A Guide to Treadmill Reviews
July 31, 2009 by Treadmills and Elliptical Trainer Tips
Filed under About Treadmill
There are many places to go to learn about treadmill reviews. Most of these treadmill reviews go over several aspects. Some treadmill reviews go over the ease of use and functionality of the treadmill. Other treadmill reviews go over the price of the treadmills. Other treadmill reviews just go over comparing the different brands of treadmills. Some great web sites to go to for treadmill reviews are treadmilldoctor.com and treadmillreviews.net. Both of these websites have very thorough treadmill reviews.
We will go over the top 3 treadmill that were listed in the treadmill reviews. These treadmills are listed as the best buys. The first treadmill is in the below $1000 category. It is the Smooth 5.15. This treadmill has an excellent 2.5 HP motor which is never found in treadmills priced this low. It also comes with a 10 year warranty which is also never found in treadmills priced this low.
The second treadmill is in the best mid priced category. This is the Sole F83 priced at $1799.99. This treadmill has a nice 3.0 HP ultra torque motor. It also has several extended warranties. Lastly, this is a folding treadmill with several safety features that are not available with most folding treadmills. It is said to be more stable than most non folding treadmills.
Lastly, we have the best premium treadmill. This treadmill is the Landice L7 Pro Sports trainer. This treadmill is priced at $3095.00. It has a 3.0 HP Baldor motor, which may treadmill enthusiasts know is one of the best motors to have. This treadmill is made with aircraft quality aluminum and hardware. It can support a person up to 500 pounds! It also comes with a life time warranty, which suffices to say, no other treadmill can beat.
Those were the treadmill reviews for the top 3 treadmills for the year 2005. If you would like to hear the treadmill reviews of the dozens of other kinds of treadmills, simply go to one of the websites listed above to get some great information about them. All of the treadmill reviews on these websites are incredibly accurate and quite helpful. Now that you know how to learn about treadmills, it is time you got out there and picked one out! You will be glad you did
Thanks to Bob Hett for contributing this article to our Treadmill blog:
Money-Saving Tips For Treadmill Buyers
July 30, 2009 by Treadmills and Elliptical Trainer Tips
Filed under About Treadmill
Treadmill cushioning absorbs the force of your step; get good cushioning to lower the impact on your joints and ligaments. Cheaper treadmills will often give you the peak duty motor power rating, which is always higher than the continuous duty rating: know what the continuous duty rating is when comparing units. AC motors that are found in some treadmill units run at one continuous speed and rely on a transmission to regulate speed whereas units powered by DC motors use variable voltage to regulate the speed at which the belt spins.
One of the key things to remember is that the larger motors tend to run cooler and usually require less repair and maintenance. A heart rate monitor enables a treadmill to automatically adjust the speed and/or the incline to keep your heart rate within the most optimum zone. Safety features on a treadmill are especially important if you plan to work out alone or if you have small children who might accidentally start up the treadmill.
Quite a few of the treadmills available today have the ability to add an incline to your workout to duplicate running or walking uphill, thereby increasing the intensity of your workout. Notice that some treadmill heart rate monitors clip onto an ear or, for more accurate readings, strap onto the chest. The deck is the belt area on which actual running, jogging and walking take place.
One feature that is absolutely essential in a home treadmill is an emergency stop button or a safety key that automatically shuts off the power if you should stumble, trip or fall. The console indicates the belt speed and other factors, such as heart rate, miles per hour, and distance.
Any treadmill with a belt that causes jerky movements while you walk or run should be avoided. It’s important to set a strict budget and then stick to it. You’ll want a treadmill with an aluminum or high alloy steel frame that’s strong enough to support the heaviest runner who’ll be using it.
The taller a person is the longer their stride so you’ll need to choose a treadmill with a longer and wider belt. Be aware the better quality treadmills can cost as much as $5000 and have a lot of bells and whistles you don’t need. You might want to bring your water bottle and towel to the treadmill store and try out their treadmills.
The first thing to consider when shopping for a home treadmill is what you need it to do for you. Did I mention to make sure to check out the warranty fine print, this is very important. When buying a treadmill, the best savings will be for an online purchase, generally saving up to 45% over brick and mortar stores.
Before buying, make sure the deck area provides enough space for you to exercise in comfort and the belt should work smoothly without slipping or sticking. Make sure to add the cost of shipping when buying a treadmill online; quality models can be heavy and shipping will cost more, but some manufacturers do offer free shipping.
Once you’ve decided on the treadmill that you think is right for you, make sure to compare prices online with several different manufacturers. Treadmill manufacturers are competing for your business and price wars are creating big savings for buyers.
Make sure to see your doctor or naturopathic doctor before you start any new fitness or exercise program. As you increase your fitness levels, a quality treadmill will continue to assist your exercise needs as you progress to light jogging or to running. Selections of preprogrammed exercise routines are not essential to obtaining a good workout from a treadmill, but they do help to provide motivation. If you have severe problems with your legs, a treadmill may not be the best choice of home exercise equipment for you.
Read the various treadmill ratings and treadmill reviews that you find online so you have an idea which models are best for you. With help from treadmill reviews and treadmill ratings you can find the treadmill that matches your fitness requirements at the cheapest or lowest price possible; and you’re sure to be buying from a reliable and trustworthy supplier. A treadmill is a good investment for anyone who has decided to make a conscious effort to become healthy and fit.
Thanks to Helen Hecker for contributing this article to our Treadmill blog:
For more information on saving money on treadmills and best buy shopping for treadmills online and offline go to http://www.Best-Treadmill-Tips.com Helen Hecker R.N.’s website specializing in treadmill tips, advice and resources, including information on treadmill ratings and treadmill reviews
Treadmill Consumer Reviews - Can They Really Help You Find the Best Treadmill?
July 15, 2009 by Treadmills and Elliptical Trainer Tips
Filed under About Treadmill
Consumer reviews are very popular on the Internet at places like epinions and Amazon. And they can give you an overall idea of the strengths and weaknesses of certain treadmills.
But there are some major pitfalls to them that most people don’t realize.
This article will outline some of the major problems with treadmill consumer reviews - and some other features you can look at to find the best treadmill for you.
So what’s the problem with Treadmill Consumer Reviews?
First of all, the numbers can give you the wrong idea.
Most people read reviews of several different treadmills before buying. They may notice that one treadmill has more negative feedback than another.
Logically they assume that the treadmill with less negative feedback is better than the treadmill with more negative feedback. That’s where the mistake is made.
Here’s the thing. In the treadmill business, certain brands or manufacturers are larger than others. They make and distribute more machines than the smaller brands. This will skew the results that you see with consumer reviews.
For example, let’s say you’re trying to decide between Treadmill A and Treadmill B.
Treadmill A is made by a large company which sells 10,000 units of Treadmill A per month.
No treadmill is perfect and all treadmills will have some level of customer dissatisfaction. A high quality treadmill will have lower level of customer dissatisfaction than a poor quality treadmill.
Let’s assume that Treadmill A is a high quality treadmill with a very low rate of dissatisfaction of 1%. That means that out of 10,000 machines, only 100 customers will be unhappy and will leave negative reviews of that treadmill.
Now take Treadmill B. Treadmill B is made by a smaller company and only sells 1,000 units of Treadmill B per month.
But Treadmill B is not as high quality and has a much higher customer dissatisfaction rate of 5%. 1000 treadmills x 5% = 50. So 50 people are not going to be happy with their treadmill purchase. So you’ll see 50 negative reviews of Treadmill B.
Result?
Treadmill A - 100 Negative Consumer Reviews
Treadmill B - 50 Negative Consumer Reviews
So you, as a discerning buyer, logically assume that Treadmill B is the better treadmill since it has less negative feedback.
However in actuality, Treadmill B has a 500 times higher customer dissatisfaction rate than Treadmill A. So it’s actually the worse treadmill.
That’s an example of how the numbers of negative versus positive reviews can be skewed - and how many buyers can easily choose the worse treadmill.
There are a couple of other things to know when reading consumer treadmill reviews:
#1 - Reviews can be written by people working for that treadmill company - or even the competition. Trust me - it happens - more often than you think.
#2 - People are much more likely to complain than praise. It’s a shame but it’s human nature.
This again skews the results. So you may have a treadmill that gets 10 negative reviews. But there are 10,000 people who are perfectly happy with their machine and they never leave a review.
So while there’s nothing wrong with reading consumer treadmill reviews as part of the overall picture before you buy, you really can’t judge the quality of a treadmill solely based on consumer reviews.
So how can you find a high quality treadmill? There are several other ways to decide if a treadmill is a high quality machine. Here are 3 key factors to look at:
1) Price - The market is so competitive that treadmill manufacturers don’t have a lot of margin to play around with their prices.
Because of this high competition, the treadmill market is really very efficient. This is actually a good thing because it means prices are coming down to the lowest levels in years. Manufacturers are squeezing their margins in order to compete.
However it also means that in general, you get what you pay for. A $600 treadmill is just not going to have the same quality of construction as a $1600 treadmill.
If you want a higher quality treadmill, built to withstand heavier use, be prepared to spend a bit more. It may actually be worth it in the long run, when you consider the cost of repairing the cheaper unit.
2) Warranty Coverage - The warranty coverage is a huge indicator of the quality of construction. Servicing warranties cost money. Manufacturers know this.
So when they give a long warranty, it’s because they don’t think they’ll have to repair those treadmills during that time frame. When they know that a certain treadmill is not built well - they don’t want to pay for servicing them. So they slap a short warranty on them.
If you want a well built treadmill, examining the warranty length is a great indicator of quality.
3) Details of construction - If you want a great treadmill, examine the details of construction.
For example, Treadmill A may have a 1 ply treadbelt whereas Treadmill B may have a 2 ply treadbelt. It isn’t hard to figure up which one will last longer.
Treadmill C may have a 2.5 HP motor and Treadmill D may have a 1.25 HP motor. Again - not hard to decide which is the better treadmill. By looking at certain details of construction, you can often see which treadmill is the stronger machine.
So those are 3 effective ways to find your best treadmill. Again, treadmill consumer reviews are not bad - they can actually be very informative.
Just don’t make your final decision based solely on these reviews. Remember that the numbers can be skewed - and may lead you to the wrong conclusion.
Thanks to Vienna Miller for contributing this article to our Treadmill blog:
Let’s get this Treadmills blog rolling!
July 13, 2009 by Treadmills and Elliptical Trainer Tips
Filed under Treadmill Updates
In this Treadmills blog we will talk about all kinds of Treadmill topics — Treadmill Reviews, Fitness Treadmills, Foldup Treadmills, Manual Treadmills, Treadmill Brands, Treadmill Parts and Treadmill Workouts. We will also talk about Home Gym Equipment, Elliptical Machines and Elliptical Cross Trainers.
If you would like to ask a specific question about Treadmill, please leave your questions in the comments below. Visitors to this blog and myself will help you get answers.
Gail Smith, Editor




