Horizon Fitness Brand Review -- Budget Treadmill Champs

Ohiyo!

Today I'd like to start with a story and tell you about my first encounter with Horizon Fitness and their equipment. It all started about 4 years ago out in the now-defunct Van Nuys, California DOJO location we had for about 10 years. An Internet company (which will remain nameless but I hear is now going out of business) had a customer in the area who needed a then-new Horizon T54 treadmill set up in their garage. The seller had a freight company deliver the equipment to our warehouse. I happened to be at the DOJO location and decided to help unload the treadmill.

Bad, bad idea.

You see, the driver was what I like to call a "moron" and he proceeded to drop the boxed treadmill (weighing in at around 210 pounds if I remember correctly) on my hand. Not once. Not twice. But three times. Now, you're probably saying to yourself "you had your hand in his way 3 times, so who is the real moron, Sensei?" and you're probably right, but that's not the point. Because of those injuries I never forgot who Horizon was and, in spite of the pain (and me yelling "Use your damn head, man!" a couple of times), was happy to see they made some darn good treadmills and ellipticals. I never did find out what happened to that driver.

Horizon Fitness is one of the newer kids on the block that is fitness industry. They are one of the many Johnson Health Tech sub-companies -- Johnson itself has been around since the mid-1970s while Horizon has only been around for the last 6 or 7 years. In that very short time Horizon has used the Internet to make itself in to a very fine brand (they even produce some of the better equipment for the Schwinn line at Nautilus). Early on, the only retailers to carry or push Horizon were the Internet dealers. Over the past 2 years or so Horizon has expanded much more in to the big box retailers such as Sears.

Unfortunately, with that expansion has come a a bit of a dilution in their product.

When Horizon started they had somewhere around 12 units (6 in the "Horizon" series and about 6 in the "Elite series -- the major difference in the two lines was where to buy the units (the Elites were available exclusively through brick and mortar dealers) and the cost (the Elites tended to be quite a bit more expensive without any real upgrade in components). Now, however, a quick Internet search will show somewhere in excess of 30 units...every dealer out there seems to have their own model numbers in spite of the units being almost exactly the same from location to location. I'm assuming this is to keep customers from price matching in order for Horizon to keep all of their vendors happy.

Luckily, all those varied units tend to be well engineered and well manufactured. In other words, if you see the Horizon name on a treadmill or elliptical then you can be confident in the quality of the unit. Their parts are of a better quality than most everything else in a similar price range as long as that price range is under $1000. Once you hit that magic $1000 price point the competition gets a lot tougher and higher end Horizon treadmills and ellipticals don't quite match up.

If you're looking for good solid equipment from around $500 up to $1000, then keep Horizon in mind: the do good work. If you're wanted something a bit heavier and over $1000 then I'd suggest looking elsewhere.

Here's to hoping that Horizon gets their insane range of model numbers down to something a little more reasonable in the next couple of years. I can't imagine the customer confusion has done their sales any good.

Horizon Elliptical Reviews

• Horizon CSE 4.6 Elliptical: Solid performing. Same as the EX75 with spiffier handles.
• Horizon E30 Elliptical: A folding elliptical that doesn't suck! 3.5 Buddahs.
• Horizon E70 Elliptical: A let down elliptical from an otherwise good company.
• Horizon E900 Incline Elliptical: 4.5 buddahs for this budget incline elliptical.
• Horizon E1200 Incline Elliptical: 4 buddahs for this excellent adjustable incline unit.
• Horizon EX55 Elliptical: A great budget elliptical for under $600. 4 Buddahs.
• Horizon EX56 Elliptical: 2007/2008 elliptical for under $600. 4.5 buddahs.
• Horizon EX65 Elliptical: One of the best performing ellipticals under $1000 with 4.5 buddahs.
• Horizon EX66 Elliptical: 2007/2008 elliptical and best buy under $800 at 4.5 buddahs.
• Horizon EX75 Elliptical: A best buy elliptical under $1000 and the top end unit from Horizon. 4 buddahs.
• Horizon EX76 Elliptical: 2007/2008 elliptical with an adjustable stride and incline feature. A best buy under $1000 with 4.5 buddahs.

Horizon Treadmill Reviews

• Horizon T71 Treadmill: A solid treadmill for the most budget conscious of buyers. 4 Buddahs. Discontinued and replaced by Horizon T81.
• Horizon T72 Treadmill: A $1200 treadmill at an under $800 price tag. 4 Buddahs. Discontinued and replaced by the Horizon T82.
• Horizon T73 Treadmill: Decent performer with 3.5 buddahs. Worth a look but consider an upgrade. Discontinued and replaced by Horizon T83.
• Horizon T74 Treadmill: Fantastic treadmill at just under $1000. The best from Horizon and a solid performer with 4 buddahs. Discontinued and replaced by Horizon T84.
• Horizon T81 Treadmill: 2007/2008 treadmill with 4 out of 5 buddahs. Best buy award winner.
• Horizon T82 Treadmill: 2007/2008 treadmill and best buy runner up. 4.5 out of 5 buddahs.
• Horizon T83 Treadmill: 2007/2008 treadmill with 4 out of 5 buddahs.

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

The Spirit XE850 Elliptical Review -- Lackluster and Over Priced

Ohiyo!

The Treadmill Sensei is a bit tired today. You see, Mrs. Sensei and I went on a little trip down to Santa Barbara for a couple of days this week. And, as I'm sure most of you already know, I'm more tired after my "vacation" than I was when I left. The only highlight of the trip was me sneaking down to the business center at our hotel to post yesterday's review. Hehehe...don't tell Mrs. Sensei I snuck out to do some work on, as she calls it, "that silly website thing."

I'm sure a lot of my readers know that I'm a big fan of certain high quality treadmill and elliptical manufacturers. Smooth, SportsArt, Matrix, Star Trac, Sole and Spirit. For the most part these companies all consistantly produce some very nice equipment...but every so often a turkey will slip in to the mix. To give you an example of a "turkey product" I want to go over the Spirit XE850 Elliptical.

The XE850 is Spirit's sole entry into the light commercial arena with their equipment. In other words, this is the only unit they have enough confidence in to warranty for use in small gyms, apartment complexes and so on. They also pitch it as perfect for rehabilitation centers. Unfortunately, rehabilitation centers may be the only places who would see any benefit in picking up this uninspiring Spirit elliptical.

Now, uninspiring may be a bit harsh. You see, the Spirit XE850 Elliptical itself is just a tweaked version of the Spirit XE350 and XE550 Ellipticals. It's got the same frame, same foodpads, same stride length and so on. As we all know, those two units are very well made machines. The problem with the Spirit XE850 is the upgrades (and downgrades in some instances) just aren't enough to warrant the huge jump in price. As a consumer you're really just paying for a commercial warranty you can't even use.

Let's talk about the upgrades on the Spirit XE850. The main differences are going to be a higher number of resistance levels - 40 levels instead of the 20 levels on the XE350 and XE550 ellipticals. And, speaking of resistance levels, the Spirit XE850 can be tweaked up to 200 levels of resistance. The XE850 is self generating instead of plug in. And, finally, the XE850 elliptical has a metal shroud on the back of the unit instead of the plastic cover on the XE550.

And that, my friends, is it for the fairly useless "upgrades" on the Spirit XE850 Elliptical. The downgrade is the lack of the adjustable foot pedals on the Spirit XE850 ellipticals. That's right, one of the major selling points of the XE350 and XE550 ellipticals is gone. You're unable to adjust your comfort level on the XE850 and that is a poor choice of features to drop, at least in this Sensei's humble opinion.

Now, to be fair, the unit is still as smooth and solid as the other XE Ellipticals from Spirit. That is because is has the same basic frame, the same size flywheel, the same stride length, and most of the same features as the rest of the Spirit XE models. And therein lies the problems. It's too much the same and not enough of an upgrade. I'd suggest checking out the Sole E55 instead so you can save yourself from spending more for a lesser machine.

Or, if you absolutely HAVE TO spend $1999, check out the Smooth CE7.4 elliptical instead. You won't be disappointed.

For being a solid machine at much too high of a cost, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Spirit XE850 Elliptical 3 out of 5 Golden Buddahs.

UPDATE: Thankfully, this unit has been discontinued and is sold out.

The Spirit XE850 Elliptical gets 3 gold buddahs out of 5 for not having enough "bang" for the buck.


Find out more about the Spirit XE850. Save an additional 3% with coupon code TMSENSEI

Spirit Elliptical Trainer XE850 Specifications
Stride Length: 20"
Max User Weight: 400 lbs.
Resistance Levels: 40 standard; modifiable to 200
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip and wireless
Heart Rate Control: No
Programs: 6
Display: LED
Readouts: Time, distance, calories / weight / speed / rpm, level, laps, heart rate / age
Special Features: cushioned foot pedals
Adjustable Foot Pedals: No
Grade: Light commercial
Product Size: 78" x 24" x 68"
Product Weight: 203 lbs.
Flywheel: 30 lbs.
Parts Warranty: 5 years residential/ 3 years commercial
Labor Warranty: 2 years / 1 year commercial
Price: $1999

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

The Ironman 320t / Triad Treadmill Review -- Another decent treadmill hampered by poor customer service

Ohiyo!

Fitness Manufacturers like to confuse the Treadmill Sensei and they like to confuse their potential customers. Instead of keeping the same name and model numbers for their equipment (like car manufacturers do), companies in the fitness industry like changing their models ever 18 months or so to make people think they have new offerings. In reality, a lot of the time they are just renaming older models which have been tweaked a little (or, sometimes, not at all). Today I want to talk about one of those units: the Ironman 320t Treadmill, now known as the Ironman Triad Treadmill.

As regular readers of this site already know, Keys Fitness (the parent company to Ironman Fitness) enjoys renaming treadmills and ellipticals and releasing them out to tons of retailers. They do this so consumers can't price match an Ironman 600e elliptical at one store with the exact same Alliance A7e elliptical at another store. Electronics manufacturers do this as well so it isn't a new trend or one only perpetrated by the fitness industry. Even so, it is still annoying.

Keeping the slightly annoying business practices of Keys Fitness aside, the Ironman Triad treadmill (or the 320t treadmill) is actually a pretty decent machine. we get in a few models of these a month to go out and set up for customers, and we get a lot of calls from customers themselves who have purchased the units from a local dealer and need their new treadmill set up or delivered.

For an under $1000 treadmill, the Ironman Triad is good value. Their frames are very sturdy and the running area is very large compared to everything else in the $899 current price range of the Ironman 320t. 20"x56" is nothing to laugh at even in treadmills over $1000! The max user weight is listed at 350 poundsw but I don't know that I'd push it anywhere close to that. Play it safe and figure the true maximum user weight on the Ironman Triad to be closer to 250 or 275 pounds.

The motor is an ok size. They call it a 2.5 horsepower motor but it runs at slightly higher RPMs than I'd like. I would lower the RPMs a bit and call it a 2 or 2.25 horsepower motor. That would give a customer a longer working life on their Ironman Triad.

The top speed and incline on the treadmill are only 10 mph and 10% which keep the Triad from being a top recommendation. If they beefed it up to 12 mph and a 15% incline I think they'd have a Horizon-killing unit on their hands.

The place where the Ironman Triad / 320t treadmill falls short is in the warranty and customer service quality of Ironman/Keys itself. If you log on to the internet and do a quick search you'll discover a large number of Ironman/Keys buyers who were left out in the cold by the company when they needed service or repair. This is the case with a number of the larger fitness manufacturers because they realize there are almost no return customers when it comes to treadmill and elliptical buyers. What that means is a customer's threats of "never buying again" from the offended manufacturer hold little to no weight...they know even a happy customer isn't going to buy again so they have little incentive to support an unhappy customer.

Anyway, from our experience in dealing with these units over the past couple of years, I'd have to say 60%-70% of customers who purchase an Ironman Triad (or 320t) treadmill are happy with their purchase...which isn't a bad rating at all.

For being a decent treadmill inspite of lesser warranties and poor customer service, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Ironman Triad treadmill 2.5 out of 5 golden buddahs.

The Ironman Triad / 320t Treadmill gets 2.5 gold buddahs out of 5.


Compare the Ironman 320t treadmill.)



Ironman 320T Treadmill Specifications
Motor: 2.5 HP
Max User Weight: 350 lbs.
Folding: Yes
Max Speed: 10 MPH
Max Incline: 10%
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Programs: 15
Display: LED
Readouts: Time, distance, calories burned, and heart rate
Grade: Residential
Treadmill Size: 69"L x 32"W x 61"H
Treadmill Weight: 215 lbs.
Roller Size: 2.5"
Deck Thickness: 1"
Running Area: 56" x 20"

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

Sole Fitness Brand Review -- A great marketing company

Ohiyo!

One of the popular lines of treadmills and ellipticals right now is by Sole Fitness out of Utah. Their units are all produced by a Taiwanese manufacturer by the name of Dyaco, who is best known for owning Spirit Fitness and having produced equipment for a number of other companies, including Free Spirit, SportsArt, Red Zone and a few others I'm sure I am forgetting in my old age.

Sole itself has been around since around 2002-2003 and have been known more as a repackaging/relabeling company than anything else, as well as being some of the best internet marketers around outside of Smooth Fitness. From what I remember, before Sole hooked up with Dyaco, they were putting out units based on old Reebok Bodytrec designs (does anyone else remember the horrible Sole E89 ellipticals?).

Due to the high quality, mid-range product that Sole sells, they signed a fantastic deal with the Hilton Hotel chains with Sole equipment, which helped to heighten the public's awareness of the Sole brand. In a further effort to expand their visibility, Sole also signed with Dick's Sporting goods as their major brick and mortar vendor within the last 2 years.

Overall, thanks to some fine equipment produced by Dyaco, Sole has a very solid line of treadmills and ellipticals which are on the top of most "best buy" lists. The only downside to their product is the aforementioned Compton shipping warehouse. This past year, Sole has greatly improved its shipping department and has become one of the quickest, most reliable fitness equipment shippers around. Combined with its top-notch and highly rated customer service department, Sole is one of the most well rounded fitness manufacturer active in the market today.

Sole contines to be one of the best rated fitness companies by both experts and consumers alike.

Sole Fitness Ellipticals:

• Sole E25 Elliptical - Best Buy elliptical under $1000
• 2008 Sole E25 Elliptical - Best Buy Elliptical under $1000 for 2008
• 2007 Sole E35 Elliptical - Best Buy elliptical from $1001-$1500 for 2006-2007
• 2008 Sole E35 Elliptical - Best Buy Under $1500 for 2007-2008
• 2007 Sole E55 Elliptical - Fantastic upgrade to the Sole E35 for just a little more.
• 2008 Sole E55 Elliptical - 2008 upgrade to great unit
• Sole E95 Elliptical - Best Buy runner up from $1501-$2000.
• 2008 Sole E95 Elliptical - Best Buy Runner Up for under $2000.

Sole Fitness Treadmills:

• Sole F63Treadmill - Ichi-Ban Best Buy Award for a treadmill under $1000.
• 2008 Sole F63 Treadmill - Ichi-Ban Best Buy Award winning treadmill under $1000.
• Sole F80 Treadmill - Nice upgrade to the Sole F63, but be prepared for the higher price.
• 2008 Sole F80 Treadmill - 2008 Best Buy Award Winner Treadmill under $1500
• Sole F83 Treadmill - Decent treadmill in the $1500-$2000 range.
• Sole F85 Treadmill - Best Buy Award for a treadmill under $2000.
• Sole S73 Treadmill - 4 out of 5 golden buddahs.
• Sole S77 Treadmill - One of the best non-folding treadmills on the market.
• Sole TT8 Treadmill - Solid, but over priced treadmill.

Click here to compare Sole Fitness treadmills & Ellipticals.

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

The Merit 720t Treadmill Review -- A bit of a let down

Ohiyo!

One of the industry trends from the past year that the Treadmill Sensei really hates is the term "THP." What that stands for is "total horsepower" and is another phrase for "peak horsepower." A peak horsepower rating is completely worthless and is a bit of a shady thing some treadmill manufacturers are doing. If you're using horsepower as a guide at all, then you need to reference the continuous horsepower.

I have been very sad to see that Merit Fitness, a Johnson Health & Fitness company, using THP has a rating for their treadmill motors. It is a shame because they were doing so well other wise.

2008 Best Buy Award Winner.

Anyway, today I want to talk about the Merit 720T Treadmill in order to finish up the Merit line of treadmills. The Merit treadmills are part of Johnson's new ultra affordable line of work out equipemnt, all priced at under $599 while still being very solidly built. We went and picked up a unit from Sports Chalet here in Southern California for a nice lady at our local library who wanted something small for her office.

The Merit 720T Treadmill, like its brothers (the 710t and 730t treadmills), is a very slick little treadmill for the price. Coming in at under $400, the 720t treadmill seems to a slight upgrade to the Merit 710t -- the main difference seems to be the larger deck size on the Merit 720t. The units are very simple to put together and you should be up and running in less than 30 minutes.

If you're looking for a decent walker's treadmill I'd suggest dropping down to the 710t or moving up to the 730t. The Merit 720T Treadmill just doesn't offer quite enough to recommend it over the two other treadmills in Merit's current line. It's not a bad treadmill it just doesn't stand out from the other treadmills Merit offers.

For being not quite as good as the other Merit treadmills, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Merit 720t 2.5 out of 5 golden buddahs.

A so-so offering from an otherwise good line, the Merit 720t treadmill gets 2.5 gold buddahs out of 5.



Merit 720t Treadmill Specifications
Motor: 1.25 horsepower
Max Speed: 10mph
Max Incline: 10%
Deck Size: 18"x50"
Deck Thickness: 0.6"
Roller size: 1.6 inches
Max User Weight: 250 pounds
Programs: 4
Warranty: 90 days parts & labor
Price: $399.99

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

The Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill Review - Below average warranty and customer service

Ohiyo!

Every week the Treadmill Sensei and his crew repair a lot of treadmills. A LOT of treadmills. One of the units we have quite a bit of experience fixing is the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill. The majority of the ones we service are either freight damage (which seems to happen about 30% of the time with Bowflex) or units that are just over a year old -- which means their labor warrantees have expired. I do believe Nautilus has the timing of their warranties down to a science and know exactly when most of their treadmills will fail. For the Bowflex Series 7 that seems to be at about 14-16 months from the date of purchase.

Anyway, we have 4 of the Series 7 Treadmills sitting in the DOJO waiting to get fixed so I thought I'd get them up and running and do a quick review.

To start off, the Bowflex Series 7 treadmills are actually very sturdy machines with a lot of weight to them. My guess is that they weight around 215-220 pounds, which is quite a bit for a $1400 treadmill. The exceptional 60"x20" deck and steel frame will hold up to a lot of abuse.

Unfortunately, it's the rest of the treadmill that has the problems. Starting off with the motor. The manufacturer may list the Bowflex Series 7 as having a 3.0 horsepower treadmill motor, but in reality it's more like a 2.0 horsepower motor which spins at very high RPMs. Most Series 7 owners probably notice the very loud sound coming from under the motor hood. That's the motor straining to keep up with their workout. It's a shame to see such a solid treadmill with such a bad choice of motors.

The next batch of problems we run in to is with the electronics. They tend to short out after long periods of use. They seem to be fine for shorter runs. We replace more consoles and control boards on Bowflex units than almost any other brand out there.

A non-repair issue with the units is the poor user interface of the consoles themselves. They are harder to read and even changing programs themselves can be a bit tricky.

Finally, the absolute worst thing about the Bowflex Series 7 treadmills is...Bowflex itself. Their customer service is now legendary for being some of the worst in the industry. If you do wind up with problems on your treadmill, don't expect Bowflex to solve them anytime soon or, in some cases, at all. They difficult to get in touch with and very unresponsive when you do get someone on the phone.

Now, not to be totally negative on these well-built machines, the Bowflex Series 7 treadmill is a great machine for someone just starting out and wanting a more solid and stable feel than anything else in this price range. At $1400 there isn't much else out there with a 20x60 deck on a 220 pound machine. When you stand on a Bowflex you will get a feel much closer to what you might experience on a commercial grade machine. If you take extra special care with the machine -- keep the motor clean and dust free, place the treadmill on a mat and keep the console free of moisture -- then it might give you a couple of years of good use. However, I'd suggest getting an extended warranty to beef up the terrible 2 years for parts and 1 year for labor that comes standard on the units.

For being a solid machine with some solid problems, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill 2.5 out of 5 golden buddahs.

The Bowflex Series 7 gets a surprisingly kind 2.5 gold buddahs out of 5 from the Treadmill Sensei.





Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill Specifications
Motor: 3.0 HP
Max User Weight: 300 lbs.
Folding: Yes
Programs: 15
Max Speed: 11 MPH
Max Incline: 12% grade
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Heart Rate Monitor: Yes, pulse grip and wireless
Display: LCD
Grade: Residential
Rollers: 2.5" inches
Deck: 20" x 60" inches
Unit Size: 83"L x 35"W x 55.25"H
Unit Weight: 220 lbs.
Parts Warranty: 2 years
Labor Warranty: 1 year
Price: $1399-$1499

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

The Vision T9200 (Simple) Treadmill Review -- What were the consumer reporters thinking?

Ohiyo!

The Treadmill Sensei tends to disagree a lot with other review sites and (especially) review magazines. A lot of it has to do with their practices (accepting bribes in the form of equipment or parts, or reviewing units with little or no actual contact with the machines). There is a certain consumer reporting magazine out there who publishes a new treadmill/elliptical review article every other year or so that is riddled with inaccuracies and poor recommendations. Today I'd like to disagree very publically with one of the reviews they ran last year and the year before. That review was on the Vision T9200 Simple Treadmill.

Vision Fitness, the manufacturer of the T9200 treadmill, is a good company which has been around since the early 1990s. They started off as part of a company which built outdoor bicycles. They began making treadmills and ellipticals in the late 1990s and have been one of the upper-mid range companies ever since. For perspective, they are on par with Sole, Smooth and Spirit, and do well in the $1200-$2000 range for treadmills and ellipticals. As a complete aside, they are in the same corner of Wisconsin which Horizon and Matrix occupy.

Unfortunately, with the production of the Vision T9200 Simple treadmill a couple of years ago, Vision has its first real let-down.

Vision markets the T9200 Simple Treadmill as something for people who just want a basic treadmill unit. What that means is they have produced a treadmill with absolutely no bells and whistles and nothing to make it stand out from the crowd. In fact, with a shorter belt, no programs, lack of heart rate monitoring and control, and a smallish motor, the T9200 specs out quite a bit under everything else in its $1300 price range.

The Vision T9200 Simple Treadmills are well enough built they just can't hold up to anything else in the market. If you want something in this price range I'd suggest checking out something by Smooth or even Horizon. For being a bit of a let down by a good company, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Vision T9200 Simple Treadmill 2 out of 5 golden buddahs.

Poor offering from an otherwise decent company, the Vision T9200 Simple treadmill gets 2 gold buddahs out of 5.



Vision Fitness T9200 Treadmill Specifications
Motor: 2.5 HP
Max User Weight: 325 lbs.
Folding: No
Max Speed: 12 MPH
Max Incline: 12%
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse Grip
Heart Rate Control: No
Programs: None
Display: LED
Readouts: Elevation, Speed, Time, Distance, Calories, Pace, Heart Rate
Grade: Residential
Unit Weight: 225 lbs.
Deck Size: 54" x 20"
Roller Size: 2.5"
Deck Thickness: 1"

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

The Quantum 3.0s Treadmill Review - Best Buy Winner from $2001-$3000

Ohiyo!

Well, the Treadmill Sensei is a bit of a lazy bum. 4 months later and I'm still wrapping up on my Ichi-Ban Award winning treadmills and ellipticals. The Ichi-Ban Awards for this year will all be done in advance and should be going up in October of this year. I'll be working hard all summer to make sure the reviews are wll packed for the end of the year, especially as I get ahold of the new units being released at the end of this summer. Stay tuned!

Today, tho, I want to take about what I consider to be one of the best home/light commercial treadmills on the market today.

The treadmill I'm talking about is the Quantum 3.0s treadmill from Quantum fitness.

If you're a regular reader of this site, or if you've had a chance to peruse the 2006-2007 Ichi-Ban Awards, the you already know how highly I rated the Quantum 2.5s treadmill. The Quantum 3.0s is a step up even from that bad boy.

The Quantum Q 3.0S Treadmill comes with one of the largest running areas around on any treadmill -- 60"x22" -- a huge, coll-running and low RPM 3.0 horsepower motor and monster 325 pound user weight. Add 16 programs, heart rate monitoring and control, an include Polar HR strap and one of the sturdiest steel frames around and you can see why the Quantum 3.0s rates so well with us here at the DOJO. These treadmills are a joy to set up and a joy to use. One one minor quibble is the same one I had for the Quantum 2.5s: some of the screw and bolt placements are a bit hard to access. Putting the uprights and console on the base may be a little frustrating for the average consumer.

If you want an incredibly solid, high end commercial feel to your treadmill then the Quantum Q 3.0S simply cannot be beat.

For being as close to perfect as you can get and for having insane pricing, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Quantum Q 3.0S a perfect 5 out of 5 golden buddahs!

5 gold buddahs out of 5 for the Quantum 3.0s treadmill.


Compare the Quantum 3.0s treadmill.



Quantum Q 3.0S Treadmill Specifications
Motor: 3.0 HP
Max User Weight: 400 lbs.
Max Speed: 10 MPH
Max Incline: 12%
Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Programs: 16
Display: LED
Readouts: Heart Rate, Heart Rate Zone, Speed, Incline, Time, Calorie, Distance, Pace, Cal / Hour, Laps
Made In: USA
Treadmill Size: 80" x 33.5" x 56"
Unit Weight: 325 lbs.
Roller Size: 2.5"
Running Area: 20"W x 60"L

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

Reader Mailbag - Why New Equipment in a Repair Shop??

Ohiyo!

I'll have a review up later today but I wanted to do a quick answer to a reader email I received recently. The note made me chuckle because it was something that I never thought to answer! Let's see what Beth has to say:

Dear Treadmill Sinsei,
I am a little confused about something why are 2006 ellipticals in the repair shop? I am looking to buy one the most I can afford is $1500 Canadian including all extra costs ie.shipping ,duties and taxes. I thought if I spent this much the machine would run trouble free for a number of years. Thanks for your time, Beth

Beth:

Thanks for the note! You know, that's a fantastic question. The reason why a lot of ellipticals and treadmills come through the DOJO is for set-up. A manufacturer or local retailer who sells a unit (or bunch of units) and needs them assembled and set-up will have them shipped to our shop (the DOJO). We'll assemble the treadmill or elliptical and then deliver the to the home or business who ordered them.

In other words, not all the treadmills or ellipticals we review are in the shop because they are broken. Thanks again for your note and take care.

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

Reader Mailbag - Sole E55 Elliptical vs the Spirit XE550

Ohiyo!

Continuing my recent flurry of activity on this site, I wanted to answer a question sent in tonight by a reader out in South Carolina. He is checking out the Sole E55 Elliptical and the Spirit XE550 Elliptical. Let's see what he has to say:

Sensei,
I have enjoyed reading your website and appreciate the information you have to offer. I have been looking at purchasing an elliptical trainer for my home. I am a big guy and need a sturdy piece of equipment. I live in Charleston, SC and have been looking at the Sole E55 Elliptical $1499 and the Spirit XE550 Elliptical $1599. I know that they are essentially very similar machines and shouldn't feel very different but at least in the stores, they do. The Spirit feels more solid that the Sole. This may be due to the Sole being in a higher traffic store but I think that there is more to it. I noticed afterwards that the shipping weights of comparable models of Spirit weigh more than Sole's. On the other hand, the motion of the Sole felt more natural to me. The Spirit felt like it was short on leg flexion and long on extension. It gave it a feeling like you were stepping up. This doesn't make sense but I went back twice. This might have been due to the Sole not being plugged in and the Spirit being fully operational. What do you think here? Does this make sense to you? Thanks for your thoughts. -Ben

Benjamin:

Thanks for your note. Actually, I think I know what the problems were with the units you looked at. First off, the Sole E55 Elliptical is actually the Spirit XE350 Elliptical, and the Sole E95 is the Spirit XE550 Elliptical. So, the XE550 should feel a lot more solid than the E55...it's a slightly beefier unit. The equivalent units should be the exact same weight.

Now, the reason the Sole E55 Elliptical felt a little more natural to you is because someone had changed the adjustable foot pedals on the Spirit XE550 Elliptical. I actually come across this happening on the units every week. If you'd looked down under the pedals you would have seen a little adjustment pin which would have allowed you to put the pedals into a more comfortable and more natural position for your stride.

It's a bit hard to compare the two units because they aren't quite equal. The Spirit XE550 Elliptical is going to be a bit more solid and heavy duty than the Sole E55 Elliptical, but you save around $100 on the Sole E55. It does sound like you're getting a great deal on the unit as Spirit is generally very strict about dealers dropping their prices below their MAP (minimum advertised price) on the X series units. Make sure your warranty is still going to be valid on a unit where the retailer is breaking the rules a bit (you should be able to confirm it with a quick call to Spirit Fitness itself).

If you like the Sole E55 Elliptical then check out the Spirit XE350 Elliptical on which you can usually save an additional $100 off of the E55 cost.

A final thing I want to mention on Spirit product is that I've been getting a number of reader email saying the Spirit QC (quality control) has been dropping these past few months. A lot of faulty treadmills are going out (not so much on the ellipticals). The units I've heard complaints on are the Spirit Z9, Spirit Z700, Spirit XT200 and LW539 treadmills. I'll be posting reader comments on the treadmills and updating the reviews in the upcoming weeks.

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

Retailer Response to "Online Buying vs Offline"

Ohiyo!

Today the Treadmill Sensei has something a little different for his loyal readers. It seem a lot of people are reading this website now, including some offline retailers. Today we're going to hear from Norm Morrison. Now, Norm is the product manager for Gym Source which has locations in 9 states (although, their "about us" page mentions "47 states and 37 countries" as being served, so they may be considered an online or mail order store as well). Here's Norm's note (edited for length):

Hi.

I’m Norm Morrison, Product manager for the Gym Source. I am wishing you a long and prosperous career as a proclaimer of truth.

I spend my whole day comparing the mechanical, sales, and ergonomic qualities of different brands of equipment, so I enjoyed your entries. As we have fixed more treadmills than any other company in the world, as well as having a 70 year company history, I have a lot of raw data and shared experience to draw upon. We are currently the largest commercial dealer in the industry as well as having over thirty retail store locations.

And though I disagree with a few entries, I appreciate greatly the obvious effort and lack of guile that fills each review.

I LOVE your treadmill buying guide. I teach all sales staff to give HP with the corresponding RPM’s they are rated on, but I was beginning to think I was the only person who cared about this.

I actually talk about the weight of the piece as being one of the most important things, as commercial treads are only heavy as hell so that they can last longer. Gym owners don’t want heavy equipment; it just torques less and does not bounce the internal components around as much.

Best of luck, and I am very curious to hear how it goes with the treadmill rating once brands start sending you stuff to rate.

Norm Morrison
Newton Gym Source

Norm!

Thanks for the note and the kind words. It's good to hear that brick and mortar retailers are enjoying the website as well.

If you're in their area and are looking for some good, high quality service on commercial equipment, make sure to check out a Gym Source store near you or check out their website at GymSource.com. They've got a ton of experience and, as a group, service more treadmills than any other company in the US. Just make sure to do your research online and go in well-educated.

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

The Proform Treadmill Problem - It's true, they stink

Ohiyo!

Your Treadmill Sensei will be doing a review later on today, but first I wanted to post what I believe is one of my favorite emails that I've received here at the DOJO. This note actually came in a last year and was the first of many that I have received on this problem since.

Let's see what Scott has to say:

Hello,

We purchased a Pro Form Treadmill almost a year ago. We ran on it for several days and a bad BO odor began to smell. My wife blame me for the odor. After this, it continued after we clean the belt and did some research. Nothing got the smell out. We found out, this was very common on Pro Form Treadmills and there was nothing we can do about it. Is this true? I am considering taking this back to Dicks Sporting Goods. We also have an extended warranty.

Is there anything we can do to fix this problem? If not, do you know of a treadmill that we can buy that will not have this problem (that's not to many $$$$). Our current treadmill is in the basement and it makes it smell even worse. Very embarrassing when having guess over.

Please let me know what we can do.

Thanks for your time and help in advance. - Scott

Scott:

If you've had a chance to check out my 2006-2007 Ichi-Ban Awards then you'll know we've already talked about this a bit. This does indeed seem to be a fairly common occurance with Proform Treadmills for some reason, although I've never heard of it going on for as long as a year. In the past year I've received at least 20-30 emails from people with the same smelly treadmill problem. Unfortunately, we don't get in enough Proform units here for me to have figured out what the issue is but, from the description, it sounds like a motor or drive system issue. The description leads me to believe that it is something burning off of the motor or it could be the lubricant they use (as it heats up from the friction of use, it emits that marvellous smell you describe).

I hate to say this, but my only advice is to take the unit back to where you bought it and see about getting a less-stinky version...perhaps from another manufacturer. I will definitely keep my eyes and ears...and my NOSE...open for solutions to this problem and will post any findings here on the site.

Well, there you have it, folks. Consumers think Proform stinks.

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

The BladeZ Fitness 7.9 Elliptical -- Highly rated TV elliptical under $2000

Ohiyo!

Every so often a new treadmill or elliptical comes through the DOJO that the Treadmill Sensei hasn't had a chance to work on before. When this happens, I make sure that I'm the one who does the service or setup so that I can run the equipment through a review process for this website and for you, my loyal readers.

This past week I was very excited to see a pair of 7.9 Ellipticals by BladeZ come in to the shop to be installed at a local apartment complex. I was surprisingly impressed by what I saw.

For those of you who aren't familiar with them, BladeZ is best known as the manufacturer of those nifty little scooters like the Razor. What a lot of people don't realize is that BladeZ is a part of a company which has been manufacturing fitness equipment for 30 years and is, in fact, one of the largest such producers in the world! They provide OEM for a number of other treadmill and elliptical companies (meaning "Original Equipment Manufacturing -- they make the equipment and someone else labels and sells it). For isntance, they were the manufacturer for the True Fitness equipment for quite some time.

Another thing to know about the BladeZ equipment is that they were the first fitness company to integrate a TV screen in to their equipment and have been doing it for a long time now. If you're wanting a TV on your elliptical that won't break down during a hard workout, then a BladeZ treadmill or elliptical would be an excellent choice.

The two BladeZ 7.9 Ellipticals that came in were boxed and unassembled. The actual assembly of the ellipticals would get about a 6 or 7 for level of difficulty. They weren't hard to put together for me but they might prove a little challenging for someone less mechanically inclined -- Make sure to take your valium if you get frustrated easily! Also, it might be easy to misplace or lose the remonte control for the TV if you're not careful. Total assembly time was about 25 minutes -- figure an hour for a regular customer.

Getting on the BladeZ 7.9 Elliptical for the first time was a real treat. BladeZ likes to brag about their "robotically welded frames" and I must say they have every right to brag. These ellipticals are solid as a rock. Not only does the stability come from the welded frame, but also from the very solid approximately 30 pound flywheel and the 220 pound weight of the ellipticalitself. If I didn't know better I would have guessed this was a light commercial elliptical.

Next I noticed the pedals and the stride of the BladeZ 7.9. The elliptical has very large, well-padded pedals placed at a slight tilt that were very very comfortable. On top of that, the 7.9 elliptical has a fantastic 21 inch stride which was one of the smoothest I've ever felt on a residential grade elliptical.

From there everything else was just icing on the cake. The TV was clear and bright. The BladeZ 7.9 Elliptical featured 16 levels of resistance, heart rate monitor and control, a reading rack and 8 workout programs. Very nice overall. If I had to nitpick I'd complain about the warranty on the units. 3 years for parts and 1 for labor isn't terrible, but with a 5 year parts and 2 years labor warranty, this would easily be one of the best ellipticals under $2000 - I believe the going price is around $1599.

For only having a couple of minor quibbles, the Treadmill Sensei gives the BladeZ BF 7.9 Elliptical 4.5 out of 5 Golden Buddahs.

UPDATE: The BladeZ 7.9 Elliptical has been discontinued.

The BladeZ 7.9 Elliptical gets a nearly perfect 4.5 gold buddahs out of 5.


The BladeZ 7.9 Elliptical has been discontinued and is no longer available.

BladeZ BF 7.9 E
Stride: 21"
Programs: 8
Max User Weight: 300 lbs
Resistance: 16 Levels
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Display Type: 7" LCD TV, LED Console
Readouts: Time, Distance, Speed, Heart Rate, Level, Mets, Calories, Watts
Special Features: Reading Rack, Bottle Holder, Oversized Pedals with Soft Grip Inserts, Cable/DVD ready TV
Product Size: 28" Wide X 80 " Long
Unit Weight: 220 lbs.
Parts Warranty: 3 years
Labor Warranty: 1 years

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

The Lifespan EX3 Elliptical -- a solid contender under $1000

Ohiyo!

Your Treadmill Sensei feels a bit like a lazy boy because he hasn't done a new review in far too long. In an effort to get back in to the swing of things I'm going to dust-off a reader email from a couple of weeks ago. I've been holding on to this note from "Maria" because I hadn't had a chance to get my hands on a Lifespan elliptical for quite a long while. Luckily, I was able to find one at another shop here in the area (thanks, Charles!) and I got to do a nice run through on the EX3 elliptical.

Let's see what Maria had to say:

Morning Sensei
I have been having trouble finding any info on Lifespan EX3 elliptical. It looks like a great machine and offers quite a bit of features. I am torn between it and the Sole E25 in the same price range. Can you please help me narrow my decsion? Thanx, Maria

Thanks for your note, Maria. I don't know that I can help you choose an elliptical, but I can give you a review of the LifeSpan EX3 Elliptical and, hopefully, give you enough information to choose for youself.

I want to start off by saying that I very much like PCE Fitness, the company the produces the Lifespan line of equipment. The reason for this is they produce some great equipment and also target a lot of their focus on seniors and the over-55 crowd. A lot of other manufacturers forget about this very strong area of customers that needs equipment (and value/budget equipment) to help them stay in shape and better thier lives. I think about this quite a bit as I, myself, get closer and closer to my golden years. Hats off to PCE and Lifespan for those efforts.

The Lifespan line itself is a medium aged line and has been around for about 6 years now -- PCE has been around since the early 1990s. And don't let the "senior-friendly" face of the Lifespan equipment fool you, they put out some great equipment for all ages of use.

The first thing you notice about the LifeSpan EX3 Elliptical is not only how short but how solid the unit looks. Because of the shorter length of the machine and the bulkier front drive system, you'll find this to be one of the sturdiest elliptical rides in a home-grade elliptal. These things are solid and do not move thanks to their 210+ pounds of weight.

The next thing you'll see is the rear step-up or rear access of the machine. This is great, especially for those of you like me who have very little coordination, because of how easy it is to mount the LifeSpan EX3. Walk up behind it, place one foot on the pedal and then the other. It's that easy. No more trying to get on from the side or having to step over long rails.

Please do me a favor and completely forget about what Lifespan calls their EX-Link drive system. Every manufacturer out there is going to try and tell you their trademarked and patented systems are the very best. It's really not true. The 20" stride on the EX3 Elliptical is nice and very smooth, but it's nothing overly spectacular or revolutionary. It feels good and that's all that matters.

All-in-all, the LifeSpan EX3 Elliptical is a very good unit that meets or exceeds everything else out there at its price point of around $999.

Unfortunately, where this elliptical comes up short is in the warranty. Unfortunately, the Lifespan EX3 doesn't give you much of one. With 2 years for parts and 6 months on labor, the LifeSpan EX3 Elliptical is sorely lacking, which is a shame for such a decent machine. If you're picking one up, make sure to barter a bit to see if you can get the dealer to toss in an extended warranty as part of the sale. They may or may not doing it but it's definitely worth a shot. If you can get that tossed in you'll have a nice machine to help you get in shape. I believe Amazon offers a slightly longer 3 years for parts and 1 year for labor on their site.

For having only one bump in an otherwise smooth road, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Lifespan EX3 Elliptical 3.5 out of 5 golden buddahs.

For being a solid machine, the Lifespan EX3 Elliptical gets a solid 3.5 gold buddahs out of 5.


Get more information and compare the Lifespan EX3 Elliptical

Lifespan EX3 Elliptical Specifications
Stride: 20"
Resistance: 16 levels
Resistance Type: Magnetic
Console: LED
Display: Time, Distance, Speed, Calories, Resistance Level, Heart Rate
Heart Rate Monitor: pulse grip and wireless
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Programs: 10
Transport Wheels: Yes
Max User Weight: 350 lbs
Unit Weight: 213 lbs
Dimensions: 67" L x 29.2" W x 63" H
Grade: Residential
Frame Warranty: 15 Years
Parts Warranty: 2 Years /3 years
Labor Warranty: 6 Months / 1 year

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

Spirit Fitness Brand Review - Decent mid-range company

Ohiyo!

Spirit Fitness has been one of the little-known companies in the fitness industry for over 20 years now (Spirit entered the fitness industry in 1986 but the company itself almost 30 years old). Not only have they produced their own equipment but they've also produced equipment for a number of other fitness companies as well -- Smooth, SportsArt and Sole being the the most prominant that pop in to my head.

In 2005 Spirit was purchased by a Taiwanese company called Dyaco International, one of the larger fitness manufacturers in the industry. Unfortunately, Dyaco also has a Chinese manufacturing plant which a lot of the lower end Spirit and Sole products come out of. As those of us in the industry know, Chinese manufacturing is much lower quality than that of the Taiwanese and this lower quality has affected a number of products by units produced by Dyaco for Spirit and Sole. The reduced quality control has led to the recall of one unit (the Spirit XE125) and major problems with a second one (the Spirit Z88).

Spirit remains one of the lesser known brands but is gaining ground due to sites like this one, which extolls the quality of the majority of their products.

This year, Spirit has done a very smart thing by repainting and re-releasing the older model Sole ellipticals and treadmills. In order to keep them from the stigma of the current Spirit X Series equipment, which has been plagued with problems and customer complaints, they have released the fantastic older Sole models under the Esprit brand. This is an excellent decision and the Esprit models have been some very solid new/old ellipticals and treadmills launched this year.

Spirit Treadmills:

• Esprit ET2 Treadmill - 2007-2008 model and poor performer at 1.5 buddahs.
• Esprit ET4 Treadmill - 2008 model with 3.5 buddahs
• Spirit XT10 Treadmill - Ichi-Ban Award winner for $1000-$1500.
• Spirit XT175 Treadmill - A low quality unit for 2007-2008 at 2 buddahs.
• Spirit XT600 Treadmill - 4 buddahs and a decent buy under $2000.
• Spirit Z8 Treadmill - An uninspiring treadmill at 2.5 buddahs.
• Spirit Z9 Treadmill / AKA Inspire IN400 - A great but, sadly, discontinued treadmill.
• Spirit Z88 Treadmill - Experiences a high number of Quality Control and wiring issues.
• Spirit Z300 Treadmill - 4.5 buddahs, now only available as the Sole F83.

Spirit Ellipticals:

• Esprit EL3 Elliptical - the re-branded best buy award winning 2006 Sole E35 of years past.
• Esprit EL5 Elliptical - a repainted version of the 2006 Sole E55 elliptical
• Spirit XE100 Elliptical - an average elliptical in the Spirit 2007/2008 line with 2.5 buddahs.
• Spirit XE125 - 0 buddahs, now under recall by Spirit.
• Spirit XE150 Elliptical - 3.5 Buddahs. From 2006/2007.
• Spirit XE200 Elliptical - another dud in the Spirit 2007-2008 line with 3 buddahs.
• Spirit XE300 Elliptical - 2.5 buddahs may have been a bit too generous for this under-performer.
• Spirit XE350 - 4 buddahs and a runner up in the $1000-$1500
• Spirit XE550 - Spirit's best feeling elliptical, coming in at 4.5 buddahs out of 5 in the $1700 price range. From 2006/2007.
• Spirit XE700 Elliptical - 2007/2008 Elliptical with 3 buddahs.
• Spirit XE850 - Over-priced and not