How To Buy A Treadmill

To buy a treadmill, much thought and preparation should go into the purchase. This is because treadmills are a large investment financially that could have a great impact on your fitness.

Basic tips for purchasing a treadmill are:

Motor
Let's start with the motor. The first thing you want to do is make sure the motor is rated with "Continuous Duty." Any sales person or manufacturer who gives you a "Peak" rating is trying to sell you a bag of magic beans. Peak is best described as the maximum a motor will perform at before it breaks down. What's more important is: how the heck is that motor going to perform when you're actually using it? Another thing a shady salesperson might mention is that a common home circuit (120v/15amps) will only let you run about 2.5 HP and any motor larger than that is a waste of money. Technically that is true (about the amps vs. HP, not the waste of money), but the larger motors will tend to last longer as they are not running at the higher RPMs of a smaller motor. And, if nothing else, the larger the motor, the smoother the "ride." A bigger motor will allow you to run or walk on it without slipping.

Warranty
Any treadmill brand worth its weight will offer a nice warranty on their product. Usually the motor, parts, and labor will be covered under different warranties. Make sure you get at least a 5 year warranty on you motor. After the treadmill purchase make sure you abide by the warranty and send in any user registrations if required.

Rollers
The next thing to look at is the size of a treadmill's rollers. The bigger the rollers, the longer your belt will last and the better the running experience.

Walking Surface
Make sure the width of your treadmill will be comfortable for everyone in your household and also the length is long enough for the long legged members of your family.

Program
At its most basic, a treadmill is little more than the belt, a handle and an ‘on' switch, but treadmills can potentially have many more features than that. The best treadmills now can be programmed to time you as you run or measure how much distance you would have covered, and alert you when you have done a certain number of minutes or miles. Some models are also capable of counting the exact number of steps you have done, the number of calories you have burned, and many other things besides.

Weight Limit
Most treadmills have a weight limit. Too much weight can put a strain on the frame, belt, and especially motor of the treadmill. Make sure your potential treadmill has a weight limit to accommodate all of its potential users to avoid putting undue wear and tear on your new treadmill.

Test Things Out
Get on your treadmill and give it a test drive. Does everything work as the advertisement states? Try the heart monitor if it's a feature, does it appear to be working properly? Is the treadmill quiet to your liking, or will it be an annoyance when home? Are the displays big enough for you to see easily?

Safety
Make sure your new treadmill has an emergency stop mechanism. This can help prevent serious injuries during malfunction or accidents.

Additional Features
Treadmills come in many shapes and sizes with various features. Some additional features you may look for are a water bottle holder, calorie counter, book stand, incline, and preset and programmable workout routines.

Weight and Stability
There is nothing worse than getting on a treadmill and having it move back and forth, or shake, or, even worse, creak as you run on it. The heavier the unit the longer it will last. If you're used to running on a treadmill at your local gym and then get on most home units, you'll immediately notice the difference. You don't want to be running around on something that feels like it is going to fall apart now do you? Don't answer, that was a rhetorical treadmill question.

Tread and Deck
The tread and the deck are where most problems for treadmills happen. When the friction from your running builds up between the deck and the tread, the badness begins. Stick with the 4-ply belts/treads that help to reduce the amount of friction, and look at units with reversible, phenolic wax coated decks. Reversible decks let you flip over your running surface to use the opposite side when the original wears down. It's like having a free second deck if you wear out the first one.

Speed
Speed and Incline are worth talking about. Most treadmills can go up to about 10 miles per hour and a 10 degree incline. Don't let speed or incline become a deciding factor unless you're doing a lot of high speed or high incline training. Obviously, electronically controlled speed and incline are the way to go. If those feature are manual just move on.

Shock Absorption
Test out the shock absorption. You want to make sure you aren't running on a hard surface. This is a "feel" thing more than a "scientific" one. If the deck is bouncy, move on. If the deck feels like running on concrete, move on. If the deck moves from side to side, move on. You want to find a deck that feels good, with just enough give and little to no lateral motion.

Buying a treadmill can be a costly investment. A solid, dependable treadmill costs at least $1,000. Hence, knowing what to look for can save you hundreds of dollars.