I feel like I'm getting nowhere on this treadmill issue!

October 6, 2016 6:48 PM

Please recommend a treadmill! We want to get one for our basement space. Durable and non-flimsy-feeling is our first-priority. This is more important than features. We understand that they're expensive and are preparing to accept that. Other requirement: It has to work with a regular domestic 120V power outlet, not a commercial one.
posted by ignignokt to Health & Fitness (20 answers total)

Response by poster: (I've liked the Life Fitness kinds I've used at gyms, but there are a lot of models, and some of them require special power.)
posted by ignignokt at 6:49 PM on October 6, 2016

Buy one from Craigslist - offer 1/2 what they are asking. People buy them and never use them. My Life Fitness had 10 miles on it and I got it for $125. There were asking $225.
posted by COD at 7:03 PM on October 6, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks! I'm not particularly interested in where to buy one right now, though, just a specific model that has worked well for someone.
posted by ignignokt at 7:04 PM on October 6, 2016

We have that Sole F63 treadmill too, and would recommend it.
posted by mbrubeck at 9:56 PM on October 6, 2016 [1 favorite]

The new non-motorised ones with a curved surface are amazing, you burn so much so fast. Well worth checking out IMO.

http://www.technogym.com/gb/skillmill-connect.html
posted by Coda Tronca at 11:49 PM on October 6, 2016

Check the speed range of any treadmill you consider. I didn't realize that there are only a few that are intended for walking vs. running.
posted by amtho at 2:11 AM on October 7, 2016

I have a LifeScan and it plugs into a regular plug. Very durable.
posted by cecic at 5:46 AM on October 7, 2016

I'm going to echo COD: find a good deal on Craigslist. My impression is that the retail price is generally reflective of the quality, so that the variation among, say, different $700 treadmills is small compared to the difference between the average $700 and average $300 treadmill. The market for used treadmills is spotty, so you probably won't be able to pick an exact model, but you can probably get one for much less than half of the original price. You will have to either move it yourself or hire someone, but that cost should be small compared to the savings. You should also try it out first for at least 5 minutes of running at your normal pace; if it feels solid, it will likely be durable.

We paid $200 on Craigslist for a $800 model 10 years ago (don't remember model) and it's going strong after about 10 years and 5,000+ miles.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:18 AM on October 7, 2016

If you go read the Runner's World forum they are very harsh on ProForm. However, I had a ProForm for ten years (a low end, folding model) that I ran into the ground.

So when it was time for a new treadmill, I ended up with another one and I love it. I bought their Boston Marathon treadmill. It took forever to ship. It weighs a ton - 3 people struggled to get it set up (didn't need much assembly but the deck weighs a billion pounds). I love it. It inclines, it declines, I bought an iFit subscription and can program my own interval training.

It goes up to 15mph. I don't, so lots of room there.

The no side rails design is amazing. And yeah, it plugs right into a normal wall outlet.

Did I mention I love it?
posted by hilaryjade at 6:26 AM on October 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

We have a Landice L7 that has been going strong for 13+ years. It is built like a tank and cost like one too. I am sure we have gotten our money's worth out of it. It definitely uses a normal 120V outlet.
posted by mmascolino at 8:29 AM on October 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: MoonOrb, mbrubeck, hillaryjade, mmascolino: Did your treadmills come in pieces? Did you have any trouble getting them in the house? One issue I just thought of is that we have a kind of narrow staircase that goes to our basement.
posted by ignignokt at 5:45 PM on October 7, 2016

We have the Sole F63. It needs assembly: mounting the upright section onto the base. But that doesn't really mean it's in manageable pieces. The bulk of it is the base and it was hella heavy.

I'd managed to move our previous treadmill out of the house on my own to have it recycled so when the delivery guys told my wife it was $75 to carry the new treadmill down to basement--I wasn't there--I told her to forget it and that I'd do it myself. It was very, very difficult even though I was just sliding it down carpeted stairs. We had a bit of a dogleg at the bottom of the stairs, which made it a real challenge. I had to the base out of the box and slide it down on its own.

That said, when we moved house, two immensely strong movers got it out of the basement at the old hours and into the basement at the new house. I'd already removed the vertical part from the base. You need strong friends!
posted by NailsTheCat at 8:27 PM on October 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

The deck of the treadmill was separate and went through the doorway sideways. It was amazingly heavy - my brother and husband were VERY unhappy with my purchase. Let me know if you need deck measurements. I'm happy to provide them.
posted by hilaryjade at 8:56 PM on October 7, 2016 [1 favorite]

Just want to add - we unboxed the treadmill outside so we could carry things up separately.
posted by hilaryjade at 8:58 PM on October 7, 2016

I would imagine most treadmills come shipped with the control panel + legs either as a separate unit or folded against the deck. One of the nice things about really good and thus pricey treadmills is that they are sold by stores that will deliver and set them up. When we moved from an apartment to our house we hired movers and they were totally blase about moving a treadmill. "We move them all the time, not a problem." They were outgunned by the Landice and it put them in their place.
posted by mmascolino at 2:22 PM on October 8, 2016

We have a folding one so no stair issues, plus it has wheels when folded. I got it up the stairs myself but it certainly didn't help my bad back. Would have been pretty easy with two reasonably strong people.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 1:58 PM on October 11, 2016

Response by poster: OK, so I finally did the measuring. We have stairs that at one point bend at a 90º angle. It's 36" on one side of the bend and 28" on the other.

So, if the moving were to be done in 2D, my figuring indicates that a 17" x 86" object wouldn't make it through that corner. But with 3D, we have a little more wiggle room, though it's a noticeably low-ceilinged stairway. Probably safest to unbox first as most of you did.

Is anyone able to get dimensions for the base of their treadmill? Thanks for filling me in on the gory moving details!
posted by ignignokt at 7:11 PM on October 11, 2016

Sorry to be slow - I forgot to check back on this. The base of mine, in inches:
70 long
30.5 wide
14 high

Hope that helps!
posted by hilaryjade at 4:00 PM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you so much! Looks like rotated at 60º, the base could make it around that bend.
posted by ignignokt at 12:38 PM on October 16, 2016

Response by poster: Hmm, I think I can do the same with the Sole, too.
posted by ignignokt at 12:46 PM on October 16, 2016