Treadmills, being fitness equipment, are not purchased on the basis of their brand names alone. Moreover, each brand produces a wide variety of treadmills with different features. Hence, it lies more in the discretion of the purchaser to buy a treadmill that is more suited to him/her.
While buying a treadmill, the cost is not the most important factor. Treadmills range from $200 to $6,000, depending on their quality and the features they provide. The buyer must try to get the maximum benefits within the decided budget. There are treadmills designed to be suitable to particular types of exercises. Treadmills for walking have a lesser belt width than those designed for running. Treadmill costs also depend on their extra features. For heart patients, treadmills have heart rate counters, with wireless chest straps. There are also treadmills with fancy features such as odometers, carbohydrate counters, calorie burnout counters, etc. Of course, these features increase the costs. When buying, one must decide whether these features are worth thousands of extra dollars.
Judging by the popularity factor, Smooth treadmills stand out. Smooth provides high quality for comparatively cheap prices. This makes people buy them more. Also, Smooth provides lifetime warranties on the motors of some of their products.
Another very popular brand is the Proform, produced by Icon Health and Fitness, the same company that also produces Reebok. Proform treadmills, though very popular, use lower quality components than Smooth. The warranties provided by Proform are also not as substantial as Smooth’s. However, to Proform’s credit, they are one of the better-designed treadmills on the market.
Icon Health and Fitness also produces the Nordic Track treadmills. Though much better looking than the Proform treadmills, they are infested with several problems and are also difficult and expensive to maintain.
Landice is more conservative when it comes to treadmill manufacture. Being one of the oldest in the business, they have consistently been known for the high-quality parts that they use in their products. Their L8 series treadmills are much better crafted to make them appealing to youngsters, but for the serious runners, the L7 series remains the best bet. Landice treadmills are also more expensive, but they have now begun providing lifetime warranties to keep up with the competition. If you want a niche treadmill which is beautiful as well as sturdy, go for the Landice.
Precor is considered to be a pioneer of the elliptical treadmills and they have mastered the technology over the years. However, their treadmills are pricier than others. By giving a sleeker look to their products, they manage to sell more of their products than those of other companies. Precor wins over design rather than quality.
The cheapest treadmills in the market are the Weslo treadmills. Being cheap, they sell like hotcakes. Weslo can manufacture their treadmills cheaply by providing a lower horsepower engine, a less durable belt and no electronic features. Yet, these treadmills are sufficient for the exerciser who just wants to have a walking workout. For sprints and heavier workouts, these treadmills are a strict no-no. Weslo also is notorious when it comes to giving warranties – most of them are less than 90 days.
More than 90% of treadmill sales are done online. It is, therefore, prudent to take time out to review treadmills over the Internet before deciding on which one to purchase.
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