I have been using my treadmill desk for about a week (purchased in Jan 2013) and overall I have been really happy with it. I have been a long distance walker in the past (10-15 miles/day) and I was looking for a way to incorporate excercise while working. Originally I was going to make a DIY treadmill desk by buying a used treadmill and adjustable desk. After a lot of research though, I decided to buy the TR1200-DT because it was designed to be used for long hours on a daily basis and the whole setup was just neater and cleaner looking. I use it when I am on the internet, watching videos, reading, talking on the phone, etc. So far I have been using it for 3.5-4.5 hours per day and I have noticed that I am more alert and can focus better while working.
I have a 42" flat panel TV as a monitor sitting on a pine board shelf that I made for it. The large monitor is a big help- one of the problems I had at the gym was the walking motion made it difficult to read or use the tiny TVs attached to the treadmills. I use a Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse with a unifying receiver. I have a "sitting desk" right next to the treadmill desk and each desk has a separate monitor, keyboard and mouse so I can easily switch back and forth as needed. The unifying receiver allows up to 6 devices to be connected to a single receiver that is plugged into the computer (so far 1 wireless keyboard and 2 wireless mice) so you won't have to use all your USB ports. The keyboard does not have a wrist rest which allows it to be placed against the padded edge of the treadmill desk. This stabilizes my hands (palms are resting on the padded edge) so I can easily type at 2 mph. I haven't tried increasing the speed beyond that because mouse control degrades rapidly. At this speed I misclick occassionally (I am not doing anything requiring a high degree of precision, just clicking links, etc.). In the future I may add a wireless touchpad which has been highly recommended by several other users to improve mouse accuracy while walking. I can just barely write short notes at 2 mph (they are usually sloppy but readable) but I can write fine at 1 mph.
I also have a small LG blu-ray player on the desk. The treadmill is very quiet, which was especially important to me because I have a small hearing loss and background noise causes me a lot of problems. I have been able to watch videos at 2 mph without headphones with no problem and I have also had no problems talking on the phone with or without the bluetooth headset.
The desk is very stable and since it sits on the floor it is isolated from the treadmill vibrations. Keep in mind though, that if you lean on the desk (which you shouldn't since it is bad posture) the desk will move a bit - so be careful placing things near the edges or stacking too high. My monitor shelf has to sit very near to the back edge of the desk due to the cord management disk, so I used a couple blocks to make sure it doesn't slide off. Since the desk is so stable you really don't need cup holders, in fact I think they would be a waste of desk space. It would be nice to have some accessories that clip onto the sides of the desk to hold office supplies (especially a paper/book holder that could be adjusted both horizontally and vertically).
In general I like the console upfront where I can easily see everything and it isn't really in the way but I have found that occassionally I will knock the key off causing an emergency stop. Most treadmills have this problem but it is a little more likely when you are close to the console because it is attached to the desk you are using. I finally ended up taping the cord to the underside of the treadmill to keep it out of the way.
There are a few things that I think need some improvement:
1. Unlike alot of people I actually read the manual/instructions and I was very surprised to read that the warranty was only valid if you register your product within 30 days of purchase. This is very unusual and to be quite honest comes across as a little shady since it was buried in the "Warranty" text. This needs to be put in large, bolded print in numerous places.
2. As others have mentioned, this treadmill accelerates and decelerates very slowly. However after decelerating very slowly for a prolonged period of time, it jerks to a complete stop very suddenly. I didn't notice this at first because the deceleration was so slow that I often hopped off without waiting for the belt to come to a complete stop. It is not a huge problem for me because I have good balance but it does startle me. However this could be dangerous for older people or those without good balance. The belt should decelerate more quickly with a smoother transition to a complete stop. The way it currently operates gives the false impression that the belt will come to a smooth gentle stop and it takes so long that most people will probably not be paying attention by the time the complete stop occurs.
3. The instructions need some improvement. I learned more about how to use the bluetooth feature from another reviewer on Amazon than I did from LifeSpan. I was very frustrated in the beginning and lost data for the first 2 days since "Account sync" apparently deletes the data from the counters on the treadmill app even if it doesn't successfully transfer it. It was also not clear that the data uploaded through the bluetooth link only shows up when you click on the "Exercise History" link under Reports in the lower left corner of the LifeSpan Fitness Club window but you can only see the individual manually entered data when you click the "Update" link under "Exercise Results" in the middle of the screen (you can see total minutes/steps/distance, etc. manually entered for the week in "Exercise History" but not the individual entries). This was very confusing while first trying to set up the bluetooth functionality.
4. It would be very useful to have some actual photos showing a properly aligned belt. This is my first treadmill and mine arrived off center (or at least the gaps on the two sides were not equal so I am assuming it was not properly centered). The directions to align the belt were not as clear as they should be. The drawing in the manual showed a single hole/adjustment bolt on each side in the rear of the treadmill, however there are actually 2 bolts or screws on each side and the adjustment bolts are the lower ones. A couple of high quality videos on the website demonstrating how to align the belt and lubricate it would be a big improvement.
5. When you accidentally knock the key off the console, resulting in an E-stop, you lose your data. If the treadmill app was running before the E-stop, the numbers are still displayed but when you start up again everything is set back to zero. Other than writing down the numbers before starting up again and manually entering them, is there no other way to save your data? Can you add an option to have the desktop app continue the count instead of starting over?
6. I have used the treadmill for about a week and a few times a day one of my sneakers briefly comes in contact with one of the siderails (hardly an excessive amount since this treadmill is designed to be used up to 6 hours a day and I do 4-5 hours). I have already noticed that the edges of the plastic siderails are roughened. This makes me question their durability. A hardened plastic or metal strip should prevent or greatly reduce this problem. Part of the reason I bought this treadmill desk was because it looks better than something I could make myself so if it starts to look bad quickly that defeats the purpose.
So far I really like it and being able to work while exercising has finally allowed me to get back on track with my fitness goals.
| Brand | LifeSpan Fitness |
|---|---|
| Color | gray;black |
| Item Weight | 252 Pounds |
| Material | Composite, Plastic |
| Maximum Speed | 4 Miles per Hour |
| Special Feature | Led Display, Manual, Programmed, Shock Absorption |
| Target Audience | Unisex |
| Maximum Horsepower | 2.25 Horsepower |
| Assembly Required | No |
| Display Type | LCD |
| Power Source | Electric |
| Included Components | Treadmill, Manual Height Adjustable Desk |
| Maximum Weight Recommendation | 300 Pounds |
| Deck Length | 50 Inches |
| Deck Width | 20 Inches |
| Frame Material | Plastic,Steel Frame |
| Speed Rating | 4 miles_per_hour |
| Screen Size | 10 Inches |
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 74 x 56 x 46 inches |
| Package Weight | 252 Pounds |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 74 x 46.5 x 56 inches |
| Brand Name | LifeSpan Fitness |
| Warranty Description | Lifetime warranty on frame, 2 years warranty on parts, 3 years warranty on motor, 1 year warranty on labor |
| Model Name | TR1200-DT5 |
| Suggested Users | "" |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer | LifeSpan Fitness |
| Part Number | TR1200-DT5 |
| Size | One Size |
