2008-2009 Treadmill Reviews

We review treadmills from $200-$3000 since those are the most popular
styles and prices on the market. We have serviced and sold any type of treadmill.
If we have not reviewed a treadmill that you are looking for send email to: jim@playitagainlouisville.com
 

Bodycraft Fitness-                            www.bodycraft.com
Bodycraft Fitness started importing treadmills from Taiwan a few years ago. Bodycraft's treadmills aren't flashy, but they are heavy-duty. Try lifting one up, you'll see for youself. All Bodycraft units fold-up to save space. Most treadmills that fold-up sacrifice weight in their frames, making them easier to fold-up.  Bodycraft uses a soft-drop system that allows their units to fold and un-fold. The TR1180 is a "best buy" on many internet websites. We have sold the TR1160 and the Tr1180 for the last 2 seasons. These units come standard with an orthopedic belt and self-lubricating system. A few units needed warranty work after 6 months of use. We discontinued in Feb 2008.

Body Solid Endurance-                         www.bodysolid.com
Body Solid introduced their new cardio line named Endurance 6-7 years ago. Capitalizing on their strong
brand name, Body Solid again makes a strong product. The Endurance treadmill line is made up of 6 different models. I would not suggest an Endurance treadmill. Body Solid doesn't actually produce their own treadmills so their prices aren't competitive.

Evo Fitness/Smooth Fitness-                 www.smoothfitness.com
Treadmills by Evo Fitness are produced by Smooth Fitness. Smooth is brand that started out as a house brand in a local fitness store on the east coast. This fitness store slowly learned that advertising on the web would be a great way to promote his store and also sell treadmills across the US. Keys Fitness produced most of their early models. Once sales on the internet increased, Smooth fitness went to Taiwan and China to import their own line of treadmills. Evo Fitness sells in fitness stores across the US and Smooth sells online. The products are very similar and probably produced in the same factory. We sold several Evo units and most needed extensive repair.  I wouldn't suggest buying an Evo or a Smooth treadmill  The websites that give Smooth treadmills a "best buy" also sell Smooth treadmills. If they were such a good buy, you would think retailers across the US would want to carry their product. Looks like they should spend more money on researching and developing good treadmills than trying to pay for more space on the internet search engines.

Horizon Fitness/Merit Fitness-              www.meritfitness.com     or     www.horizonfitness.com
Horizon Fitness imports treadmills treadmills and other fitness equipment from Taiwan and China. Their parent company Johnson, also owns Vision AFG and Matrix Fitness. Both Horizon and Vision have strong reputations for making quality fitness products with Horizon's treadmills being their most popular, AFG is another version of their Horizon line with an inflated price. Horizon's distinctive wood grain finish makes them stand out from the rest. Horizon makes some of the most reliable treadmills on the market. Horizon specializes in treadmills from $700-$1000. Their treadmills priced from $1100-$1500 are not competitive with other brands like Spirit. If your budget is $800 or less, I would suggest buying a Horizon or Merit treadmill.

Icon Health and Fitness (Proform, Image, Weslo, Reebok, Epic, HealthRider and Nordictrack)-      www.iconfitness.com
Look out Icon! Horizon is now making products in your price range
For 2008-2009 Icon has become aggressive. Icon is now promoting themselves
on the pay for review websites. Don't believe the hype!
Icon's treadmills are usually the weakest of any treadmills we review each year. They use the cheapest components (motors, decks, belts, electronics) available. Word on the street is that the Nordictrack brand could possibly be pulled from Sears. This is due to the overwhelming amount of service and returns that Sears has with the Nordictrack brand. If that happens there will be thousands of Nordictrack customers stranded without service and or parts. Icon's products after a few years of use are "disposable". Icon's customer service department is one of the poorest in the industry. One thing that would help an Icon is treadmill lubrication (one thing they fail to mention in their owner's manuals). Icon charges a hefty price for their parts, most of the time the repair parts are almost as much as you paid for the treadmill. That's why we say "disposable".
Check out Consumer Reports December 2004 issue. They rate treadmills and elliptical trainers. The Nordictrack treadmill was the lowest rated treadmill out of the bunch. Consumer Reports ripped it to shreds.

Keys Fitness and IronMan Fitness-        www.keysfitness.com     and     www.ironmanfitness.com
Keys Fitness makes treadmills under several brand names. The most popular models are HealthTrainer, Ironman, Smooth Fitness, Alliance and Discovery.
Keys Fitness made the switch from producing treadmills in Texas to now importing treadmills from China. Over the last few years, both brands are using cheaper frames and motors. We wouldn't recommend spending more than $800 for any treadmill made by Keys Fitness.

Lifespan Fitness-        www.lifespanfitness.com
Lifespan Fitness produces their treadmills in Taiwan. Lifespan's strength is designing treadmills. Each model has a specific customer in mind during design.
The TR2000 is a great walking/jogging treadmill for consumers interested in saving space. The TR3000 is a heavier-duty model for those wanting a
treadmill to run on. Their Pro series compares to any big name treadmill like Life Fitness and Precor without paying an extra $1000. The Lifespan Pro series is one heavy-duty running model starting at $1999. You would spend $2999 and up on a Life Fitness or Precor. Lifespan has received many awards for their treadmill models. We believe their best are the TR2000 and the TR3000.

Schwinn Fitness-                                       www.nautilusinc.com
no current models to review. Schwinn hasn't made a treadmill in the last 3-4 years. If you sell someone selling one,  it has been lost in a warehouse for a long time.

Spirit Fitness/Sole Fitness-                         www.spiritfitness.com or www.solefitness.com
Spirit Fitness was purchased by Dyaco International. Now Spirit has the financial resources to match their long history of making treadmills.
Spirit's X series treadmills were new for 2007-2008. The models have been continued for 2008-2009. Dyaco is a large Taiwanese manufacturer of fitness equipment.
Dyaco produces Spirit, Esprit, Sole and Red Zone fitness equipment. Spirit is their flagship line. The newest technologies and expertise go into making the XT series
a BEST BUY for 2008-2009. The XT375 is the most popular walking/running unit. It folds to save space. The frame is heavy enough to handle a person weighing 350 pounds.
The XT675 is for the advanced runner who wants a health-club treadmill for an in-home unit price.

Star Trac Fitness- www.startracusa.com




Trimline Fitness-                                     www.nautilusinc.com
see Schwinn. Trimline treadmills are currently not being produced. Trimline was purchased by Nautilus. Any models you see on the market today
are 5-10 years old. Many of the parts are getting hard to find. I wouldn't suggest a Trimline or Schwinn treadmill anymore.

 

Here's some general advice on shopping for a treadmill.
You may be inclined to shop from either magazine catalogs or television infomercials, however, if you want a quality, durable treadmill you must go to where treadmills are displayed to try them out first. We suggest you buy from a specialty fitness store, as opposed to a department store or sporting goods warehouse where the salespersons will be little educated in the product, the market, and physical fitness in general--and therefore less likely to help you make an educated decision. Because this is a major purchase, and an important decision both financially and physically, you will need as much information as possible--not just about treadmills in particular, but also about meeting your own personal physical or medical needs and fitness goals. A specialty sales person trained and certified in physical fitness will be both able and inclined to spend more time in helping you make a good decision and also encourage you in successfully getting started on a fitness program.

It's also important to have professional technical support, which includes delivery, installation, and in-home service and repair both during and after the warranty period. Without professional support, buying a treadmill is unadvised.