Customer Reviews

Phoenix Easy-Up 516 Manual Treadmill

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am totally happy with this product! The operation is smooth and very quiet (the lack of a motor means I can walk while watching TV and almost forget that I am on a treadmill). Putting it together was a breeze and took less than ten minutes even with a 4-year-old "helping". I honestly didn't expect it to be as sturdy as it is for the purchase price, but I feel very secure when using it. It folds up exactly the way pictured (upright) with very little effort, and rolls to fit nicely in the space I have when I am not using it. If you have a coat closet or room between the couch & armchair, and NO under-bed or under-couch space, this model is ideal. I didn't expect much at all from the display/meter advertised, but now that I have used it I can honestly say it does what a friends' monitor does on a 1,000$ fully-motorised and computerised model (without the fancy heart/pulse monitor). If you want a workout machine to do the workout FOR you, you might not like this one & should pay the extra $500-1,000 for a fully-motorised version - the manual treadmill plus the built-in incline really do make you WORK (and that is precisely why I wanted it in the first place!). Two caveats: if you need an extra wide area in which to walk, you might want to look at another, or at least find one of these models to try out before buying. I don't find the average-width tread a problem and really like the open front end, but a friend that needs to walk with feet very widely spaced did have a bit of trouble. Also, this is a model for WALKERS more than RUNNERS (just My opinion, but again, that was one of the reasons I wanted it). All in all, I expect I will get MUCH more than My money's worth from this!

Very well contructed, easy to assemble, smooth walker and runner. Very good for the price.

I was skeptical about the quality of manual treadmills because I had always heard that they tend to be flimsy and don't provide a workout comparable to motorized treadmills. This is a total myth; the Phoenix 516 treadmill is an excellent piece of gym equipment! The belt is adjustable so you can determine the intensity of your workout and the little computer calculates the time and distance of your workout as well as calories burned. It is extremely lightweight so it's easy to move and store away. I have a very small space to work with, so this treadmill is perfect for my needs. It was also very simple to assemble and even easier to operate. This item is great for anyone who doesn't want to deal with a fussy motorized treadmill or for anyone who has to fit one of these damned things into a small space. My only concern is whether the treadmill will withstand continuous use over a long period.

One of the pieces was broken, and not a delivery error. It was one of the sockets. I had to return the whole base to the company who then only reimbersed me half of the shipping on a 36 pound package. I still have yet to receive my new part. It has been over 3 weeks since I recieved the original package. I called the company the day after I received it to get the new part. So the product may be fine, just hope you don't have to deal with Phoenix to solve a problem.

I bought this because I need a fold up treadmill but the larger automated monsters are just too massive. I am very happy with the product and it folds up and rolls into a small space. Also, the manual part only means I actually need to concentrate on my exercise instead of mindlessly walking. The only thing I wasn't prepared for was the height of the incline. Half as much would be better for me. But I will suck it up and probably get a better workout from it. I am so glad I found this treadmill!

I didn't think I'd get a good work out with a treadmill, but my knees starting to creak haven't allowed me to do much besides walk. I decided to try this out for the price and I am so happy I did! LOVE it! I get a work out with only 30 minutes, I've already lost 5 lbs in the last two weeks alone, and it's a great deal for the money. If you are looking for a machine that makes you do the work (manual treadmills usually do) and you don't want to spend a million dollars on one (I looked at several in higher price brackets, but this was the best deal!), then this is a machine for you!

I, too, had trouble mounting the timer and getting it to stick. But overall I've liked this purchase.

Let me start by explaining why I got this. I prefer to run outside but I found I was very good at making excuses for not running on cold days. I needed something I could use in winter but did not want a deluxe machine. This is certainly not a deluxe machine, but it certainly serves its purpose.

The belt on my treadmill does not jerk. I can concede that it is not as frictionless as I would like, but for something which is a simple mechanical treadmill, it is about what you could expect. It's possible that there is a high rate of defective treadmills being sold, but it's also possible that people expect a fancy piece of machinery, which this is not.

My biggest complaint is actually about the speeds it says I'm going and the way it affects my gait when I run. I cannot run with my standard jogging gait on this treadmill, partially because it is at about a 10 degree slope; jogging on this treadmill is like jogging up hill. This gait tends to work my calves more than usual, yet unlike running uphill, I find it doesn't work my hamstrings much. Moreover, when I use my jogging gait, it says I'm running about 1 km/hr, which is a ridiculously low rate since normally I go at about 15 km/hr on the street. If I use an alternate gait, it's more like speed walking than jogging. Then it says I'm going 2 km/hr -- again, this seems low, since a normal walking speed is about 5 km/hr. So in summary, I would say it is hard for me to find a good gait to use on this treadmill and I can't trust the speedometer. (And since this is used to calculate the calories burnt, I can't trust that either.) So functionally I'd say only the timer is useful. (And this is well-calibrated.) But I'm not used to running on treadmills so I can't say these problems don't exist on other treadmills. And since I can't see an engineering solution to this that would keep the price down, I don't think of it as a major detraction from the product.

In summary, for what this is -- a fairly low cost, mechanical treadmill -- it is about as good as you could get. There are a problems, but none of these detract from its use.

I bought this treadmill because I live in an apartment and felt the motorized treadmill would make too much noise. The Phoenix 516 is fairly quiet and easy to assemble. It took me 15mins to put it together. I noticed several reviews complained about having to tape the monitor onto to the railing. There is a small rectangular size piece of thin black foam included with the parts. The monitor has a clamp with a screw that secures it to the railing. If you place the small piece of foam in the clamp and then tighten the screw it will hold the monitor in place. The only problem I have with this treadmill is that it dosen't have an adjustable incline. The incline is very steep. In the beginning I used one of the thick white foam pieces and placed it under the end of the treadmill to level it. This worked for me and I had no problem staying on the treadmill. I also bought a piece of wood 4 inches (H) x 24 inches (L) from Lowes and wrapped a sheet of foam around the wood so that the treadmill stayed in place. The foam can be purchased at a craft store. To some people this may not be worth it but I like this machine. I was 250lbs when I bought this treadmill in January and it held my weight. I use it 45mins a day and have lost 20lbs so I can't complain.

The workout is good for me. The incline helps. It was very easy for me to put together. The tools needed are included. Love it being lightweight and easily portable and compact when folded up.

Easy enough to put together but it doesn't work. The treadbelt will not stay in the center but moves to the right. I have made adjustments as instructed to no avail. I tried calling the phone number on the box the treadmill came in. All I got was an answering machine and no one called me back.