multiple users and I strongly recommend elliptical trainer.

Click Now To Read Smooth CE 2.7 Elliptical Trainer User Reviews

Smooth Fitness CE 2.1 Elliptical Trainer Review

2009-09-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,
Treadmill Review: Smooth Fitness CE 2.1 Elliptical Trainer
Treadmill Rating: 4/5 for excellent fundamentals but lacking special features
Price: $1299

Click Now To Read Smooth CE 2.1 Elliptical Trainer User Reviews

I'm getting ready for another canyon run tomorrow morning at five o'clock! That means I got a get to bed early but I'm too excited to sleep. So, the only productive way I can think of to spend my time right now is writing an elliptical trainer review. I figure since I've gone through all of the Smooth Treadmills I should probably write reviews of all the Smooth Elliptical Trainers. I'm not one for wasting time so let's get right into the review.

One thing that irks me just a little bit about elliptical trainers in general is that they come with small consoles. They're often too small for me to see clearly without bending over or squinting and all the up-and-down movement that is natural to elliptical trainer makes things even worse. I really wish treadmill manufacturers would design an elliptical trainer with a large console. Shoot, I got off on a rant again. Let's try this again. The Smooth Fitness CE 2.1 Elliptical Trainer is a product of excellent design. The motion is fluid, elliptical trainer is heavy enough to reduce wobbling often associated with elliptical trainers on the low end, and it comes with a two-year labor warranty. I can't stress enough just how unique a two-year labor warranty is for elliptical trainer that costs less than $1500! In fact, I'm going to say it again and bold it this time. I can't stress just how unique a two-year labor warranty is for an elliptical trainer that costs less than $1500!

Smooth Fitness got a whole lot of stuff right with this elliptical trainer. But, there are some things that can be improved. First of all, there aren't any real special features to speak of. I want something, some gimmick, something that tells me that Smooth Fitness really wants my money like built-in fans or include a wireless pedometer, something. I'm sad to say that there are no such pack-ins this or features with the Smooth Fitness CE 2.1 Elliptical Trainer.

Final Analysis
when it comes to the core of the Smooth Fitness CE 2.1 Elliptical Trainer Smooth Fitness has everything down perfect. It has an excellent stride that is smooth and fluid. The 18 inch stride probably should be an adjustable stride or at least a 20 inch stride but I'm not to complain too much about that. Most people will be happy with an 18 inch stride unless you're over 6'1". The labor warranty is stellar! Smooth Fitness backs the Smooth Fitness CE 2.1 Elliptical Trainer with a two-year labor warranty which tells me smooth fitness is very comfortable and the mechanics and durability of the Smooth Fitness CE 2.1 Elliptical Trainer. I feel much more confident recommending an elliptical trainer when the manufacturer is willing to fix things at its own expense. The only thing I'm kind of sad about is that there are no cool features to distinguish the Smooth Fitness CE 2.1 Elliptical Trainer from some of its competition. Well, at least it's leaps and bounds ahead of much of the competition in terms of warranty. Overall, you'll be happy with this elliptical trainer and the motion and mechanics are good enough for me to recommend you buy the Smooth Fitness CE 2.1 Elliptical Trainer.

Click Now To Buy The Smooth CE 2.1 Elliptical Trainer

Smooth 9.45 TV Treadmill

2009-09-22T22:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,

Well, I thought this day would never come, but it seems I’ve reached the last Smooth Fitness Treadmill. I’m not going to “review” this treadmill per se. No, I’m not being lazy; I’m just being really smart. You see, the Smooth 9.45 TV Treadmill is exactly the same treadmill as the Smooth 9.45ST Treadmill with one crucial and expensive difference. The Smooth 9.45 TV Treadmill has a built in 15” LCD TV. If you’re looking for more information about this treadmill read my Smooth Fitness 9.45ST Treadmill Review Other than that, this post is mostly about the built in TV that comes with the Smooth 9.45 TV Treadmill.

That’s it for my Smooth Fitness 9.45 TV Treadmill Review, I know it wasn’t much of a review, but honestly, there is no point in writing 3 paragraphs about this treadmill when they’ve already been written. Happy treadmill hunting, be healthy!

Smooth Fitness 9.45ST Treadmill Review

2009-09-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,
Treadmill Review: Smooth 9.45ST Treadmill
Treadmill Rating: 5 stars out of 5 for innovative features and exceptional comfort
Click Now To Buy The Smooth 945ST Treadmill

This time we'll be talking about the Smooth Fitness 9.45 ST Treadmill. This treadmill has a 3.0 HP motor to support even the heaviest of users and a spacious 20" x 16" running area. If you buy this treadmill and set it up at your home you get a notice one thing, this treadmill was built for larger users. Aside from that, the Smooth Fitness 9.45 ST Treadmill has tons of features to satisfy even the most stringent of treadmill judges, me! However, that's not the whole story behind the Smooth Fitness 9.45 ST Treadmill to get the whole picture.

As I mentioned, this has a large 20" x 60" running area combined with a powerful 3.0 HP motor. Reading area and motor size are crucial for larger users. Too short or narrow a running area and a larger and taller user is going to feel very cramped. This can lead to awkward form when running or walking and lead to injuries. A powerful motor is important for larger users because it prevents slippage where the treadmill belt will stop but the treadmill rollers will continue rolling in the belt will fold into itself, possibly causing the user to slip. As you can see, a large area and a strong motor are incredibly important. The Smooth Fitness 9.45 ST Treadmill has both of these.

Just like the Smooth 9.35 HR Treadmill, the Smooth Fitness 9.45 ST Treadmill has touchless speed control. In my Smooth 9.35 HR Treadmill Review I jokingly called it ”Jedi speed control”, and I really do think Smooth Fitness would sell a lot more units if that's what they called this feature. This feature doesn't really add to safety nor is it all that much more convenient as opposed to turning a knob, but being able to wave your hand and control a piece of machinery is really, really, really cool.

This treadmill also comes with the Hydra Suspension System. In short, it enables users to adjust the firmness of a treadmill deck to suit individual prefences. This is a great feature for anyone! Are you going to run in a marathon and want to more closely simulate running on pavement? Set this treadmill to maximum firmness. Like a little more bounce in your step? Just turn a knob and your wish is granted. One important thing to point out is that adjustable firmness is not unique to Smooth Fitness, but Smooth has done the best with it so far. Many other treadmills with adjustable firmness suffer from mechanical problems!

Final Analysis
Overall, this is an incredibly comfortable treadmill with many excellent features. My favorite is Jedi Speed Control or touchless motion control. You also get a large running area and a motor powerful enough to support users big and small. I have absolutely no complaints about this treadmill and anyone who brings the Smooth 5.45 Treadmill home is going to be very happy!

Click Now To Buy The Smooth 945ST Treadmill

Smooth Fitness 9.35 HR Treadmill Review

2009-09-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,
Treadmill Review: Smooth Fitness 9.35 HR Treadmill
Treadmill Rating: 4 stars out of 5 for really cool features but a shorter running area
Click Now To Buy The Smooth 935HR Treadmill

I'm going to be continuing with my Smooth Fitness treadmill reviews. There are just three more Smooth Treadmills left and I think I'm going to try to finish writing all of them tonight and then take a few days off from the treadmill blog. Maybe I'll even take the whole weekend off and do some running and hiking! Oh wait no, I have a test in a psychology class to study for. Anyway, here's my Smooth Fitness 9.35 HR Treadmill review.

The Smooth Fitness 9.35 HR Treadmill has a 20" x 55" running area. That's quite a bit of space and I'm sure that it should accommodate just about everyone up to 6'1". But, more running area is always better, and you never know who's going to come over and want to use your treadmill. It's better to be able to accommodate everyone! If the Smooth Fitness 9.35 HR Treadmill was about $1000 I would say the Reading area is fine. But it's not! This treadmill retails for about $1800. I expect quite a bit out of the treadmill for $1800 and leaving me 5 inches short on the running area leaves me feeling just a little bit empty.

The real reason to buy the Smooth Fitness 9.35 HR Treadmill is comfort. Smooth Fitness is known for comfort. The Smooth Fitness 9.35 HR Treadmill uses the Hydra Suspension System and allows users to adjust the firmness of the treadmill deck. There are a couple other treadmill manufacturers out there who attempt to include an adjustable firmness setting with their treadmills, but often fail miserably. There is usually little difference between the highest setting and the lowest setting or the mechanics used to set the firmness go bad after a few uses. Not true with the Smooth Fitness 9.35 HR Treadmill! Smooth Fitness really went to town with the design and mechanics of their adjustable firmness feature. The bottom line is, it works.

In addition to the adjustable firmness feature there is also something I call the “Jedi Speed Control” feature. Basically, you can wave your hand over the treadmill console to speed up or slow down. It really does make you feel like you can use the force to control your environment. The “Jedi feature” adds a coolness factor to Smooth Fitness 9.35 HR Treadmill.

Final Analysis
There is no doubt that smooth fitness is one of the better treadmill manufacturers out there. I would be happy with just about any treadmill they manufacture. The core of all my treadmill reviews centers on comfort. If a treadmill is not comfortable it is not going to be used. When it comes to comfort the Smooth Fitness 9.35 HR Treadmill scores major points. Throw in no hands speed control or what I prefer to call “Jedi speed control” and adjustable tech firmness that actually works and you got yourself a recipe for an excellent treadmill. The only drawback to this treadmill is a smaller than expected running area. There really is no excuse for this. All in all, this is a solid treadmill but you can find better.

Click Now To Buy The Smooth 935HR Treadmill

Bowflex Xtreme 2 Home Gym Review

2009-09-12T23:06:00.000-07:00

Bowflex Xtreme 2 Home Gym Review
Click Here To Read Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym Reviews

Hello Readers,
If you spent any time using a home gym at all you know how annoying it can be to adjust pulley systems. First you have to take them off, attached employees the right way, sometimes you forget how to remove them, and it gets worse when you realize you forgot how to put them back on. It is a hassle! Ease-of-use is one of the primary reasons people use a rod weight resistance system as opposed to a weight stack system. Overall, they're much easier to assemble and use.

Now, there are literally dozens of choices when it comes to home gyms and I wouldn't want to recommend anything average. So let's see if the Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym stacks up to a rigorous home gym review. First off, one of the things I frequently read in forums on the Internet is that band resistance or in Bowflex’s case Power Rod resistance loses its resistance over time as they are bent. This is true, but I rarely see the counterpoint that weight stacks lose weight as they are banged against each other and chipped. Both types of home gyms lose resistance over time. The difference between the two is that Power Rod resistance is generally much less expensive to replace.

As for the Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym itself, it comes standard with 210 pounds of resistance. Now, that's good enough for just about every high school student I can think of, but if your student happens to be one of the monsters on campus the Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym can be easily upgraded to as much as 410 pounds of resistance. In other words, there is plenty of room to grow as the body grows with strength training.

The Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym already came with an impressive array of stations that worked out the chest, shoulders, back, arms, abdominals, and legs. However, the Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym has recently been upgraded to include enough, no crunch shoulder harness that is sure to help anyone build incredible abdominal muscles. The other add-on is an improved seat that provides greater back support. This features especially useful to someone like me who goes out of his way to reduce back injuries! If your back is broken your doctor to be doing too much of!

Honestly, if you don't believe me you can see for yourself how great the Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym is. Bowflex offers a six-week results guarantee that enables you to return the home gym within six weeks of purchase. If you like it, just call Bowflex and they'll be very happy to help you send the home gym back.

Click Now to Buy the Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym

Smooth Fitness 9.45 TV Treadmill Review

2009-09-08T23:49:00.000-07:00

Hello readers,

Buy the Smooth 945ST Treadmill Now

Well, it seems like the fires have finally been put out my area and the wind has been pushing all the smoke away from my house so it looks like I can finally go back outside and run, ride my bike, and hopefully swim at the Canyon soon. Have you been thinking about splurging on a new bike. Mild bike has been well, it tries and I suppose I shouldn't disparage it. Speaking of splurging, if you're in the splurging mood I have a treadmill for you! This one is so cool it even comes with its own TV!

I'll save the TV hype for the end this treadmill review. The most important thing is always comfort! If a treadmill is not comfortable there is not a snowballs chance in hell that you're going to use it to run on, let alone lose weight. I know this better than many people because I have been using treadmills to exercise for about six years now and I never kept a running routine when that routine involved an uncomfortable treadmill. So is the Smooth Fitness 9.45 TV Treadmill Review comfortable? I assure you it is! I've been putting together, fixing, until internals for many years now and Smooth Fitness in general has consistently impressed me with their quality. One feature that seems to be proliferating among treadmill manufacturers is adjustable shock absorption. This means that you'll be able to adjust the firmness of the treadmill shock absorption system to your liking. I personally like things in the middle, but you may prefer a little more spring in your step or a little less. I like that smooth fitness has given me and all the people who buy the triple X the power to choose. Choice means everything!

Let's finish off some of the other features that I think are worth noting before I get into some of the drawbacks of this treadmill. One really cool feature makes you feel like you’re Master Yoda himself. The speed can be controlled by waving your hand over the console. Yes, I pretended to use the force to change the speed of the treadmill for about an hour before got bored of it but hey nobody is perfect. The Smooth Fitness 9.45 TV Treadmill Review also comes with a commercial grade deck. This means the Smooth Fitness 9.45 TV Treadmill Review can support very heavy users and handle more than one workout session a day, which means more people can use this treadmill.

The only drawback is that I would like to see a larger console display with more dedicated metrics. This is a very small flaw and remember the $2800 price tag includes a built-in LCD screen with speakers.

Final Rating
Overall this is probably the best high-end treadmill you're going to find. If you spend any more money than this you're getting overkill, you're paying for a commercial grade longevity and I can't think of a single person or family who would need to spend more than $2800 on a treadmill, except of course maybe a family of ninjas..

Click To Read Smooth Fitness 9.45 Treadmill Reviews Treadmill

Horizon LS780T Treadmill Review

2009-07-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

Click Here To Read User Reviews

Horsepower
The Horizon LS780T Treadmill comes with a 2.0 HP motor. That’s pretty much standard for this price range, what’s worse is that the Horizon T91 Treadmill comes with a motor just as powerful but costs $50 less. I’m a little disappointed with that fact. There’s not even much more on the Horizon LS780T Treadmill to justify the 8% price increase as the rest of my horizon treadmill review will reveal.

20” x 50” Running Area
The Horizon LS780T Treadmill has a 20” x 50” running area. Once again, this is identical to the Horizon T91 Treadmill and definitely not worth paying an extra $50 for. You’re definitely going to notice a pattern in my Horizon LS780T Treadmill Review.

Speed and Incline
The Horizon LS780T Treadmill has a 10 MPH top speed and a 10% maximum incline. Once again the Horizon LS780T Treadmill matches up exactly with the Horizon T91 Treadmill. Do you still think it’s worth paying an extra $50? I think not.

Shop Horizon Treadmills Now

Final Analysis
I could go on a lot more about how the Horizon LS780T Treadmill is exactly identical to the Horizon T91 Treadmill but it’s not. The Horizon LS780T Treadmill is different, it has a blue console. Okay, I’m a huge fan of the color blue and paying an extra $50 might be worth the cost to someone like me, but it’s probably not worth it to you. I strongly suggest you check out the Horizon T91 Treadmill before you pull the trigger on the Horizon LS780T Treadmill. If you’re still hell bent on buying it, do yourself a favor and Click here to get it directly from Horizon Fitness.

2009-07-27T15:50:00.001-07:00

Horizon Treadmills are my favorite budget treadmills on the market right now. HorizonFitness offers the best treadmills for the buck you can possibly find and the quality is unmatched by any other manufacturer that sells treadmills in the under $1000 category. However, there are better Horizon Treadmills than others. Does the Horizon LS780T Treadmill measure up to other Horizon Treadmills? Read the rest of my treadmill review and judge for yourself!

Horsepower
The Horizon LS780T Treadmill comes with a 2.0 HP motor. That’s pretty much standard for this price range, what’s worse is that the Horizon T91 Treadmill comes with a motor just as powerful but costs $50 less. I’m a little disappointed with that fact. There’s not even much more on the Horizon LS780T Treadmill to justify the 8% price increase as the rest of my horizon treadmill review will reveal.

20” x 50” Running Area
The Horizon LS780T Treadmill has a 20” x 50” running area. Once again, this is identical to the Horizon T91 Treadmill and definitely not worth paying an extra $50 for. You’re definitely going to notice a pattern in my Horizon LS780T Treadmill Review.

Speed and Incline
The Horizon LS780T Treadmill has a 10 MPH top speed and a 10% maximum incline. Once again the Horizon LS780T Treadmill matches up exactly with the Horizon T91 Treadmill. Do you still think it’s worth paying an extra $50? I think not.

Final Analysis
I could go on a lot more about how the Horizon LS780T Treadmill is exactly identical to the Horizon T91 Treadmill but it’s not. The Horizon LS780T Treadmill is different, it has a blue console. Okay, I’m a huge fan of the color blue and paying an extra $50 might be worth the cost to someone like me, but it’s probably not worth it to you. I strongly suggest you check out the Horizon T91 Treadmill before you pull the trigger on the Horizon LS780T Treadmill. If you’re still hell bent on buying it, do yourself a favor and Click here to get it directly from Horizon Fitness.

Proform 570 Crosswalk Treadmill Review

2009-07-27T15:19:00.000-07:00

The Proform 570 Crosswalk Treadmill was once one of the most popular treadmills out there. At the moment the Proform 570 Crosswalk Treadmill is either out of stock or discontinued, more than likely discontinued. Proform pushes out new models so frequently it’s really hard to keep up. I actually wrote this Proform treadmill review a few months back and never published it. So, with about a 3 month delay, here’s my Proform 570 Crosswalk Treadmill Review.

1.75 Continuous Duty HP Motor
Most treadmills that cost more than $600 have a 2.0 HP motor. Anything less than that and you’ve got yourself a slow walking treadmill at best and a pile of junk at worst. In short, the motor alone would be enough to get me to turn my nose and run the other way. But there are more reasons to hate the Proform 570 Crosswalk Treadmill.

Warranty
My philosophy for judging a treadmill is “if a manufacturer trusts it, so do I”. The best way to tell if a manufacturer trusts the fitness equipment it makes is by examining the warranty. If the warranty covers a long period of time, chances are that manufacturer does not expect you to call up a few months later complaining that the motor blew out. I can’t say the Proform trusts many of the treadmills it makes because a large majority of their treadmills are backed by a pathetic 90 parts and labor warranty. Honestly, you can do way better! EVERY OTHER TREADMILL BRAND OFFERS A 1 YEAR PARTS AND LABOR WARRANTY for treadmills that cost more than $599.99. Don’t settle for less. Check out the Horizon T91 Treadmill, it’s comfortable, has a decent warranty, and has a 2.0 continuous duty HP motor.

Final Analysis 1 / 5
Please don’t buy the Proform 570 Crosswalk Treadmill. It’s really a piece of junk. The only reason why Proform is able to sell treadmills with inadequate motors and short warranties is their marketing machine. I Proform’s marketing department props! They have managed to sell poop in a bag!

Sole F63 2009 Treadmill Review

2009-07-27T14:49:00.000-07:00

Sole Treadmills are one of my favorite brands of treadmills. In fact, if someone handed me $1500 to choose any treadmill I wanted I would probably end up with a Sole Treadmill. But the Sole F63 Treadmill is not a $1500 treadmill, it’s a $1000 treadmill. In my Sole F63 Treadmill I’ll examine how the Sole F63 Treadmill holds up to other treadmills in its class. Read on for a detailed look at the Sole F63 Treadmill.

2.5 Continuous Duty Motor
Like many other treadmills in the $1000 range the Sole F63 Treadmill comes with a 2.5 Continuous Duty Horsepower motor. That makes the Sole F63 Treadmill’s motor average. By the way, a 2.5 HP motor is powerful enough for just about anyone. In fact, it could probably support as many as two different users a day without presenting any major service problems. The motor is also strong enough to prevent a common treadmill problem, slippage. Slippage in turn can cause users to slip; it can be a real safety hazard, not to mention it can throw off your rhythm during a workout routine.

10 MPH Top Speed
I’m a little disappointed with the top speed of the Sole F63 Treadmill. I would estimate that half the $1000 treadmills on the market have a 10 MPH top speed and the other half have a top speed of 12 MPH. If you want to do any sprinting, that’s going to be an issue. However, for most people 10 MPH is going to be fine for what they want to use it for. If you do want the 12 MPH top speed for a $1000 you’re probably going to have to sacrifice on something like running area or programs

2.5” Rollers
People frequently neglect to examine roller size when doing their treadmill buying research. The treadmill belt wraps around the roller and keeps the treadmill belt turning. Larger rollers turn less, which means they’ll last longer. Most treadmills in this category have 2” rollers, and you’ll have to spend about $600 more to move up to 3” rollers. So, the Sole F63 Treadmill’s 2.5” rollers are excellent!

Fitness Programs
Unfortunately, Sole Fitness has neglected to develop a lot of fitness programs for the Sole F63 Treadmill. There are only 6 fitness programs and that’s not enough for me to get excited about. 6 fitness programs is average at best.

Warranty
The Sole F63 Treadmill is covered by a 1 year labor warranty and 3 year or greater parts warranty. This is definitely one of the better treadmill warranties around, save for the Smooth Fitness 5.45 Treadmill

Final Analysis 3.5/5
The Sole F63 is one of the more comfortable treadmills for less than a $1000, but it lacks many other features like a high top sped of 12 MPH or a wide range of treadmill programs. Ultimately, the comfort factor is the most important factor so I’m still giving the Sole F63 Treadmill decent marks.

NordicTrack T9 CI Treadmill Review

2009-07-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

The NordicTrack was released by Icon Fitness, parent company of the Proform, Weider, and Weslo fitness equipment brands. The NordicTrack T9 CI Treadmill is NordicTrack’s entry in the $1000 price range. There’s some stiff compeititon in this price range and I’ll cover all the pros and cons of owning this treadmill in my NordicTrack T9 CI Treadmill Review.

20” x 60” Running Area
I’m really impressed with the 20” x 60” running area. More often than not, treadmills with a 20” x 60” running area cost several hundred dollars more than the NordicTrack T9 CI Treadmill. When it comes to size, the NordicTrack T9 CI is just about as big as it gets. In fact, you’ll have to spend several thousand dollars to get a treadmill with a larger running area.

2.5 Continuous Duty Motor
Buying a motor with a good amount of horserpower is incredibly important. The motor is what drives the treadmill belt and a weak treadmill motor is subject to slipping which in turn can make the user slip. Second, a weak motor is probably not going to last a long time. A weaker motor has to work harder to achieve the same speed as stronger motor which means the weaker motor is going to give out sooner. The NordicTrack T9 CI’s is built with a 2.5 continuous duty horsepower motor, strong enough for just about anyone doing any type of workout imaginable.

12 MPH Top Speed
Most treadmills in this price range have a top speed of 10 MPH, and that’s great for most people. However, if you require a bit more zest during a workout the extra two miles of speed can prove challenging and enjoyable. I think I can do about 2 minute long sprints at 12 MPH before my body says “no more!” I couldn’t even begin to imagine running 12 MPH for an extended period of time.

Adjustable Treadmill Deck Cushioning
Adjustable deck cushioning is a revolutionary idea in the treadmill world. Users can adjust the firmness of a treadmill’s shock absorption system to customize the feel of a treadmill. It’s a very handy and useful feature, especially if you’re using this treadmill to train for an event. Users can adjust the firmness to mimic the feel of a race course.

Fitness Programs
The NordicTrack’s fitness programs are its strongest point. Fitness programs are important because they can mix up fitness routines, preventing the body from becoming too accustomed to a workout, reducing the efficiency of a workout. There are 12 fitness programs in all and the best part is users can purchase memory cards with fitness programs created by Jillian Michaels of Biggest Loser fame. I’m a huge fan of the ifit feature and wish a similar feature would be made available on more treadmills and elliptical machines.

Warranty
NordicTrack offers a 1 year parts and labor guarantee. 1 year parts and labor is standard for just about every treadmill under a $1000. The only other treadmill with a better treadmill is the Smooth Fitness 5.45 Treadmill

Final Analysis 3.5 / 5
NordicTrack is definitely one of Icon Fitness’ more ambitious brands. The NordicTrack Treadmill brand is perhaps Icon’s best treadmill brand; the NordicTrack T9 CI Treadmill definitely reinforces that notion. The motor is very powerful considering the cost, the running area is extremely large, and the adjustable cushioning system enables users to customize the firmness of the treadmill deck. Overall, this is a great showing from NordicTrack.

NordicTrack T7 SI Treadmill Review - Best Fitness Programs

2009-07-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,

I’m going to try a different way of doing this for my NordicTrack T7 SI Treadmill Review. Instead of editorializing I’m going to make this more of a presentation. I’ll skip my life story and I’ll just stick with the facts. NordicTrack is subsidiary of Icon Fitness. Icon Fitness is the man behind the curtain for many treadmill brands including ProForm, Gold’s Gym, and Weslo. I’m not a huge fan of all if Icon Fitness’ brands, namely Proform and Weslo, but NordicTrack Treadmills are generally of much better quality. Let’s take a look at the NordicTrack T7 Treadmill.

2.5 Continuous Duty Horsepower
The NordicTrack T7 Treadmill has one of the most powerful motors in this price range. The stronger the motor, the longer the motor is going to last. Even if the motor is covered under a lifetime warranty, it’s still a good idea to buy a treadmill motor that won’t poop out on you because it takes a few days to get a treadmill tech out and fix a treadmill. All that down time can disrupt a regular routine!

20” x 55” Running Area
There are other treadmills with running areas identical to the NordicTrack T7 Treadmill, which means the NordicTrack T7 Treadmill comes up average. Other common running area sizes in this price range are 18” x 60” and 20” x 52”. If running area is a huge concern for you do some research and find a treadmill with a running area that suits your personal tastes.

Innovative Feature: DuraStride Adjustable Cushioning
This is a particularly unique and innovative feature. Users can adjust the firmness of the treadmill deck to suit personal needs. If you’re training for a marathon the treadmill deck can be adjusted to more accurately reflect the conditions of a race. My hat is off to your for this one NordicTrack!

12 Programs
Another strongpoint of the NordicTrack T7 SI Treadmill is programs. Way too often a treadmill manufacturer neglects to add challenging and diverse program sets. I’m glad to say NordicTrack has not neglected to add a wide range of fitness programs to help users achieve results as fast as possible.

If the built in programs are not enough, users can purchase ifit cards that provide audio coaching from well known fitness professionals including Jillian Michaels. It’s like being on the Biggest Loser without losing your privacy!

Warranty
NordicTrack offers some ridiculous amount of coverage on the motor and frame just like every other treadmill manufacturer. Truth is, treadmill buyers should pay attention to the parts and labor warranty. Parts and labor are covered for a full year and that’s just about all you can ask for in a treadmill that costs less than a $1000. There’s an extended warranty available for about $90 at checkout.

Final Analysis: 4 stars out of 5
The NordicTrack T7 Treadmill is not the best treadmill out there, but it’s still a good treadmill. It stays about even with most treadmills in this price range but blows every other treadmill out of the water when it comes to programs. The exclusive ifit training option is an excellent feature and enables users to train with famous fitness experts like Jillian Michaels without going on or watching a reality show!

Smooth Fitness 5.45 Treadmill Review - Best Treadmill Ever!!!

2009-07-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hello readers,
Click Now Get $100 Off The Smooth 5.45 Treadmill

It's not all that often that I get to talk about a treadmill that just blows me away. So, when I say that the smooth 5.45 treadmill is the absolute best treadmill out there for less than $1000 you know that I'm telling the truth! My top treadmill list 2009 is going to have to be revised to put the smooth 5.45 treadmill at the top of the thousand dollar category! I'll explain in my smooth 5.45 treadmill review why this is the best value you're going to find on the entire Internet when it comes treadmill!

There are a lot of really good reasons to own the smooth 5.45 treadmill. First, the Smooth 5.45 Treadmill is also incredibly comfortable. The Smooth Fitness 5.45 Treadmill is designed with Smooth’s patented Swing Arm shock absorption system and has demonstrated the ability to reduce the impact during running and walking. Reducing the impact of working out makes it easier for your body to recover and causes significantly less pain in joints. Next, the running area is wide and spacious with a full 20" x 55” treadmill belt. Running area is important because it adds to the comfort level of the treadmill. If you don’t believe me, go to Wal-Mart and try out the Weslo Cadence G40 Treadmill like I did. I kept stepping on the side railing and tripping up! If a treadmill is uncomfortable, nobody is going to use it!

The Smooth 545 Treadmill is also great for runners. Users can reach speeds of up to 10 MPH, nothing to sneeze at. Think about it, 10 MPH means you’ll run a mile every 6 minutes! Most people won’t be able to sustain a 10 MPH hour pace for more than a couple minutes. Back in high school, my fastest mile was 6:50 and I’m not anywhere near that these days and I work out regularly! Unless you plan on training for sprinting, 10 MPH is plenty of speed.

If that’s not enough for you, I’ll give you the two most compelling reasons to buy the Smooth 5.45 Treadmill. Smooth offers a 30-day money back guarantee and a 3 year parts and 2 year labor warranty! That’s phenomenal! If you buy a treadmill and it’s not comfortable or it doesn’t get used for whatever reason, just send back the treadmill and get your money back. It’s that simple. The 3 year parts 2 year labor warranty is unprecedented! You’ll really have to spend at least $500 or $600 more to see a warranty that comes anywhere near that kind of coverage. THIS IS THE BEST WARRANTY YOU WILL FIND FOR LESS THAN $1000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This treadmill is going to last for years, and if it doesn’t, Smooth Fitness is going to fix it for you on their dime! That’s a really incredible guarantee. If you want the best treadmill under $1000, you’ve found it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click Here to Read User Reviews of the Smooth 5.45 Treadmill

BodyGuard T460X Treadmill Review - Discontinued

2009-07-24T14:17:00.001-07:00

Hello Readers,
I was getting ready to post another excellent treadmill review of the BodyGuard T460X Treadmill. Unfortunately, that model has been discontinued. The BodyGuard T460X was one of the most expensive treadmills on the market and retailed for about 5 grand! If you’re looking for a quality high end treadmill, I suggest checking out my Sole Treadmill Reviews, they can be found on the sidebar. Sole Treadmills are one of my favorite treadmill brands and they’re extremely comfortable!

Eclipse 1100 HRA Elliptical Trainer Reivew

2009-07-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,

I can’t think of a single elliptical trainer I would buy for under $600. The motion doesn’t feel right and I live in California, where it is sunny outside almost every day of the year. There’s not much of a reason to use a low grade elliptical trainer when there are beaches, mountains, and nice sidewalks to use if I can’t afford one of the better elliptical trainers out there. But, I understand that in much of the country snow blankets the streets or it is hot enough to cook eggs and bacon without a stove. For those of you who must suffer the insufferable, the lowest of the low end elliptical trainers may be your only option. To serve that segment of the population, here is my Eclipse 1100 HRA Elliptical Trainer Review.

The Eclipse 1100 HRA Elliptical Machine is designed by Fitness Quest, a leader in the low end fitness equipment sector. Fitness Quest has been making strides in the mid-range category, but has a lot of catch up to do if it wants to compete with the big boys like Horizon Fitness and Schwinn. One thing the Eclipse 1100 HRA Elliptical does well is programs. You’ll get 12 whole programs which is double or more what you can expect with a lot of other elliptical trainers in this price range.

Well, that’s about it for the positive. Yeah, seriously. The motion is bad and you’ll probably feel cramped with a clumsy feeling stride. I really wish I could tell you that you’re getting an amazing piece of fitness equipment for an incredible price, but I can’t. It just wouldn’t be honest. As a matter of fact, I would prefer a Tony Little Gazelle to the Eclipse 1100 HRA Elliptical Trainer. Better yet, check out a Merit Treadmill, you’ll feel much more comfortable on a Merit Treadmill, I promise!

Horizon SXE 7.7 Elliptical Trainer Review

2009-07-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

This model has been discontinued!

Click Here To Buy A Better Elliptical for $200 Less Direct From Horizon Fitness
Hello Readers,
I’ve been gone for a while. I’ve been doing some prep work for video reviews. A video post takes much more time to make than a text post. I hope you appreciate them when they come out! But it’s time to write another elliptical machine review. The Horizon SXE 7.7 Elliptical Trainer was made to be sold in Sears stores and I believe it’s only available at the Horizon Fitness website right now. Does the Horizon SXE 7.7 Elliptical merit your hard earned dollars? Read on, and find out.

A lot of elliptical trainers utilize a terrible knob system to adjust resistance levels. Knob resistance adjustment is clumsy, and often times break down without a delicate touch, a touch I’ve yet to acquire! So, when I found out that the Horizon SXE 7.7 Elliptical Trainer uses a motorized system to adjust resistance I was ecstatic! It’s so much simpler to press a button than mess with whatever zany contraption an engineer thought up on a Denny’s napkin at 2 in the morning. Furthermore, the Horizon SXE 7.7 Elliptical has 10 different resistance settings or levels, I can’t say that’s the most I’ve ever seen in this price range, but that’s definitely within the above average range.

The fitness programs are impressive as well. The Horizon SXE 7.7 Elliptical Trainer has 15 different fitness programs ranging from fat loss to calories burned. If you have a fitness goal, chances are there’s a program on the Horizon SXE 7.7 Elliptical Machine that will help you reach it! Fitness programs are also great for people new to cardiovascular based training and weight loss.

As far as comfort goes, the Horizon SXE 7.7 Elliptical Machine is pretty good, but not the best out there. If you plan on spending $1300 there are definitely better options out there like Sole Ellipticals. Horizon Fitness dominates the category under $1000, but tends to get beat by elliptical trainers in the higher price categories.

Oh, a couple last notes. The Horizon SXE 7.7 Elliptical Machine comes with a built in MP3 player. That’s a really cool ad-in that seems to be proliferating across the fitness industry. You’ll need to buy a $5 adapter cord, but you can probably find it cheaper if you look hard enough.

Review Your Treadmill - Get Paid!

2009-07-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read that right. Spend 5 minutes reviewing a treadmill on your blog and I'll give you $10! Here's how: Write a 300 word or more post telling me why you like or hate a treadmill, any treadmill. Post this link somewhere inside the post Treadmill Reviews When you're done email treadmillmaster@gmail.com and I'll send you $10 via PayPal. It's that simple! (In most cases, I deliver via PayPal within 24 hours of verification.)

You can also enter my Top Rated Treadmill contest where I will award one lucky person with a Horizon T91 Treadmill just for linking to me! (Or a $500 Amazon.com gift certificate if you live outside the continental United States. Just leave a comment in this blog telling me where the link is and you're entered!

Top Rated Treadmills 2009 - Awards!

2009-07-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

Top Rated Treadmills 2009
Hello,

Johnny here from the Treadmill Master blog. It’s getting really close to September and which means it’s time for my annual Top Rated Treadmills List for 2009. I publish this list in August, just ahead of the “busy” treadmill buying season that lasts from September to January.

Water cooler conversation about treadmill horror stories is inevitable at a treadmill shop that’s responsible for getting service techs out to fix defective treadmills. Back in late 2004 a water cooler conversation helped me figure out that we could save the company thousands of dollars per year if we reviewed statistics on repair frequency and repair costs and recommended the treadmills with the best repair history to our customers. It didn’t take much research to see a trend. Some treadmill manufacturers simply put out better equipment resulting in fewer returns and repair issues. My Top Treadmills 2009 List is a continuation of that tradition, only this time I’m making it available for EVERYONE, not just salesmen!

This is the real deal folks! A Top Treadmills List 2009 Edition from someone who studied product returns and repair issues for a living! I proudly present my Top Treadmills 2009!

Top Treadmills Under $500

Winner: Weslo Cadence C44 Treadmill – Top Rated Treadmill 2009
The Weslo Cadence C44 is the best treadmill I’ve seen in the under $500 category in all my years of pontificating treadmill reviews. I never thought Johnson Tech, the parent company of Horizon Fitness, Matrix Fitness, and Merit Treadmills would ever be beat in this price category…but Johnson Tech was beat! My main reasons for choosing the Weslo Cadence C44 Treadmill as my Top Treadmill 2009 pick are excellent comfort for the price and a more powerful motor than its competitors.

Runner Up: Merit 715T Treadmill – Top Rated Treadmill
The Merit 715T Treadmill is one of the best low cost treadmills out there and deserves a mention in my Top Treadmills 2009 List. The Merit 715T Treadmill has a very powerful motor considering the $380 price tag and sells for about a hundred bucks less than many of its closest competitor in terms of overall quality. The Merit 715T is equipped with an impressive amount of fitness programs too.

Top Treadmills Between $500 and $800
Winner: Horizon T91 Treadmill
There was never a doubt in my mind as to who would win this one. Horizon Fitness has always taken the top spot in the $500 - $800 price range for the past 3 years and Horizon Fitness shows no sign of weakness this year. The Horizon T91 Treadmill is the best cheap treadmill on the market for several reasons. First, the repair history is phenomenal! In my many years of selling treadmills I have yet to talk to a customer that wasn’t satisfied when they bought a Horizon T71, Horizon T81, or the Horizon T91 Treadmill. I can’t say the same for many other treadmills, even in the higher price ranges. Comfort is also superb. The running area is wide and spacious and Horizon Fitness has devoted many of its resources to developing a superior shock absorption system that makes running much easier on the body. The T91 Horizon Treadmill also picks up where many other treadmills don’t, fitness programs and speed. The T91 Horizon Treadmill can reach the incredibly fast speed of 10 MPH and is equipped with quality fitness programs that enable users to reach fitness goals faster. Bravo! Horizon Fitness. Your Horizon Treadmills are the best in the $600 - $800 price range!

Top Treadmills Between $800 and $1000
My top pick for treadmills between $800 and $1000 is the Smooth 5.45 Treadmill. To be perfectly honest, I have one primary reason for putting the Smooth 5.45 at the top of my list, comfort. You won't find anything more comfortable or stable in this price range. If you have a thousand bucks to spend and want the most you can possibly get for your money, go with the Smooth 5.45 Treadmill!

Click Now To Buy The Smooth 5.45 Folding Treadmill

No runner up for this category, just get the Smooth 5.45 Treadmill!

Top Treadmills Between $1000 and $1500

Sole F63 Treadmill – Top Rated Treadmill 2009
The Sole F63 Treadmill is the best treadmill you can get for less than $1500. It’s I ran on the Sole F63 Treadmill regularly for about a month and I can assure everyone this is the best treadmill you’ll find for $1500. It’s comfortable, stylish, and has plenty of fitness programs. The frame is incredibly stable, there is no shaking or rattling at higher speeds, and the treadmill belt is wide and spacious.

Runner Up: Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill – Top Rated Treadmill 2009
The Bowflex Series 7 does not quite measure up to the Sole F63 in terms of comfort, but it certainly matches or beats the Sole F63 Treadmill in every other category. It’s also about a $100 less. If you can, go with the Sole F63 Treadmill, if not, the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill is an excellent, and cheaper alternative to the Sole F63 Treadmill.

Top Treadmills Between $1500 and $2000
Sole F83 Treadmill – Top Rated Treadmill 2009
If I were to choose any treadmill on the market without regard to price I would choose the Sole F83 Treadmill. I know from personal experience that the Sole F83 Treadmill is a tremendous piece of machinery! I had the pleasure of running on the Sole F83 Treadmill back at the fitness shop and I was always eager to let my higher end customers know about the Sole F83 Treadmill. It has a huge running area, and the shock absorption system is second to none. I would have the Sole F83 Treadmill in my own home if I could afford it! One day I will able to afford it!

Runner Up: Sole F85 Treadmill – Top Rated Treadmill 2009
The Sole F85 gets an honorable mention in my Top Treadmills List 2009 because it delivers the same comfort and quality craftsmanship of the Sole F83 Treadmill, but costs a little bit more.

That’s it for my Top Treadmills 2009 List. I encourage you to email me your picks at treadmillmaster@gmail.com or post something in the comments about your Top 2009 Treadmill Picks. I’m sure I’ll be updating this list in the lead-up to the busy treadmill season. Check back for updates as you do your research for YOUR top treadmill pick!

Reebok 8700 ES Treadmill Review

2009-07-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

Treadmill Review: Reebok 8700 ES Treadmill
Treadmill Rating: 3 stars out of 5 for being just about average at everything
Price: $799

Hello Readers,

This time I’ll be talking about the Reebok 8700 ES Treadmill. Reebok Fitness Equipment is manufactured by Icon Fitness, the parent company of Treadmill and Elliptical trainer brands like Proform Fitness Equipment and Image Fitness Equipment. Some of Icon Fitness’ equipment is poor at best, but the Reebok Treadmill line seems to be much better in general than other treadmills and elliptical trainers manufactured under the care of Icon Fitness. Let’s examine how the Reebok 8700 ES Treadmill stacks up to other treadmills in the $800 price range.

The Reebok 8700 ES Treadmill is equipped with a 2.5 Continuous Duty HP motor. This is going to pretty much going to set the tone for this treadmill review, but a 2.5 HP motor for a treadmill that costs $800 is very average. In fact, I can’t think of any treadmill in this price range with more or less horsepower.

One thing I will note is the considerable amount of fitness programs. The Reebok 8700 ES Treadmill comes with 14 programs! That’s actually far above average and I would like to congratulate Reebok Fitness Equipment for being willing to put in that extra effort to deliver an excellent treadmill. Fitness programs are essential to effective cardio routines! Another category this Reebok Treadmill excels at is speed. If you plan on doing some running you’ll be able to sprint by at up to 12 MPH. Most treadmills in this price range have a top speed of 10 MPH, so once again Reebok, going the extra mile is much appreciated!

Overall, this is a decent treadmill by a treadmill manufacturer that more often than not gets it wrong. Icon Fitness is full of treadmills and treadmill brands that consistently underperform. The Reebok Fitness Equipment brand seems to defy this general rule of thumb. Even though this is a decent treadmill, I still wouldn’t buy it because there are a lot better treadmills out there, more often than not for much less than the Reebok 8700 ES Treadmill.

Smooth Fitness 5.45 Treadmill Review

2009-07-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

Treadmill Review: Smoth Fitness 5.45 Treadmill
Treadmill Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Price: $999

Hello Readers,

It’s time to write my Smooth Fitness 5.45 Folding Treadmill Review. I haven’t really touched on Smooth Fitness equipment in on my treadmill review blog, and I’m kind of sorry I haven’t. Smooth Fitness generally manufactures decent equipment and many of their treadmills and elliptical trainers are strong contenders for my coveted Best Buy list.

Any treadmill manufacturer would be happy to produce a treadmill as fine as the Smooth Fitness 5.45 Treadmill. There are many things to like about this treadmill and I’ll start with the most spacious reason. The 20” x 55” deck feels very roomy. Many treadmills in the $1000 price range have significantly smaller running surfaces. The large deck adds quite a bit to a strong comfort factor, the most important thing to be considered when buying a treadmill. I name comfort as the most important factor in choosing a treadmill because if you buy a treadmill that isn’t comfortable, no matter how expensive or inexpensive, it’s never going to get used.

Another factor contributing to the comfort level afforded by the Smooth Fitness 5.45 Folding Treadmill is a stable frame. This treadmill weighs about 210 lbs. ensuring that this treadmill is solid and won’t suffer from that horrible treadmill syndrome I call The Shakes. The Shakes can ruin any running routine with loud vibrations that ultimately ruin the frame of your treadmill.

The last thing I really, really like about the Smooth Fitness 5.45 Treadmill is the warranty. Smooth Fitness will back this treadmill with a 3 year parts and 1 year labor warranty. Other treadmills in this price range offer a signifcanlty shorter 1 year parts and labor warranty. Sure, I wish the labor warranty matched the parts warranty but I’ll definitely take the two extra years worth of parts coverage for the same price or less than the cost of equivalent treadmills.

Overall, the Smooth Fitness 5.45 Treadmill is an excellent piece of cardio fitness equipment. This treadmill fitness equipment is comfortable because of a well made shock absorption system and a spacious running area. This treadmill also has a significantly better warranty than other treadmills in this price range and quality. Finally, the price is right. The $999 price tag is just right for this treadmill!

Image 17.5S Treadmill Review

2009-07-20T16:41:00.000-07:00

Treadmill Review: Image 17.5S Treadmill
Treadmill Rating: 2 stars out of 5 for an incredibly short parts and labor warranty
Price: $599

Hello Readers,

It’s another blistering day in the San Gabriel Valley, just outside Los Angeles. I’ve finally given in to Mother Nature and turned on the AC at about noon. I’ll be running it all day today to ward off this horrible heat, which gives me a great segue way in to my Image 17.5S Treadmill Review. How do you ward off bad treadmill purchases? Easy, you read my Image 17.5S Treadmill Review.

Image Fitness Equipment is a member of the Icon Fitness Equipment corporation. If you have not heard of Image Fitness Equipment, you’ve probably heard of the sister company ProForm. Proform designs and supplies Sears Proform Treadmills. Image Treadmills are not all that different from Proform Treadmills. As a general rule of thumb, stay away from any Sears Proform Treadmills and Proform Treadmills in general. There are a couple gems in Proform’s line, but there’s a lot more fool’s gold than gems in the Proform Treadmill product line. Ughhh, off topic again.

One thing to the Image 17.5S’s credit is speed. Users can run at up to 10 MPH. Many treadmills in the $600 price range have top speeds of 8 – 9. In all my years of fitness equipment industry experience, this is an above average top speed for the price. If you plan on doing some running with your treadmill, 10 MPH is a pretty fast pace to keep for any serious amount of time. I know, I’ve done it, and it nearly killed my heart!

The Image 17.5S Treadmill includes 6 programs. I can’t really go off on a rant about 6 fitness programs, but I certainly can compare it to other treadmills in this price range that offer far more fitness programs like the Horizon T91 Treadmill. Six fitness programs is okay, but there are treadmills with a lot more fitness program options out there, and options are good!

I could go on for probably another six pages listing reasons why the Image 17.5S Treadmill is inferior to the Horizon T91 Treadmill, but I won’t. I think all you really need to know is the warranty. A treadmill warranty tells you exactly what’s on the inside of any treadmill. If a treadmill has a good warranty there are good parts underneath the hood, at the very least the treadmill manufacturer believes the treadmill has good parts underneath. If the treadmill warranty is bad or too short, then the treadmill probably has bad parts underneath. Unfortunately, the Image 17.5S Treadmill has an incredibly short 90 parts and labor warranty. That’s pathetic. If you’re paying $600 for a treadmill I would expect, no, demand parts and labor coverage for at least an entire year!

I implore you, please check out the Horizon T91 Treadmill before you decide to buy the Image 17.5S Treadmill. I’m certain you be glad you did!

Stamina INMotion II Manual Treadmill Review

2009-07-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

Manual Treadmill Review: Stamina INMotion II Manual Treadmill
Treadmill Rating: 0 out of 5 because I would rather just walk or push a lawn mower
Price: $139

Hello Readers,

There’s a definite theme going here with the next couple of posts. I’m going through manual treadmills. Basically I’m letting all my readers know that a going for an actual walk….or pacing inside your house is a thousand times more preferable to spending a couple hundred bucks on a manual treadmill.

Sunny Manual Treadmill Review

2009-07-19T16:02:00.000-07:00

Manual Treadmill Review: Sunny Manual Treadmill
Manual Treadmill Rating: 0 stars out of 5 for being a manual treadmill
Price: $179
Hello Readers,
Well, I don’t like wasting your time or mine with crappy fitness equipment so this is going to be a really short treadmill review. The Sunny Manual Treadmill should not be bought under any circumstances. If you think you want a manual treadmill for walking don’t buy it. I would rather just go out for a walk than use the Sunny Manual Treadmill. I really don’t understand how manual treadmills have a market.

Treadmill Buyer's Guide

2009-07-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

Hello Again,

My name is Johnny and I’ve been selling, marketing, and writing about treadmills since 2004. I’ll be going on my 5th year in the fitness equipment industry in August 2009. I started writing treadmill reviews for the general public a few years back, issuing fatwas against poorly made, but all too often, very well marketed fitness equipment and steering you towards the better treadmill choices out there. Well, I realized I’ve been handing out fish to my readers all these years and I’ve decided to teach my readers HOW to fish. There are so many treadmills out there I can’t possibly review them all between school work and my job. So here is my Buyer’s Guide to Choosing a Treadmill.

Treadmill Motor Rating: CHP, THP, and PHP Explained!
At the core of every great treadmill is a great motor. There’s an easy way to determine if a treadmill is using a quality motor, check the horsepower rating. Make sure the horsepower rating listed is the Continuous Duty rating. There are several ways this will be phrased in a treadmill description including: 2 HP continuous, 2 HP continuous duty, and 2 CHP Motor.

Other treadmills, more often than not, the ones you shouldn’t buy will list the Peak Horsepower Rating or PHP. The PHP rating is always going to be higher than the Continuous Duty rating and is a great way to bloat your treadmill specifications if you’re trying to pawn a low grade treadmill off on an uneducated treadmill buyer.

The difference between Peak Horsepower and Continuous Duty Horsepower is simple. Peak Horsepower is the most horsepower a motor can possibly generate. Continuous Duty rating will tell you how much horsepower a treadmill motor will generate at a constant rate. Continuous Duty Ratings are better for judging the quality of a treadmill than Peak Horsepower Ratings because the Continuous Duty Rating measures how much power a treadmill motor will output under normal, prolonged workout routines. If you take one thing away from this guide, take away the difference between Peak Horsepower and Continuous Horsepower.

To make things easier, here’s a schedule of how much Continuous Horsepower to expect when in each price range:

If you Pay:
$400 – $599 1.75 CHP
$600 – $1000 2.00 CHP – 2.5 CHP
$1000 – $1500 2.5 CHP – 3.0 CHP
$1500 – $2000 3.0 CHP or more

Warranty
Warranty is next on my priority list. I’ve learned from experience in the fitness industry that treadmill manufacturers who know they have quality equipment will back their products with generous warranties because they know they’re not going to be responsible for expensive treadmill repair bills. The standard treadill warranty length is one year parts and labor. If you’re looking at a treadmill with anything less, chances are you should probably kick the dust off your feet and move on. Treadmills in the $1200 or greater range should have parts and labor warranties of 2 years or more.

Here’s something a smart treadmill buyer should be aware of. Treadmill Motors and treadmill frames are often covered for ridiculous amounts of time, it’s not unheard of to see a treadmill motor or frame backed for as long as 30 years to life! You would do well to ignore these guarantees when choosing a treadmill. Motor and frame warranties are mostly fluff. The real meat and potatoes of a warranty are the Parts and Labor portion. Parts and labor cover almost everything on the treadmill and are often the most expensive items in a treadmill repair.

Here’s a chart to help you know how much warranty you should expect

Under $600 – Less than one year. *
$600 - $1350 – 1 years parts and labor
$1350 - $1650 – 2 years parts and labor
$1650 – and beyond – 3 – 5 years parts and labor

Fitness Programs
Fitness programs are much more subjective than things like horsepower and warranty. One good rule of thumb is the more fitness programs included with a treadmill the better. You can often spot a shoddy treadmill just by the amount of programs it has. Anything fewer than 8, unless you’re shopping in the under $600 category and it’s probably not a treadmill you want to invest your hard earned money in.

Heart Rate Control
Treadmills with heart rate control generally cost $1000 or more. Heart rate control is expensive, but it’s worth it. Heart rate control enables users to set a specific heart rate and use a wireless chest strap or heart rate watch to stay within the specified heart rate. The treadmill will automatically adjust speed and incline to keep your heart within that heart rate range.

Different heart rates better for achieving different kinds of results. For example, you can burn more fat running at 75% of your maximum heart rate. If you’re trying to lose weight, it might be more advantageous to try staying within a specific heart rate range rather than trying to run as fast as you can.

Running Area
Running area is key to comfort. If your treadmill is not comfortable you won’t use. I don’t know how much more simpler I could put it. Larger running areas make for more comfortable treadmills. Here’s a list of what you should expect in each price range:

$600 - $1000 – 55” x 18”
$1000 or more – 60” x 20”

Speed and Incline
I mashed these two together because they’re the simplest of the factors to consider when choosing a treadmill. Incline ranges from 5% - 15%. A good treadmill will have an incline of 10% or more no matter the price. Treadmill speeds range from 6 MPH to 12 MPH. A good treadmill no matter the cost will have a speed of at least 8 MPH. A treadmill that costs $1200 or more should have a top speed of no less 12 MPH.

If you’re worried about speed, don’t be too concerned with it. A treadmill with a top speed of 8 MPH is incredibly fast! Most people stay within the 4 – 6 MPH range. 12 MPH would make you Olympic sprinter material!

Comfort
Finally, we have comfort. Comfort is the most important factor to consider when choosing a treadmill. If a treadmill isn’t comfortable you won’t use it. Period. In my many years of selling treadmills I’ve found the brands that tend to be most comfortable to treadmill users are Bowflex, Horizon Fitness, Sole, Spirit, Star, Trac, and Matrix. These companies cover the wide spectrum of low end to high end treadmills and if you stick with one of these brands you’re going to get an excellent treadmill.

Well, that concludes my Treadmill Buyer’s Guide. I hope you take your time buying a treadmill and find something you love that fits inside your budget. Remember, pay attention to Continuous Duty Horsepower, Parts and Labor Warranty, and the comfort a treadmill offers and you’re going to make a good choice.

Horizon T90 Treadmill Review

2009-07-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,

This isn't so much a treadmill review as it is a treadmill price alert. The Horizon T90 Treadmill is on sale for about $540! That's 10% off the normal price of $599. I know I haven't written a full, proper review of the Horizon T90 Treadmill yet, but I know for a fact this is one of the better treadmills on the market right now. If you're looking for a treadmill deal, this is what you've been waiting for. I"ll post a link to my Horizon T90 Treadmill review once I've written it.

Bodyguard T240 Treadmill Review

2009-07-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

Treadmill Review: Bodyguard T240 Treadmill
Treadmill Rating: 1 star out of 5 for being completely and utterly outclassed by just about every other treadmill in the $2000 price range
Price: $1999
Hello Readers,

I’m reeling from a The Hat binge. I just had about 2 lbs. of chili cheese fries and pastrami. It looks like I’ll be anchored to my computer chair for the next couple of hours while I digest my meal. I might as well work on some treadmill reviews. I’ve decided to write about the Bodyguard T240 Treadmill because it is built like how I feel….horrible. I’m sure the people at Bodyguard mean well, truth is they’ve just been outdone by a lot of other treadmill companies out there. I’ll explain why I feel this way.
One of the first things I look for is horsepower. The Bodyguard T240 Treadmill is equipped with a 2.75 HP motor. That’s a pretty powerful motor for a treadmill, but it’s not all that powerful when you consider other treadmills that retail for about two grand. If I were to pony up this kind of cash I would expect a 3.0 horsepower motor and nothing less, it’s not even unheard of to have a 3.5 horsepower motor. In fact, I’ll point out a treadmill with a 2.5 horsepower motor for $1999, the Sole F85 Treadmill.
Okay, so the Bodyguard T240 Treadmill isn’t the most powerful treadmill on the market right now. I’m still willing to give this treadmill a chance. It has a 20” x 57” running area. That’s huge right? WRONG! There are treadmills that retail for about $1000 with equal or greater running areas. Once again the Bodyguard T240 Treadmill seems to be behind the curve.
It’s really starting to feel like finishing up a complete review of the Bodyguard T240 Treadmill is going to be a waste of my time. That’s because it is. I don’t really see why I should spend time talking about how the Bodyguard T240 Treadmill has a lower speed range than other treadmills that retail for 2 grand, and a small, hard to read console. I could talk about the fact that I would prefer to pay a $20 monthly membership to 24hour fitness than use the Bodyguard T240 Treadmill. I really would say all that, but I’m not going to waste my time. I don’t even think I need a conclusion for this paragraph.

I put the Bodyguard T240 Treadmill and the Sole F85 side by side. Click on 'em both and see for yourself which treadmill you would rather buy.

Proform 675 Treadmill Review

2009-07-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

Treadmill Review: Proform 675 Crosstrainer Treadmill
Treadmill Rating: 1 star out of five for sucking so bad I can hardly bring myself to review it
Price: $619

Hello Readers,
I can’t promise this is going to be a nice, detailed treadmill review. There’s a good reason, there’s not much to say about this treadmill aside from the fact that Horizon Fitness delivers a thousand times more treadmill for about $20 bucks less. If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times. I’m not here to help you find a mediocre treadmill, or a good treadmill, or even a great treadmill. I’m here to help you find the BEST treadmill for what you plan on spending! That’s exactly why I’m going to advise you take advantage of my 5 years in the fitness equipment industry and avoid the Proform 675 Crosstrainer Treadmill.

If I haven’t convinced you not to buy this treadmill yet, here’s some more food for thought. You get a 1.3 horsepower motor. That’s…well…I wouldn’t pay more than $400 bucks for a treadmill with a motor that weak. The Proform 675 Crosstrainer makes it look like Proform isn’t even trying! Geesh! In STARK contrast, the Horizon T91 Treadmill is equipped with a 2.0 horsepower motor and yes, that makes a huge difference in performance and longevity of your treadmill.

Next I want to talk about running area. I like a lot of space. I mean, a lot, like the wide open spaces of Middle America space. Space is why I would go with the Horizon T91 Treadmill before I would come anywhere near the Proform 675 Treadmill. The Proform has a 17” x 50” running compared to T91’s 20” x 50” running area. Yes, this makes a difference. Maybe if you’re under 5’5” that couple inches don’t mean all that much, but for most of the population you’re going to notice and be bugged by the difference!

My third complaint is warranty. If I’m going to invest $600 in a treadmill there is no reason I should pay for any defects that occur in the product for at least a year. Unfortunately, Proform has not seen fit to back the quality of this treadmill with it’s own money by including a decent warranty. I don’t know why, perhaps it is a well made treadmill and will withstand quite a bit of abuse, but if I were looking for at readmill I wouldn’t want tot ake that chance. As a matter of fact, I would be much more inclined to buy a treadmill like the Horizon T91 Treadmill that is backed by a 1 year parts AND labor warranty.

Finally, my last complaint is over price. The Proform 675 Treadmill is about $20 more than the Horizon T91 Treadmill. Really, it should be about 250 bucks less. You’re not really getting anything near the quality offered by the T91 and if you still insist on buying this treadmill, I hope it goes well for you. I have links to the Amazon.com product pages for both treadmills just below this sentence. You check them out and decide for yourself.

Magnum T21CH Treadmill Review - Sort of

2009-07-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

Treadmill Review: Magnum T21CH Treadmill
Treadmill Rating: ??? because I have almost no experience with this treadmill
Price: $A lot!

Hello Readers,

It’s not that often I run across a treadmill I can’t talk about at length…but I’m going to try to talk about the Magnum T21CH Treadmill anyway because I’m just that kind of guy! I remember Magnum Treadmills being in our list of vendors back at the fitness shop and I know I’ve sold a couple Magnum Treadmills here and there, but they were definitely not a top seller. So, I invite you, the reader to step up and share anything you know about this treadmill in the comments. I leave it to you, my loyal fans to help your fellow treadmill enthusiasts make an excellent treadmill buying decision. The floor is all yours guys.

P.S.
One thing I do know is that the Magnum T21CH Treadmill is definitely a professional grade treadmill. This is probably overkill for the average consumer!

Proform C525 Treadmill Review

2009-07-17T12:14:00.000-07:00

Treadmill Review: Proform C525 Treadmill
Treadmill Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5 for being outclassed by the Horizon T91 Treadmill.
Price: $649

Hello Readers,

If you live in California like I do you know that In-N-Out is a Californian institution. They have the best burgers I’ve ever had the pleasure tasting and I couldn’t imagine a life without In-n-Out’s secret sauce! It’s amazing. Simply put, In-n-Out outclasses every competitor out there! That’s kind of how I feel about Horizon Fitness. When it comes to treadmills in the $600 - $1000 price range Horizon Treadmills are simply better. Unfortunately, the Proform C 525 Treadmill is one of the treadmills that have been outclassed and I’ll tell you why.

This is going to read more like a comparison than a review, but that’s okay. I know I’m helping you. First thing I want to point out is horsepower. The Proform C 525 Treadmill is equipped with a 1.75 HP motor. That’s fine. That’s actually average. But, I’m not here to help you find an average treadmill, I’m here to help you find the best treadmill you can possibly afford!!! In comparison, the Horizon T91 Treadmill has a 2.0 HP motor and believe me, that extra power makes all the difference. Treadmills with more powerful motors are going to last longer because they don’t have to work as hard, it will also be able to handle heavier users and reduce the chance of belt slippage. Belt slippage can be dangerous! It can make you trip and fall!

The Proform C 525 Treadmill is also equipped with a 19” x 50” running area. Once again, I have no complaints….unless I compare it to the Horizon T91 Treadmill. In comparison, the Horizon T91 Treadmill is equipped with a 20” x 50” running area. Sure, 1”, big woop. Actually, that makes a huge difference. If you had both of these treadmills side by side I’m sure you would choose to run on the HorizonT91 Treadmill as opposed to the Proform C 525 Treadmill. One inch makes a huge difference!

The last nail in the coffin for the Proform C 525 Treadmill is price. The Proform C 525 Treadmill costs about $50 more than the Horizon T91 Treadmill! Yes, I said $50! What would you do with an extra $50? A whole lot, that’s what I would do. That’s 5 trips to the movies, 20 used books I’ve been looking for, or another game I won’t play for more than an hour for my Nintendo Wii! There’s absolutely no reason to buy the Proform C 525 Treadmill. If you can think of any, I encourage you to email me or post something in the comments. I always welcome opposing views….though I doubt there will be any.

Weslo Cadence C44 Treadmill Review

2009-07-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

Treadmill Review: Weslo Cadence C44 Treadmill Treadmill Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 for outclassing almost every other treadmill in $400 price range
Price: $389
Hello Readers,

Today I want to talk about what could make my Best Buy list in September 2009. I got to say, I really like the Weslo Cadence C44 Treadmill and I’ll cover all the reasons why. Bear in mind that I’m not saying this is the best treadmill out there. By all means, if you can afford something in the $600 range I strongly recommend upping the ante. However, if you’re strapped for cash and need a treadmill for the least amount of money you can possibly spend this is definitely the treadmill for you.

First off, the Weslo Cadence C44 Treadmill comes with a powerful 1.3 CHP motor. That’s pretty much all I could ever hope for in a treadmill that costs as little as the Weslo Cadence C44 does. In comparison, my other favorite in this price range, the Merit 720T and it comes with a 1.25 HP motor. The more horsepower the better the treadmill. Treadmills with greater horsepower have an easier time handling heavier users and frequent use because they don’t have to work as hard to push a treadmill belt. That means the Weslo Cadence C44 Treadmill is probably going to last longer.

Another cool feature I really like is that the Weslo Cadence C44 Treadmill can reach speeds up to 10 MPH. That’s practically unheard of. In fact, it is unheard of! Treadmills that cost hundreds of dollars more have top speeds between 6-8 MPH, they wouldn’t even dream of a 10 MPH top speed. My hat is off to you Weslo!

Just one last note about the Weslo Cadence C44 Treadmill, it doesn’t have much of a warranty. If you’re paranoid about things breaking you’ll definitely want to add the Amazon extended warranty or upgrade to something like the Horizon T91 Treadmill or the Horizon Evolve Treadmill. These treadmills offer quite a bit more features and space and are backed by a 1 year parts AND labor warranty.

Lifecore LC-985VG Elliptical Trainer Review

2009-07-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

Elliptical Trainer Review: Lifecore LC985VG Elliptical Trainer
Elliptical Trainer Rating: 3.5 out of 5 for being pretty much a standard elliptical trainer
Price: $999
Hello Readers,

The Lifecore LC 985VG Elliptical Trainer is one of the more innovative elliptical trainers on the market. Just because something is innovative doesn’t mean it’s worth buying. Take the students at Sakarya University for example. They have built THIS CAR and it gets over 1,000 miles to the gallon! That’s incredible! For such a wonderful car, how much it cost? What!? Impossible! This car cost $170,000 to make! Tack on profit, destination and handling, and an iPod plug-in feature and we’re talking a $250,000 or a quarter million dollars! It’s okay though, I’ll help you sort out the difference between hype and substance. Just read my review!

The Lifecore LC 985VG Elliptical Trainer claims to have earned top ratings from a “Leading Consumer Magazine”. Honestly, I couldn’t tell you which magazine they got that from. I do know one thing for sure, it’s definitely not Consumer Reports. In reality, I don’t care which magazine rated the elliptical trainer. They’re not in the industry like I am. They haven’t spent hours reviewing service issue reports that explain how and why fitness equipment broke down. I know my stuff when it comes to fitness equipment. I can’t say the same for consumer magazines that will play around with an elliptical trainer or treadmill and never think about it again. Consumer magazines are great jumping off points for your treadmill or elliptical trainer research, just be sure to do some cross referencing with websites like mine!

Ughh, I got sidetracked again. Anyway, I think my point is the Lifecore LC985VG is all hype and nothing real. Sure, it includes 12 programs and a decent 1 year labor warranty, but that’s pretty much standard for the $1000 price range. There’s also the resistance wheel. That’s the cool, new, exciting, different thing on the Lifecore LC-985VG Elliptical Trainer. You can gradually increase resistance with a scrolling wheel rather than locking something in to place and rigidly adjusting resistance. Well, that’s about it. I’m going to hit the pool! Later guys!

BH Fitness X4 Elliptical Trainer Review

2009-07-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

Elliptical Trainer Review: BH Fitness X4 Elliptical Trainer
Elliptical Trainer Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 for being decent all around
Price: $939

Hello Readers,

Well, today is shaping up to be a run of the mill, mediocre day. I’m actually kind of bored and thinking about how I could be hunting squirrel with a shotgun or discovering oil if I had only been born in Texas. Sigh. Unfortunately that is not my life. I’ve decided to share a mediocre elliptical trainer with you guys as a symbolic elliptical trainer review to emphasize just how mediocre my life is today. I present the BH Fitness X4 Elliptical Trainer.

If I looked up the word average in the dictionary I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw a picture of the BH X4 Elliptical Trainer. It’s perfectly average in every way: average 20” stride length, average 16 resistance levels, and an average amount of programs. I’m also certain this elliptical trainer is a Caucasian male, makes 40k a year, lives in a house with a white picket fence, and has a wife and two children who all go to church on Sundays. Yup, average. There’s not a whole lot more I can say about the BH Fitness X4 Elliptical Trainer other than that. But I’ll try.

On cool thing is that the BH Fitness Elliptical Trainer comes with a wireless chest strap. Many elliptical trainers and treadmills with heart rate control force you to buy a chest strap or heart rate monitor to take advantage of this feature. The included wireless chest strap alone will save you at least $30 if not a $100 or more. BH Fitness definitely deserves some street cred for that!

Before I conclude my review of the BH Fitness X4 Elliptical Trainer I want to mention that BH Fitness is a merger of Bladez Fitness and BH Fitness. If you’re set on buying a Bladez Elliptical Trainer, go ahead and check out BH Fitness, you’re probably going to like what you see. Just do some research first, check out a few different elliptical trainers and I’m sure you’ll find something you can afford with the features and comfort level you need.

Stamina Cardio Performance Series EX 3.0 55-1900 Elliptical Trainer Review

2009-07-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

Elliptical Trainer Review: Stamina 55-1900 Cardio Performance Series EX3.0 Caged Elliptical Trainer
Elliptical Trainer Rating: 3 stars out of 5 for unique features but lacking a decent warraty
Price: $699

Hello Readers,

Stamina Fitness is known for the lowest of the low end products. Stamina’s pilates products are actually pretty good and I always got a lot of good feedback from customers who bought the inversion tables. However, I’m a little skeptical when I see Stamina Fitness introduce a $700 elliptical trainer. It’s…well, it goes against everything I’ve ever thought about Stamina, I promise to try and leave my prejudice against Stamina Fitness behind during my Stamina Cardio Performance EX3.0 55-1900 Elliptlcal Trainer Review.

One thing I was extremely pleased to see was the amount of fitness programs. There are 15 programs on the Stamina Fitness EX 3.0 Elliptical Trainer to be exact. That’s simply incredible. Including that many fitness programs on an elliptical trainer tells me Stamina Fitness has put some thought and effort in to building this elliptical trainer. Maybe this elliptical trainer is not so bad after all?

Here’s another thing that impressed me about the Stamina Cardio Performance Series EX 3.0 Elliptical Trainer. This elliptical trainer is designed with an adjustable stride. The three stride settings are 17.5”, 19”, and 20”. I generally like to see longer stride lengths because longer stride lengths are generally more comfortable for the greater population. However, having the option to shrink or expand the stride length is a powerful feature and one I wish more elliptical manufacturers would develop and perfect. I can’t say the Stamina EX 3.0 Elliptical is going to be the most stable out there, you’re going to have to judge for yourself if the tradeoff in convenience and stability is worth being able to adjust your stride.

Well, it was seeming as though Stamina Fitness had hit a home run with the Stamina Cardio Performance Series EX 3.0 Elliptical Trainer until I came to the warranty. Stamina Fitness says it guarantees this product for as long as five years, but that’s more fluff than substance. The real truth is this elliptical is covered with a 90 parts warranty and that’s about it. If it breaks after 91 days you’re pretty much on your own. That means you got $700 riding on luck. Honestly, I would rather put $700 bucks down on all the hard-ways on a craps shoot because at least I have a shot at winning more than what I gambled and had fun doing it!

Overall, the Stamina Cardio Performance Series EX 3.0 Elliptical Trainer has some really cool features that I really would like to see in a lot more elliptical trainers in this price range. Truth is, it’s partially priced so low because the warranty is garbage. Fitness equipment manufacturers can sell things for a lot less money if they didn’t have to worry about things like returns, labor, an satisfied customers. I suggest you stay away, unless you find some of the unique features like the adjustable stride so compelling you just have to have it.

Ironman Adventure Elliptical Trainer Review

2009-07-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

Elliptical Trainer Review: Ironman Adventure Elliptical Trainer
Elliptical Trainer Rating:
Price: $699

Hello Readers,

It’s really hard writing treadmill reviews and elliptical reviews in the summer. There’s just so much I would rather be doing….like playing video games. Ah yes, 10 hours straight of Call of Duty on X-Box Live sounds awesome right now. Unfortunately for me, but good for you I’m a disciplined treadmill reviewer and I’m not leaving my chair until I have written my Ironman Adventure Elliptical Trainer Review.

The Ironman Adventure Elliptical sure does look like an adventure. A buddy of mine back at the treadmill shop used to joke about making a mech-warrior elliptical for arcade games where you pilot a robot by walking on an elliptical trainer. I still think it’s a great idea. Go ahead and take it anyone! The Ironman Adventure Elliptical Trainer looks like it would make a great Mechwarrior Elliptical!

All fun and jokes aside, the Ironman Adventure Elliptical Trainer is an excellent elliptical trainer on paper. It has a 21” stride length, pretty much unprecedented for an elliptical trainer under a $1000, let alone for retailing at $650. There’s also 16 resistance levels and if you’ve read more than a couple of my elliptical trainer reviews you’ll know by now that I’m impressed when I see anything over 12 resistance levels for elliptical trainers in the $600 - $1000 price range.

So, what’s the catch? Well, first off the programs are lacking. But that’s not really my main complaint. My main complaint is that Keys Fitness, the parent company of Ironman Fitness hasn’t been paying their bills and filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend any treadmill no matter how good the motion is or how great the features are if the company is going bankrupt. I worked at a company that was going bankrupt once, and believe me, work ethic plummets immediately! So, unless you see this elliptical trainer for about $300, and that’s very unlikely, I would definitely stay away from it.

Diamondback Fitness 500EF Elliptical Trainer Review

2009-07-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

Elliptical Trainer Review: Diamondback Fitness 500EF Elliptical Trainer
Elliptical Trainer Rating: 2 out of 5 for being outclassed by other low cost elliptical trainers.
Price: $449

Hello Readers,

It’s time to write my first review of a Diamondback Elliptical Trainer. These days anything “snake” reminds me of Oliva Munn’s brother who was bit by a copperhead snake and almost died! Oh no’s! (Yes, Olivia Munn is one of the nerdettes I cyber stalk, please just let me be.) Let’s jump right in to my elliptical trainer review shall we?

After pouring over the Diamondback 500EF Elliptical Trainer I have concluded I don’t like it and there’s a lot of reasons why I don’t. First of all there are no programs. Merit Treadmills are in the same price range and they offer at least few, however symbolic they are. I see no reason why Diamondback Fitness couldn’t pack in something. In my opinion the lack of fitness programs shows a lack of effort. I really would like to see fitness equipment that retails for under $600 show a tremendous amount of effort because it tells me they did everything within their power to deliver the most they possibly could while staying under budget. The lack of programs just makes the Diamondback 500EF Elliptical Trainer look contrived.

There are much better elliptical trainer options for less than $600. I suggest checking out the Merit 715E Elliptical Trainer. It has somewhat of a warranty, resistance levels, and a decent stride length. Ultimately the choice is yours, do your research and you’ll find something you want at a price you can afford.

Precor EFX 5.17i Elliptical Trainer Review

2009-07-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

Elliptical Trainer Review: Precor EFX 5.17i Elliptical Trainer
Elliptical Trainer Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 for being extremely the extremely innovative CrossRamp feature but lacking pretty much everything else
Price: $2599

Hello Readers,

Is anyone who lives in SoCal tired of this god forsaken heat? I am! It’s ruining my running routine! I just want to run during the day but it’s just too damn hot! I suppose that’s why I got a treadmill, so I will be insulated from a lot of the weather Southern California decides to throw at me. As a matter of fact, the only time I wasn’t able to run due to weather since I bought a treadmill was when a thunderstorm knocked out my power. Anyway, I thought it’s high time I get one of the heavy hitters up on the site. I present to you my Precor EFX 5.17i Elliptical Trainer Review.

Coming in at just under $2600 the Precor EFX 5.17i Elliptical Trainer is one of the titans of the fitness industry. You’ll find Precor units in many gyms and my membership at 24 Hour Fitness tells me these elliptical trainers are pretty darn popular. I’m going to be honest, when you spend $2600 bucks on an elliptical trainer you’re going to get a good piece of fitness equipment. The motion of the Precor EFX 5.17i is amazing. It’s smooth, you don’t get any of the bumps or scrapes associated with lesser elliptical trainers.

What makes the Precor EFX 5.17i different from all it’s competitors? Simple, the adjustable CrossRamp. The CrossRamp is actually unique to Precor units and very innovative. Adjusting the CrossRamp will enable users to isolate and work out specific muscles. That’s particularly useful to women, who may want to sculpt perfect thighs. (My personal favorite thighs are Chun Li’s from Street Fighter II Turbo)

When it comes to stride length I’m left wanting more…in a bad way. The Precor EFX 5.17i has a 19” stride length. Honestly, I really do like to see at least 20” worth of stride length, and a company gets even more brownie points if they add an adjustable stride length feature. The stride length just isn’t enough for me if I’m paying more than two grand for an elliptical trainer.

Overall, this is an excellent piece of fitness equipment. When you spend a couple grand on an elliptical trainer it’s hard to go wrong. However, the Precor EFX 5.17i Elliptical Trainer is probably not “the best of the best of the best”. Though I will say the innovative Crossramp does make the Precor EFX 5.17i a very attractive option for some, particularly women.

Horizon EX77 Elliptical Trainer Review

2009-07-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

Elliptical Trainer Review: Horizon Fitness EX77 Elliptical Trainer
Elliptical Trainer Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Price: $999

Hello Readers,
Well, it’s time to finish up the Horizon Elliptical lineup as of July 14th, 2009. I’m sure there will be a plethora of elliptical trainers coming out this fall, possibly August, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Alright, let’s get right in to it! Here is my Horizon Fitness EX77 Elliptical Trainer Review.

There’s a whole hell of a lot to like about the Horizon EX77 Elliptical Trainer. First of all you get a lot of fitness programs. Fitness programs are important to everyone who has a fitness goal to reach. Fitness programs help keep you at a specific heart rate range to improve things such as weight loss or cardiovascular endurance. There are 14 programs in total and if that’s not enough you can program 2 custom programs yourself and save them.

Another thing I often rail against is resistance levels. Many elliptical trainers often fail to include a wide range of resistance levels. I don’t know why, they just do. Simply put, resistance levels are crucial to people are who just starting out and even more important when you decide it’s time to increase the intensity of your workout. Lots of resistance levels allow you to gradually increase the intensity of a workout so things don’t go from easy to impossible with the flip of a single switch.

Another thing I really like about the Horizon EX77 Elliptical Trainer is the adjustable stride. I would be happy with an 18” stride length in a $1000 elliptical trainer. Horizon Fitness has gone a couple steps further and added an adjustable stride length feature and you can adjust the stride length from 18” – 19”. One inch may not sound like a lot of space but trust me; you’ll definitely notice a 1” difference. Adjust your driver seat one notch, that’s about an inch. Then try and drive and notice the difference. It’s the same thing with an elliptical trainer. That one inch can mean the difference between something comfortable and something you’ll just use to hang your coat on.

One last thing I like is that the there’s an audio-in jack and built-in speakers. That means you can plug in your ipod and not be confined to headphones. It’s nice, especially if headphones make your ears sore like me!

Overall, the Horizon EX77 Elliptical is my favorite elliptical for less than a $1000. You’re probably not going to find a better combination of features and comfortable, smooth motion without spending a significantly greater amount of money. If you have a $1000 to spend on an elliptical trainer I definitely recommend going with the Horizon E77 Elliptical Trainer. Go ahead, do some research, I know you won’t find another elliptical trainer that compares in the $1000 price range.

Smooth Fitness CE 7.4 Elliptical Trainer Review

2009-07-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

Elliptical Trainer Review: Smooth Fitness CE 7.4 Elliptical Trainer
Elliptical Trainer Rating: 2.5 out of 5 because you can find a lot better elliptical trainers for a lot less money!
Price: $1999

Hello Readers,

Well, I know most of my treadmill reviews and elliptical reviews are mostly positive. It’s not because I’m trying to suck up to one company or another. NO! It’s because I really don’t like to spend time talking about elliptical trainers and treadmills that suck. I think my time is much better spent helping you all find elliptical trainers that are actually worth buying. But I always try to fit in a couple duds for good measure, at the very least you’ll know what to avoid when a commission hungry salesman tries to sell you the treadmill or elliptical with the highest price tag rather than trying to help you find fitness equipment that suits you best. Here is my Smooth Fitness CE 7.4 Elliptical Trainer.

First thing I’ll touch on is the stride length. You get plenty of stride length for your buck and stride length really isn’t the problem. In fact, most elliptical trainers come with 20” stride lengths, still many others in this price range utilize adjustable stride length systems that enable users to custom tailor the stride length to something that suits them best. Point is, 21” is good.

Here’s where all the problems start. The Smooth Fitness CE 7.4 Elliptical Trainer comes with 16 resistance levels. Sure, 16 sounds like a lot, but not when you compare it to other elliptical trainers in this price range and class. Honestly, I wouldn’t settle for anything less than 20 resistance levels if I’m shelling out two grand! Other treadmill manufacturers like Sole Fitness includes at least 20 resistance levels on elliptical trainers that cost several hundred dollars less. Smooth Fitness you can better!

What’s next on my list of complaints? Programs. The Smooth Fitness CE 7.4 Elliptical Trainer comes with 8 fitness programs. I’m sure that sounds like a lot if you’re the layperson, but not for someone like me who has been in the industry for many years now and spends his time researching and comparing fitness equipment on a daily basis. I know better. If someone asks you to pay more than a thousand bucks and the treadmill or elliptical trainer has less than 10 programs, you know you’re getting swindled! You can definitely do better!

My last complaint is against the warranty. If you buy a treadmill or elliptical trainer up to about $1500 it’s reasonable to expect a 1 year parts and labor warranty. That’s exactly what the Smooth Fitness CE7.4 Elliptical Trainer offers. The problem is, this elliptical trainer costs about 2k! I really do expect parts and labor to be covered for at least 2 whole years if I’m going to shell out this much cash for an elliptical trainer.

I’ll make my conclusion short. Don’t buy it. Yes, it’s comfortable, but it’s not much else. You can do better if you check out some of the Sole Treadimlls, Star Trac Treadmills, or Matrix Treadmills that are available for sell. Just do some research, I’m sure you’ll find something better than the Smooth Fitness CE 7.4 Elliptical Trainer.

Espirit Spirit EL5 Elliptical Trainer Review

2009-07-14T12:43:00.000-07:00

Elliptical Trainer Review: Espirit Spirit EL5 Elliptical Trainer
Elliptical Trainer Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Price: $1,199

Hello Readers,

There are about 4 companies whose products have a strong track record of success. The “Big Four” are Star Trac, Horizon Fitness, Sole Treadmills, and Spirit Fitness. As far as cardio equipment goes, these four companies are the best in their respective niches. That’s why I’m not surprised when I see an exceptional value in the Espirit EL5 Elliptical Trainer, manufactured by Spirit Fitness. While it does have it’s flaws, you’ll definitely want to check out the Espirit Spirit EL5 Elliptical Trainer.

One thing that really impresses me is the 20 resistance levels. Once you start checking out the $1000 - $1400 range of elliptical trainer you should expect at least 10 resistance levels if not more. When I see 20 resistance levels on an elliptic al trainer that can be delivered for about $1200 I’m ecstatic! If I had to pick an average amount of resistance levels I see on elliptical trainers in this price range I would put that number around 12, if not lower. Resistance levels are important because they enable users to gradually, and in the case of the Espirit Spirit EL5 Elliptical Trainer, very, very gradually increase the intensity of your workouts. It kind of gets discouraging if you go from moderate to very hard in one flip of a switch because all of a sudden you’re out of breath and feeling exhausted after 5 minutes.

As far as comfort goes, the Espirit EL5 Elliptical Trainer is excellent. Spirit is known for comfort. I would have customers walk in all the time asking to use a Spirit Elliptical Trainer if they happened to be looking for an elliptical trainer in the $1000 - $1500 price range. This elliptical machine is smooth and quiet. There’s no other simpler, more accurate way to describe the fluid motion of the Espirit EL5 Elliptical Trainer.

Overall, the Spirit EL5 Elliptical Trainer is excellent. It does suffer from a lack of programs. I really would like to see 10 as opposed to the 8 that are included. But remember, the most important factor in choosing an elliptical trainer should be comfort. If an elliptical trainer isn’t comfortable, you’re not going to use it. You could probably burn your money with some gasoline, at least then you’ll have the fun of using some gasoline and get more use out of your money.

Remember, do some research, do some price comparisons, and if ask for some price reductions if you talk to someone on the phone!

Horizon Fitness EX67 Elliptical Trainer

2009-07-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,

Elliptical Trainer Review: Horizon EX67 Elliptical Trainer
Elliptical Trainer Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Price: $799

Horizon Fitness is definitely my favorite brand when it comes to elliptical trainers and treadmills that cost under a $1000. In all honesty, my half decade in the fitness industry tells me if you’re looking for the best cost effective elliptical trainer for under a $1000 your first consideration should be a Horizon Elliptical! They are well made and designed, backed by a 1 year parts and labor warranty, and in the off chance you’ll need service under the warranty they’re very easy to get a hold of. Horizon Fitness does not hide from their customers! All that aside, let’s take an objective look at the Horizon EX67 Elliptical Trainer.

Many companies have problems when it comes to fitness programs. Well, not so much that they have problems with making programs so much as they have problems taking the time to add enough. I would estimate the average elliptical machine in the $750 - $1000 range has 8 built in fitness programs. IN stark contrast, the Horizon EX67 Elliptical Trainer comes with 13! 13! Yes, I’m serious, 13! I know I remind my readers just about every treadmill and elliptical review about the importance of fitness programs and I’m going to do it again. Buying an elliptical trainer with a wide range of fitness programs is important because they help you reach specific goals. The pace for losing weight is different than the pace for building cardiovascular endurance and I won’t even get in to the complexities of training for a sprinter versus a long distance runner. To put it simply, more programs means more options, which means you’re more likely to actually use the fitness equipment you buy.

I also want to take a look at resistance levels. Elliptical trainers in this price range are usually equipped with 8 resistance levels and I’ve seen some of the poorer fitness equipment companies actually try to sell a $1000 elliptical trainer with as few as 6! That’s right, 6! C’mon…….I’m getting off subject. Once again, in stark contrast to the competition the Horizon EX67 Elliptical Trainer is equipped with 10 resistance levels. Resistance levels are important because they enable users to get detailed with the intensity of their workout routine. Rather than going from easy to hard or worse, easy to slightly more difficult with no place else to go, the Horizon EX67 Elliptical Trainer empowers users to gradually increase the intensity of their workout and improve at their own pace.

The weak point of the Horizon Fitness EX67 Elliptical Trainer is probably the stride length. Well, it’s weak in comparson to itself at least. The Horizon EX67 destroys the competition in every major category except stride length, where it’s average. Yup, the “drawback” to the Horizon EX67 Elliptical is simply that it’s “average” in just one of the many categories I’m rating it on. Yes, 19” or 20” would be nice, but Horizon does have to make a profit somehow. Still, this is one hell of an elliptical trainer!

Sole E35 Elliptical Trainer Review

2009-07-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,

Click Now To Buy The Sole Fitness E35 Elliptical

It’s time to write yet another quality elliptical trainer review for my audience. Right now it’s about a 100 degrees outside and thank god I’m in the comfort of my computer chair with the air conditioning on. I can’t wiat for it to get a little cooler, then I’m going to head out to the canyon and gets some good old fashioned running done. Anyway, it’s time for my elliptical trainer review. I present, for your consideration the Sole E35 Elliptical Trainer Review.

I really like the Sole E35 Elliptical Trainer and I’m not the only one. I think Consumer Reports did a whole piece of elliptical trainers and found the Sole E35 Elliptical to be one of the better options out there as well. I’ll cover the reasons why so many people like the Sole E35 as well as couple of the drawbacks. Let’s start, as I always do, with the positive. For starters you get a 20” stride length. Most elliptical trainers have stride lengths between 17” – 18”. Longer stride lengths tend to feel more natural to users and in turn, more comfortable. Twenty inches worth of stride length is plenty for just about anyone, unless you happen to be taller, say over 6’. If you are taller than 6’, you really have to feel it yourself to see if it’s a good enough fit.

The mechanics are incredible making an incredibly smooth feel. The 25 lb. flywheel plays a large role in the fluid motion you’re going to experience using the Sole E35 Elliptical Trainer. The pedals are also self articulating, which means they will adjust their angle to accommodate your feet as you make each stride. Stationary pedals just aren’t as comfortable and self-articulating pedals. The brake system utilizes eddy current brakes. That means stopping the elliptical trainer isn’t going to be bumpy on the way!

Let’s start talking features. The Sole E35 Elliptical Trainer comes with 10 programs. Finally, a company that understands my needs! I need variety in my workout programs or I’m probably not going to use the equipment. That may not be the case for you, still, adding a decent amount of programs makes me think the company actually cares and put effort in to the design. There are also 16 resistance levels. Even some more expensive elliptical trainers try to get away with stiffing you on resistance levels. Not true with Sole. Using the sole E35 Elliptical Trainer will be awesome when you try to dial in the perfect mix of resistance and routine length because you’ll be able to gradually increase your intensity!

Overall, the Sole E35 Elliptical Trainer is an excellent elliptical. The price is right at $1299 and you’ll be able to accomplish just about any cardiovascular COMFORTABLY. That’s important too. If you have an uncomfortable piece of fitness equipment you’ll never use it, or at least that’s what experience tells me. If you have $1300 to spend on an elliptical trainer, I strongly recommend choosing the Sole E35 Elliptical Trainer. If not, just do some more shopping, I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for!

Click Now To Buy Sole Fitness E35 Elliptical Direct From Sole

Bowflex PR3000 Home Gym Review

2009-07-13T14:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,
Well, it’s time to finish up my Bowflex Home Gym Reviews with the Bowflex PR3000 Home Gym. Ahhh, just about 450 more words and it’s off to huntingon beach for some boogey boarding! Well, let’s dive right in to it. The Bowflex PR3000 Home Gym retails for about $999 on Amazon.com. What does all the dough buy you? Well quite a bit. You can perform more than 50 different exercises and is built with several design features to make using the Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym a breeze.

First off you get 210 lbs. of weight resistance. That’s going to be enough weight to beef up just about any football player who isn’t in college or the pros…and if you are in the pros you probably have free access to professional grade equipment anyway. The Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym delivers the resistance via a power rod system. Basically, you’re bending metal. If 210 lbs. still isn’t enough for you, there’s an upgrade that will add a hundred pounds of resistance for a total of 310 lbs. of power rod resistance.

One thing just about everyone likes about the Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym is the no change pulley system. That’s right, I said no change. That means you don’t have to spend so much time bothering with the pulley system when all you want to do is start your routine and finish. Believe me, nobody appreciates this feature more than me! Bowflex is really good at identifying the suck parts of using fitness equipments and making them better or more bearable.

One reason to buy a home gym that uses power rods over a selectorized home gym that uses weight plates to provide resistance is the weight itself. If you live in an apartment all that pounding of the plates and heavy machinery can wear on your building and neighbors. If you need to be quiet during your workouts for the sake of your neighbors I can’t think of anything quieter!

Overall the Bowflex PR3000 Home Gym is one of the better home gyms in the $1000 range. It comes with 210 lbs. of resistance and users can work out all major muscle groups in several different ways. The no-change-pulley-system is a huge draw for just about everyone. If you hate messing with all those chains and wires in the middle of a workout I strongly suggest clicking on the product link to Amazon and ordering a Bowflex PR3000 Home Gym. If that’s not enough to sell you on the Bowflex PR3000 Home Gym it’s lighter than conventional gyms that use weight stacks and consequently, makes hardly a sound because there are no weight plates clanking around. All around, a very well made and well thought out piece of fitness equipment.

Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym Review

2009-07-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Home Gym Review: Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym
Home Gym Rating: 5 stars out of 5 for being affordable
Price: $599

Hello Readers,

Alright, it’s football season. If your family is like mine you have an aspiring football player in your family who needs a home gym so he can train and kick some butt on the field next season. Your family is also trying to figure out how to get this done cheaply because half of the family is laid off! So, how do you get a good home gym without breaking the bank? Well, I have several options for you and I’ll go in to detail about the first option right now. I present my Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym Review.

Bowflex packs 30 exercises in to the Bowflex PR1000 for about $600. The PR1000 is the most cost effective home gym you’re going to find for about $600. Users can perform all the most common workouts including bench press, triceps push, and leg raises. Some of the cheapest of the cheap home gyms miss a major muscle group like legs, chest, arms, or back. More often than not, those cheap “all in one” gyms you’ll get for a $150 bucks end up being expensive pieces of junk. Stay away from those!

The Bowflex Pr1000 Home Gym uses rods to deliver resistance rather than a weight stack. The rods included with the Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym provide as much as 210 lbs. worth of resistance. That’s going to be plenty of weight for just about anyone. 210 lbs. of resistance is going to cover 90% of the population, probably more, but if you do need more resistance than that you’re probably going to have to upgrade to the $1000 Bowflex PR3000. It has a lot more exercises and a lot more resistance, but costs about $400 more. Worth it though, if you have a college bound ball player.

Overall, the Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym is the best overall pick for the frugal consumer. You get enough weight resistance and can target every major muscle group. It’s made by Bowflex, a fitness equipment manufacturer and designer that has been around for years putting out quality equipment and ti’s backed by a year long warranty. By the way, my track record with Bowflex tells me you’re probably never going to need to use the warranty anyway.

Sole F63 Treadmill 2009 Review

2009-07-09T16:19:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,
Alright, I know I said my last review was the last Sole Treadmill is Sole’s lineup, but I was wrong. I forgot about the Sole F63 Treadmill and it’s a good thing I remembered the Sole F63 Treadmill because its one of the of the better treadmills within the $1000 range. You’re not going to get the power and speed offered by some of the higher end Sole Treadmills, but if you’re looking to get a lot of bang for your buck the Sole F63 Treadmill is definitely worth a look. Read my Sole F63 Treadmill Review and find out what I thought about it.

The first thing I want to talk about is power. The Sole F63 Treadmill is packing plenty of power considering it’s price. The Sole F63 Treadmill comes with a 2.5 HP continuous duty motor. That continuous duty part is very important! Some treadmill manufacturers, partirucalry the bad ones often list Peak Horse Power or PHP for their horsepower rating. Fortunately, many manufacturers have shied away from this practice as PHP describes the most horsepower a motor can output while a CHP describes how much power a motor consistently delivers. Using PHP is kind of like adding water to your kool-aid when you start to run out.

When it comes ti speed and programs the Sole F63 Treadmill comes it exactly where I would expect it to. The F63 has a top speed of 10 MPH and you won’t have to worry about slipping because the motor is powerful enough to push the belt properly. If 10 MPH isn’t difficult enough for you the Sole F63 Treadmill can be set on an incline as steep as 15%! Things start to get really intense when you add some incline to a running routine!

This is the point in my Sole F63 Treadmill Review where I would normally start talking about the bad. I can’t really say there is any “bad” points to the Sole F63 Treadmill. I can say, however, that if there is one weak point it’s that it meets expectations in every category rather than exceeding them. I really wish there were some stellar feature or build specification that I could talk up, but there’s not. Ultimately, this is a pretty good, but not great treadmill.

Nautilus Sport Series T5.16 LEX Treadmill Review

2009-07-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,
I was going through my treadmill reviews and noticed I didn’t have anything up from Nautilus so I decided to write a review of the Nautilus Sport Series T5.16 LEX Treadmill. It’s name is a mouthful! This treadmill is one of the heavy hitters out there. Does the Nautilus Sport Series T5.16 LEX Treadmill hit one out of the park or does it land foul? Read the rest of my treadmill review to find out!

The Nautilus Sport Series T5.16 LEX Treadmill is built with a 3.0 continuous duty horsepower motor and that’s plenty of power for just about anyone. This treadmill is rated to withstand users as heavy as 375 lbs. While it does not have the highest user weight rating you’ll see in this price range the T5.16 Treadmill is well within the average range.

The Nautilus Sport Series T5.16 LEX Treadmill will accommodate just about any serious runner with an incline range of 0% - 15% to simulate hills. By the way, a 15% grade is steep, highway signs posted on hills with grades of 9% or more often have warnings against using air conditioning! If you’re looking to be faster the Nautilus Sport Series T5.16 LEX Treadmill can help you train at speeds up to 12 MPH. That’s really fast, fast enough that I probably couldn’t run at 12 MPH for more than a minute straight. I want to improve that….and I will, but still, 12 MPH is pretty darn fast.

For everything the Nautilus Sport Series T5.16 LEX Treadmill has going for it there is one major flaw. This treadmill is built with a 20” x 57” running area. Unfortunately, to someone like me who sold treadmills to people for a living for several years this just seems insulting. At the very least I should get a 20” x 60” running area for the $1600 price tag! Honestly, this is a well built treadmill, it just wasn’t built big enough. Try manufacturing your treadmills in Texas next time Nautilus.

One thing that really let me down is the running area. I’m used to seeing a 20” x 60” running area. There’s not much any company can do to make up for a treadmill deck that small when they’re charging $1650!

Sole F85 2009 Treadmill Review

2009-07-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,
Click Now To Read Sole Fitness F83 User Reviews
I thought I would get in a treadmill review before it gets too hot to run or write. Today I bring you a review of the Sole F85 Treadmill 2009. Sole Treadmills are generally among the upper strata of treadmills in terms of price and quality. How does the $2000 Sole F85 Treadmill rate among other high quality treadmills? Well, read on and find out!

First thing I want to point out is that the Sole F85 Treadmill is definitely a treadmill for runners. You can reach speeds up to 12 MPH! That’s incredibly fast. I can’t imagine being able to run at the top speed which works out to a mile every 5 minutes or a lap every 1 minute and 15 seconds. I think my best mile time ever was about 6:50 seconds back in my high school running days! Rest assured, if you’re a runner, you’ll not be wanting for more with the Sole F85 Treadmill.

One thing I see some of the shadier treadmill manufacturers get away with is putting a weak treadmill motor on a treadmill they’ll call “Top of the Line”. Pff, don’t be fooled. Always check the continuous duty horsepower rating to really know what you’re buying. The Sole F85 Treadmill has been designed with a 3.5 horsepower motor! That’s a lot of power and certainly plenty of juice to handle the weight of users as heavy as 400 lbs.

Another thing I like about the Sole F85 Treadmill is the wide variety of feedback available. I particularly enjoy the heart rate graph. It lets you know just how hard your heart is working so you can easily improve your workout with a few speed and incline adjustments. The console is well designed. There are one touch buttons for pseed and incline. Those buttons make it much easier to do things like slow down when you’re running too fast so you don’t fall down and embarrass yourself in front of some potential customers like I did!

Despite all the good there is still something I have to add to the “bad” column. There are eight fitness programs. That’s right. Eight. I really don’t understand what Sole was thinking. If I had 8 I would be able to shrug it off, but eight programs for a treadmill that costs $2000 is ridiculous. It feels almost as though Sole hiked up Mount Everest only to turn around 20 feet away from the summit because “I’ve put enough effort in.” Yeah, the lack of program options is definitely a problem for me.

Final Analysis

You’re probably not going to find a more comfortable treadmill for less than $2000. It’s a well designed treadmill built with quality parts. It’s backed by a 2 year parts and labor warranty so you know Sole feels confident enough in their own work to back it with their wallet. It’s great for walkers and runners alike. My only problem is lack of fitness programs. That overlook knocked down my rating of the Sole F85 Treadmill 2009 down to a 4/5 instead of a perfect 5/5!

Click Now To Buy The Sole Fitness F83 Treadmill

Sole F83 2009 Treadmill Review

2009-07-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,

Well, I figured I would finish up the Sole Treadmill line with a review of the Sole F83 Treadmill Review. Just a quick brand overview, if you buy a Sole Treadmill you’re going to be happy. Sole builds some of the better treadmills on the market and most of my Sole Treadmill Reviews have positive remarks. Sole Treadmills has been in the business for years now and has refined a treadmill design and manufacturing process well enough to provide quality treadmills at an affordable price. The Sole F83 Treadmill definitely keeps with Sole’s tradition of building the best they can, however I do have a couple gripes.

Let’s start with what I like about the Sole F83 Treadmill. Sole has designed this treadmill with a 3.0 horsepower motor. If I were to pay more than $1600 for a treadmill I would expect a 3.0 horsepower motor or higher. A good rule of thumb is the more powerful the motor the longer it’s going to last. Simply put, a stronger motor doesn’t have to work as hard as a weaker motor would to move your treadmill belt.

Like every Sole Treadmill I’ve talked about on the site the Sole F83 Treadmill is great for runners and walkers. First of all, it’s comfortable. Comfort is the most important factor when choosing a treadmill. If you buy an expensive treadmill with all the bells and whistles you can possibly add and you bring it home and it doesn’t feel comfortable, you just threw your money away! Sole Treadmills are stellar when it comes to comfort and you can, rest assured, bring this treadmill home and not have to worry about comfort because I personally know the Sole F83 Treadmill to be one of the most comfortable treadmills in this price range. It’s also great for runners because users can run up to 12 MPH. Treadmills that have shaking problems when users run at higher speeds generally cap the top speed between 8 – 10 MPH. There are no such problems with the Sole F83 Treadmill which means Sole Fitness didn’t have to cap the speed which means you can run up to 12 MPH!

Let’s talk about the bad now. The running area of the Sole F83 Treadmill is 20” x 58”. That’s kind of disappointing. I really do expect a full 20” x 60” running area. Anything less than that for the price range this treadmill is in and I’m feeling a little unfulfilled. The other thing lacking on the Sole F83 Treadmill is programs. I really would like to see more than 8 fitness programs. More fitness programs mean more options and more opportunities to find something that works for you. I really wish more fitness companies would offer greater variety in their fitness programs.

Overall the Sole F83 Treadmill is an excellent treadmill. I’ve said this many times about Sole Fitness in general but if you decide to take this Treadmill home you’re not going to feel like you paid too much. There are plenty of features for walkers and runners in particular who can train at 12 MPH without any severe treadmill frame shaking, a major problem in lower grade treadmills.

Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym Review

2009-07-07T13:15:00.000-07:00

Home Gym Review: Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym
Home Gym Rating: 5 stars out of 5 for being the best home gym in the $1500 price range.
Price: $1599

The Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym is an upgraded version of the Bowflex Xtreme Home Gym. It includes a pulley station, lat tower, an abdominal crunch shoulder harness, and a whole lot more to make this home gym the kind of fitness equipment you’ll want to buy and take home.

First off, you can perform over 70 different exercises with the Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym. I defy you to find a home gym that will deliver as much workout diversity that the Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym offers for as few dollars as you’ll be spending to buy the Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym. If you need a total body workout, you’ll have no problem working out all your major muscle groups including legs, abdominals, arms, back, shoulders, and chest.

One thing I pay close attention to is resistance. If you have a home gym with that will allow you to perform a wide variety of exercises but neglects to include a reasonable amount of resistance you’re probably going to let that home gym sit in your house and be an expensive coat hanger. Not true with the Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym. This home gym comes with 210 lbs. of resistance as a standard and can be upgraded to as much as 410 lbs. of resistance if you ever need it.

The best feature by far is Bowflex’s money-back guarantee. If you aren’t happy with your purchase after using the Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym for as many as 6 weeks, you can return your home gym for a full refund. That’s more than I can say for lesser fitness equipment manufacturers that don’t have the guts to back their product with such an incredible warranty.

Overall, the Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym is an excellent piece of fitness equipment. It is my favorite pick in the $1500 range because it offers a great amount of workout diversity for a relatively small price tag. If you’re looking for value and performance the Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE Home Gym is definitely the home gym for you!

Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym Review

2009-07-07T12:02:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers!
Home Gym Review: Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym
Home Gym Rating: 5 out of 5 for being an excellent high end home gym
Price: $2499.00
Click to Buy the Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym

It’s time for another Home Gym Review by your favorite Home Gym Reviewer, Johnny! Today we’ll be talking about the Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym. The Bowflex Ultimate 2 enables users to perform as many as 95 exercises and includes 4 main workout stations. Does the Bowflex Utlimate 2 Home Gym measure up to Bowflex’s stellar home gym reputation? Read on and find out!

First off, the Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym offers about 310 lbs. worth of resistance. That’s an incredible amount of weight to work with no matter which part of your body you’re trying to work out. I personally max out at about 185 lbs. and my football playing cousin maxes out at about 210 lbs. If you’re worried that you’ll outgrow the weight resistance, don’t worry, you’ll probably never need 310 lbs. worth of resistance. In the off chance you do outgrow the weight resistance that’s included, Bowflex offers a 410 lb. weight resistance upgrade.

What can you workout with the Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym? Well, I think I better question is “what won’t you be able to work out? “ If you want to sculpt your chest you can do bench presses, declines, chest flys, cable crossovers, or use an incline bench. Shoulders are in no way neglected either. All 4 stations combine to enable users to perform as many as 20 different shoulder exercises including deltoid rows, standing cable crosses, and reverse flys. Honestly, I could go on forever and ever about the exercises you could do with the Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym, so I’ll just list everything you can do at the bottom of this post.

The Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym comes includes a workout poster and an instructional DVD. If you’re new to strength training you’re probably going to find these two pack-ins extremely helpful in starting your first strength training routine. You’ll get expert advice from people who actually use the Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym. The poster is nice to keep on a wall next to the Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym to quickly reference which exercise you need to perform to target a specific muscle group.

Finally, I need to mention the warranty. The warranty for the Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym makes all the difference in the world! If you order this home gym you’re going to have a home gym in working condition for at least a decade. That’s because Bowflex warrants the Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym against all defects in craftsmanship for 12 years! That’s a lot of fitness! Oh, and the resistance rods are guaranteed for life. Perhaps Bowflex’s motto should be “Bowflex: Don’t you worry about a thing.”

Overall, the Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym is a high quality piece of fitness equipment. The price is a little steep, but Bowflex more than justifies the price tag by including so much with this home gym. If you’re looking to bring a professional level product inside your home with all the bells and whistles you need and more, the Bowflex Ultimate 2 Home Gym is definitely the home gym for you.

Bowflex TC5000 TreadClimber Review

2009-07-05T09:05:00.001-07:00

Hello Readers,

It has been a long weekend and it’s time for a nice slow day of Warcraft and Treadmill Reviews. First on today’s Treadmill Review list is the Bowflex TC5000 Treadclimber. I’ve been putting this treadmill review off for a while because I have many mixed feelings about this treadmill.

Let’s start with the good. The Bowflex TC5000 Treadmill makes use of hydraulics and dual treadmill belts for each foot and delivers intense workouts without having to run. Users will burn an insane amount of calories using the Treadclimber TC5000 because it’s like having a stairway with an unlimited amount of stairs. If you’ve ever been to a baseball or football game, you know how hard it is to walk up a flight of stairs! The extra effort required by the Treadclimber also makes this treadmill an ideal piece of fitness equipment for people who can’t run due to certain injuries.

Now it’s time to talk about the bad. First is comfort. When people ask me which treadmill they should buy I always tell them to buy something comfortable. That really is the key to buying a treadmill that you’re actually going to use. Many people have found the Bowflex TC5000 TreadClimber to be very uncomfortable. The reason is the Bowflex TC5000 takes a bit more dexterity to use than a normal treadmill. You can’t just jump on and walk naturally. New users often need to take it slow and find a rhythm before things begin to feel natural. Sometimes people never find that step and the treadmill becomes a fancy coat hanger. Sorry guys, I’m just being honest.

The other drawback to the Bowflex Treadclimber is mechanics. I’ve read many complaints online and spoke with several people about how hard it was to put this treadmill together or that it just flat out broke down on them. If you do decide to buy the Bowflex TC5000 Treadclimber just beware, there’s a small chance it might not work right.

Now that we have those issues out of the way I’m going to talk about some features of the Bowflex TC5000 TreadClimber. Users can walk on this, that’s it. No running. Well, at least no running faster than 4 MPH. If you think that’s slow, think again. The Bowflex TC5000’s hydraulic system makes walking extremely challenging, especially if you up the resistance levels. The Treadclimber TC5000 is also compatible with wireless heart rate monitors. Heart Rate Monitors are generally much more accurate than built-in pulse grips on most treadmills and you can use them to make your treadmill automatically adjust intensity and speed to keep your heart rate at a specific level. One other thing I would like to point out is that the TreadClimber was built with safety in mind. If you start to trip up you can easily place your feet off the belts and on the footrests to make sure you don’t fall!

Overall, this is a risky piece of fitness equipment to buy. You’re either going to love or hate the TreadClimber TC5000 Treadmill. It burns a lot more calories than conventional running or walking, just remember, it might be a little too much for some people. It does take some time getting used to and if you don’t feel comfortable on this treadmill, you’re probably not going to use it. Weigh your options, think about it carefully, them make your choice. I hope you find a treadmill that will get you to your goals!

Bowflex Revolution XP Home Gym Review

2009-07-05T08:08:00.001-07:00

Hello Readers,

It’s time to talk about another excellent Bowflex Product, the Bowflex Revolution XP Home Gym. Bowflex has responded to feedback from thousands of Bowflex users and built the ultimate home gym experience!. The Bowflex Revolution XP Home Gym will work out your abs, arms, chest, and legs and thanks to a space-saving design you’ll still be able to fit this incredible home gym inside your home! You’ll be able to get any exercise you could at an expensive gym and you’ll never have to leave your home!

You can work out your upper body with the Freedom Arms that can be adjusted up to 170 degrees so you can work out your arms from any angle and target every muscle in your arm, back, and chest. If you need to work out your legs the Bowflex Revolution XP Home Gym includes a leg attachment that enables users to perform standing leg curls and seated leg extensions and a whole lot more.

Finally, the Bowflex Revolution XP Home Gym will help you build the abdominal muscles you always wanted. You can work with resistance to make your stomach leaner, tighter and stronger. Aside from being more aesthetically pleasing, stronger abdominals are strongly linked to fewer back problems; your stomach is an important support system! With all the workouts you can perform with the Bowflex Revoltion XP Home Gym you’ll never be lacking an exercise to work out any muscle in your body!

If you’re still not convinced that the Bowflex Revolution XP Home Gym is not right for you there’s more. You can add extra systems to this home gym as your workouts increase in intensity or as your needs change. You can add an ab back pad to workout abdominal and back muscles and a lat tower to get those muscles toned just below your arm pits!

The warranty on the Bowflex Revolution XP Home Gym is equally incredible. This home gym is backed by Bowflex for over a decade! A lot of home gyms are backed for a few years, maybe five years. That’s beause lesser companies can’t trust their equipment to last a long time. Not true with Bowflex. Bowflex’s exceptionally high design and manufacturing standards enable Bowflex to offer this unprecedented 10 year long warranty!

If you’re still not convinced to try the Bowflex Revolution Home Gym Bowflex offers the following gurantee:

“6 Weeks Fitness Results Guarantee
Your satisfaction is guaranteed. Just purchase your Bowflex Revolution® XP Home Gym and workout for up to six weeks. If you're not 100% satisfied with the results, simply contact our customer service department at (800) 605-3369 for Return Authorization. Then return them, including any accessories, in original condition and packaging, and receive a full refund of the purchase price, less shipping and handling. Items must be received no later than 2 weeks after your return authorization is given.”
If you’re looking for a high end home gym that will get you the results you need, the Bowflex Revolution XP Home Gym is definitely for you!"

Horizon Evolve SG Compact Treadmill Review

2009-06-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,
Read More About the Horizon SG Evolve
Today I want to talk about a treadmill that I’ve gotten about 20 emails about in the last 2 weeks. That’s a lot for one treadmill in particular and I finally found out why you all are asking about it so much. It’s on TV! So, today I’ve decided to be the TMZ of celebrity fitness equipment and answer go paparazzi on the Horizon Evolve SG Treadmill.

There are a lot of good things about the Horizon SG Folding Compact Treadmill. First, it sort of looks like it belongs on the Enterprise, Captain Kirk’s ship from Star Trek. Aside from that, it does best what this treadmill was designed and named for, saving space when it’s not in use. This treadmill folds down to an impressive 10” x 59”. That’s incredible! If you’re short of space and need something big but can fold down to something small when you’re not using it, you’re going to be very happy with the Horizon Evolve SG Treadmill

On the con side, it’s not the most powerful treadmill out there. The Horizon Evolve SG Compact Treadmill has one of the weaker motors I’ve seen in this price range. The 1.5 HP motor is okay, but you can get something more powerful for exactly the same amount of money in the Horizon T91 Treadmill. I will note, however, that it does not fold down to nearly as small a unit as the Horizon Evolve SG Treadmill, so if you’re trying to choose between the two just examine your needs. Do you need to save space or do you want more power? If you need more space, choose the Horizon Evolve SG Treadill, if you want more power go with the Horizon T91 Treadmill

Another cool feature is the built in speakers. If you have an ipod or another type of MP3 player you can play your music without bothering with headphones. It’s a really convenient feature and frees you from the hassle of an extra set of wires. I will say these aren’t the best speakers so if you’re a music freak you’ll probably end up using your headphones anyway.

Overall, this is a great treadmill if you need something that folds up really small. Otherwise there are several better options out there including the Horizon T91 Treadmill. It costs exactly the same as the Horizon SG Compact Treadmill but it wasn’t built as small, which means Horizon had more room to add things like a more powerful motor. Just think about what you need, I know I’ve given you the information you need to make the best choice for your health.

Merit 725T Treadmill Review

2009-06-30T17:04:00.000-07:00

Treadmill Review: Merit 725T Treadmill Review
Treadmill Rating: 3 stars out of 5 for being more expensive than a nearly identical treadmill

Hello Readers,

I’m here to bring you another quality treadmill review, though not necessarily review a quality treadmill. Today I will be talking about the Merit 725T Treadmill. Horizon Fitness, under the brand the Merit Fitness has decided to put out a line of low, low end treadmills and elliptical trainers to appeal to the part of the market that’s on a serious budget. Who isn’t these days though? I know money has been tight on my end and if I were looking to buy a new treadmill for myself I would probably be looking at one of the Merit Treadmills.

What does $400 buy you? Well, you get a 1.25 horsepower motor. That’s pretty much the minimum horsepower I recommend for a treadmill. If you bought anything less than that you’re probably going to have some serious safety and performance issues. The belt will definitely slip if you run on it and the motor could outright fail if you are a heavier user and use the Merit 725T Treadmill for running.

Some of the better features of the Merit 725T Treadmill are being able to run at speeds up to 10 MPH. A lot of lower end treadmills have maximum speeds of 6 to 8 MPH. Thank you Merit Fitness, you’re really setting the bar a whole lot higher with such a high top speed. The treadmill can also simulate hills by inclining as steep as 10%.

The Merit 725T Treadmill also has a satisfactory amount of built in programs, seven to be exact. That’s enough to pack in a couple weight loss programs and some endurance programs. If you’re a little skeptical of fitness programs, thinking they don’t help you reach your goals faster, just do some free exercising sessions and fitness program sessions and save the calories burned or distance traveled metrics and compare them. You’ll definitely notice a difference!

The only con is the small motor. Not small as in midgets, but small as in power. It’s just not that powerful and therefore I can’t recommend the Merit Fitness 725T Treadmill to the broader population. Only people under 250 lbs. should user this treadmill, and even then I wouldn’t recommend using this treadmill for a whole lot of running. It just feels awkward without the proper power running the treadmill belt.

If you’re not too big on fitness programs I suggest checking out the Merit 715T. It’s my favorite treadmill under $600 and sells for a mere $379.99

Merit 715T Treadmill Review

2009-06-30T16:44:00.000-07:00

Treadmill Review: Merit Fitness 715T Treadmill
Treadmill Rating: 5 stars out of 5 for being the best low end treadmill available and having the lowest price possible
Price: $379.00

Well, it’s summer and I know the last thing on your mind is a treadmill. So why post this article on the last day of June? Simple; it will still be here in December and January when you’ll probably read this treadmill review. One of the most common email questions I get is “how much do I have to spend on a treadmill?” The people who ask this question are often house mothers with little time to get to a real gym and have to spend their time at home so they can look after kids. Naturally, mothers are almost always on a budget when it comes to EVERYTHING and they’re looking for the best value out there. That’s why I decided to review the Merit Fitness 715T Treadmill. Simply put, it’s the treadmill deal on the internet these days.

First, the Merit 715T Treadmill is designed with a 1.25 HP motor. That’s the bare minimum of power you’ll need for a treadmill. Anything less and you’re going to have serious performance issues like belt slipping outright failure as the motor will be overworked. One thing, just be careful who uses the Merit 715T Treadmill because it only has a maximum user weight capacity of 250 lbs. I’m pushing 240lbs. and I personally wouldn’t use this treadmill for anything other than running.

The Merit 715T Treadmill has a decent amount of fitness program. Fitness programs are helpful in achieving goals such as weight loss and endurance levels, and the more the better. But, to keep prices down Merit has kept the included fitness programs down to a bare minimum of 4. That’s it, four. Really, you could probably get away with three, one for weight loss, one for endurance, and one self-programmable fitness program, so I’m really happy to see 4.

Ultimately, this treadmill does one thing well, be cheap. If you’re going to go with a treadmill that costs less than $600 bucks this is definitely the treadmill I recommend buying. It has a maximum speed of 10 MPH but I would watch how much running I actually did, especially if I were near or over the recommended user weight. It could lead to mechanical problems down the line. Buy this treadmill if you plan on vigorous walking!

Horizon T91 Treadmill Review

2008-11-13T21:41:00.001-08:00

Hello Readers,
Read Horizon T91 User Reviews

It’s winter again and that means it’s about time for most treadmill manufacturers to start pushing out their new treadmill and elliptical trainer models and update their old equipment. Once again, I’m here to help you sort through the mess! The first treadmill I want to cover is the Horizon T91 Treadmill. I’m going to say something that will blow your mind. The Horizon T91 Treadmill is exactly the same as the Horizon T81 Treadmill.

Yes, I know. It was confusing to me at first when I got the suck job of sorting out treadmill models and specs at the fitness retailer I used to work for. “WHY ON EARTH WOULD THEY CHANGE THE NAME IF THAT’S THE ONLY DIFFERENCE THEY’RE GOING TO MAKE!?” To be perfectly honest, I don’t know. It’s something we used to gripe about at the water cooler when we realized the price books were wrong and we sold 2000 dollar treadmills for pennies on the dollar.

Here is the Horizon T91 and the T81 side by side. See how identical they are?

On the brighter side, one thing that has not been upgraded is the price. Horizon Fitness has held the line at $599 for the past several years and that’s particularly amazing considering a wide trend across the fitness industry to compensate for rising fuel and commodity prices. I can already tell the Horizon T91 Treadmill is going to be strong contender for my 2009 Best Buy Awards.

Since there’s not really much new to talk about here I’ll just cover some of the highlights of the Horizon T91 Treadmill. I hate repeating myself, but for the sake of writing a decent treadmill review I have to do it. I’m particularly fond of the 275 lb. user weight capacity. Most treadmills for less than six hundred bucks are crap. You will be hard pressed to find a treadmill that can compete with the T91 in user weight capacity and price, the closest you’ll come is 225 or 250 lbs. tops. Trust me, that 25-50 lbs. makes a huge difference on your motor over time.

Speaking of the motor, Horizon Fitness outclasses the competition once more. There is a full 2 horsepower motor to power this treadmill. That means less slipping and a longer lasting treadmill. Be careful, a lot of companies will try to fool you with peak horse power. Pay attention to the continuous duty rating rather than peak horsepower rating, it’s a much better indicator of how well a treadmill will perform over the long haul and with larger users.

The last thing I want to mention is speed. Treadmills in the Horizon T91 Treadmill price range generally offer 8-9 MPH worth of top speed. Not the case with the Horizon T91. You’re a full 10 MPH!!! Once again, and I probably sound like a parrot by now, that’s much better than just about any treadmill in this class. The Horizon T91 Treadmill is a strong buy and it has earned 5 stars out of 5 for a low price, quality frame, excellent fitness programs and a myriad of other features.

Read Horizon T91 User Reviews

Horizon Evolve Treadmill Review

2008-07-30T14:46:00.001-07:00

Hello Loyal Treadmill Master Fans!

Treadmill Review: Horizon Evolve Treadmill
Treadmill Rating: 5 stars if you're looking to do some light exercise
Price: $499.99
Click to Buy The Horizon Evolve Compact Treadmill

I’m back after a much needed and greatly extended vacation. It’s almost August and that means we’ll be heading in to the busy season come September so I figured it was time to get off my lazy butt and start reviewing treadmills again! The first treadmill on my list is the Horizon Evolve Compact Treadmill.

Built with the reliability and comfort of a Horizon Treadmill but delivered with the price tag of a much lower end and less expensive Merit Treadmill. The Horizon Evolve Treadmills is rated at 1.25 CHP, one of the more reliable measurements of a treadmill motor.

The Horizon Evolve Treadmill line is also distinctly different. It has a large panel between the front support columns, I didn’t get a chance to talk with Horizon Fitness about this just yet but I think it’s only for aesthetics and justified with a little cubby hole to put things in. Not particularly useful, but great for making their new treadmill line stand out.

Considering the price the running area is also humungous! 17” x 45” That’s much larger than the Merit 710T Treadmill’s 16” x 45” running area. I know, I know, an inch doesn’t sound like much, but to a person in the treadmill industry like me it’s huge! Trust me, if you ran on these two treadmills side by side you’ll notice a difference, especially if you’re a larger or more energetic person. (Try running on a small treadmill deck hyped up on Moutain Dew and tell me an inch wouldn’t make all the difference in the world!)

Well, I’ve talked this treadmill up and it’s time to get to the downside of the Horizon Fitness Evolve Treadmill. Yes, there is a downside. There always is with great bargains! The Horizon Evolve has a max speed of 6 MPH. For most people that’s hardly even a jog, and you can forget about sprinting. The 6 MPH speed makes the Horizon Evolve Treadmill good for one thing, walking and speed walking. If you’re looking for a treadmill to train for a marathon or do some serious cardiovascular training check out the Horizon T81 or any Sole or Bowflex Treadmill. But if you’re an older person or someone who just needs a place to walk in comfort, at $500 delivered from Amazon.com this baby is a steal.

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2008-07-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

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Merit 720T Treadmill Review

2008-04-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

Merit 720T Treadmill Review
Merit 720T Treadmill Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Price: $499.99
Good morning!

It's been a while since my last review. I got the flu last week and I couldn't really type. It's okay because I'm back fresh new reviews. After reviewing my queue I have decided to review the merit 720T I've decided to review another low cost treadmill because I saw gas prices creeping near four dollars a gallon yesterday. We’re all looking for ways to save money and I thought this would be an excellent way to help save my readers money and still get a quality treadmill.

I mentioned this in my 710T review but I'll mention it again. Merit treadmills are manufactured by Horizon Fitness, one of my favorite fitness equipment companies. Unfortunately Horizon Fitness decided to play numbers games with the Merit treadmill line and include continuous duty horsepower and peak horsepower. I'm always disappointed with a company that decides to play numbers games with their specifications, it just seems like they're trying to hide something. Despite this, horizon fitness has managed to manufacture a decent treadmill for under $500.

The Merit 720T Treadmill is the best treadmill under $600. I'm not going to lie to you and say that this treadmill and withstand abuse from users is heavy as 300 pounds, but considering the price the best treadmill on the market. The Merit 720T Treadmill has a maximum speed of about 10 mph; heavier users above 250 pounds will probably experience belt slippage at higher speeds but walking should be fine for most users.

One of the things that surprises me about the treadmill and it's cheap is the running area. Most treadmills, even treadmills several hundred dollars more expensive than the 720 t have smaller running areas. The running area is one of the reasons I feel comfortable offering this treadmill to my loyal readers

Before I tell my readers to buy this treadmill I just one note that the warranty is a little short. I would like to see six month to a year long labor warranty, but you can't get everything you want. Despite the warranty this is still one of the better treadmills under $500. If you're bargain shopper ensure you'll be happy with this purchase just don't expect strength for the Los Angeles Marathon the Merit 720T Treadmill.

Nautilus EV7.17 Pro Series Elliptical Trainer

2008-04-02T13:56:00.001-07:00

Nautilus EV7.18 Pro Series Elliptical Trainer
Nautilus EV7.18 Pro Series Elliptical Rating: 4 stars out of 5 for superior mechanics, excellent fitness programs, and being the most natural feeling elliptical trainer man has ever made
Price: $3299
Click To Buy The Nautilus EV7.16 Pro Series Elliptical Trainer

Hello Readers!

For the past several months we’ve been covering excellent home grade treadmills and elliptical trainers. I want to break that trend by covering some high end fitness equipment for my readers that have been emailing me about the best elliptical or treadmill “money can buy”. If you’re ready to leave your dropping jaw at the door, here is my Nautilus EV7.18 Pro Series Elliptical Trainer Review.

When I first set eyes on the Nautilus EV7.16 Pro Series Elliptical Trainer I thought “that has to be the worst feeling elliptical trainer ever!” Like so many other people I was fooled by the revolutionary new frame design that keeps bobbing up and down to a bare minimum, reduces stress on joints, and doesn’t aggravate the Achilles tendon. (Sore Achilles tendons are a problem for some elliptical trainer users.) It feels smooth. It feels smooth even for elliptical trainers in the 2k – 3k price range! I feel like I could run on the Nautilus EV7 nearly all day if I felt like it. If you’re looking for smooth motion, natural motion, you have found it!

As far as programs go, this thing is packed! This elliptical trainer is equipped with 4 heart rate control programs. As my regular readers well know, heart rate control helps a user stay within an ideal heart rate range, burning off fat and improving cardiovascular endurance much faster than your typical treadmill or elliptical. There’s also 20 resistance levels. I’ve seen a few elliptical trainers with 25 or more, but 20 is really all anybody needs at the most to have a well tuned workout.

One of the other things I really like is the My Nautilus Diary. It enables users to track workouts, results, and progress. It’s an excellent feature that helps motivate users to step up their game and continue working out.

There’s just one problem. The warranty is less than stellar. The Nautilus comes with a 1 year labor and 10 year parts warranty. If I’m going to buy a several thousand dollar piece of fitness equipment, I would like the peace of mind knowing it’s going to last at least a few years and if it were to fail, I wouldn’t be footing the repair bill.

Like I’ve said before, take my reviews with a grain of salt. If you like the motion and don’t mind the short warranty, go ahead and get it. Remember, the most important thing to do when finding an elliptical trainer is finding an elliptical trainer you feel comfortable using, not what some guy with a computer and internet connection thinks.

Body Solid EXM 1500s Home Gym Review

2008-04-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

Body Solid EXM1500s Home Gym Review
Body Solid EXM 1500s Home Gym Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 for offering lots of features for a very small price
Price: $699
Click To Buy The Body-Solid EXM1500S Home Gym

Hello Readers,

Today is an important day for the Treadmill Master! I have finally found the time to blog about one of my favorite home gym companies, Body Solid Fitness! Body Solid has been in business for decades and continues to produce some of the best residential grade home gyms and commercial grade home gyms in the industry. If you’re looking for a good weight stack home gym for your workout room or garage, one of the best places to start is Body Solid.

I have chosen an oldie but goodie for my first Body Solid Home Gym Review. The Body Solid 1500s has been time tested and around for several years. Unlike many other home gyms, the design of the Body Solid 1500s Home Gym has been left unchanged for several years. Let’s take a close look to understand why Body Solid has not felt the urge to redesign and repackage the Body Solid 1500s Home Gym.

One of the things that irk me most about home gyms is the guide rods. Guide rods are the poles the weight stack slides up and down. The weight stacks of poorly designed and manufactured home gyms tend to bump and sometimes grind against the guide rods. The noise can easily distract someone trying to concentrate during an intense home gym workout, never mind bumping which can cause someone to lose grip letting the weight stack fall and crack. A home gym with bad guide rods is unacceptable. During my many hours spent with the Body Solid 1500s I’ve not once experienced the “bump and grind” of the guide rods and found the home gym to be extremely stable.

Along that note, the base of the frame is perfect! It prevents a lot of the shaking and wobbling I’ve experienced on other home gyms that make working unpleasant and sometimes dangerous. I have seen a home gym tip over from someone performing a moderate workout. It was a horrible piece and there were rumors the company that shall remain nameless suffered some horrible lawsuits.

As far as exercises go, the Body Solid 1500s Home Gym has plenty to go around. Users can work out legs, arms, chest, and back. There’s also an excellent illustrated poster that demonstrates how to perform all the exercises that can be done on the Body Solid 1500s Home Gym. If you’re worried about resistance, the 1500s comes with a 160 lb. weight stack that can be upgraded to 210 lbs. If you reach your limits with the standard 160 lbs. of resistance, there’s always plenty of room to grow!

One last thing I want to mention is warranty. Body Solid offers the best home gym warranties in the business because they know and I know their home gyms are the best. They will not break down the moment it comes through your door. Body Solid knows their craftsmanship is top notch and they back their claims up with their wallet!

At $699 the price is just right. I think Amazon has a sale right now and sells it for about $20 bucks less. You can also get a free pair of weight lifting gloves with the purchase of the Body Solid 1500s Home Gym. If you are in the market for a selectorized or weight stack resistance home gym, the Body Solid 1500s is the best home gym out there!

Sincerely,
The Treadmill Master
http://treadmillmaster.blogspot.com/
treadmillmaster@gmail.com

Bowflex Motivator 2 Home Gym Review

2008-04-02T10:51:00.001-07:00

Bowflex Motivator 2 Home Gym Review
Bowflex Motivator 2 Home Gym Rating: 4. stars out of 5 for lacking a power rod upgrade.
Price: $599
Click To Buy The Bowflex Motivator 2 Home Gym

My favorite basketball team is the Los Angeles Clippers. One of the saddest games I ever went to was Clippers vs. Lakers. I sat there helpless as I saw a Shaq and Kobe laden team trounce my precious Clippers. I knew when I bought the tickets the Clippers would lose and the Lakers would win. That is kind of how I feel when I review a Bowflex Home Gym, I know Bowflex is going to come out on top. So, with great enthusiasm I present the Bowflex Motivator 2 Home Gym.

The Bowflex Motivator 2 is most comparable to the Bowflex Xceed in price, but not in function. The Motivator 2 feels more like a mechanical weight bench than a home gym. The power rod resistance is smooth, not jerky so long as the user is working with a weight resistance he or she is physically capable of using. Setting a resistance rod home gym at the highest resistance level then complaining the motion is jerky is an unfair way to judge any power rod resistance system.

One of the things I really like about the Bowflex Motivator 2 is the folding design. It folds down to about 2’ x 3’, that’s impressively small! I don’t have too much space to spare in my home and I don’t have the cash to afford more living space so the folding design really makes the Bowflex Motivator 2 Home Gym an attractive piece of fitness equipment to keep in the home.

The Bowflex Motivator 2 Home Gym probably does rowing best out of all the Bowflex Home Gyms. The bench and mechanics of the Bowflex Motivator 2 Home Gym make rowing motion feel smooth and natural. Rowing is great for building muscles and cardiovascular workouts! Users can perform over 50 other exercises including chest press, leg curls, and leg extensions.

One of the most critical mistakes a home gym manufacturer makes is failing to include instructions. Most people who buy a home gym lack the knowledge to properly use their home gym, fail to get results, then stop using their equipment. Bowflex has included an excellent instructional guide with every Bowflex Motivator 2 Home Gym detailing how to perform each exercise and use each station.

My one complaint and the reason why the Bowflex Motivatror 2 Home Gym has been slightly marked down is resistance. Most other Bowflex Home Gyms can be upgraded with more intense resistance rods. This is not the case with the Bowflex Motivator 2 Gym. Just know there is no room to grow with the Bowflex Motivator 2 Home Gym.

Spirit ZE120 Elliptical Trainer Review

2008-03-31T14:49:00.000-07:00

Spirit ZE120 Elliptical Trainer Review
Spirit ZE120 Elliptical Trainer Rating: 3 stars out of 5 for no heart rate control
Price: $1199
Click To Buy The Spirit Fitness ZE120 Elliptical Trainer

Hello Everyone!

The smog has once again cleared and it’s a beautiful day in Los Angeles! I plan on going to a canyon half an hour from here and swimming later today. Before I can do that I have to write my Spirit ZE120 Elliptical Trainer Review. The Spirit ZE120 can best be described as the middle man. It’s middle of the road when it comes to price, resistance levels, programs, and warranty. It’s not the best elliptical trainer out there, it’s in the middle.

First, I want to let everyone know that Spirit treadmills and ellipticals are the same as Sole treadmills and ellitpicals. They have different consoles and frames, but the hardware inside of them are the same. If you hear good things about Sole Treadmills and bad things about Spirit Treadmills on the same site, it’s a good sign the site was written by someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Treadmill Doctor is a prime example of a website that has extremely misleading information! I don’t trust them!

Anyway, the Spirit ZE120 has 16 resistance levels. That’s decent for this price range. There are cheaper elliptical trainers with the same amount of resistance levels that are $100 - $200 less expensive. Still 16 resistance levels aren’t all that bad for the price tag. Once again the Spirit ZE120 fails to beat out other elliptical trainers in the $1000 price range with a 300 lb. maximum user weight capacity. Like the resistance levels, the user weight capacity is okay.

The Spirit ZE120 has a 20” stride length. I know this is getting old already, but 20” is decent. Maybe if Spirit had decided to spend a few extra bucks to give the Spirit ZE120 Elliptical a 22” stride length I could get excited and say there’s a good reason to spend an extra $150 bucks, but I can’t.

I thought about going in to a little bit more detail about programs and warranty, but I’m already starting to think “why bother?” There’s no point in it. First of all, this is a Sole Elliptical Trainer repackaged as a Spirit Elliptical Trainer, second of all there are other elliptical trainers much cheaper that offer similar and in most cases, better features than the Spirit ZE120. To top it all off the Spirit ZE120 doesn’t even come with heart rate control!

I hate reviewing treadmills and elliptical trainers like this, good enough not to be horrible but bad enough to be great. It’s just hard to write when I’m not passionately for or against something. Anyway, I wish you luck in your search for an elliptical trainer.

Sincerely,
The Treadmill Master
http://horizontreadmillreviews.blogspot.com

Treadmill Chooser

2008-03-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

I've created a treadmill chooser to help people find a treadmill. If you're having trouble finding the right one, try using my Treadmill Chooser.
Click For the Treadmill Chooser

Bowflex Xceed Alternatives

2008-03-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

I’m sorry to inform you that the Bowflex Xceed Home Gym is temporarily out of stock. It will probably be available again in couple weeks. If you can’t wait that long, here is a list of other home gyms you might want to consider to get a head start on building your beach body. These aren’t full, detailed home gym reviews, just quick overviews of gyms comparable to the Bowflex Xceed Home Gym.

Stamina Viper Leverage System Home Gym
I’m surprised to say this, but Stamina Fitness did an excellent job with the Viper Home Gym. It uses free weights for resistance as opposed the much easier to use resistance rod system. Users put effective workouts together that target chest, arms, back and legs. It’s about a hundred bucks more than the Bowflex Xceed and will cost even more if you don’t already have a free weight system. But the Stamina Viper Home Gym is a little more versatile.

Body Solid EXM 1500s Home Gym
This is probably the best basic home gym out there. The Body Solid EXM 1500s uses weight stacks to provide as much as 160 lbs. of resistance. I personally prefer weight stack resistance over resistance bands, it just feels a lot smoother to me. If weight stacks are your thing and you’re looking to build large muscles or tone, you can definitely do it with the Body Solid EXM 1500s.

Bowflex Xtreme XTLU Home Gym
The Bowflex Xtreme XTLU Home Gym is a more feature packed version of the Bowflex Xceed. Anything you can do with the Bowflex Xceed you can do with the Bowflex Xtreme XTLU and more. If you had your heart set on a Bowflex Xceed Home Gym, this is the next best alternative.

Bowflex Motivator Home Gym
Like the Bowflex Xceed, the Bowflex Motivator is employs a resistance band based system to provide resistance. It’s not an exact replica in terms of features, but it’s the exact same price as the Bowflex Xceed and you may even prefer it! Give it a chance and check it out.

Well, I’m very sorry the Bowflex Xceed Home Gym is out of stock. I’ll post a note on here when it’s back in stock. If you can’t wait a few weeks for it to come back you should really take a look at these home gyms. They’re closest in price and features to the Bowflex Xceed.

BodyCraft TR1140 Treadmill Review

2008-03-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers!

BodyCraft TR1140 Treadmill Review
BodyCraft TR1140 Treadmill Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5 for being outdone by several other treadmills in the same price range
Price: $1499.99
Click To Buy The BodyCraft TR1140 Treadmill

It looks like my day is finally winding down and I’ll soon be spending the night playing Smash Bros. Brawl and eating Cheese Danishes. Before I call it a day I wanted to talk about another treadmill under $1500. Today I bring you a review of the BodyCraft TR1140 or 1140 as some people are probably searching for it.

I remember going to Burger King a couple years ago and seeing tacos on the menu for the first time. I was aghast. Completely aghast. “What are tacos doing on a hamburger menu?” My world began to crumble as I thought of the other horrors that could befall my world like McDonald’s serving chicken teriyaki or donut shops selling Chinese food. That’s how I felt when I first saw BodyCraft making treadmills. BodyCraft makes some of my favorite strength equipment like the well designed BodyCraft Xpress Pro Home Gym, but I don’t think I want to run on one of their treadmills. I’ll try to put my bias aside for half an hour and give the BodyCraft TR1140 a fair chance.

I do want to praise BodyCraft for one thing, the 2 year labor and 5 year parts warranty. As I’ve said before, it’s rare to find that long a warranty in a treadmill under $1500. Aside from the stellar warranty, my praise for the BodyCraft TR1140 ends here.

The treadmill motor is weak, very weak in fact. Most treadmills in the $1500 price range include a 3 or greater horsepower motor. The BodyCraft TR1140 is built with a 2.25 HP motor. That is unacceptable for the amount of money BodyCraft is asking for. It’s like being asked to pay $10 for a Big Mac. It really is that bad!

Next, the programs are lacking. Sure, the BodyCraft TR1140 has heart rate control and ten programs to choose from. But that’s simply not enough! I would really like to see BodyCraft spend a couple extra bucks to put 15 fitness programs. I like diversity, and doing the same workouts over and over can get monotonous and boring.

I can only find it in me to complain about one more thing, comfort. The BodyCraft TR1140 is not comfortable. It feels more like a trampoline than a treadmill deck to me. I feel like I’m going to fly off the deck and hit the ceiling when I’m running on it! The BodyCraft TR1140 simply isn’t for me and I doubt you’ll be happy with it either!

If you’re searching for a better alternative check out my Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill Review or my Sole F80 Treadmill Review. They’re both excellent treadmills this price range and I think you’ll be far more likely to actually use them because they’re comfortable and feature packed.

Horizon Fitness Elliptical Trainer Buyer's Guide and Review

2008-03-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

After being in the fitness industry for more than four years I’ve seen some very interesting trends. One of the most common trends is the dominance of Horizon Fitness Elliptical Trainers in the under $1000 price range. If you’re looking for a well made elliptical trainer for under a thousand dollars, Horizon Fitness offers the best options. In this Horizon Fitness Brand Review, we’ll cover the most popular Horizon Fitness elliptical trainers including features, pricing, and my personal experience with Horizon Fitness Elliptical Trainers.

Horizon EX56 Elliptical Trainer
Coming in at $599, the Horizon EX56 is Horizon’s cheapest elliptical trainer. Don’t underestimate the performance of the EX56, the Horizon EX56 sells well because it has the most natural feel for an elliptical trainer in the $600 price range. It has 8 resistance levels, built in heart rate monitoring, and 8 fitness programs. The 18” stride length dwarfs most elliptical trainers in this price range. Longer stride lengths deliver more natural motion than shorter stride lengths, especially for taller people. Just be mindful of who plans on using the Horizon EX56, it can support users up to 250 lbs., any more weight and there’s a good chance the frame will bow.

Horizon EX66 Elliptical Trainer
The big difference between the Horizon EX56 and the Horizon EX66 is programs. Fitness programs can make or break an elliptical trainer and Horizon Fitness has packed the Horizon EX66 Elliptical Trainer full of programs. If you’re new to cardio training, fitness programs can serve as a personal trainer encouraging you to go longer and creating a mixture of resistance, workout intensity, and duration to help get the most from an workout. The Horizon EX66 is well worth the extra $200 to receive the benefits from the wide variety of fitness program options.

Horizon EX76 Elliptical Trainer
The Horizon EX76 is flagship of Horizon’s elliptical trainer lineup. It sets itself apart from the other two Horizon Fitness Elliptical Trainers with a sturdier frame, even more programs, and heart rate control. Heart Rate Control can greatly increase the effectiveness of a cardio workout. Did you know the human body burns fat faster at certain heart rates? Heart Rate Control can help a cardio trainer reach and stay within a specific heart rate. Heart Rate Control tells a fitness program the heart is working too much or too little then adjusts workout intensity to stay within an ideal heart rate range.

That’s not all. You’re not likely to find another elliptical trainer under $1000 that’s this solid. Poorly designed or manufactured elliptical trainer frames can wobble and shake. Shaking is incredibly distracting and noisy and is a sure sign your elliptical trainer won’t survive more than a couple years of workouts.

Final Thoughts
Horizon Fitness elliptical trainers are the best elliptical trainers under a $1000. You’re not likely to find anything in this price range that doesn’t have significant mechanical issue or skimps on crucial features like fitness programs and resistance levels. If you’ve been searching for the best cheap elliptical trainers, the Horizon Fitness brand is your best choice!

Sole F80 Treadmill Review

2008-03-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

Sole F80 2008 Treadmill Review
Sole F80 Treadmill Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 for an excellent warranty and shock absorption system
Price: $1499.00
Click Now To Buy The Sole Fitness F80 Treadmill

Hello Everyone!

This week I’m hard at work building my first ever “Master Awards” for treadmill manufacturers that have mastered the art of designing and manufacturing treadmills. I’ll have a list of the best treadmills and elliptical trainers available for 2008. It should be out by Friday, so if you’re looking for a quick list of the best treadmills check back here at noon this Friday! In the mean time, here is a strong contender a Master Award, I present the Sole F80 Treadmill.

The Sole F80 does have some tough competition, including the Bowflex Series 7 and a couple treadmills from Spirit. Let me explain why it’s a strong contender this year for my best buy treadmill awards! First, the warranty can’t be beat. The next treadmill I buy is going to have at least a year long parts and labor warranty. A good warranty indicates a good treadmill, plain and simple. If a treadmill company doesn’t trust their treadmills enough to back it with their own money, I’m not going to buy the treadmill. One of the reasons why the Sole F80 has earned one of my highest ratings is the exceptional warranty. Five year parts and two year labor is outstanding. I have not seen another treadmill in the $1500 price range that even comes close! The only other treadmills I can think of off the top of my head that match or beat a two year labor and five year parts warranty are Star Trac, Landice, and Matrix. Needless to say, they sell for several thousand dollars a piece.

Fifteen hundred bucks is a lot of money. If I were to shell out that much for a treadmill my expectations would be extremely high. The Sole F80 meets and beats those expectations hands down. The motor is extremely quiet. I’ve used treadmills that screech and squeal, treadmills that sound like a crazy man mumbling, and then there are the treadmill motors like the Sole F80 that sound like a relatively quiet hum.

The Sole F80 is built solid and the shock absorption system delivers unrivaled comfort for $1500. The Sole F80 Treadmill is a stout 250 lbs. That much weight keeps a treadmill glued to the ground and prevents shaking during running routines. One of the reasons I prefer running on a treadmill as opposed to running on the street or track is it’s easier on the joints. Treadmills and the Sole F80 is particular is designed to absorb the impact of running and walking, sparing your bones.

The Sole F80 Treadmill includes about 10 fitness programs, two of which are my favorite heart rate controlled programs that will adjust intensity to help an exerciser reach a target heart rate. Ten programs is a little below average for this price range and definitely keep this treadmill from ranking any higher on my review scale. Fitness programs are important to developing a fine tuned cardio routine!

In the end, this still one of the better treadmills I’ve seen and the unparalleled 2 year labor and 5 year parts warranty makes me feel extremely comfortable recommending this treadmill to my readers. This is an excellent treadmill for runners and walkers alike and will last through many years of serious cardio training.

Click Now To Buy The Sole Fitness F80 Treadmill

Sole E55 Elliptical Trainer Review 2008

2008-03-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hello Internet Land!

Sole E55 Elliptical Trainer Review
Sole E55 Elliptical Trainer Rating: 5 stars out of 5 for being the best elliptical trainer in the $1500 price range.
Price: $1500
Click To Buy The Sole E55 Elliptical Trainer (2008 Model)

Today is a bad day. My wallet was stolen. I was forced to go to the DMV and pay a criminal $22 for a replacement license and spent another 3 hours explaining to credit bureaus that my social security card was stolen and explain to American Express that I really didn’t buy those adult movies. To top it all off, it’s smoggy. Very, very smoggy. Ahh, what to do? Well, if you’re the treadmill master reviewing good treadmills is very therapeutic. To relieve my stress and unwind, here is my Sole E55 Elliptical Trainer Review.

Sole Fitness is a relative new comer to the fitness industry and has had a lot to prove. In an effort to establish a brand name and create a fitness equipment dynasty Sole Fitness has given the Sole E55 Elliptical Trainer everything and ended up creating one of the best elliptical trainers in the $1500 price range. Let’s explore the reasons why Sole has me beaming with excitement.

First of all, the frame is solid. The Sole E55 Elliptical frame compares more to a $2500 Star Trac Elliptical than it does to other elliptical trainers of the same price range. I feel comfortable running a marathon on the Sole E55 Elliptical Trainer because I know it’s not going to shake or wobble, one of my pet peeves during long, intense workouts. I can’t begin to describe how annoying a shaky elliptical trainer or treadmill is when I’m trying to stay in the zone and keep pushing my body harder.

Comfort is another reason why I like the Sole E55 Elliptical Trainer. Comfort should be one of the prime reasons anyone buys fitness equipment. If you don’t feel comfortable using the equipment, you’re going to say “oh, but I always hit my legs on the elliptical” or “the belt slips and I feel like I’m going to fall off”. One of the reasons why the Sole E55 Elliptical is so comfortable is because it has a full 20” stride length. Imagine trying to run a marathon or walking a mile taking baby steps. That’s exactly what can happen when an elliptical trainer has too short a stride length unless you’re really short, say under 5’3”. The 20” stride length should be good for everyone from 5’3” all the way up to 6’3” tall. The foot pedals are also designed for maximum comfort. The foot pedals are adjustable and can be articulated according to personal preference.

Programs are also plentiful. The Sole E55 Elliptical Trainer has 10 fitness programs in total and several of which are compatible with heart rate control. For those not familiar with heart rate control, higher end treadmills can use a wireless heart rate monitors or built in sensors to detect your heart rate. The computer will feed your heart rate information to a fitness program and the program will automatically adjust your workout intensity to an ideal heart rate range for your specific fitness goal. It’s a really neat feature and if you’re serious about starting up a cardio routine, you’ll be glad to have purchased a treadmill with heart rate control.

If this doesn’t sell you on the Sole E55 Elliptical Trainer I don’t know what will. The warranty is the best I’ve ever seen in my entire fitness career. To date, I’ve only seen a 2 year labor warranty in elliptical trainers that go for several thousand dollars. A 2 year labor and 5 year parts warranty is virtually unheard of! I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again, I tend to trust fitness equipment with good warranties and I strongly distrust companies with poor warranties. A good treadmill warranty says “this elliptical or treadmill is perfect and we’re willing to back that up with our own money!” That’s a powerful promise from Sole Fitness!

I really don’t have much else to say about the Sole E55 2008 Elliptical Trainer except that it’s probably the best elliptical I’ve seen in 5 years. If you’re searching for the best mid-range elliptical trainer, you’ve found it!

Sincerely,
The Treadmill Master
http://horizontreadmillreviews.blogspot.com/
treadmillmaster@gmail.com
626-485-3437

Reader Email: Horizon T700 Questions and Mini Review

2008-03-25T11:03:00.001-07:00

Hello!

I’ve had a very busy couple weeks ever since I put my phone number on the site. People have been calling in everyday to ask for advice on treadmills and elliptical trainers and it’s been fun and interesting to interact with my readers. I wanted to take some time to share an email exchange between me and one of my readers. Her name is Joyce and she was looking at the Horizon T700 Treadmill. The floor is all yours Joyce.

Dear Treadmill Master,

I found your blog and wondered if you knew anything about the Horizon T700 which is the treadmill I tried out at Dick's. I can't seem to find out anything about this model on the web. I'll be 62 next week I'm 5'1” and struggling to loose weight for my son's wedding in May. Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated. I use the treadmill mostly for walking interspersed with jogging when all my aches and pains allow it. I used to run but can't any more so I swim (have a 75 foot pool open from mid April to October) treadmill and exercise bike and use my free weights. I'm reluctant to buy a treadmill on the internet and especially reluctant to buy one I haven't tried out. Any help you can give me I would greatly appreciate.

Thanks loads
Joyce

Dear Joyce,

Please remember that these are my opinions, take everything with a grain of salt. That said, the Horizon T700 Treadmill is a Dick's Sporting Goods exclusive. Manufacturers will create a treadmill or elliptical trainer for a specific manufacturer so the retailer can say "if you find a better price we'll give you your money back" knowing full well they are the only ones carrying that specific treadmill or elliptical. If you're thinking of finding it cheaper somewhere else, it's probably used or stolen.

Next, the Horizon T700 is most comparable in price, specs, and features to the Horizon T72. The T82 and the T700 have the same maximum speed, incline, running area, horsepower, weight capacity, and warranty. The main differences are programs, shock absorption, and Etrak. The T82 has a few more programs, and if you don't find using the programs to be such a big deal, I would ignore this difference. If you walk, the shock absorption will not make a shred of difference. The Horizon T72 and T700 both possess well designed frames and shock absorption systems. But if you do jog or plan on jogging, then I would probably go with the Horizon T700.

Etrak is important enough to warrant its own paragraph because this is a very cool feature. Etrak stores a user's workout statistics and tracks time, distance, speed, calories, etc. It's a great feature for making sure you're putting in enough time to meet your weight and fitness goals.

If you have any other questions I'm glad to help out.

Sincerely,
The Treadmill Master
http://horizontreadmillreviews.blogspot.com

Bowflex Series 3 Treadmill Review

2008-03-20T16:25:00.000-07:00

Bowflex Series 3 Treadmill Review
Bowflex Series 3 Treadmill Rating: 3 stars out of 5 for being outclassed by other treadmill manufacturers
Price: $999
Click To Buy The Bowflex Series 3 Treadmill

I read an article about consumer spending about a week ago indicating consumers frequently perceive products with higher price tags to be of superior quality. If you’ve been through my treadmill reviews and elliptical reviews you’ll know that this is definitely not the case in the world of fitness equipment. Today I’ll be writing a review of the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill and answering the question “Does paying more money buy a better treadmill?”

I hate to give this disclaimer for the billionth time, but I will not be questioning the quality of the Bowflex Series 3. The cushioning system is superb, approaching the quality of Horizon Fitness Treadmills; the frame construction is solid and shouldn’t shake too much so long as users stay within the 300 lb. user weight capacity, and Bowflex is an excellent company to deal with if there is a customer service issue. My Bowflex Series 3 Treadmill Review will focus on the technical specifications and features of the Bowflex Series 3. Let’s take a closer look.

Frankly, for a thousand dollars I expect a whole lot more from Bowflex or any other treadmill manufacturer. The running area has been shortchanged, 20” x 54” falls short of my recommended 20” x 55”. A 54” running length is enough for me to disregard the Bowflex Series 3 Treadmill as a viable treadmill; still the transgressions of Bowflex go even further. The Bowflex Series 3 Treadmill runs on a frail 1.75 HP motor. If you’re pushing the limits of the 300 lb. maximum user weight and decide to start a running routine, there’s a strong chance the treadmill belt will start to slip. Slipping can damage a treadmill belt and trip up the runner or walker. I’ve run on treadmills with major slipping problems and tripped, it’s not fun and very painful!

Well, let’s say you’ve decided to overlook the weak horsepower and small running area, do the fitness programs offer a saving grace? No. There is a paltry six fitness programs. Fitness programs are essential for developing an effective and regular cardio routine. Fitness programs can be likened to personal trainers who help determine what an exerciser needs to do to reach their goals and encourage them to reach them.

I strongly disagree with the near perfect 5 star rating Amazon users have given the Bowflex Series 3 Treadmill. Most users who bought and use the Bowflex Series 3 Treadmill say it is solid and smooth. They’re right it is very solid and it is very smooth. The reason why the Series 3 has not earned a 4 or 5 star rating is price. There are better treadmills out there for less money. The Horizon T83 Treadmill is an excellent example of value and quality combined.

Just do some shopping and research. That’s all I’m saying.

Just A Quick Update

2008-03-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

Well, things are getting busy and I might be away for a little while. Just a little bit about what I have cookin:

Reviews:
Complete Matrix Treadmill Reviews including the Matrix MX T3XI and the T5X
BodyCraft 1140
Complete review of Fuel Elliptical Trainers

Guides
M first Best Buy Guide

Hope to see you all back soon. Thanks for stopping by!

Schwinn 438 Elliptical Trainer

2008-03-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

Schwinn 438 Elliptical Trainer Review
Schwinn 438 Elliptical Trainer Rating: 5 stars out of 5 for impressive features and including a 1 year warranty
Price: $999
Click To Buy The Schwinn 438 Elliptical Trainer

It looks like the Schwinn 438 Elliptical Trainer is finally the next elliptical on my review queue. I know I’ve been ranting about Schwinn and the inadequate labor warranty on most of their elliptical trainers, but I’ve finally gotten to the one Schwinn Elliptical Trainer I can recommend without having to wonder if I made a good recommendation. Here is my review of the Schwinn 438 Elliptical Trainer.

One of the reasons I like Schwinn fitness equipment in general is their commitment to designing and building quality fitness equipment. Schwinn has been in the fitness equipment industry for more than 100 years and has lived through a depression and two world wars. A company that can survive that long in world that reinvents itself every 10 years commands my respect. It just so happens Schwinn’s 438 Elliptical Trainer also commands my respect.

If you’ve had the chance to read some of my other Schwinn Elliptical Reviews you’ll notice a common complaint, good equipment, bad warranty. I’m glad to say the Schwinn 438 Elliptical Trainer does not suffer from a short warranty. It has an industry standard 2 year parts and 1 year labor guarantee. This isn’t the best warranty I’ve seen, but it’s enough to make me feel confident reccomending the Schwinn 438 Elliptical Trainer to people if it can pass my rigorous features, stability, and feel test.

As far as comfort and feel are concerned the Schwinn 438 earns high marks. I’m not going to lie and say it’s as stable as a $2500 Star Trac Elliptical, but it is stable enough to support most people up to 300 lbs. without any significant loss in performance.
Schwinn 438 Elliptical users are not victims of the “sandbox effect” either, a term I use to describe elliptical trainers that make the user feel as if they’re running through sand. Users who purchase an elliptical suffering from the sandbox effect tend to stop working out and their fitness routine is back to square one within weeks.

Programs are abundant. The Scwhinn 438 Elliptical has 21 programs, many of which can be used with the heart rate control feature. Heart rate control helps keep a user within a specific heart rate range. Certain heart rate ranges are better for losing weight than others, stay inside your heart rate range and get the most results possible from every second of your workout.

The only possible improvement that could have been made to the Schwinn 438 Elliptical trainer is a longer stride length. A longer stride length would make the Schwinn 438 Elliptical Trainer the perfect elliptical trainer. Still, the $999 price tag is extremely attractive considering the smooth feel, excellent fitness programs, and frame stability. If you’re looking for a great mid-range elliptical trainer, the Schwinn 438 Elliptical trainer is going to be one of your best options.

Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer Review

2008-03-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer Review
Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Price: $799
Click To Buy The Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer

The Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer is decent. It’s not great and it’s definitely not bad. It’s decent. Like so many other Elliptical Trainers from Schwinn, the Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer suffers from a critical problem, warranty. Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer has a shockingly short 6 month labor warranty. If you’re one of the unfortunate people with a defective drive system labor can cost between $50 and $250! I’ve ranted so many times that I just can’t seem to trust an elliptical trainer or treadmill from any company if the company is not willing to say “we’re so confident in our design, we’ll fix any defects free of charge for the next year.” Schwinn has not sent that message to the consumer or this reviewer.

There is a couple redeeming qualities. Schwinn has tried to compensate for a lacking treadmill warranty by packing in tons of features. There are over 19 fitness programs. That’s a lot by just about any standard, even considering higher end Star Trac and Matrix ellipticals.

The motion is excellent and the mechanics are nearly silent. The Schwinn 431 has one of the smoother feels in the under $999 price range. The Schwinn 431 Elliptical has an 18” range of motion, okay it’s not 20” like some of the $3000 elliptical trainers out there, but 18” is more than enough for most people. Go ahead and shake it, it won’t move too much and stay just as steady when you work out on it. There are also plenty of resistance levels to gradually increase the intensity of your cardio routine.

After considering all these factors I began to become torn. How do I rank an elliptical with a poor warranty but some of the best features and mechanics around? I know I’m not going to feel happy or right about anything I put, and I’m probably going to want to mess with the rating and update this page after I hit publish, but I know my rating has to stand. If Schwinn decides to come around and offer a better warranty my rating will skyrocket, but for now I rate the Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer 3.5 stars out of 5 for delivering a superb piece of fitness equipment but failing to back it up with a good warranty.

There, I have spoken my peace and will go take a relaxing shower to relax after this intense elliptical trainer review.

Deal of the Week: Horizon T72 and Horizon T74 Treadmills Dirt Cheap!

2008-03-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

Horizon Treadmill Deal of the Week

It seems prices keep going lower and lower on 2007 Horizon Fitness Treadmills. One Amazon Treadmill Deal I’m having trouble understanding is the Horizon T74. At the current $699 price tag, that is hundreds of dollars below cost. Amazon’s loss is your gain. Take advantage of these offers today!

Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer Review

2008-03-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer Review
Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5 for a horrible warranty
Price: $599
Click To Buy The Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer

If you’ve had a chance to look through my reviews you’ll notice I like different brands for different things. I like Horizon Fitness for bargain treadmills and ellipticals, I like Star Trac for high end home fitness equipment, and I like Schwinn for mid-range elliptical trainers. That brings me to my review of the Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer.
(A different take on this elliptical trainer)

The Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer takes aim at the under $600 crowd. When I first started researching the Schwinn 430 I was somewhat impressed with the specs. The Schwinn 430 has an above average stride length and more resistance levels than your average bargain elliptical trainer. The 275 lb. user weight capacity was also an impressive benchmark considering the fairly small price tag. There are 8 programs, and that is pretty much standard for the price range. If Schwinn were looking to break records and sell some elliptical trainers, they would have included 10 programs.

All things considered, it’s a decent elliptical trainer with pretty good motion and an excellent set of features. There is but a single crippling flaw, the labor warranty only lasts for 90 days. A 90 day labor warranty is pathetic. If I had to compare it to something I would say it’s like buying a brand new car without brakes. It’s that bad. I don’t have a problem with the design, mechanics, or performance of the Schwinn 418, just a problem with whoever decided a 90 day labor warranty was reasonable.

If I ever saw an elliptical trainer with anything less than a full year labor warranty I would be very cautious about plopping down a couple hundred dollars to buy it. A short labor warranty indicates that a company is not willing to back their products because they know there’s a good chance something is going to break down. People, I would steer clear of the Schwinn 418 if at all possible.

If you’re a fan of Schwinn Ellipticals, I would strongly suggest you check out one of the higher end models like the Schwinn 438. It has a year long labor warranty and is an excellent set of features. If you still want a cheap elliptical trainer, I strongly suggest you check out something by Horizon Fitness. The Horizon EX56 is $599 and has a year long labor warranty. In the end, the choice is yours. I hope you choose well.

Japanese Treadmill Game

2008-03-18T11:40:00.001-07:00

Just to show you treadmills come in all shapes, sizes, and purposes.

http://view.break.com/311278 - Watch more free videos

Schwinn 418 Elliptical Trainer Review

2008-03-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

Schwinn 418 Elliptical Trainer Review
Schwinn 418 Elliptical Trainer Rating: 2 stars out of 5 for being inconsistently stellar
Price: $499
Click To Buy The Schwinn 418 Elliptical Trainer

Let’s face it, things are getting expensive. Gas is headed to $4 a gallon and I wouldn’t doubt seeing $5 a gallon gas this time next year. So, what can anyone do to combat this inflation rampage? One solution is finding cheaper stuff. For example, I switched from Dominoes Pizza to $3.99 Pizza Co. It saves us about $35 a month, we’re big pizza eaters. (And $3.99 pizza is surprisingly better than Dominoes, though I still miss the buffalo wings.) If you’re looking for fitness equipment, you could go with less expensive machines like the Schwinn 418 Elliptical Trainer, but should you? Let’s explore the Schwinn 418.

I’m not going to lie. I am giving a bad review to a good elliptical trainer. The Schwinn 418 Elliptical is one of the best low cost elliptical trainers out there, when it works. The problem is squeaking. A lot of people who bought the Schwinn 418 Elliptical Trainer report that their elliptical trainer will start to squeak after a couple uses. I’ve gone off on squeaking before and I don’t think I need to remind people a squeaking elliptical trainer is probably going to break down quickly and annoy during workouts.

But what if you’re the type of person who likes to live dangerously? You want to take your chances buying a cheap elliptical trainer in the hopes that you are one of the lucky ones who receive a best buy elliptical that doesn’t squeak. What does the Schwinn 418 offer you? Well, first of all you’re getting 8 resistance levels. Six resistance levels is less than a lot but more than adequate. Next you’re getting an 18” stride length. Lower end elliptical trainers generally stay within the 15” – 17” stride length; an 18” stride length for less than $500 is incredible!

If you do choose to take your chances and bring home the Schwinn 418 Elliptical Trainer you’ll have an incredible amount of fitness programs, eleven to be exact. There’s no heart rate control and for an elliptical under $500 I wouldn’t expect it, but it does have one of the better heart rate monitoring systems.

The frame is also extremely stable. The Schwinn 418 is not perfectly balanced, but it is well balanced and should be capable of handling a workout from people 275 lbs. and under without too much shaking.

I just wish the warranty was better. If the Schwinn 418 had a 1 year labor warranty rather than a 6 month, I would be able to boost the rating in to the 3 star territory. But it doesn’t so I can’t.

If you’re one of those people life has smiled upon and everything generally works out well, the Schwinn 418 Elliptical trainer is probably going to be one of the best elliptical trainers you ever bought. But for people like me and everyone else, there is a significant risk of this elliptical trainer malfunctioning and I wouldn’t want to deal with getting parts and service. In the end the choice is yours.

Bowflex Selecttech Adjustable Dumbbell Set Review 552

2008-03-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

Bowflex Selecttech 552 Dumbbells Review
Bowflex Selecttech 552 Dumbbells Rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars for being amazingly simple, cheap, and saving space
Price: $274
Click To Buy The Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbell Set

I was in Sears this weekend checking out Porform and Nordic Track treadmills and ellipticals when I spotted the Bowflex Selecttech Dumbbell. I have used the Bowflex Selecttech dumbbells before and think it’s high time I write up a proper review.

If you’ve ever used a dumbbell set you’ll know it can get messy. No sooner do you have the dumbbells stacked on the rack than you are asking yourself “Who decided to lose just one of the 25’s?” Let’s face it, keeping a proper set of dumbbells is messy, eats up lots of space, and expensive. Then Dumbbellius, god of Dumbbells decided to bestow upon mankind the adjustable dumbbell. The first adjustable dumbbells rarely locked in to place without a fight and felt very loose, like lifting Olympic weights without ties. Since then, designs have improved.

The Bowflex Selecttech does not suffer from what I call “lock fatigue” or a tendency to lose the ability to lock in to place after being used. Adjusting the turn knob can be a little awkward at first but most people get the rhythm down in a couple uses.

Another problem typically encountered by users of adjustable dumbbells is shaking and rattling. Yes, just like treadmills and ellipticals, poorly designed adjustable dumbbells can begin to shake and rattle when they’re being used. I hate rattling because it distracts me from my workout, indicates they will fly off and break something, and is a tell tale sign of bad fitness equipment. I stay far away from just about any fitness equipment that rattles.

A huge advantage to owning the Bowflex Selecttech Dumbbell Set is being able to adjust your dumbbell workout in 2.5 lb. increments and lift with up to 52.5 lbs. If you want to do the same thing with conventional dumbbells be prepared to pay far out the butt for it and have the zoning permit to build a 50,000 square foot exercise room. Well, you probably wouldn’t need that much space but I’m sure you get the picture. It’s going to take a lot of dumbbells to match the weight options of the Bowflex Selecttech Adjustable dumbbell.

The Bowflex Selecttech 552 Adjustable Dumbbell set comes in at just under $375 and does a remarkable job justifying the price tag. If you’re looking for a really good dumbbell set without wasting tons of cash or taking up a whole lot of space, the Bowflex Selecttech Dumbbells are one of your best options.

Bowflex Xceed Home Gym Review

2008-03-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

The Bowflex Xceed Home Gym is currently out of Stock. Click For Alternatives!

Bowflex Xceed Home Gym Review
Bowflex Xceed Home Gym Rating: 4 stars out of 5 for being a good all around home gym.
Price: $599
Click To Buy The Bowflex Xceed Home Gym

I couldn’t consider myself a responsible Treadmill Master if I didn’t help my loyal readers develop a well rounded fitness routine. A well rounded workout means strength training. I had the hardest time getting in to a strength routine, I always liked cardio! But it’s okay, I started and maintained a strength routine and you can too! That’s why I’m going to blog my first Home Gym Review. I hope you like! Here it is, my Bowflex Xceed Home Gym Review.

If you do some research you’re probably going to come across the terms selectorized and band resistance. Selectorized is a fancy way of saying a home gym uses a weight stack for resistance. Band resistance means a home gym uses resistance bands for resistance. Bowflex Gyms use band resistance and the Bowflex Xceed is an excellent example of how well a resistance band home gym can perform. Let’s examine the Bowflex Xceed Home Gym a little closer.

The Bowflex Xceed comes with a variety of stations that enables users to target legs, arms, chest, back, and shoulders. But the same is true of just about any strength training equipment. A rock can be used to “target” your entire body simply by lifting it. Because this term is so misleading I judge a home gym based on how many exercises a user can perform. This home gym can be used to perform about 65 exercises give or take a few a few; most of the popular exercises such as pull downs and leg press can be performed but I would really take a good hard look at this gym and incorporate some of the less used elements like the pulley station; you’ll work out a lot of other muscle groups and prevent atrophy.

One of the more useful things found on this home gym is the adjustable seat. A lot of home gyms design their gyms with stationary seats because it’s easier and cheaper to make them that way. Bowflex has met the challenge of creating a home gym that can comfortably accommodate users of a wide variety of shapes and sizes by incorporating a seat that can be adjusted according to a user’s height, leg, and arm length.

If you look at the base of the frame you might notice an X shape. The X shape keeps the Bowflex Xceed very stable during workouts. Unstable home gym frames can cause a strength trainer to suffer from a case of “the shakes”, a condition seen also seen in treadmills and elliptical trainers that can prematurely wear down the frame of your equipment, generate a lot of rattling noise, and compromise the quality of your workout.

The last thing I want to talk about is resistance. Band resistance is significantly cheaper than selectorized or weight stack resistance. The Bowflex Xceed offers 310 lbs. of resistance compared to most other weight stack home gyms that offer 210 lbs. of resistance in $600 price range. That’s over 100 lbs. more resistance. If you plan on building a lot of muscle and want a lot of room to grow, the Bowflex Xceed is an excellent choice.

Sole E55 Elliptical Trainer Review

2008-03-10T14:59:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers!

I’m back with another excellent elliptical trainer review. I’ll skip my boring life update for now. I really want to get down to business today. I want to finish reviewing the Sole Fitness elliptical trainer line so you can expect to see a couple of reviews going up today. Here is my review of the Sole E55 Elliptical Trainer

The first thing I want to do is praise Sole Fitness for a remarkable warranty across the board. The Sole 35, Sole E55, and Sole E95 Elliptical trainers come with a 5 year parts and 2 year labor warranty. That’s an incredible warranty and dwarfs the warranty of most other elliptical trainer manufacturers. If you’re worried about your elliptical breaking down on you, Sole Fitness has you covered!

The Sole E55 Elliptical Trainer is an excellent elliptical for heavy people who have a lot of weight to lose. It has a very heavy duty frame designed to support large user weights. Users who are 6’2” and 260 lbs. can push their intensity level to the max and not worry about a wobbling frame or creaks. By the way, if your elliptical trainer squeaks it’s a bad sign. Something is scraping or improperly lubricated. Squeaking will ruin your elliptical!

Sole has gone to great lengths with the E55 Elliptical to deliver the most amount of comfort possible. If you’ve ever worked out on an elliptical trainer you might have noticed aching in your Achilles tendon or your toes becoming numb. Sole Fitness has addressed this problem with unique and innovative solutions such as an adjustable foot pedals. If you exercise with the E55 a little bit, just keep messing with the pedals, you’ll find the perfect settings and your feet will thank you. The Sole E55 is also incredibly smooth. The difference between an elliptical trainer that scrapes and one that doesn’t is stark to say the least. Don’t find yourself stuck with an elliptical trainer that isn’t comfortable, I can practically guarantee you won’t use it.

Another reason why the Sole E55 Elliptical is good for people trying to lose weight is the wide variety of heart rate control programs. Heart rate control programs help users target their ideal heart rate range for losing weight by automatically raising or lowering the intensity of your workout. If you’re serious about losing weight, a solid, smooth elliptical trainer combined with heart rate control programs will get to your goals as soon as humanly possible.

The Sole E55 has so many levels you can tweak your workout. Most elliptical trainers have about 10, maybe 12; 20 full resistance levels lets users adjust intensity levels in very small increments. It’s excellent for people looking to gradually build endurance and improve performance.

One last thing I want to mention before I wrap up this Sole Elliptical Review is the built in MP3 player input and speakers. MP3 / Ipod support is something relatively new to the world of elliptical trainers, and there is plenty of room for improvement. (Did you hear that zealous elliptical trainer company looking to improve their brand?) But the speakers deliver decent sound quality, my problem is volume. I just wish they could be louder, the built in speakers are no match for a radio though.

This is one of the best Sole Elliptical Trainers. The $1449 price tag is more than reasonable consider the vast amount of resistance levels, programs, built in MP3 support, and the super incredible 5 year parts and 2 year labor warranty. The Sole E55 Elliptical is definitely a strong buy.

Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer Review

2008-03-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

Hello Readers,

In case you haven’t noticed, I have made a foray in to other treadmill and elliptical brands. I’ve also started reviewing exercise bikes. Look for a greater diversity of treadmill brands in the pipeline! Okay, let’s get down to business. Here is my review of the Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer.

Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer Review
Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer Rating: 1 star out of 5 for being identical to the Sole E55 but costing a lot more.
Price: $Arm, Leg, and Firstborn
Click Now To Buy The Sole Fitness E95 Elliptical Direct From Sole

I could talk about how the Sole E95 Elliptical has an extremely solid frame. I could mention that a 400 lb. user should have no problems with the “quakes”, the very scientific term (Yes, I said scientific.) I use to describe fitness equipment with unstable frames that rattle and shake when being used. There’s also the enormous selection of user programs. (I think Sole has some of the better heart rate control fitness programs right now.) But I’m not going to talk about those things because there is a single fundamental flaw in the Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer. It has nothing to do with design or malfunctions, but everything to do with the dreaded marketing department.

Ah yes, the marketing department; the people who foul up just about any product or company with a stroke of a pen. I have had plenty of clashes with these guys myself and if you have ever worked in corporate America you probably have too. Unfortunately, it looks like the marketing department decided to take the Sole E55 and slap a Sole E95 sticker on it and charge about $250 more for it.

Let’s compare the specs for a second so this
Sole E95 Review makes sense.

As you can see, the specifications are nearly identical from the resistance levels to the built in MP3 player. The big difference is weight capacity and price. There’s a 25 lb. weight capacity difference between the Sole E55 and the Sole E95. Is that really worth paying an extra $250 more for? I can’t recommend the Sole E95 in good faith despite the fact that it is a well made elliptical trainer. The only thing Sole can do to appease the Treadmill Master is lower the price $250. Until I see that happen, go with the Sole E55 guys, you’ll be getting your moneys’ worth.

The better buy by far is the
Sole E55 Elliptical Trainer.

Horizon Fitness E54HR Elliptical Trainer Review

2008-03-05T10:11:00.001-08:00

Horizon Fitness E54HR Elliptical Review
Horizon Fitness E54HR Elliptical Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 for being cheap, but lacking a couple extras
Buy The Horizon Fitness E54HR Elliptical
Price: $1098

Hello Readers,

Ahh, today is finally chiropractor day. I look forward to it because my cardio workouts will be totally pain free and I’ll be able to twist my head to check out that girl at the track. (Just don’t tell my girlfriend.) Anyway, I thought today I could review something from Horizon Fitness’ discontinued fitness equipment line. My sore neck is making me feel like I’m getting old and that I’ll be discontinued soon. It’s my own flavor of life affirming therapy. On to the Review!

The Horizon E54HR was once the flagship of the Horizon Fitness Armada. The Horizon E54 had heart rate control, a very bright blue backlit display screen, adjustable resistance, and an ergonomic design that made working out a pleasure. Sadly, the E54HR has been discontinued and is nearly extinct. Fortunately, for the bargain hunting predator, the Horizon Fitness E54HR Elliptical Trainer is still available from online retailers who failed to sell their excess inventory.

I like a lot of things about the Horizon Fitness E54HR. First, there are 20 adjustable resistance levels; most elliptical trainers in the thousand dollar price range tend to stop at 15. The more resistance levels there are, the easier it is to fine tune a workout. I like knowing I can set the resistance just a hair higher to get the perfect amount of resistance for my workout. One of the things I’m going to miss about these units is the large foot pad; they're comfortable and provide larger people like myself enough room to shuffle my feet a bit. This was also one of the first Horizon Fitness Ellipticals to include a pivoting footpad design that reduces stress on joints, a very helpful and comfortable feature.

There are a couple things I don’t like. First, the program threshold for elliptical trainers in the $1000 price range is 12. The Horizon Fitness E54HR comes with 10. I would really like to see 15. Fitness programs make it significantly easier for the novice to buy an elliptical and start an effective training program and a mid-range elliptical trainer should include plenty of programs.

The Horizon E54 HR Elliptical is about a couple years old now. They’re still being sold new from an unopened box, but they have probably been sitting in the storage department for a couple years now. I wouldn’t worry about the age at all. Just be sure to inspect the shipment when it comes in and check for damage to the box. If there's no damage, you should be fine and you'll still be covered by an excellent warranty.