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So you're looking to buy a treadmill...

This guide has been written to help those of you who are using the Internet to research the treadmill market prior to purchasing a quality treadmill. Unlike other resources available to you, this document comes from an industry expert. In the interest of full disclosure, I am the Chairman of Smooth Fitness, the industry’s largest direct-to-consumer treadmill manufacturer. My goal is not to get everyone to buy one of my treadmills, but rather to help educate you as a buyer so that you are better equipped to avoid the industry tricks and traps that an unsuspecting buyer can easily encounter.

First of all, you’ll be happy to know that treadmills have been the largest selling category of cardiovascular fitness products for the better part of 20 years now. Only treadmills mimic the natural running/walking movements that the human body naturally performs. Thanks to a motorized machine, the user is automatically paced. For this reason, treadmills enjoy a significantly lower drop-off rate than any other workout modality. But you already know you want one, so let me dig right into the meat of this now!

Before I tell you how to research the various manufacturers, makes and models out there, let me go over a few DO's and DON'Ts:

• DON’T buy a particular treadmill based on just one person’s opinion and that includes mine.

• DO look at several sources available to you online such as About.com (owned by the New York Times and the Internet’s tenth most trafficked web site), Epinions, Bizrate and Consumer Guide online (which is now part of www.howstuffworks.com).
  

• DON’T get too hung up on the spec game, and avoid playing the horsepower game altogether.

Where to Start? 

Price: The first thing you need to know is how much you should expect to spend in order to get a good quality machine.  That answer really depends on what kind of use you and your family expects to get out of the treadmill.  Generally, you can get a good treadmill for walking only for around $1,000.  Look for a 2.5 HP continuous duty motor (beware of anything labeled much more than that (I’ll tell you why later), a 20-wide walking belt that’s 52”-55” in length.  If you are taller (over 6’2”), you should consider stepping up to something in the $1,500-$2,000 price range. The upgrade gives you a longer warranty, a longer treadbelt and generally a smoother, quieter and longer-lasting machine.

User Weight: If any of the users in your family weigh over 225 lbs., you should consider spending a bit more for a stronger motor and higher grade belt and deck combination, even if you are only planning on walking on the treadmill.  The reason for this is that all home treadmills are made using DC motors.  DC motors only operate at their full capacity when running at the highest speed, which means that a person walking at 4 mph on a machine with a 2.5 HP motor will likely only be using a small fraction of the motor’s capacity.  This is not a huge problem for most users, but a very heavy person walking at a slow speed will cause the motor to run hot and eventually result in motor or lower electronic board failure.