Ohiyo!

I have been meaning to do a new brand review for a while now, but the holiday season seemed to hit earlier this year and we’ve been simply blasted with work here at the DOJO. However, now that it’s late – the shop has closed down and the other senseis have all gone home – and I have some time to devote to one of my absolute favorite fitness manufacturers, and a long time presence in the industry, SportsArt Fitness.

SportsArt has been in the fitness industry for over 30 years now. In that time they have been known as one of the most consistantly high quality manufacturers in the world. Not only do they produce top quality, best buy award winning treadmills and elliptical for themselves, but they’ve also produced that same quality for other top manufacturers. That’s right, SportsArt is the company behind some of the best rated treadmills and ellipticals from Precor, Schwinn, Universal and Tunturi. So if you’ve enjoyed working out on a Precor elliptical, then chances are you have SportsArt to thank for that spectacular workout.

This year, SportsArt has expanded their line to include, not just the higher price club equipment they have been so well known for but also more moderately priced home ellipticals and treadmills as well. Their under $2000 treadmills and ellipticals are rapidly becoming recognized as some of the best equipment on the market, and their over $2000 units continue to dominate the competition.

In fact, I am such a big fan of the SportsArt equipment that I have owned two of their ellipticals in the past, and currently own an elliptical (the SportsArt E83) and a treadmill (the SportsArt TR31). These are some great, great machines, and consumers will be hearing more and more about them in the upcoming year as SportsArt has begun to sell its equipment direct online. What that means for those of us looking for high quality, best buy treadmills and ellipticals is that we’ll be able to get the absolute best price buy ordering from SportsArt direct. No more dealing with a middleman retailer jacking up prices!

Check out some of my past reviews of the SportsArt ellipticals and treadmills. You will be simply amazed by these fitness works of art. If my mother-in-law weren’t so cheap I’d insist she pick up a SportsArt elliptical to help her lose some of the holiday weight we’re all planning to gain this year!

SportsArt Ellipticals

• SportsArt 803 (4.5/5) 2006/2007 Best Buy Award Winner
• SportsArt E80 (4/5) 2007/2008 Best Buy Award Runner-Up
• SportsArt E81 2007/2008 Best Buy Award Runner-Up
• SportsArt E83 (4.5/5) 2007/2008 Best Buy Award Winner

SportsArt Treadmills

• SportsArt TR21F 2007/2008 Best Buy Award Runner-Up
• SportsArt TR31 (4.5/5) 2007/2008 Best Buy Award Winner
• SportsArt TR32 (4.5/5) 2007/2008 Best Buy Award Runner-Up
• SportsArt TR33 (5/5) 2007/2008 Best Buy Award Winner

Click here to compare SportsArt Fitness Treadmills & Ellipticals.

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

Ohiyo!

The Thanksgiving holiday over I can tell you that the Treadmill Sensei is very thankfull…thankfull that all of his wife’s relatives have all gone back to Arizona. Don’t get me wrong, I like and enjoy the company of most of her family, but having an extra 5 people crammed in to our house, plus our 3 grown children and their families, is always as stressful as it is enjoyable. Plus, they were eating all of the turkey leftovers that I selfishly wanted to eat as sandwiches all this week for lunch!

Speaking of Thanksgiving and the holiday season, now is probably one of the times most people are thinking about getting fit…well, thinking about how much weight they’ve gained from the constant eating. I know the scale here at the DOJO is showing that I’ve gained 6 pounds and am back up to just about 170. Mrs. Sensei is going to kill me.

The downside of all that eating and weight gain is that a lot of people will be out looking for fitness equipment to try to shed those pounds, and a lot of really bad ellipticals and treadmills will be bought. A treadmill or elliptical, even a budget one, should never be a whim or impulse buy. Do you research and get the most you can for your money.

A great new addition to the Schwinn line of ellipticals from Nautilus is the Schwinn 431 elliptical. We received one of these units in here at the DOJO to do a setup for a nice elderly couple out in Corona. At first I thought there was a typo on the packing slip and assumed they had ordered a Schwinn 430 elliptical. Much to my surprise, when we unpacked the unit it did indeed turn out to be a brand new Schwinn 431 elliptical. And I have to say I was very impressed with the new unit.

At first glance, the Schwinn 431 elliptical is a much more solid and substantial unit than the Schwinn 430, which makes sense because of the $200 more it costs. The frame tubing is thicker and heavier on the SChwinn 431, giving it a much more stable feel during workouts, allowing use by much heavier users. This is a great upgrade because the stability increase helps give a more comfortable and smooth workout where users no longer have to worry about the unit shaking left or right.

The Schwinn 431 still features the same articulating footpedals of the Schwinn 430, along with the reverse motion workout ability. Now, however, Schwinn has upgraded the elliptical drive on the 431 to a 25 pound flywheel – this is the biggest, heaviest flywheel available for under $800 and the can be felt in the very smooth feeling you get when riding the machine.

Schwinn has done an excellent job with the upgrade to the Schwinn 431, which now has a staggering 20 workout programs. This elliptical is definitely a contender for one of the best buy ellipticals for under $800 and, had we reviewed it in time for the Ichi-Ban Awards would surely have been in the best buy lists.

For being a fantastic unit for a great price, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Schwinn 431 Elliptical 4.5 out of 5 golden buddahs.

As a heavier duty version of the great performing Schwinn 430, the Schwinn 431 Elliptical gets 4.5 gold buddahs.

The new Schwinn 431 Elliptical can be found for the best price online at Amazon.com – save with free shipping and pay now tax. Click Here for more information.

Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer Specifications
Stride: 18″
Max User Weight: 300 lbs
Unit Weight: Approximately 172 lbs.
Programs: 20
Resistance Levels: 16
Display: LCD
Readouts: Time, Interval Time, RPM, Watts, Distance, Pulse, Speed, Calories, Resistance
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip
Footpads: Articulating
Reverse Direction: Yes
Price: $799

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

Ohiyo!

Is it me or is this year just flying by? I apologize for not updating the site more this past month but things have been hectic here at the DOJO for the Treadmill Sensei. It looks like the busy season is here and it’s kicking the heck out of us! I was able to finish up a review from a batch of units that we ordered through Amazon a few months ago from Horizon Fitness. So, without further ado, the Horizon T83 treadmill review for your perusal.

Back in August or thereabouts, we received an order we had placed for 6 Horizon Fitness units – a number of treadmills and ellipticals, most of which I have already review. One of the last ones that came in was the very slick looking Horizon T83. I was a bit wary of the new look for the upper end Horizon line because, at first, I didn’t think they’d stand up to much abuse. In the box they just looked like flimsy plastic. Luckily, Horizon knows what they are doing and the T83 was quite a bit sturdier than I had first thought.

The unit itself weighs over 210 pounds and is very bulky for an under $1000 treadmill. The uprights are very solid and attach well to both the console and the deck. There are a few more bolts in the frame design than I normally like, but that is not at all uncommon in these upper end budget treadmills.

We had been hearing some complaints about assembly issues with last year’s Horizon Treadmills, thankfully Johnson Tech has listened to its consumers and has radically improved the assembly process and requirements on the 2007-2008 treadmills. Assembly on the Horizon T83 was a snapp and we had ours together in about 10 minutes. Figure 30-45 minutes for those with average mechanical ability. I would suggest having a second person on hand to help out with mounting the console. The T83 has a bigger console this year and it can be a bit tough to get situated just right if you’re by yourself.

The Horizon T83 has a very good sized running area, at 20″x55″, and a fantastic 2.5 horsepower motor. The increase in size by Johnson Tech is an excellent addition to this year’s line and the T83′s motor is easily one of the biggest in the under $1500 treadmill price range. I was also surpised at how quiet ours ran, even during heavier duty workouts.

Probably the best feature found in all of the Horizon line is their shock absorption system. Any regular reader of the site knows how much I hate the long, often very silly names that manufaturers come up with their technolog, and the Horizon is no different. They call it the “Air Cell Shock Absorption System” this year — how that is different from their “Gel Cell” technology of the past is anyone’s guess. All that matters is that it significantly reduces the impact on your joints even during running…something my tired old tennis knees were appreciative of.

The only real downside to the Horizon T83 treadmill is one of the features that Horizon has been pushing for it — the MP3 speaker system and iPod dock. Truthfully, the speakers aren’t the best in the world and you’ll do better with headphones. I’m just glad that Horizon decided not to increase the price of the units because of that feature and we’re still left with a very solid under $1000 treadmill even without the speakers.

All-in-all, the Horizon T83 treadmill continues Horizon’s streak of very impressive treadmills and ellipticals this year. If you’re looking for a great buy for under $1000 then check it out. You’ll be as pleasantly surprised as we were.

For being a solid treadmill with some nice features for under $1000, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Horizon T82 Treadmill 4 out of 5 golden buddahs.

A solid offering for under $1000 from Horizon Fitness, the T83 treadmill gets 4 gold buddahs out of 5.

Get the best price online and find more information by clicking HERE.

Horizon T83 Treadmill Specifications
Motor: 2.5hp
Running Area: 20″ x 55″
Max Speed: 12 MPH
Max Incline: 12%
Console: LCD
Programs: 16
Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
Heart Rate Control: No
Max User Weight: 325 lbs
Unit Weight: 216 lbs
Price: $999