I am considering getting a treadmill. I can use the gym at the hospital, but by the time I get off work, there’s about a zillion people waiting to use the equipment. The only exercise I like to do is walking. A few years ago, I had gotten up to 5 miles a day 3-4 days a week. Unfortunately, the weather sucks for walking. When I get off work in the winter, it’s cold and dark. In the summer, it’s hot and extremely humid.
I’ve seen some treadmills go for really big bucks. Is it possible to get a low end one that I can use for an hour a day every other day? Or possibly every day?
What should the minimum HP of the motor be? I’ve seen some that the incline is set electronically while others are manual. I’m thinking the electronic ones are just begging to break down. How hard can it be to manually raise the incline?
We got ours from the paper- it never fails. Someone buys a treadmill with every intention of using it, and then they dont. We have gotten some use out of ours, when we bought it it was a year old.d We’ve had it for about 4 years now, its time to start searching the papers. Our incline worked whenwe first got it. It deteriorated over the years and now I dont even bother- raising the incline or even starting the darn thing for that matter.
A second recommendation for keeping an eye in the paper. They are fairly common for people to sell. A lot of them will be hardly used. Our electric inclining one works well but it isn’t like we adjust it all the time either. I like it a lot better than a stationary bike. A pretty decent one runs about 400.00 - 500.00 around here.
I bought my first one through the paper for $250. The lady was getting a different type of machine, so it wasn’t being used as a coatrack. Used it for about 2 years until the motor burned out. My second one is an incline trainer and cost $800, which I bought new. I’ve had it for a couple of years now, at least. Love it. Some days, when I don’t feel like walking fast, I just crank the incline to 20% and walk slowly but uphill. Mine can go to 25%, but it gets stuck and I have to take the hydraulic apart to unstick it. Pain in the butt.
When I went to buy my treadmill I searched on-line like a maniac. After nearly driving myself crazy, it turned out that pretty much all I needed to know I found condensed in a Consumer Report review. I ended up buying a ProForm 995 sel because it had a wide, long track and sufficient power with a bonus (for me at least) of being foldable and had a pretty good reputation for quality, too. It wasn’t horrendously expensive and I shopped around till I found a place that would ship for free, so it came to about 700 dollars.
I second what everyone’s saying about trying to get one at a garage sale, though. Especially smart if you’re not 100% sure you’ll love using only a treadmill. From what I’ve read, most people get bored with just one machine and stop exercising altogether. Better to buy a couple of different toys and switch off, which is easier to do if you’ve gotten bargains at a sale.
There are a few things to look for when buying a treadmill, and some depends on your size. When I bought my treadmill I needed something that could support my large weight, which meant a very solid construction and a heavier motor.
There are a lot of websites out there with great tips, but in general you want:
A motor that has at least 1.5 continuous horse power. A lot of treadmills advertise their “peak horsepower” number which is pretty high, but this number is useless and is only a marketing gimmick. In general the bigger the motor, the less chance of it breaking down.
A solid frame that doesn’t rattle or feel cheap.
Deck length - How long and how wide depends on your walking/running range. You want to be able to run/walk normally and not adjust your body to fit a small belt.
Electronic elevation is very nice, and when combined with a decent control panel it can help fight boredom.
Hope this helps!
I bought a good one at Sports Authority for less than half price($600 - $250), it was on sale and I also got a store credit.
YOu can get a better deal at garage sales, lots and lots of people buy exercise equiptment, and then never use them. I always see exercise equipment at garage sales, in almost new condition.
I also strongly recommend going the 2nd hand route, at first.
I bought Mrs. FtG a treadmill for Xmas for $10 from a thrift store. A really big powerful one. (Which is why they really wanted me to haul if off.) We both love it. Now we know. When it breaks down, we’ll get a $250 lightly used one.
It makes no sense to pay big $ for exercise equipment until you have already determined that you really are going to use it.
Go check out Consumer Reports for info on types of features to look for and such. And remember: the bigger the track the better. Don’t get a skinny or short one.
I bought a heavy duty model at a Play It Again (used & new sports eqpt) in 1995 for $300. Still works fine, except the pulse rate thingie (which never worked, but I could care less). I coulda bought a cheapie new one for the same price in that store, but I’m glad I didn’t.
Definitely add me to the chorus of people saying “buy second-hand for your first one!”
I bought mine from a Sears outlet 10 years ago for about $700. It has held up well, it’s a heavy duty model because my father is heavy and had to withstand him walking on it. It has a motorized incline decline button, I’m not sure if the pulse thing works though.