Customer Reviews

Sole F80 Treadmill (2008 Model, DISCONTINUED)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I bought this treadmill online without even trying it in stores. This had me a little worried because I wanted a nice and stable treadmill since I like to run. Well, I was NOT disappointed in this treadmill. It is by far better than any treadmill I have used anywhere (including gyms). The display buttons are a nice size and very comfortable. The dual fans do keep you cool, the built in speakers are a god send since wearing head phones can be a bother. The unit is very easy to move from place to place ( I move mine every time I need to use it cause it stays in the living room in the cornor and I end up dragging it to the middle of the room to use it) and the belt is VERY easy to lift up and the assisted drop is awesome, nice and smooth. I have used this treadmill for about 3 days now and have run very hard on it and found that the stability is great. The belt is very roomy and the shock absorbtion is wonderful. I usually get shin splints when I run on the road, but not with this machine. The only down fall I find is the speed and incline buttons on the hand rails. Sometimes when I power walk, I will accidently put my hands there just for no reason and accidently start increasing my incline up to 15 and speed to like 10 or so and wonder what in the world is going on! lol, but I think after a while of getting use to them there, it wont be a problem. Over all, this is a WONDERFUL machine, if you dont buy it its your loss.

We have owned several treadmills in the past. Mostly bought into the top line of Nordictrack, but never felt confident that the belt wouldn't slip or the treadmill itself would hold up. Recently we purchased the Sole F80 and we are just amazed. Now..we do not care for the heart rate monitor, even with the included strap, but we use our polar monitors any way. Other than that, this treadmill is amazing. For a folding unit it does not give one bit and feels just as sturdy as the top gym floor models. Absolutely no fears of the belt slipping at all and have not had to even adjust the belt tension or left right adjustment. The didn't think I would use the additional height and pace controls on the handles, but they turned out to be great. The sturdiness of this machine cannot be over stated. Coming from a full pace, dead tired, I can pretty much hold myself on the handles as the belt slows, without any give at all.
I more than highly recommend this model from Sole.

It's hard to spend over 1,000 bucks for a treadmill. It's even harder when they are 50% more.

But it's true... you get what you pay for. I began by looking at tons of reviews from Running World, Consumer searches, etc. finally narrowing it down to three: The Bowflex 7, The Smooth 6.5 and the Sole F-80. Man, oh, man what a hard choice! The Sole had a 2.5hp vs a 3.0hp for the Bowflex and it was 100 bucks MORE, but the Sole came with a lifetime motor warranty vs only 10 years for the Bowflex. I liked the design of the Bowflex and the board graphics but the reviews on Amazon were less than stellar, many complaining about customer service (which did come into play here) - The Smooth was the best reviewed but the graphics board was really cheesy and even though that shouldn't really be a concern, well, you ARE looking at it for 40-60 minutes at a time - - The Sole F-80 has a fantastic board with lots of programs, a grip for your pulse rate and two fans, plus the reviews I read stated that customer service was tops!

The machine was ordered, shipped within 2 days and the trucker hauled it into the bedroom. Setup was pretty simple even though the instruction booklet could be better designed. HOWEVER, when I turned it on, it just made a loud whining noise and didn't turn on! "Oh, no" I thought. I just bought a $1,500.00 lemon. I called customer service and right away, without hesitation, they said they would Fed-Ex out a new graphics board right away! Of course, during that time, my wife looked at how I had put it together, saw that I hadn't fully connected a wire and voila, it worked like a charm. But just having customer service respond in this manner makes this a 5 star review. I'm 6 foot, 185 and I can pound, get it up to 8 for a hard run and it is a thing of beauty. I love this machine. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Let me begin by saying I researched the heck out of this purchase for 2 weeks because that's just the way I am. My self-imposed budget was [$...].

It was a toss-up between the Bowflex Series 7 (because of Consumer Reports' giving it such a great rating and reviews on this site), the Smooth Fitness 6. something and this Sole F80. I went to Treadmill Doctor, the Running Place and so many websites reading reviews. There weren't many sites, besides here and Consumer Reports, that were highly recommending the Bowflex (which in my opinion is a better looking treadmill, although the console does not seem as informative, and it has a longer belt). I wonder why Consumer Reports didn't rate any of the Sole treadmills, since it's such a popular brand on the web and at these running/jogging forums. Anyway, I chose Sole because of the warranty, and the high recommendations at reputable sites such as www.TreadmillDoctor.com, www.ConsumerSearch.com and forums at www.runnersworld.com, where the general opinion is that Sole is a very good company and recommended over Bowflex for the quality of parts used. So now I just hope the company sticks around. Especially since it costs more than the Bowflex [...].

From ordering this treadmill to it being delivered was less than a week. Very large, heavy box, as everyone has said. If you don't have a garage that the delivery man can put it in, make sure you have a one or two big guys to help you with it because the delivery service (ABF Freight for me) is not supposed to bring it into the house without charging extra. (And, if they did help you bring anything into the house without that extra charge, it'd probably be better you didn't post it so as to not get anyone in trouble.)

I will say there was a very small nick on the outer rail of the deck, on the metal part. No big deal, but I noticed that right away and was just glad it wasn't the belt or the console. Whether it was done at the factory or during delivery, who knows? The box was in bad shape too, was kind of opening at the top and dented here and there. It was also a rainy day and the cardboard was damp.

Anyway, strange as it may sound, I prefer to be the "assembler" in my house, mainly because I just like putting things together (and I don't like it when my husband has those "extra" parts after an assembly). So, first I had him help me get the deck out of the box and move it to where we were planning on keeping it. My husband is a big guy, but we could not move the deck across our carpeted basement without use of a dolly. It is really heavy.

The parts are not so bad. You just have to connect the rails and the computer cables, the console and the covers at the front base and top joints, where the console sits. And that's it. Maybe 30 screws, and the allen keys (two of them) are provided so you will not need any tools of your own. The manual's assembly directions are ok.

It took me just about one hour to finish assembly. You may need a hand just holding the console when it's time for that piece because it's big and a little awkward sliding onto both rails.

It's nice and sturday, runs pretty quiet (you can just hear a swish, but I haven't been on many treadmills to know if it's more quiet than others) and the console is great. It has two user programmable buttons, which I found out today break your workout into segments.

You punch in time for your workout, your weight, your age, and then program the speed and incline. When doing this, make sure you go through each segment (there are 24) or you may find after your speed drop when the next segment begins with its default speed setting of .5 of a mile.

The console shows you everything in several different places and allows you to control things like speed and incline from several different places. I like that. Today, I propped a hard-cover book on the console (almost completely covering the fans, which I didn't need today, but they are quite good) and could still see my speed, incline, time left on the lower display. We hooked up the mp3 playter to the speakers and were surprised at the clarity and volume of the sound, since we hadn't expected much there. We didn't try the wireless heartrate monitor yet, but the pulse grips register your pulse pretty instantaneously.

I folded it with no problem. With the kids in the basement playing now and then, I wanted to be sure it felt as stable as it did when we tested it at the closest Dick's Sporting Goods, and it did. Moving it is near impossible on my carpeted basement floor though. We have a treadmill mat coming in two weeks, and I have no idea how we'll get it under the treadmill, haha. Bringing the deck down is very nice also. Pull it part of the way and then the hydraulics will very slowly lower it the rest of the way to the floor.

I bought the treadmill for my husband, who loves to walk, but I really enjoyed using it today so we're happy with our choice.

I'll try to update this review after a few months of use.

UPDATE (4/12/08): I have to add that customer services is outstanding. I had an incline error that was appearing only after entering cool down and restarting the machine was the only way to clear it. I called customer service, left a message and received a call back the next day. To troubleshoot whether it was a software issue, a brand new console was sent Fed Ex to me. The new console didn't solve the issue and when I called back my customer rep., he told me he was going to send me a new incline motor and was very sorry that I had this issue. When I call to confirm I have the motor, Sole is going to find a technician in the area to install it.

Truthfully, it's not a big deal because this issue only matters if someone else is using the treadmill right after me (and I let the machine go into cool down mode) and no one ever does use it after me. But, for [$...], of course you want everything to work and never want to need customer service, but with shipping, merchandise goes through rough handling sometimes. Good to know the company supports its product so wonderfully. And, since I have the extension of the customer service representative, I'm dealing with the same person to get this resolved. I regret procrastinating.

I recently tried the heart rate monitor. That is really great. You can program it to control incline and speed based on the heart rate you want it to maintain, or use any other program and when you achieve your desired heart rate you can switch to "auto pilot" and the machine will take over the program and maintain your heart rate. And you can switch back to your program at any time.

I've never been a treadmill person - years ago when I was a serious runner I had a problem staying on them (guess I ran somewhat lopsided). I recently had an elliptical trainer, but it made my feet go numb after 20 minutes, so I figured to try a treadmill again. I narrowed my search down to the Bowflex Series 7 and the F80, and went with the F80 given the reviews here and on the web that stated the Bowflex probably wouldn't last too long (and the warranties for the F80 are much superior).

So far, I'm impressed. Delivery was quick, and the delivery guy helped me get the box into my house. The box is 80 inches long and almost 290lbs - get someone (or 2 someones) to help with moving and unpacking the F80. Setup was pretty quick, and the instuctions were ok (could be better).

The display is huge and provides all sorts of great info. The center led display even provides a quarter-mile track display to simulate running laps. Two nice sized fans work pretty well to help cool you down if you like. The treadmill comes with a wireless heart monitor, and even an extra battery for the monitor.

Once it was all setup I had to try it out, so I turned on the TV (not included), placed the remote in one of the spacious compartments on the console, and fired up the heart rate control (weightloss) program. This program monitors heart rate to keep you near 70% of max heart rate for your age, which you input, along with weight and time of the workout on the console. Once the program starts, the system adjusts speed and incline to keep you near the appropriate heart rate. Operation was more quiet than I expected - the loudest noises (aside from my wheezing) were my feet at a slight job as the speed increased past an easy walking pace.

I cannot say enough about the console. The size, layout and data presentation is top notch. I've never been a big gym guy, but I've been to my share and I don't recall machines with such a good interface. The message areas display full lines of text, which is a benefit over the Bowflex accoring to reviews (which only shows two letters at a time).

This thing is solid, too. I'm currently 240lbs, and it never felt anything but rock solid even at a 6mph trot. Guess I'm a converted treadmill fan - or at least a fan of the F80.

I purchased a Sole F80 about 45 days ago through Dick's Sporting Goods. I did alot of research and considered ordering from Amazon, but at the end of the day I wanted to have someone to speak with locally in case anything went wrong. It was also important for me to see the unit in person to judge how solid and finished it was.

The F80s are in short supply. I went to a couple shops until I found one in stock and placed my order. A week later the delivery guy shows up at my house(Very pleasant guy, he did a nice job). He proceeds to unload the treadmill and get it into the house where he unboxes it. Then realizes that they have accidentally given him the new model for delivery.

He calls the store and of course they want some more money from me. As you can imagine I'm starting to get hot. No one even told me a new model was available and I hadn't seen any published information. I told them if it left my house I expected a full refund including the delivery charge. I would take my business elsewhere, they folded and left the new unit with me!

Okay now on to the details. I really like the treadmill. It's solid and quiet and the programs are pretty good for alleviating boredom. I run about 15 miles a week. They made some changes to the display on the new model that give it a more finished look, and of course they added some speakers with an audio input. The sound isn't great but it's nice to take the earbuds out once in a while.

The only problem I have so far is with the heartrate strap. I can't get it to sync up and give me a reading. This is actually very aggravating but I have a monitor and a watch that I wear outside, so I've been ignoring it until I have some time to call for support.

Other than the HR monitor I feel pretty good about my decision. I was very close to buying a more expensive treadmill from a specialty store but I wanted to save a few dollars. I think I made a good decision.

I've been researching treadmills for months. I've used health club treadmills for years and was looking for one with similar features and construction. I looked at and tried out the Bowflex 7, Smooth 6.17, Horizon T1200, Redzone T55i, Bodycraft TR 1140 and Spirit XT275. I like using heart rate programs with pulse grips as well as jogging at about 6.5 mph. With the Sole F80 both are almost identical to the health club's $4000 Precor's I used to work out on. The construction is rock solid (I'm 220 and there is NO movement when I run. It weighs 288lbs in the box, so get some help moving into your house.

Comparing all that I looked at the Sole F80 seemed the best build, had the best warrenty and features I was looking for. Even the speakers are good quality when playing my iPod through them. The fan is better than the Bowflex as well. Lifetime on motor / deck and 5 years on everthing else eases my mind as well. I highly recommend the Sole F80.

Got my F80 3 weeks ago. The shipper has not been too carefully with it in transit and although externally everything looked OK, the console unit had come loose and had some minor damage - scratches. However, internally it was damaged and although the unit worked the treadmill, the speakers did not function when my iPod was plugged into the unit. I contacted Sole customer service and they got back to me the next day and shipped a replacement console in 3 day. Pretty impressive.

Took around an hour to setup. I had to do a few minor adjustments with the alignment to stop a minor rubbing sound. Once you get it above 2 mph there is a "womp, womp, womp, ..." sound. This is the seam of the treadmill's belt. This noise lessen after the seam gets "broken in" and is now unnoticeable.

Great features, quiet treadmill and solid customer services. I couldn't be more happy.

I got the 2008 F80 for Christmas and I have to say that I am so impressed with this treadmill. I have used treadmills at the gym and this unit gives me a better running experience than any gym treadmill. The display is sleek and easy to use. I really do feel a difference running on this treadmill vs. running outside. I can't run outside because it is so hard on my joints and my knee acts up, but I have had no trouble at all on this machine. I really like the integrated speaker also. I don't have an Ipod deck in my workout room so this is a convenient way to listen to music while I'm doing my other workouts without worrying about wires getting in the way. The cooling fans are a big plus as well. I haven't used the HR strap yet because existing HR strap (Sigma PC-15) works with the treadmill. The unit is easy to fold up and down. I haven't tried rolling it across the room but I'm sure that wouldn't be difficult either. It feels just as sturdy as any non-folding model I have been on.

I ordered directly from sole and can not say enough good things about their customer service. I paid for the turn key shipping where they unload and assemble it for you. It is actually a two part process so the freight company delivers and puts in the room of your choice, then another tech comes out for the assembly. My unit was delivered a few days before Christmas so an assembly tech was not available until the next night. My husband and I ended up putting it together ourselves with no problem and sole was nice enough to refund me the difference for regular shipping.

I'm writing this review here because this is the site that helped me decide to buy this peice of junk. It seemed at the time, there was a lot of great reviews for this treadmill, and I really researched well I felt. The treadmills best feature is that it has a nice look to it. It does look nice in my den.

When I first set it up and started using it, it had an annoying whistle sound. I called the service department and requested some help, and a rep called me back explaining that my problem was common, and tried to confuse me with all kinds of technical treadmill jargon. He basicly told me it will go away after a few weeks. The whistle never went away to this day, and I have just learned to ignore it as I listen to music when I use the machine anyway. I was too annoyed to call back for help on it. This was the least of my problems with this machine though...

After 11 months of use, the machine now has a loud sound from the tail end of the machine, and sounds like something is loose. It's so loud, that I can't even use it now, for I fear something else may get damaged. I called the service deptartment again, and they are so cheap, they send me an email of steps on how to adjust some bolts on the deck. The rep, whose name was Travis Lawrence, seemed to be sure this was the problem. Of course after I did this, the loud noise is still there. I called back and asked to have a technician get sent out and do any further work on it. So now the rep emails me and says he fed exed a new deck and roller and it will arrive next week, and a service company will contact me in 2-7 days. After I waited a week, I emailed back, and told him no parts showed up and no one called from a service company. He then emails me back saying the parts were ordered the week they were suppose to arrive, and now they will arrive the following week, and a service comapny will call me after the holidays, the second week of Jan 09!!

This is unacceptable, and I bought this peice of junk due to their great warranty offer, but I wish I would of knew how crappy the warranty service would be! By the way, I hope Amazon leaves this review here, it is a true and real experience from a real person, and every buyer should be allowed to hear my experience before they buy from Sole! I'm going to make sure I tell everyone I noww to stay clear from this company.