Archive for June 2009

5 Places To Buy A Cheap Treadmill

eBayStaying healthy and fit when your life revolves around a hectic and stressful schedule is a big ordeal for many. You make a resolution that you will start a gym membership, but things do not always happen as planned.

Why not bring the gym to your house where you can exercise at your own will and achieve the health goals you have set for yourself.  Buy yourself a cheap treadmill to kick start your fitness regime.

Running and walking are some of the simplest ways of exercise and treadmills are designed to incorporate both of these aspects of exercising. It is one of the primary equipments people add to their gyms at home. You can exercise on a treadmill in spite of the vagaries of the weather.

If you do not want to spend a lot on exercising and are on a low budget then there are many avenues where you can get yourself a good cheap treadmill at a bargain price. Treadmills come in a variety of models so depending on your requirements you can get yourself a cheap treadmill as they can also provide various programs to suit your workout speed and level of difficulty.

It is smarter to pay slightly more and get a good quality treadmill rather than paying less and getting a treadmill with many defects. Motorized treadmills are available at good discounts and these will give you value for your money also.

Finding a treadmill can be quite a task but there are many ways of doing this:

  • Look at your local classified ads in the newspaper or on the internet, there could be some tempting offers there.
  • Thrift stores may also have practically unused treadmills.
  • Play It Again Sports stores is one place that sells used exercise equipments.
  • eBay and Craigslist are online resale sites that sell used treadmills. But the shipping costs to transport these items may be high.
  • Look for gyms that are closing down business or replacing themselves. They usually have the best quality exercise equipment.

Best Cheap Treadmills To Buy

Smooth Fitness 5.45When you go buying a treadmill you are certain to come across a vast range of choices that are sure to baffle you and make your purchase difficult. Therefore, the smartest thing to do is not only to decide in advance your budget and the features you require in your treadmill, but also the most viable brand and model.

Here is a brief comparative review of three extremely common treadmill options:

Gold’s Gym VX 5000: This one comes with a huge motor operating on a 2.5 HP motor plus a warranty period of 12 years. It is also compatible with the iFit. However the most striking features are the fans that can keep you cool. The chest sensors and the heart rate grip make it one complete machine. The purchase price is fair enough when compared with the features.

Sole F80: At $3,000 it is one of the best rated treadmills today. Though the warranty period is much lower as compared to the Gold’s gym (at only a 2 year time period), this home electric treadmill can still be trusted with durability. Its motor runs at 2.5 HP. The machine also provides you with a wireless controller of your heart rate. The control set ups are located at convenient positions so that you can make adjustments when needed without having to break your stride. This is the kind of treadmill you would want to look at if you were learning how to start a gym because these are the quality of treadmills you will find with a gym.

Smooth 5.45 Folding Treadmill: Just like the previous two, this treadmill motor also runs at 2.5 HP. This model is particularly suitable for those who are looking for a quality cheap treadmill. At $1,000 and a comfortable 5-year warranty on the machine parts with controlled heart rate workouts, this machine has good value.

Apart from these you can also consider options like the Vision Fitness 9200, TR2000 HRC Lifespan and BodyCraft TR1120 Foldup Treadmill. However, regardless of what you choose, make sure the treadmill you opt for is what you really need, instead of what you simply like. Many times the fancy models do not serve the purpose as well as the less fancy ones. You need to be all the more careful while making your purchase if you go buying a cheap treadmill, in order to ensure that you are opting for something with the maximum possible features at a low price.

Used Treadmills – A Suitable Cheap Treadmill Option?

A used treadmill, though a cheap treadmill option, is often said to be quite a risky investment. This is because:

  1. Treadmill use causes a lot of wear and tear. Therefore a used treadmill runs the risk of having seen a lot of all this.
  2. If somebody is planning to sell away a treadmill, it is likely because they have found some defects in it that causes trouble.
  3. You can never clearly ascertain the condition of a treadmill by mere inspection.

Merit Fitness 725TThere could be a number of other hassles too with a used treadmill.

You may ask if buying a used treadmill is a suitable option or not. The fact remains that nothing can beat the reliability of a first hand treadmill bought after proper inspection from a good store.  If you can make proper judgments before making your purchase, your used cheap treadmill could be almost as good too.

While inspecting the treadmill you must keep the following tips in mind:

  1. Make sure you go accompanied with an expert if you are not very familiar with the machine. This can help you make the right decision.
  2. Ask the seller how long he/she has been using the machine and why he/she is eager to sell it. Though you cannot really trust much of what the seller really says, asking these questions can surely help.
  3. Ask for the original bill to check the date of the purchase, and compare the price with the current price of the machine.
  4. Go through customer reviews of the product.
  5. Try to find a machine which the guarantee period has not yet expired.

The viability of this cheap treadmill option also depends on how long you aim to use your treadmill, and how well can you maintain the machine. Used treadmills are generally more suitable in small families where there are fewer people who will use it. Thus go for one that best suits your needs. If you can keep these few factors in mind, you can get a used treadmill that will be sure to give you many years of good use.