Treadmill Buying Guide: What To Look For When Buying a Treadmill

This treadmill buying guide will provide you with the necessary information to help you find the best treadmill to fit your needs and budget. While the elliptical trainer may be gaining in popularity, treadmills far and away still remain the #1 selling fitness equipment – and for good reason. They are convenient and easy to use and they are the most effective machine at burning calories.

Treadmills may seem like simple machines on the surface, but there is more to them than meets the eye. As a buyer, there are important things you need to know to make sure you find the best treadmill that will meet your needs and fall within your budget.

As a consumer, the last thing you want to do is shop for a treadmill without knowing what to look for. Without doing your research, you’ll likely end up spending more than you planned or worse yet, you’ll end up buying something you don’t like – and we all know what happens then. Your treadmill ends up being a very expensive clothes hanger! If you read this treadmill buying guide in its entirety, you’ll be able to find a treadmill within your budget. More importantly, you’ll be able to find a treadmill you’ll actually use!

In this guide, we’ve compiled some basics tips on what to look for when shopping for a treadmill. You’ll learn how much you should spend, what parts are important to your machine, extra features you may want to consider, and the importance of treadmill warranties. Let’s get started…

Determining Price to set Your Budget

The price you aim for is very personal. It’s dependant on a lot of factors. Generally, most good treadmills will cost between $1,000 and $2,000. If you are planning on using your treadmill regularly and don’t want to spend a lot on costly repairs, you shouldn’t go any less than $900 as the quality will be greatly diminished. Treadmills priced any lower than that aren’t going to last very long.

While you want to avoid cheap treadmills, you should also be wary of very expensive treadmills – those over $2,000 as the price may be inflated because of the brand name or extra features you’ll never use. Price can reflect quality, however. For example, a model at $1,500 is usually better than one at $1,000. The average treadmill buyer should plan on spending $900 - $2,000. Here are some questions to help you narrow in on a more specific price range to suit your needs:

How much can you spend? You should always have a limit before you start to shop around. If you shop online, there are always great deals on top-rated treadmills but don’t be tempted to spend more than you can truly afford. And if you shop locally, salespeople may try to convince you to buy more than you planned. Don’t let this happen to you. Set your maximum price before you start shopping and don’t go over it!

How many people will use it? Will the entire family be using the treadmill or just you? The more people using it the more wear and tear there will be on the machine. The more use the treadmill will get, the higher-quality treadmill you’ll want to buy.

How much do you weigh? This question should be taken into consideration for all those who will be using the treadmill. If all users are below 200 pounds, then no need to worry as most treadmills will accommodate that weight limit. However, if most users are over 200 pounds, then you’ll want to be looking for a more expensive, durable treadmill. When you buy a treadmill, be sure to find out what the weight limit is of the machine.

How often will you use it? If you plan to use your treadmill for an hour each day, models in the low to mid price range will work fine. If you will be using the treadmill more frequently (say 2-3 hours per day for all users), than you should consider spending more as the higher-end treadmills can handle more frequent use.

Will you be walking or running? If your treadmill will mostly be used for walking, a treadmill in the low to mid price range will work just fine. If you are planning on doing a lot of jogging or running, you’ll want to look at mid range treadmills at the minimum. Marathon trainers should only consider top-of-the-line treadmills because they are built to withstand that kind of use and are built to reduce the stress on runner’s knees and joints.

Click Here for Part 2 of the Treadmill Buying Guide: The Important Components of a Treadmill