Ohiyo!

Every so often the DOJO gets in a piece of equipment the Treadmill Sensei hasn’t had a chance to work on before. It doesn’t happen very often but it does happen. This past Friday we received in a package from a local Sports Authority to be delivered and set up in a customer’s home gym. When I opened it up I was surprised to find a New Balance 9000 Elliptical. I say unusual because we don’t get a lot of the center drive style ellipticals. There’s nothing wrong with them, they just haven’t gotten the market penetration of the rear or front drive style ellipticals.

My first reaction when seeing the New Balance 9000 was “I’ve got to set that up and try it out.” Well, truthfully my first reaction was “It looks like a Tony Little Gazelle on steroids.” Luckily, I got to play with the machine for a few hours and it totally changed my mind.

The key things to know about the New Balance 9000 are:

• Adjustable stride: The New Balance 9000 comes with 3 settings for its stride length – 17 inches, 19 inches and 21 inches. New Balance gives you a great selection with these three lengths and they should fit just about any size user.
• Width between pedals: New Balance kept the distance between its pedals tight. What this does is give you a slightly more comfortable, nautral feel on the 9000.
• Stability: One of the best features on the New Balance 9000 Elliptical is how darn stable and solid it feels. In general the center drive ellipticals are going to give you a much greater feeling of a stable workout.

The rest of the features on the New Balance 9000 are just icing: 13 programs, heart rate control, wireless heart rate monitoring, padded foot bepdals, and a good price. New Balance has come up with anothing winning unit.

For blowing away the Tony Little Gazelle in form and function, the Treadmill Sensei gives the New Balance 9000 elliptical 4 out of 5 golden buddahs.

The New Balance 9000 gets 4 gold buddahs out of 5.


Compare the New Balance 9000 Elliptical.

New Balance 9000 Elliptical Specifications
Resistance: 16 Levels
Programs: 13
Bi-Directional: Yes
Max User Weight: 300 lbs.
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip and wireless
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Stride Length: Adjustable – 17″, 19″ and 21″
Monitor: LCD
Display: Time, speed, distance, approximate calories burned and approximate heart rate and watts
Price: $1399

Ohiyo!

The end of the busy season has us hard at work here at the DOJO so I do apologize for not posting as frequently lately. I hope to get back on track after IRHSA at the end of March. In the meantime, let’s hear from a recent reader who followed the Treadmill Sensei’s advice on a purchase and see what he has to say.

Treadmill Sensei,

I just finished a quick 30 minute work on the Spirit XE550 and I am very happy with the machine! I was ready for a longer work out but my wife demanded equal time on it this morning. I am 5’9″ and 195 lbs and I really gave the elliptical a work out, getting up to level 14 and about 70-75 PPM with no discernable wobble or flimsy feelings. The machine is very quiet and I like the adjustable foot pads too. My only negative observation is the placement of the angled water bottle holder and the fact it will only fit the small water bottle that came with the machine. The bigger ones we regularly use will not fit. But if that is I have to “complain” about, I am doing pretty good with this machine! Again, THANKS for your information. -Dave

Get the Sole E55 at the lowest price online and save 3% with the code TMSENSEI

Dave:

Thanks for the note and I’m glad I could be of service. A lot of the Life Fitness residential grade equipment doesn’t hold up to their commercial units. Their commerical ellipticals are fantastic, but the home units tend to be a lot less stable.

You got a great deal on the Spirit XE550! Spirit has some very strict MAP pricing (meaning the minimum a unit can be advertised at) and the XE550s normally sell for around $1699. One of the best features in the Spirit XE350 and Spirit XE550 is the adjustable foot pad option. They allow you to get the most comfortable workout on your elliptical and blow away just about everyone else out there. As for the water bottle, I’m not completely sure what Spirit was thinking with that one, but there are third party clip on bottles out there for you to replace it with.

Thanks again for your note and have a great workout!

Find best price online for the Sole E95 and save 3% with the code TMSENSEI.

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

We received a batch of freight damaged Sole treadmills here at the DOJO yesterday from a local dealer. Every so often a freigh company will drop a load or damage a shipment with a poorly maneuvered forklift blade and the units are brought to a repair facility like ours to see if they can be salvaged. We fix them and return them if we can. If not, the freight companies pick them up and take them away. Unfortunately, I think a lot of these repaired machines wind up on ebay and sold as new.

2007-2008 Ichi-Ban Best Buy Award Winner.

Anyway, in this batch of freight damage we discovered a nearly perfect Sole F80 treadmill. Since all it had was a couple of cracks in its upright support casings, your Treadmill Sensei decided to go ahead and put it together to do a quick review.

The Sole F80 has much heavier uprights than most other units at this price range…up to a good 2 inches thicker to be precise. If you’re going to be doing a lot of hard running or are a heavier runner, then the Sole F80 is going to feel quite a bit more solid and sturdy.

Aside from that the Sole F80 has a commercial style LED console very similar to what you might work out on at a gym. Standard on this unit are 10 workout programs, a 20×55 running surface, very large 2.75 inch rollers and a huge 3 horsepower motor. As with all of the Sole motors from Dyaco, you get a very big motor, running cool and at lower RPMs with a lot of torque. Sole has done an excellent job in choosing the motors for its units. They are easily the best grade motors in the $1000-$2500 range.

A great feature that no one really mentions is the hydraulic-assisted folding on the Sole F80. With one hand you can easily raise the deck in to the folded position and, with a click of the safety switch, it slowly lowers itself all the way to the ground without the painful drop a lot of other units experience.

If you need a heavier machine and don’t want to pay $1700 or more, then the Sole F80 is an excellent choice. For continued excellence, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Sole F80 4.5 out of 5 golden buddahs.

The Sole F80 gets 4.5 gold buddahs out of 5.

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Sole F80 Treadmill Specifications
Motor: 3 HP
Speed: 11 mph
Incline: 15%
Unit Weight: 250 lbs.
Max User Weight: 335 lbs.
Running Surface: 20 X 55
Belt: Double Woven 2 Ply
Rollers: 2 3/4 inches
Folding: Yes – with hydraulic assistance
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip and wireless
Display: LED
Standard Programs: 6
User Defined Programs: 2
Heart Rate Programs: 2
Cooling Fans: Yes

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

As the Treadmill Sensei promised, I am just about through the entire new Merit Fitness line of treadmills and ellipticals. As you may or may not know, Merit is the newest brand offered from Johnson Health Technologies. They also produce very high quality equipment under the Horizon and Matrix lines. Merit is their latest offering and was built to compete in the under $600 market that is very popular right now. It’s good to see Johnson Tech offering ellipticals to compete with Proform’s hold on the budget conscious fitness buyer.

The Merit 720E elliptical is a slightly beefier version of the Merit 710e. It comes with a 16″ stride, 10 levels of magnetic resistance, a 10 pound flywheel, 6 programs and some pretty decent pivoting food pads which will keep your feet from falling asleep during longer workouts.

The Merit 720E is a very good machine for under $500. For being a great Proform alternative, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Merit 720E 3 out of 5 golden buddahs.

The Merit 720e Elliptical gets 3 gold buddahs out of 5.

Compare the Merit 720e Elliptical

Merit 720e Elliptical Specifications
Stride: 16″
Resistance: 10 levels
Flywheel: 10 lbs.
Max User Weight: 275 lbs.
Display: Dot matrix
Unit Weight: 130 lbs.
Features: Pivoting food pads
Programs: 6
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse Grip

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

Today your Treadmill Sensei emerges from the DOJO once more to continue his review of the Merit Fitness line of treadmill and ellipticals. Today I want to talk about their top end unit, the Merit 730T treadmill.

The Merit 730T is an upgrade to Merit’s very slick Merit 710t treadmill which I’ve already reviewed. The main differences between the units are the motor, number of programs and deck size. It is also a nice change up to the Horizon T71 treadmill which has similar specs. With the Merit 730T you get a nice sized 1.5 horsepower motor — I wish it was a bit bigger to match the 1.75 on the Horizon T71, but the rest of the Merit 730T specs more than make up for this minor complaint.

For a sub $600 treadmill, the Merit 730T has a very good sized 18×52 inch deck and surprisingly large for the price 1.6″ rollers. It has also more programs than most with 6. Walkers who want a larger running area and a few more programs, the Merit 730T is an excellent choice. Just keep in mind that this treadmill is for walking and light jogging.

Another excellent budget treadmill, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Merit 730T treadmill 3 out of 5 golden buddahs.

The Merit 730t gets 3 gold buddahs out of 5.


Compare the Merit 730T Treadmill

Merit 730t Treadmill Specifications
Motor: 1.5 hp
Folding: Yes
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip
Speed: 10 mph
Incline: 10%
Running area: 18″x52″
Deck Thickness: 0.6″
Rollers: 1.6″
Max User Weight: 275 lbs
Programs: 6
Features: Cup holder and built-in fan
Price: $599

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

From the depths of the DOJO the Treadmill Sensei comes forth once more to enlighten the masses desperate for treadmill wisdom. I arrived at the DOJO this morning at about 6am because I’d been kept awake most of the night by my beloved newborn grandson. I will refer to the golden child as “He who was not named after me” from now on. For some reason the child just didn’t want to sleep and decided he wanted to awaken at 3am to play with grandpa. Luck for him he is a cute little poop-machine because I normally kill anyone who wakes me up before 5am with my trusty katana.

But I digress.

I’ve been getting hounded by some of my readers to do more reviews of entire lines of equipment each week. You know, start with one unit in the line on Monday and move through all the units offered by a manufacturer each day until I’m done and then begin on another company. I don’t know how consitant I’ll be with the reviews, but I’ll give it a shot. For the next couple of days I’ll be reviewing equipment from Merit Fitness.

Merit itself is a relatively new brand but it has an amazing pedigree as the latest offering from Johnson Health Tech. Johnson Tech is one of the leading health and fitness companies in the world and produces a lot of great equipment under their Horizon and Matrix brands. They also produce equipment for companies like Schwinn and Precor.

The Merit 710T is the lightest treadmill I’ve come across that is still worth recommending to a buyer. These things weigh in at less than 125 pounds and fold up very small. The unit weight and smaller running area make the 710t very much a walking treadmill.

Don’t like the Merit 710T treadmill’s weight or size fool you, if you give it proper maintenance — keep the motor and deck clean, place it on a good treadmill mat — and keep to walking workouts, it should last you 4-5 years without much trouble at all.

Johnson Tech has done an excellent job in their design of the Merit 710T. The motor, while a bit smallish at 1.25 horsepower, still runs cool and at lower RPMs which help extend its life far beyond any Icon or Weslo treadmill in its price bracket.

This is a great $399 treadmill. Now, keep in mind what that means. When compared to other sub $500 treadmills, the Merit 710T is an excellent choice, but you get what you pay for. This is a very light weight unit and, like any lower price unit, should only be used for light workouts.

For being a nice low-end machine at an affordable price, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Merit 710t Treadmill 3 out of 5 golden buddahs.

The Merit 710t pulls through with 3 gold buddahs out of 5.

Compare the Merit 710t Treadmill

Merit 710t Treadmill Specifications
Motor: 1.25 hp
Folding: Yes
Speed: 10 mph
Incline: 5%
Running area: 16″x45″
Deck Thickness: 0.6″
Rollers: 1.6″
Max User Weight: 250 lbs.
Programs: 4
Heart Rate Monitor: Thumb contact

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

Today the Treadmill Sensei is posting from his room at Ceasar’s Palace here in Las Vegas. Sure Mrs Sensei and I took the weekend off to go and have some fun, but she’s sleeping and what she doesn’t know won’t hurt me!

Last night I received an email from a reader who just purchased a Spirit ZE120 and had a question about a little white tube she found in the packaging of the elliptical. Take it away, Carol!

Hey Sensei,

Thanks for your advice on the ZE120. It was a great deal, and seems like a great machine. I was wondering if you could answer another question. When assembling the machine, we were given a tube of lube, but not told where to use it? Do you know which parts should have the lube applied to them? Thanks again for your help! -Carol V

Carol:

Thanks for the note. About which parts need lube…that sounds like a personal question! Sorry, I couldn’t resist. The little white tube of lube (why Spirit decided to put a completely plain white tube in a lot in completely plain white packing material is beyond me — lots of people accidentally throw their tubes away!) is used to lubricate the shiny elliptical rails on the Spirit ZE120. What it does is reduce the friction between the rails and the wheels which the elliptical runs on.

Lubrication on the Spirit ZE120 and its brothers (the ZE110, XE125, XE150 and XE350) is pretty simple. Squirt a little lube on your finger and then run it along the rails. Then, use the Spirit ZE120 for a minute or so and you’ll notice the difference — the machine will be a lot quieter and run a lot smoother. It will also help elongate the life of your elliptical.

Thanks again for your note, Carol, and good luck with your lube!

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

For your convenience, here is a quick list to all brand review listings on the site.

Treadmill / Elliptical Brands

• BodyCraft Brand Review
• Bowflex Brand Review
• Horizon Fitness Brand Review
• Lamar HFS Brand Review
• Merit Fitness Brand Review
• Schwinn Fitness Brand Review
• Smooth Fitness Brand Review
• Sole Fitness Brand Review
• Spirit Fitness Brand Review
• SportsArt Fitness Brand Review

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

Mrs. Sensei has informed me that we’re going away to Las Vegas for the weekend. I’m assuming this has been in the planning for a couple of weeks now but I seem to have been the last to to know about it. I may be the Treadmill Sensei at the DOJO but at home I merely follow orders…and that is why we’re still married after 20 years. I know who the boss is.

Not wanting to neglect my faithful readers, I sat down quickly to write a Horizon EX75 elliptical review.

Since it came out in late 2006, we’ve had the opportunity to work with a large number of the Horizon EX75 elliptical trainer. The Horizon EX75 is the 2007 version of the Horizon EX44. There are no real differences from the EX44 aside from a few cosmetic changes and the new, sharper orange back-lit display. Luckily, both units are excellent ellipticals for the money.

The Horizon EX75 elliptical comes with a nice 18″ stride and a solid 14.5 pound fly wheel, giving those in search for a sturdy elliptical for under $1000.

For the money, the Horizon EX75 is one of the better designed ellipticals, especially with Amazon selling the units for $200 less than anyone else on the internet at about $799. Although, even at the full price, the EX75 is a contender for a spot in any top ten elliptical list.

20 levels of magnetic resistance, pulse grip and wireless heart rate monitoring options, a 300 pound user weight and 10 programs will give you a very robust elliptical for your cash and gets the Horizon EX75 4 out of 5 golden buddahs from the Treadmill Sensei.

The Horizon EX75 gets 4 gold buddahs out of 5.


Compare the Horizon EX75 elliptical.

Horizon EX75 Elliptical Specifications
Stride: 18″
Max User Weight: 300 lbs.
Resistance: Magnetic
Resistance Levels: 20
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip and wireless
Programs: 10
Display: LCD
Product Size: 56″L x 26″W x 65″H
Product Weight: 160 lbs.
Flywheel: 14.5 lbs.

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

The Treadmill Sensei is going to do something that he never thought he’d do, at least not before Hell froze over…give a decent review to a ProForm Treadmill. In general, Icon Health and Fitness (the manufacturer of the Proform line), puts out some of the lowest-end equipment on the market with their Weslo, Cadence, Nordic Track, Image and Proform Lines. They have done some decent work with the Reebok ellipticals but aside from that not much has been good.

I had a reader email me recently about the ProForm 1000s Treadmill. Let’s check out what she said.

I hope you can shed some light on this treadmill for me. I know the poor quality of ProForm first hand, and that they usually reveiw poorly. I however after days and days of research, I keep coming back to this treadmill, the ProForm 1000s.

Of all the treadmills I looked at in my price range, this one had the highest ratings on the doc site, and he seems to have a general harshness for proform, which has led me to beleive this one may just be suitable. The smooth 5.25 is not reccomended for runners, and running is what I am looking to do. Also the high cushion rating on the 1000 S appeals to my knees. Question is, I cant find anymore info on this treadmill online, except at the Proform site were they are selling it for just under $800. That is even streching my budget a little but It does rate higher than the new balance and horizon in the same price range I was looking at. Do you know ANYTHING else about this treadmill. Does the docs high rating for it indicate a better quality proform product? Thanks -Gina

Gina:

Thanks for your note. About the ProForm 1000s Treadmill: it’s not a bad treadmill at all, surprisingly enough. It is a little sturdier built than most of the other Proform units and doesn’t have quite as much plastic in key structural supports. I’d rank it as very similar in feel to the Horizon T72 or one of the upper New Balance units but at a better price and with a larger running area. I still wouldn’t use the ProForm 1000s as a running treadmill, but it should be good for walking and light jogging.

In regards to the “ProTech cushioning” system on the 1000s. It’s really not any better than any other system out there, but it’s not any worse. They all feel and work in very similar fashions…companies just like to give their shock absorption systems cool names that sounds great.

Overall, the ProForm 1000s is a slightly better than average under $800 treadmill. For the price I’d suggest looking at Horizon, Proform, Sole or Spirit because of the shorter warranty on the Proform models. However, if you like the 1000s I’d suggest getting it direct from Proform because of their cheaper pricing.

As one of the few Proform models that aren’t terrible, the Treadmill Sensei gives the ProForm 1000s treadmill 3 out of 5 golden buddahs.

The Proform 1000s Treadmill gets a solid 3.5 gold buddahs out of 5.

Proform 1000s Treadmill Specifications
Motor: 2.75 HP
Shock Absorption: ProTech cushioning
Folding: Yes
Max Incline: 12%
Max Speed: 12 mph
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip
Programs: 10
Display: LCD
Readouts: Speed, distance, incline, time, pace, calories, and pulse
Running Area: 20″ x 60″
Price: $799

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com