Smooth 5.45 Treadmill Review

The Smooth 5.45 treadmill is one of Smooth Fitness’ best-selling models. It recently replaced the Smooth 5.25, which had long been regarded as one of the top folding treadmills for under $1,000. With the improvements made to the Smooth 5.45 it is likely to continue its predecessor’s success. The 5.45 is the same exact machine as the 5.25 with two noticeable improvements. The deck is longer now and the treadmill is more stable with the added weight from the bigger deck.

While these upgrades are nice and should provide a more enjoyable exercise experience, this model is still primarily built for walkers and light joggers so keep that in mind. There is a lot of competition among treadmills in the sub-$1,000 class but the Smooth 5.45 should continue to be one of the leaders in the pack.

The MSRP on the Smooth 5.45 is $1,497 but is regularly on sale for $989-$999 and you pay no sales tax unless you are a resident of Pennsylvania or Indiana.

With the improvements in the new model, Smooth has really made a comeback with this model. -Industry Experts, TreadmillDoctor.com

Best value at $1,000. -Fred Waters, Industry Expert

This treadmill is fairly quiet and runs smoothly. At times it shakes or bounces a bit when the incline is up, which is a bit scary, but it's sturdy enough to keep me going. I've had it for a year now and am satisfied with my purchase. -Smooth Fitness Customer

I have been walking 3 miles per day, and all I can say is this treadmill is solid and quiet. This has been money well spent. -Smooth Fitness Customer

Terrific product; no complaints. HOWEVER this thing is a monster to assemble. It took SEVERAL HOURS, not just the "half hour" suggested on the website. Get the white glove delivery! -Smooth Fitness Customer

Overview

Best For:
Walkers and Light Joggers

Pros:
-Solid and Durable
-Quiet

Cons:
-Console a bit bulky
-Really only for walkers and light joggers

As you can see, there isn't a lot of expert and customer feedback on the Smooth 5.45 because it's relatively new (it was released in the summer of 2008). However, since the Smooth 5.45 is the same exact machine as the 5.25 (except now with a longer deck and more weight) there is no reason to believe it isn't as good as its predecessor so we'll comment on what we discovered when we researched the 5.25.

The About.com experts said the 5.25 was a, "top ten folding treadmill," while Treadmill Doctor said it was a, "good buy in the past but some of the cost has been taken out of this machine and thus, the quality too."

The Smooth 5.25 received a 4 out of 5 stars at Amazon and had generally positive comments from consumers. Most commented on how stable and reliable it was. However, one customer noted that while he really liked it, his only complaints were with the console and the readout display. According to him, the console was too large for the actual size of the computer screen so it added unnecessary bulk and the readout itself was hard to read sometimes while running because it was small and in black.

Another consumer said that he used his Smooth treadmill primarily to run 8-minute miles and the 5.25 held up just fine so he disagreed that it was only for walkers and light joggers.

Based on the overall positive comments on the 5.25, and given that the Smooth 5.45 is the same exact machine with a couple improvements, we have no reason not to recommend it as it appears to be an excellent value in the sub-$1,000 category.

Smooth Fitness is located in Pennsylvania and has been selling treadmills since 1984. In 1996, Smooth Fitness was the first online fitness retailer. The company currently markets the Smooth line of treadmills, elliptical trainers, and exercise bikes over the Internet on its web site.

By offering their fitness equipment only via the Internet, they have achieved the status as the number one online retailer of home fitness equipment, and are the 255th largest ecommerce site in the United States as ranked by Internet Retailer.