Treadmill recommendations needed.

November 19, 2021 8:39 AM

Looking for recommendations for a simple and reliable treadmill to help with walking exercises now it's too cold for me to go outside. I have respiratory damage from Covid and am simply trying to get in half an hours walking a day to improve stamina so it doesn't have to be fancy.

Needs
To take up to 300lbs and have a reasonably wide walking area.
It will be for walking only.
I have terrible balance so a firm handle and smooth rolling action are needed.
Can be folded up. This doesn't have to be super easy to do as I wouldn't put it away daily, but if I have visitors or something to be able to clear some floor space would be nice.

Reasonably priced. My husband has a great knock off peloton we got off of Amazon for 1/4 of the price of the brand name and basically I'm trying to find something similar in a Plus Size Walking Treadmill.

Nice to have but not compulsory.
Waterbottle and tablet holder.
Some sort of distance tracker & timer, doesn't have to be fancy LCD is fine.

posted by wwax to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

Best answer: We got a Sole and it was about $1000 but meets all your criteria. It feels super solid; unfortunately my foot issues mean I can’t use it as much as I’d like and definitely only for walking.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 9:55 AM on November 19, 2021

Best answer: If you haven't already looked, here's the Wirecutter guide.

Pre-COVID, my advice would be have been to get a used treadmill. There was a huge supply and most decent treadmills (those originally costing more than roughly $500-$700) would meet your standards. It wasn't too hard to get one for around 1/3 to 1/2 of the original price, which I did twice. You would have to either move it yourself or pay someone to move it, but it still resulted in big savings. A year ago, that wasn't an option, but supply may be returning if people are selling off their recent treadmill purchases.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 11:37 AM on November 19, 2021

Best answer: I don't know the exact model of mine, but it's very close to this Exerpeutic walking treadmill. It's rated for 400lbs, has a wider track and longer grab bars, folds, and goes up to 4mph which is at least a trot as far as I'm concerned. We've had it several years and while it hasn't been worked super hard it does get used on a regular basis and we've had no issues.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:33 PM on November 19, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Oh, also - this bath caddy, a few zip ties, and a couple of pieces of pool noodle (to make it sit flat on the slightly sloping bars) make a great tablet/phone/laptop stand and beverage holder for it.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:35 PM on November 19, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I also got a SOLE at the beginning of the pandemic. It has been used every other day, and no problems. It ticks all your boxes, and the fold-up is easy and greatly reduces the floorspace it takes up. Highly recommend it.
posted by mmf at 3:48 PM on November 19, 2021

Best answer: We have a place here (North Florida) called "Play It Again Sports" which buys and resells sporting equipment. Look for something similar in your area, and go check out what they have. They almost always have things like treadmills that people buy when they have good exercise intentions, and then sell when they find they've only used it for hanging shirts.
posted by TimHare at 8:49 PM on November 23, 2021