Buying a treadmill for home use is not an easy task. Since it will be used at home only you must remember that the treadmill will be used for only a few hours in a week. So you must follow certain guidelines before you buy a home treadmill in order to ensure that you don’t have to buy the equipment again in the near future. You will find a whole variety of treadmill brandsin the market and finding a motorized treadmill becomes easier if you are willing to spend around $3000. Since this is costly it is imperative that the investment lasts for a fairly long time. We will discus about the certain important points to consider while buying a treadmill for home use.
1) Safety standards – the machine must be stable and the all-important belt must be at least 1.5 ft wide and 4 ft long. Stay away from treadmills which have narrow or short belts as it can lead to injuries. Some of the better brands offers treadmills which have essential features like emergency shut-off and safety bars.
2) Cost – a treadmill will not come cheap. In fact, many are unaware about the cost of a home treadmill and some actually get a wrong idea about the cost after seeing the cheaper varieties at Wal-Mart stores. So you must be prepared to shell out a reasonable sum of money for a good motorized treadmill. A good walking treadmill will cost around $1000 but if you want you can dole out $3000 for the more expensive variety.
3) Treadmill Brands – there are many reliable manufacturers in the market for treadmills and the most notable among them are Trotter, Precor and True. You musty also check whether the product contains any warranty and if it is there you must check the duration and the inclusions.
4) Technical details – if you are buying a motorized treadmill then you need to check the motor first. It must be at least 2.5 hp. The speed range must be ideal for walking and find out whether the motor maintains an uniform speed irrespective of the weight of the user. Ideally the treadmill must have an incline range of 10% and the control panel must be easy to read.
5) Weight & height of the treadmill user – lastly when you are buying a treadmill you must take into account your body weight and height. If you are over 200 lbs then you need to consider buying a treadmill that can manage extra weight. If you weight close to 250 lbs then you need to buy a treadmill that can withstand the weight of a person who weighs 300 lbs. Again, if you are tall then you need to buy a treadmill where the walking surface is longer. A person who is at least 6 feet tall would require a treadmill that has a walking surface of, at least, 52 inches. If you are still taller then look for a model that has a walking surface of 60 inches or more.
You must a treadmill of a good brand and which comes with a 5 year warranty on the motor and 2 year warranty on the parts. Look for the models that has a 1 year after-sales service included in the price.
