Seeking Treadmill Recs

[Selkie]

With winter's potential treacherous pavement conditions in the near future, DH and I are seriously considering purchasing a treadmill.

Back in our marathon-running days (mid 90s), we had a very nice Precor. We would like something high quality, durable, and reliable. Any suggestions?

[7rider]

We are also looking so I'd love to hear/see some as well.

We are looking at used & reconditioned commercial ones. If you're an ex marathoner and used to run a Precor, I imagine a cheapie one wouldn't satisfy your needs.

This place has some in MD: www.profitnessmd.com/index.php

DH used to work here http://www.heartlinefitness.com/
And they also have some available. We plan to call them as well. They are primarily a commercial supplier but I think sell returns/trades/reconditioned ones "to the public."

I've heard good things about Sole f85 which is available at D-ick's Sporting Goods and DH found it at a Sears outlet.

[Selkie]

Thanks, 7! I hadn't considered a reconditioned treadmill but that actually sounds perfect. Appreciate the links, too.

The research I've done so far indicates that True and Landice make solid, quality treadmills. You get what you pay for when it comes to an investment like a treadmill, so I would prefer more of a higher end model. I don't want a lot of high tech features (i.e., bluetooth or iPod compatible---I don't & probably won't ever buy an iPod (gimme back my turntable!), so I'd rather pay for a good motor, solid/sturdy components, etc.

[surgtech1956]

Glad you posted this, I've been thinking about home exercise equipment. We're buying an Ellipital Trainer- cheap one, we have a treadmill(old), a Proform Crosswalk - barely working(incline and displace doesn't work) but I want use this one for awhile to make sure its something I'm going to stick with before spending the $$$.

If we get another treadmill, would like something that I can run on and doesn't bust the bank.

[GLC1968]

Our old treadmill just bit the dust after 7 years of running on it (both my DH and I at one point or another and neither of us are lightweights). I was honestly surprised it lasted as long as it did because it wasn't a high end model.

After much research, we ended up with a Precor 9.31 this time around. We chose an *almost* base model that has a good size/length running bed but hardly any extra features. We wanted the best quality with the least amount of stupid crap that would just break eventually.

We LOVE it. Running on it is SOOO much more like running outside than on our previous one. It's also smoother, quieter and clearly, much, much higher quality. I'm glad we spent the money - it's worth it. I no longer dread my treadmill workouts!

[surgtech1956]

Did you order your Precor online? I haven't seen Precor in my area. When we went looking for an ellipital trainer(we also checked out the treadmills), the models were LiveStrong, Proform, Horizon, Weslo, Gold's Gym and Sole.

[7rider]

FWIW, I was at Sears yesterday and hopped up on the Sole F85. Nice machine. Quieter than even the other Sole we tried (F80). Comfortable to run on.
I really like the lifetime warranty, the 22" wide running deck (vs. 20" for a lot of others - those extra 2" are welcome), the 3.5 cph motor that is surprisingly low profile, and the ability to easily fold. I hadn't given that last feature a thought, but DH pointed out that it would be handy in the area where we want to keep it, so we can still maintain access to the utility room beyond it.
I might have sprung for it, but we still want to try the guys at Heartline.
Also went to D_i-c-k's and were not impressed with the Livestrong. Seemed gimmicky and the knobs/joystick thingy looked cheap.

[GLC1968]

Did you order your Precor online? I haven't seen Precor in my area. When we went looking for an ellipital trainer(we also checked out the treadmills), the models were LiveStrong, Proform, Horizon, Weslo, Gold's Gym and Sole.

No, we went to a local fitness equipment store (specifically - no big box athletic store will carry the gym quality brands because *most* people would freak out at the price and lack of gimmicks). ;)

I believe that my husband found the store from Precor's website though.