This is probably the most important product that I've ever purchased. I only wish I'd bought one years ago.
I can't say that this is the best treadmill out there, or the best value, or the most reliable, or anything else, since I've only ever bought one treadmill: this one. But, I live in the Northeast and no longer have the dedication to running outdoors in the snow and even in hailstorms, as when I was marathon training.
DELIVERY AND ASSEMBLY. First, the few minor negatives. It weighs a ton. Even the delivery people who brought it into my house were complaining. Presumably that's a good thing in terms of how long it will last. The assembly allegedly takes two people, although I managed to do it myself. The packaging includes some protective elements that make it a bit of a challenge to get the main tread assembly out of the box. The instructions were generally clear, but some of them were odd. For a few of the components, it says to remove a screw and discard it; moments later it is replaced with an IDENTICAL screw from the parts kit. For a few assemblies, a component is added AFTER the rest of the assembly is in an awkward position, rather than when it would be easy to add. The vertical arms have some bolts that are easy to ratchet, but some where the footing is in the way, so the ratchet is mostly useless and a wrench is also difficult to use. Most holes were well aligned, but a few gave me some trouble.
DESIGN: I selected this partly because I'm 6'2 so the 60" tread seemed like a good idea. Once assembled the overall structure is rock solid. The design is logical except for the topmost iPad stand, which is held in place from underneath with four little screws. If those screws were to rattle loose, there goes your iPad. I'm sure that there are users who want all the bells and whistles, but after a month or so of reasonably regular use, all I really want is the speed control, the incline control, and the displayed metrics on distance and vertical feet climbed. The heart rate monitor doesn't seem to work quite properly, showing, say, 75 when my Fitbit Alta HR shows 145. The on/off switch is in an awkward position on the bottom front, which might be perfect for health clubs to prevent accidental shutoff but a minor annoyance for home use.
USE: I'm not saying that this is any better or worse than any other treadmills out there, but it suits my purposes perfectly. I start at a few miles per hour and a minor incline, then increase the rate and the incline to get my heart rate up, and then adjust up and down during a half hour to one hour speed walk. The controls are easy to use, allowing larger and smaller increments of change to speed and/or incline. The tread has just the right amount of cushioning. Coincidentally, I received a holiday gift of a Fitbit, and the two complement each other perfectly. I don't feel like getting in 10,000 steps while just wandering around the house does much for me, whereas walking on the treadmill at a good rate and enough of an incline is real conditioning exercise. Ten minutes is about 1,000 steps.
PORTABILITY: It *is* folding and portable, but not the way that I had thought. The heavy tread platform folds up and there is a catch that keeps it in that position. Then, you tilt it back on tiny wheels located a couple of feet from the front while using a foot as a chock. *I* can do it, but one false move and it could fall backwards and crush you. So, it's not the kind of thing you would want to fold up and put in the closet after a workout every day; it's more like a mechanism for being able to move it into its final position in your workout area.
TOTAL COST: Because I love this product, it has actually cost me quite a bit more than the list price. Just staring at the basement wall for an hour each day doesn't seem worthwhile, so I set up a TV, amp, speakers, and Amazon Fire TV Stick in the basement, which meant that I had to buy shelving to put it on and electronics to replace the parts I had cannibalized. I also had more outlets installed off the main electrical panel. And, I bought carpeting for that section of the basement. Strangely, there are posted warnings all over the product documents that say you must use it with a certain type of surge protector. It was only $20, but you would think that would be mentioned somewhere. On the other hand, with any luck at all, the treadmill will save me hundreds of thousands in medical expenses over the next few decades.
UNEXPECTED BENEFIT: Being in better shape is an obvious benefit. What I hadn't expected is that I now walk at maybe twice the pace that I used to when moving around the house or grocery store or at conferences. My body has been neurally reprogrammed to default to a much faster pace.
BOTTOM LINE: I love this treadmill; just wish I'd gotten one long ago.
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