Customer Reviews

Sole F83 Treadmill (2009-2010 Model)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Sole treadmills have been very highly rated by many sites. I discovered this fact during extensive research I conducted when I decided to set up a "work out" room. I wanted to buy quality equipment but not pay premium prices just for a brand name. Sole treadmills sounded like the best "bang" for the buck. I got the F83 because I wanted a folding model. The F85 is their top of the line, but I'm the only one who'll be using it, so I felt I probably didn't need the bigger motor (3.5hp compared to 3.0 in the f83) for my purposes (I am by no means a runner). Now, I ordered mine directly from the Sole website, but for the same price that I found on Amazon. It is shipped by a common freight carrier. I ordered it at the end of October. It was just delivered yesterday, so I waited nearly one month to get it.

I'd like to point out that anything you order that is the size of this treadmill will almost certainly come via a freight carrier. Which means it will take a long time. Now, I paid extra to have them take it off the back of the truck and carry it into my house. The delivery was a nightmare, as they came over 6.5 hours late and were reluctant to drive their semi into my neighborhood....but that is not the fault of the manufacturer. It's just that one doesn't get to choose a freight carrier and it's not like I could pop over to a post office and pick the thing up myself. It's massive. Anyway, it comes in a very, very large box. The deck with the belt is already assembled. You just have to attach the two arms that extend up, attach the computer console and finally the bar across the middle that the drink holder sits onto. Really pretty simple assembly, except that the treadmill is very heavy so be sure to assemble it somewhere where you have plenty of room to maneuver around it.

Once assembled, it's a nice piece of equipment. I played with the speed and incline. It's very smooth and pretty quiet. It has two fans that you can tilt around at the top of the console, though they aren't strong enough to really cool you down. It comes with a chest belt for heart monitoring. I have a polar watch, so I was wearing a polar transmitter and it picks it up too. I haven't tried all the programs, but the manual goes through them all and is fairly helpful. When you're ready to stop, you press the stop button and the incline lowers and the belt slows down gradually for you...it's nice not dealing with an abrupt stop that might catch you off guard. Folding/unfolding is really easy. You lift up the deck at the back..it's not very heavy to do..and it locks in place. To unfold it, you push the tread deck forward with your left hand and use your right to pull a lever. It does not crash down...there is a self lowering process that gently lets the deck down. I'll get some pictures of mine up in a few days. I'll update in a few weeks after using it for some time. But so far I'm very pleased with it.

Update:1/1/09
Well, I've been working out now since around November 1st. I have a bike, elliptical and this treadmill. Since I started my program I've lost 30 pounds. I was totally out of shape at the beginning. I still have a ways to go, but really enjoy my cardio workouts. I use the treadmill every 2 to 3 days; I find my joints do better with the non weight-bearing equipment for daily use. This treadmill is really terrific though. I typically do a manual program and change the speed and incline to keep my heartrate where I want it. I have done the "fatburner" program once and the HR controlled program once. I just like being the one to control what I'm doing. I love using the fans on my face. The pockets on the console (one on left, one on right) hold a lot of stuff, including water bottles and remotes. I don't have an MP3 player, so I've not used that feature. This treadmill has definitely met my expectations and I really love it. I expect I'll use it more and more as I continue to lose weight and become more fit. I've done some very light jogging on it and feel it is very comfortable. I'm very pleased with my purchase and continue to feel it is a "5 star" product.

This is a great treadmill! It just arrived two days ago and I'm very impressed with the build quality. The motor is smooth and the display looks sleek! It's also very solid and quiet. There's no difference running on this this treadmill vs. the $5000+ treadmill at the gym.

One thing, if you are 5'10" or shorter, go ahead and save some money by purchasing the F80. The deck on the F83 is a few inches longer but it really isn't worth the money - unless you are 6' or taller. I ran full stride on it and there was plenty of room behind me.

First of all, this is a great treadmill. It looks great, rock solid when running, very quiet and with just perfect amount of cushioning (gotta believe that it has 40% less impact on joints than running on asphalt).

I actually ordered F80 directly from Sole Fitness. I was trying to decide between F63 and F80, but the better ('whisper') deck (which is really quieter than on F63), warranty, and larger motor made me choose F80. I was surprised to see F83 delivered instead. It was quite nice because I am over 6 ft tall and extra 3 in of the deck is quite good for me. The only other difference is the heart rate % on F83 console, which is not that important. Oh yeah, and F83 is a bit heavier.

Talking about weight, it IS heavy. However, I was able to move it with my friend from garage to the basement (unpacked, of course) with no problems. However, if we had to go upstairs instead of downstairs, it would be much harder. Assembly took about 45 minutes. Those clip nuts are really bad idea, but they worked. All holes aligned just fine. However, my treadmill wouldn't turn on. What a disappointment (read more on Customer Service below).
Now that it works, I love it. Very quiet, smooth. A huge motor which you don't even hear.

A couple of minor issues are:
1. Heart-rate programs HR1 and HR2, while turned on indicate the same thing that they are for weight loss even though HR2 is supposed to be Cardio. Not a big deal because of issue #2.

2. Heart Rate programs will never be used by me. I tried HR2 and I gave up after 5 minutes at speed of about 2 mph (and no, this is not the warm-up, which I bypassed). The programs are so careful as to not to overshoot your target heart rate that they start toooooooo slow for toooo long. On the other hand, using HR2 button as an Autopilot to keep you current heart rate constant worked just fine. So, if I want to use HR program, I would reach my target rate with another program or Manual and then press the Autopilot button.

3. I wish the unit had a couple of buttons to store user info such as age and weight for a couple of users, so you don't need to enter it every time. Although it does remember the previous value entered (you still need to press Enter after it shows it to you). Also, I wish it remembered the maximum speed for each program used in the previous runs just as with age/weight (I have to press UP button too many times each time I choose a program to select higher speed).

4. The console had a little crack at the bottom (under the STOP button) and the middle part of it was scratched (a lot of micro scratches) during shipping due to packaging - the console had to be wrapped with a plastic and it wasn't.

As for some of the complains with Sole treadmills about speakers and fans...the fans are not strong but still they are good for keeping your sweat from dripping all over the treadmill. I ran once without the fans and the sweat was all over. The speakers are not your home-theater-quality speakers. But they are fine to use for 30 minutes while running.

Now about my experience with Sole Technical support (or should I say Spirit Fitness, which actually makes these treadmills for Sole?). I got a call back the next day I reported the issue. The tech said that it is either the console or the harness that is defective. It was Friday and he said he would take it to the shipping warehouse and it would be shipped the same day. On Monday I called and he said it wasn't shipped and he didn't know why. However, he would not do anything else because he did his job: he took the package to the warehouse and his job was done. On Tuesday I called and he said "it seems to be shipped" but no tracking number. On Wednesday I called and he said "it WAS NOT shipped". So, I had to talk to his manager, who promised to find out and call back. Never called back, of course, just as the tech, whom I asked to call back with the tracking number. So, it was finally shipped on Thursday. However, as it turned out, my unit was not defective. One cable near the motor was disconnected (probably during the shipping) and I didn't notice it first when I looked for the problem there. The tech didn't even ask to look there. Anyway, I am glad I got the new console as it was not cracked or scratched as the original one that went back.

I recently receive my F-83, it is an outstanding product.

Easy to set up and operate, great features.

I was supposed to have inside delivery to my house.

The delivery was a night mare. The delivery company delivered it to the wrong address (my office) and the driver refused to take it to the proper one when it was pointed out to him on the bill of laden. He was in too big of a hurry to get back to Dallas.

I do not blame Sole but am very up set with Amazon for using this type of delivery service, as I know they have had similar complants about this company previously on delivery.

I will think twice before ordering another large item that has to be delivered by truck.

I've had this treadmill since 2009 and never got around to writing a review. This is a heavy duty heavy use foldaway treadmill. I never use the fold away feature but will now do so because the area underneath the treadmill gets dirty and needs cleaning. Pull up vacuum and off I go. Did a ton of research to determine which treadmill would fit my needs and this got my vote. I hate cheap work out equipment. I want a long lasting well built product with some bells and whistles but not overkill. This has a top fan that is very handy. Has stereo music system with built in speakers on either side, and the basic selectable programs. You will need help putting this thing together and it is heavy. Do not attempt to handle this monster alone. Intuitive and easy to use interface. Make sure the electrical in the room you plan on using this is rated high enough. It will continually blow a 15 amp circuit. Problem: I have black particles pouring off the mat but to be fair I was one of the idiots that never bothered to lube the mat. A big mistake. Lube the mat with a silicone based product like lube-n-walk. This is recommended brand on the Sole website. Stay away from the aerosolized sprays. My machine over the last two days is tripping the treadmills internal circuit breaker. This is symptomatic of an engine being over worked and overheating. That's why you lubricate every 3 months. No exception to this rule. In other words do the simple maintenance and you will not have a problem with this machine. This is close to commercial club quality. Highly recommended. I put 3-4 miles on this every day seven days a week. Money well spent. By the way Lube-n-walk is carried by Amazon so no excuses. I had to learn the hard way. You have been warned.

Shipping was incredibly fast. I had the treadmill within days of my order. Trust me - have the delivery company bring the package into the house because it's VERY heavy.

Set up was fairly easy, Though there were a couple of screws that seemed to want to fight. Took about 1 hour from opening the box until the treadmill was ready to use.

The preset exercises are not very challenging for me. I find that I use the manual function mostly and adjust speed/incline myself as I go. The extra long walking surface is longer than we need, but I'd prefer too much to not enough. The motor is very quiet. I barely need to turn up the tv when I walk with a speed of 4 mph or lower. The speed adjusts nice and smooth. Not too fast or too slowly for me. The walking surface seems hard to me. It's supposed to be 'cushioned', but it sure doesn't seem like it.

The fans are not strong at all. In fact I barely feel them unless I lean forward.

The sound system is not great, but i love the fact it has an input for any mp3 device AND an output for headphones.

The display is bright and easy to read.

I would recommend this product and would purchase again if needed.

I researched (and researched and researched) treadmills for months before buying this product. I wanted something comparable to what I use at the gym without the hefty price tag. The Sole F83 fit the bill and the fabulous warranty coverage sealed the deal. I've used it consistently for a few weeks now and am quite pleased. I didn't have any issues with delivery. The box was in excellent condition. When they dropped it on my porch and left I did worry. Instead of moving the entire box, my husband and I opened it outside and brought it in piece by piece. My neighbor was kind enough to assist with moving the deck which was the heaviest and most awkward part. Assembly was a snap. It was up and I was running in less than an hour.

The running surface is quite large and nicely cushioned. Even with the large size it fits nicely in a corner of my living room. I keep the deck up when I'm not using it and it is very secure. When released it lowers slowly. I love the controls on the handles. The speakers aren't the best quality, but get the job done. The fan is absolutely useless. It could have easily been left off and no one would miss it. I agree with others who say there is noticeable lag when adjusting the speed. It seems to adjust faster if you choose from the preset speeds on the display as opposed to the handle bar controls. The incline adjusts quickly though. The complaints are very minor when you look at the quality of the machine and the great price. It also saves me the trouble of dragging my small children to the local gym to get my cardio in.

Great machine, quiet, well made, and a pleasure to use. There are built in fans that are pretty ineffective and a built in stereo that we've never used... We're very happy with the machine, but would have been happier if it was $100 less and did not have the doo-dads. The excercise factor is great, being able to take a long walk or a hard jog at you're conveinence is fantastic... In addition to dedicated time for the machine-I often find myself on conference calls and going for a stroll, being placed on hold is an excuse to walk for a few minutes. It does not take the place of road work bit it's pretty close.

The treadmill is great. It is everything I expected. I must warn you though about the delivery. I was told it would be delivered to my home and in the door. The delivery truck arrived on time and THEY LEFT IT IN THE MIDDLE OF MY DRIVEWAY AND TOOK OFF. IT WEIGHS 300LBS. I could not move it by myself. I had to take everything out of the box and even then I coul not lift the platform myself. It was an awful experience and I will never order anything from Amazon again.