Forums >Gears and Wears>Basic long lasting treadmill
I know there’s already been talk about this but even after research I’m still confused and can’t really rely on online reviews.
im looking to buy a basic (I don’t need live instruction) treadmill with some pre-set programming that will last about 15 years. Most likely I’ll have to set it up on the 2nd floor, so hopefully it’s not too heavy if I need to adjust it here and there...?
ive looked the nordictrack (there’s one that declines but I guess it’s not necessary), precor, life fitness, and landice.
price wise....hoping for under $2k???? It will be for pretty much daily use. I don’t need fancy technology (no Bluetooth, Netflix, or whatever)...just a Belt, speed adjustment, incline (possibly decline), heart rate would be nice, and some preset programming.,,
SMART Approach
Are you able to go to sports stores and look at them and possibly run on them? We can say model X is rated high but you may hop on it and not like it. A treadmill is kind of like buying shoes.
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Yes i considered this. But I dont know...I do like how certain ones feel but I guess what I'm asking now (further into my research) is who has the best customer service (responsive) and best warranty.
so far best warranty is landice (of course), then i saw that Sole has a a good warranty, but i read that customer service wasnt great (very slow or unresponsive)...
I think besides feel, those 2 things are important too.
are there companies who have it all (great warranty, great customer service)?
also, the more internet searches i do, IT remembers what I search so if i look up "best customer service" it goes straight to nordictrack...haha.
Feeling the growl again
I've had Sole, NordicTrack, Lifespan, and Landice. During the time I had the first three I was running 1000-2000 miles per year on the treadmill, average pace in the mid-6s, lots of work in the 11-12mph range. Recognize that part of durability will be the miles, your weight/efficiency, and how fast you tend to run them.
Sole: Went through 2-3 decks, a couple other parts, Sole replaced them. Finally the board went out of warranty and I junked it (~3 years?).
NordicTrack: I think I had it ~18 months. It was broken as much as it was running. 7 decks, had replaced most parts by the time they declared it a lemon and refunded my money. A few of us bought them around the same time, lots of reported breaks. CS was OK though.
Lifespan: Lasted better than the other two, had it a year or more longer than the Sole I think. CS replaced stuff but was not nearly as helpful.
Landice: Had it a couple years. Don't run as much or as fast.
If you want something that is going to last 15 years, not serving as a clothing rack, a Landice or Woodway or some sort of serious commercial machine is the only option. A sub-$2 treadmill is not meant for high volume use or serious longevity if regularly used.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills
Thank you this is very helpful. I am considering the landice l7 but now thinking..im not that fast, never will be, but will use it 5-6 days a week..maybe about 30-60 min a day, maybe more if the weather sucks outside. I do plan to run outdoors at least once a week during certain seasons, maybe more when im training for a race.
do i really NEED a landice for something like this? i cant stand any customer service/appliance issues, but i know not everything is made perfect. but i also dont want to buy another one..probably ever.especially during these "peak" years....i mean how long am i gunna run? im almost half dead. am i going to run in my late 50s and 60s? 70s?if so, probably not hard or fast...
thanks this was helpful...
Trails
Here's my take on it. I didn't start "running" until I was 52. Granted I've been active my whole life, swimming, horse riding, etc. I started with 5k's then made my way up to 50ks. All using my TM 90% of the time. I've had mine for well over 10 years. After a car accident messed up my back all I could do was walk. And I did...walked 50ks, training on the TM. I know people who still complete into their 60's and 70's. As to the half dead part I have an autoimmune disease that causes hyperthyroidism which in turn has damaged my kidneys. I have not let that stop me. You can do it but only if YOU want to. I use a Proform 520 and it's held up. If I could I'd get the Precore Commercial grade that the gym has that does both incline and decline but only cause I do trail runs. Decline isn't necessary if you just do run of the mill stuff.
I just retired my six year old Lifespan TR4000i. They had replaced the deck, belt, and control board (twice) under warranty but when the frame cracked at the welds they refused to honor the lifetime frame warranty. I could live with that given the 8500 miles I've put on over the six years but they were kind of douchey about it, suggesting water damage despite the tech who came out saying otherwise and no rust or discoloration anywhere but those welds. It was really just a lot of sweat over the last six years, a hazard of territory. I moved on to the Vision T600 which isn't in the price point you suggested but is in the "light commercial" family meaning it'll hold up better for every day usage (and has a seven year parts warranty).
an amazing likeness
While I have no actual experience with it -- when gyms shutdown for COVID, I started looking at treadmill options and was sort of circling the True M30 or M50. Seems like a decent, basic unit with a solid warranty.
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
No such thing. Buy used ones on Craigslist for low prices and throw em away when they break.
BTW, when I have to 'run' indoors I use an old Nordic Track machine. The ones they sold in the 70's and 80's, I think. Wooden, two handles, a rope and pulley for the arms. No electronics, those things last and they are no impact and give you a arm workout as well. I bought the one I have for 30 o9r 35 dollars a few years ago. If it breaks I'll just buy another one.
Dhuffman63- thanks. Good perspective and true. I’m always worried something’s going to happen ...😬😬😬god Forbid. But thanks. When I first re started running my goal was to complete a marathon in 2019 as you can see by my name. But I realized I couldn’t do it due to life circumstances having kids still at home etc.
i wanted to get it out of the way bc I was starting to notice my body just...aging...so I guess it kind of scared me into this midlife crisis thing “gotta get it done fast before time runs out.”
micharlmarty- I was recommended the lifespan after telling a treadmill mechanic how I’d use a treadmill. Wasn’t sure if he just wanted to service it later...?
kcam - I found this store that does refurbished equipment. I think their landice l7 was like $2k. But I’d have to buy warranties from them annually.
milktruck- I ended up purchasing a true ps300. It was a grand less than the Landice L7 and I thought it’d be good enough for me with the warranty and length of life. I’m not a super fast runner and I plan to alternate on the road when the weather is good and Covid is under control.
when I priced out the L7, one store quoted me just under $5k and the other just over. There’s the $300ish tax, plus the ortho belt, plus delivery and set up...about $1K extra.
I couldn’t justify $5000. My husband says the TM will be like my diamond earring gift. 😂
when I went to the landice website it didn’t seem to charge me tax and delivery and set up was only $199. I wasn’t sure if tax was added later on (I went they purchasing as far as i could before putting in credit card info), or if there’d be additional fees from the local delivery guy who’d set it up...?
when I did the same for the true ps300, they charged tax..
I also heard from a couple ppl that landice warranty has holes in it in that If something breaks they want to know WHY first and may make you purchase a part that could have caused the malfunction ...
or they can’t always control the tech that gets sent out, etc.
whereas with nordictrack they say, they know something will go wrong so that’s why their customer service is “better” and they send out parts/techs no questions asked..
just some things I had heard from people I’ve spoken to in my research.
ill let you guys know how it works out. I’m starting to feel like if the l7 was cheaper online (but later delivery and no ortho belt) I could hsvr shelled out a few more hundred...
BTW, I'm using my old trusty Nordic trac every day now since the AQI has been very poor for quite a while now. When I do finally get to run, thinking maybe Tuesday?, Yay!
Awesome! I heard the older models (like anything) Nordic tracks are very nice!
yes I’m going on week 2 of no running due to this smoke! I got one good week in in between. Those poor people 😢
Even in my house as the smoke seeps in I couldn’t have really run over here, for me.
cant wait for this to go away
have fun running!
Bumping this very useful thread to ask a random question to those who have home treadmills. I'm in the market now and noticed on Landice's website that it mentioned something about getting a 15 amp dedicated circuit. Did anyone have that electrical work? If so, do you remember roughly how much it cost? I know electricians charge varying amounts depending on the region of the country, but I'm just curious to know if it was hundreds or thousands of dollars so I can budget accordingly.
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Julia -- most of the cost will be labor and the amount of labor will depend on how challenging it is to pull new electrical wire from your electrical panel to location of your new treadmill. At the low end, it would be an hour, and the high end might be a day. No insights on your area, but I'd budget $150/hour plus about $100 in materials...(and 6 weeks waiting for availability of the electrician)