Rating:

The following are some comments about the treadmill which primarily have to do with the instructions for setting it up before its first use and for maintaining it:

1) The User’s Guide instructs the user to lubricate the treadmill deck before the first use. I called Horizon Customer Tech Support and was told that I should not have to lubricate the treadmill when I first received it if I bought it new.

2) I was told to lubricate the deck after 150 miles of use or 6 months. (Incidentally; in my opinion, the instructions for lubricating the running deck are a little confusing. The confusion involves the fact that the Running Belt is separate from the Running Deck. The Running Belt is on top of the Running Deck. When you lubricate the Running Deck, you must loosen the rear roller bolts so that you can lift up the Running Belt to some extent in order to spray the lubricant fluid over the entire top surface of the Running Deck. You must then tighten the rear roller bolts and then walk on the treadmill for two minutes.)

3) The instructions tell you that the treadmill must be used on a dedicated circuit, which means that you cannot have any other electrical devices running on that circuit except the treadmill. This is practically impossible to find in most homes. The Horizon Customer Tech Support representative told me that it is all right to have other items on the circuit as long as the circuit that the treadmill is on does not have other heavy electrical-use items.

4) A tag came attached to the treadmill saying that you need to allow your treadmill to run for approximately 60 minutes prior to use. Apparently, this is important to allow the belt and motor to recalibrate for proper performance.

5) My treadmill arrived with some large removable signs or tags. When I removed them, some sticky adhesive remained on the treadmill frame. The Customer Tech Support representative told me to use some Goo Gone (a product that can be purchased at hardware stores) to remove the adhesive residue. I purchased some Goo Gone at a hardware store, and it did work in removing the adhesive.

Rating:

I use it to walk fast while reading or browsing the web. It is very stable and silent. So far, so good – the quality of the product looks much higher than treadmills twice as expensive. Not sure if it is good for running (I am not a runner…), but definitely the ideal product for a walker. I also have a long stride, despite its compact size it fits perfectly my exercise patterns.

It is also very easy to fold and unfold, just a little harder to get around (it is a bit heavy, the small wheels definitely allow for portability, but you require some effort to carry it around)The folded profile is quiet small. The look is very trendy – nobody complaints at home if visits take a look to it while unfolded in the middle of the living room, as in the manufacturer’s you tube video… A much better value than several treadmills that I tried at sport stores and gyms.

Probably the best item I have bought in amazon, other than terrific books! My only minor complaint is that the free delivery took a long time (two weeks), but it was timely delivered once they called.

Rating:

Pros: SO easy to unfold, fold, move around, and store. I take it down and put it up daily because of the ease. Due to space limitations, this was a priority for me when looking for a treadmill. Also, it is so compact you can store it virtually anywhere.

Cons: The heart rate monitor has not worked from day one. That doesn’t really bother me as much as instead of alternating through the time, speed, distance, and calories it constantly gets stuck on heart rate. I guess the vibration from walking makes it think I’m trying to take my heart rate. I won’t even touch the handle and it still does this. That is my number one annoyance with this machine.

The treadmill belt has to be moving in order to get your statistics. After walking I like to scroll through my statistics to see time, distance, and calories. You MUST do this while the belt is moving in order to see them. I normally like to stop the belt and then get all the information. It’s difficult to try pushing all the buttons while still walking. Especially since it will get stuck on the heart rate!!!!

Another Con is that the safety key is located on the right side of the controls causing the cord to be on the right side. While walking my right hand continually knocks the safety key off and my information is deleted. Many people don’t use the safety key so this wouldn’t effect them. After having a friend who was severely burned from falling on a treadmill, I’m a safety key wearer.

This treadmill meets my needs due to space restrictions, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who was serious about their workouts or who has the space to have a better one.

Rating:

A treadmill (providing it has a motor) is the best exercise device you can own, and this one is certainly the “right” product if you’ve become discouraged after reading reviewers’ stories of requiring 3 or more assistants to move their new treadmills to the basement. Or if you were contemplating a budget model until reading horror stories about its assembly, this may again be the ticket. It’s compact and it’s pre-assembled.

I wouldn’t go so far as to call it “portable.” It’s the biggest piece of exercise equipment I’ve ever owned, and it’s sufficiently heavy to make folding and unfolding seem like a chore. (I’m afraid that if I had to fold it up every night and stash it vertically behind a door or slide it under a bed, it would see too little use to be worth the investment.) Otherwise, it works just fine as a “walking” treadmill (runners would probably be better advised to look for a machine with a wider and longer belt). I’m no expert, but the belt seems smooth and quiet, the foundation solid, and the read-out and controls clear and user-friendly. The belt isn’t quite as “cushioned” as those of more expensive machines, there isn’t any fan for cooling down the walker, and the two speakers for an iPod or stereo MP3 player are, imo, simply too lame to be useful.

The actual “negatives” are few: 1. I wish the electrical connection was at the rear instead of the front of the machine and/or that the cord would be long enough (a couple more feet would do it) to reach the electrical outlet on the wall behind me (the instructions say don’t plug the machine into a power strip, yet the length of the cord doesn’t leave you much choice). 2. The otherwise helpful and clearly written instructions make no reference whatsoever to operation of the built-in stereo speakers, which may be understandable: the audio quality might be compared with a pair of cheap AM radio speakers. 3. Rather than waste the space, better there be an additional program, besides Manual and a single 30-minute automatic one.

Regarding a couple of other complaints: It’s true that, once the machine has completed it program, you can’t read your “progress” on the read-out, but if you simply press stop just prior to the end of the program, get off the machine for the last 10 seconds to jot down the reading, then press start again, voila–all of the settings are preserved). As for the heart rate monitor, unlike other users I’ve found it “somewhat” effective providing I remove my thumb from it every now and then. My problem is trying to determine what the heart rate numbers actually “mean” (the instructions provide an explanation that’s ultimately unhelpful–remember, those no way the user can “input” the statistics–like age and weight–that are essential to computing useful heart rate numbers). So best pick up a separate monitor (the treadmill’s read-out was consistently 70-80, so I was shocked when, after purchasing the inexpensive Omron monitor, the number that came up was 145, just 5 beats short of my theoretical maximum!).

[Addendum (a cautionary): As mentioned, there is only one automatic program, which I didn't try until the 6th day. It's 30 minutes, with speeds varying from 2 mph to 4 mph (unlike Manual mode, it doesn't observe 10ths or even half-mile settings). I wasn't prepared for using the belt at 4 mph and it actually "body-slammed" me to the mat at this speed, which is probably the "break point" between extremely fast walking and jogging. Approximately a quarter of the auto work-out occurs at the higher speed (I have little use for "over-produced" treadmills, but it would be nice to have 2-3 more automatic programs, especially with circuit boards having become so miniaturized and inexpensive for manufacturers to install). Finally, you may wish to ignore the instructions advising you to do a stretching routine before using the treadmill. (I'm sure I would use the machine significantly less if I added that "psychological" barrier.) Warming up at 2 mph should be equally beneficial (just don't plan on drinking a cup of coffee while in motion--it's been tried.]

[Set-up: Not included in the manual but appended to the machine is a small ticket telling you to allow the machine to run for 60 minutes before first use. Take it seriously. If, like me, you missed it and find the belt too far to the right or left side, follow the instructions in the manual. Above all, be patient, or the belt will soon be too close to the other side. It requires 30 seconds or more for the effects of a quarter-turn adjustment by the user to be noticeable in the positioning/operation of the belt.]