Looking at picking a used treadmill, just wondering if anyone on the forum has bought one used, which brand / model?

Also looking for info on those who bought one new, which and why did you but it and are you happy with it?

Most used seem to have sat or become clothes hanger.

There are always a bunch of them for sale on our local Craigslist website. I think some people expect immediate results and reality hits them square in the face.

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by dewhorse:
Most used seem to have sat or become clothes hanger.

That's what happens with more home gym equipment than not. Particularly if it placed in a cold, damp, ill-lit basement.

Treadmills... I do not have a brand/model suggestion, but I would urge you to consider an elliptical trainer, instead. More calories-per-unit-time burned and much easier on the knees. I prefer treadmills, myself, but I'd buy an elliptical trainer were I going to buy a piece of cardio equipment for home use.

If I was going to buy any home gym cardio equipment I'd try real hard to find refurbished commercial gym equipment. Precor, Life Fitness, Nautilus, etc.

We are happy with both our Sole treadmill and our Sole elliptical

Skip the treadmill, find a Concept 2 Rower.

Full body workout, plus it's a gym quality piece of equipment for under a thousand bucks. Takes up less space than a treadmill or elliptical as it can stand up on end. It's light enough to roll around regularly--we have about a dozen of them at our crossfit gym up against the wall and we pull them out when we need to use them.

+1 on Sole treadmills. I have their F80 model and am pretty happy with it. They seem like a solid choice for a home gym.

No advice on used ones, but I would check backpage and craigslist in your area. A lot of people buy them and end up using them as clothes racks.

Find out who the go to in your area is for the commercial market. That'd be the best place to shop. They usually have a large used selection too where they had to take them in trade to sell new to a hotel / gym / etc.
Skip the light consumer price point machine and get a commercial grade one or a nicer home grade one.
We like Sole and they are rugged.
Personally I don't care for spending on the high tech part of it as much as for the more rugged motor / platform. I use the workout program on my phone and watch the TV on the wall when I am on it so I could care less about what is on the screen of the treadmill.

quote:

Originally posted by o'sully:
We are happy with both our Sole treadmill and our Sole elliptical

Sole F85 treadmill here. Excellent machine. Only 2 complaints.
1- The fan is very weak.
2- Inclination only goes up to 15.

Have used my True treadmill for over 10 years. Would buy another one.

--K

quote:

which brand / model?

Whichever one holds the most clothes.

But seriously, our Craigslist find of a Pro-Form 7.0 has worked out very well. Don't buy a new one to start out with - buy a cheap one, and if you stick with it for a few months, then upgrade at that time.

quote:

Originally posted by o'sully:
We are happy with both our Sole treadmill and our Sole elliptical

I bought a Sole elliptical off Craiglist for my wife and daughter. I wanted a reputable, higher-end brand that was used. Nice family selling it, 2 young kids, lived in a neighborhood where I used to live. Great conversation. I even rented a Home Depot pick-up to move it.

Saw it had some unusual scratches on the aluminum "tracks" but since not for me, and seem fine for the 30 seconds or so I tried it out, I did not ask.

Found out within 2-3 minutes of getting it home that the piece had rare but fairly well documented construction flaw such that when you really get going one the mis-welded arm bar brings one of the "gliders" off the rail where it gouges up the aluminum track. Hence the scratches. Impossible to proceed without realigning the rails/tracks. My Dad came by and we did our best to realign, bend, and tighten everything. No dice. Critical failure.

Some internet digging found that this was a construction flaw tied to a certain facility where a small, but significant percentage of those made slipped through quality control and this is what happened. Read all about what folks tried to do to fix (liKe we did), but in short, the failure rendered the elliptical unusable and all of those units, under warranty, had to be replaced. Of course, the one I bought, might have been passed from one buyer to the next, until I closed the loop by refusing to sell it fraudulently.

So, I'm out $600 for the elliptical plus $50 for the truck rental, and several hours of my time and my (now deceased) Dad's time. Nice family, young, kids, and I know where they live. That father KNEW he was selling me a defective elliptical and hoped I would buy it without a full tryout.

Now I had to get rid of it. I called an exercise equipment fixer, who had heard about these lemons and offered to take it away for parts at no charge, and he flipped me a $20.

SO BUYER BEWARE ON USED EXERCIsE EQUIPMENT.

quote:

Originally posted by bionic218:

quote:

which brand / model?

Whichever one holds the most clothes. ...

That would be a bow flex. You can put a lot of hangers in those holes at the end of the bows.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Skip the treadmill, find a Concept 2 Rower.

Full body workout, plus it's a gym quality piece of equipment for under a thousand bucks. Takes up less space than a treadmill or elliptical as it can stand up on end. It's light enough to roll around regularly--we have about a dozen of them at our crossfit gym up against the wall and we pull them out when we need to use them.

He is close but meant to say Water Rower instead of Concept 2

But it you are dead set on a treadmill don't bother with anything but a Sole.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Skip the treadmill, find a Concept 2 Rower.

Full body workout, plus it's a gym quality piece of equipment for under a thousand bucks. Takes up less space than a treadmill or elliptical as it can stand up on end. It's light enough to roll around regularly--we have about a dozen of them at our crossfit gym up against the wall and we pull them out when we need to use them.

He is close but meant to say Water Rower instead of Concept 2

But it you are dead set on a treadmill don't bother with anything but a Sole.

Or a Landice. My Landice has a lot of lot of miles on it. Octane elliptical and the Water Rower you talked me into see daily use.

quote:

Originally posted by dewhorse:
Looking at picking a used treadmill, just wondering if anyone on the forum has bought one used, which brand / model?

Also looking for info on those who bought one new, which and why did you but it and are you happy with it?

Most used seem to have sat or become clothes hanger.

Are you currently in the Dallas area?
My neighbor wants to give away a working treadmill for free if someone will take it (I'll see if he still has it and what brand it is - I think either Nordic Track or Nautilus).
He has bad feet or something and now uses a recumbent bicycle for exercise.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by dewhorse:
Most used seem to have sat or become clothes hanger.

That's what happens with more home gym equipment than not. Particularly if it placed in a cold, damp, ill-lit basement.

Treadmills... I do not have a brand/model suggestion, but I would urge you to consider an elliptical trainer, instead. More calories-per-unit-time burned and much easier on the knees. I prefer treadmills, myself, but I'd buy an elliptical trainer were I going to buy a piece of cardio equipment for home use.

If I was going to buy any home gym cardio equipment I'd try real hard to find refurbished commercial gym equipment. Precor, Life Fitness, Nautilus, etc.

I have to second this recommendation and can add that Ellipticals are not only easier on the knees but are also MUCH MUCH easier on the Feet.

As for brand, IMO the ONLY Elliptical to purchase is a Life Fitness. LF invented the Elliptical Trainer and spent many many dollars in determining the most durable design, most natural motion, and stride length that fits the widest variety of users. Downside to the Life Fitness machines is they are never cheap, new the least expensive model starts at 1800 dollars.

BTW I spend a LOT of time on an LF Elliptical and can state as a fact that the motion of the footpad can actually help relieve the pain of Plantar Faciitis. I will also tell you that for no matter what resistance you have set your thighs will really be burning at about the 5 minute mark and you'll wonder if you can go any longer. Just push through that 5 minute point and at about the 12 minute mark you will be fully warmed up and feeling like you can go for many many miles. BTW, yesterday was one of my High Resistance days so I did a 3.7 mile warmup at 20%, a 2.5 mile run at 50% of maximum resistance and a 3 mile cooldown at 17%. This morning I took it easy and did 6 miles at 17% and a 2.5 miles at 12.5%. So I can say I have lots of experience with Ellipticals and can state when Plantar Faciitis drove me off a treadmill I thought that the Elliptical Trainer was some high tech instrument of torture. Now after 2 years of using one I am hooked and wouldn't EVER consider purchasing a Treadmill.

PS; on the Life Fitness Elliptical setting the resistance to it's max will have you wondering if any Human on the planet can operate this machine at that resistance. Basically 100% is for the Incredible Hulk, 75% for a NFL Running Back in top condition and 50% is a good hard workout for most of us.

Feb/Mar is the best time to buy them used. People get them for Christmas.

Live on the second or third floor?

Run up the stairs, walk down. Do it until you can't do it one more time.

Repeat the next day.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:Sole F85 treadmill here. Excellent machine. Only 2 complaints.
1- The fan is very weak.
2- Inclination only goes up to 15.

Another happy F85 owner here. Agree that the fan makes noise but moves little air. But 15 degrees inclination at 3mph for 20 minutes is enough for me. No more running for these knees.

A lot depends on how hard and how much you are really going to use it. We bought a Nordictrac from Sears in 2003 and we've never had any trouble with it. I use it about 5 times a week for about 35 minutes at walking speed and at about a 5 degree incline. I can't say how it would do if I weighed 240 and was running 5 miles a day. My neighbor bought a better model at the same time and used it for about a total of 10 hours. He sold it to me for $100 a month ago and I bought it as a back-up.