Proform Power 995 compared to Horizon T203

Our fearless competitors today are the famous Proform Power 995 and the Horizon T203.

Both of these treadmills are right at the $999 point, putting them right to the limit for their sub $1000 price class. Both are some of the top sellers of their brand, and so it seems fitting to pit them up against each other. Since they’re the same price, this will be a fair fight.

Horizon Treadmills are manufactured by Johnson Health, the same people who make Livestrongs, Vision, AFG and more. The company has been making low budget treadmills for a long time, and so have had a lot of time to polish their technique. Proform is made by Icon, who has made substantial progress in the quality of their low-cost treadmills over the past few years, and have found their way into the competitive low-price home treadmill market. The 2 companies build their machines quite differently, and have different strengths and weaknesses at this price, so let’s look into these treadmills.

Both treadmills are built with a 2.75 CHP motor. This is about as high as you’ll get under $1000. There are a few models you can find with a 3 CHP motor in this class, but most models will have a smaller motor than 2.75. Regardless of size however is the quality. Proform’s self-cooling system in their motors helps keep them from burning up like they used to, and so they can last a lifetime, and now Proform is okay with slapping a lifetime motor warranty on it. Horizon’s motors are not as impressive. Although this one is the same size, it operates at a higher RPM and makes more noise. It gets hotter, and isn’t as sturdy. As far as motors go, the Proform Power 995 takes the round.

Both treadmills claim a 350 lb weight capacity. This sounds great, but I wouldn’t run at that weight on either of them. 250 to 300 may be okay, but may be pushing it. The deck isn’t included in the frame warranty, so if it breaks after parts warranty you’ll have to buy a new one. Broken or cracked decks are a common problem with treadmills, so if you’re a heavy person, and a heavy runner, you will want to go with a stronger and more expensive treadmill, no matter what the weight capacity says. If I had to pick a stronger deck and weight capacity i would pick the Proform. Horizon’s treadmills are known for being meant for lightweight runners.

Both treadmills have a full 20″ x 60″ running belt. Both have a decent cushioning system. Both reach up to 12 MPH. The Horizon reaches up to 12% Incline, and the Proform reaches to 15%. As far as features go, the Proform offers Ifit Live, while Horizon offers a Nike + Ipod thing that is hard to use and doesn’t nearly work as well as Ifit. Proform offers this as well, but I’m not sure why anyone would use it when they could use Ifit. Both have heart rate monitors that work well, and both have built in music ports with small speakers.

Here’s a little comparison table:
Weaker specs are shaded out.

It seems as though Proform ties or beats every aspect of the Horizon, in both quality and specs. The Proform has taken the lead in the sub $1000 over the Horizon T203. The Proform Power 995 Wins.

Click Here to Save on the Proform Power 995