Treadmills are useful for a variety of populations and can be useful in a variety of settings. For the general population and recreational exerciser, they’re a great way to achieve daily additional activity and exercise. In terms of strength athletes, they can be useful to have around for dieting purposes (cutting for competitions) and doing cardiovascular training.
The only problem that comes along with choosing a treadmill isn’t always the price tag, but the endless options out there. If you’re reading this best treadmill round-up, then chances are you’re interested in finding the best treadmill for your goals and needs. When going over the treadmills below we scoured through multiple levels of criteria. Some of these criteria included the ability to absorb shock, price, technology, warranty, max speed, max incline, and much more.
Choosing the perfect treadmill can be tough because in many cases multiple treadmills can meet your asking criteria. Our advice, rank your top three asks from a treadmill, then search within those lists for your best fit. Chances are, you’ll be able to find the perfect fit once you’ve narrowed down exactly what you want from the treadmill.
Another important factor to consider is finding the best option that suits your financial asks, and to do research before pulling the trigger.
Best Treadmill Picks
- Best Treadmill 2018: Sole Fitness F80 Treadmill
- Best Treadmill for Your Home: Pro-Form Pro 2000 Treadmill
- Best Treadmill for Running: TrueForm Performance Treadmill
- Best Treadmill for Walking: Horizon Fitness T101 Treadmill
- Best Treadmill for Apartments: Horizon Fitness Adventure 3 Treadmill
- Read on for even more picks, including the best treadmill for the money!
Best Treadmill
Our pick for the best treadmill is the Sole Fitness F80 Treadmill. In our opinion, this specific treadmill earned the top pick for two standout reasons.
Photo courtesy soletreadmills.com.
Our first reason for choosing this treadmill as the best overall is the Cushion Flex Whisper Deck . As you can see in the picture above, this treadmill has some give to the track, which is great for saving one’s joints. In addition, this treadmill comes with six preset workout programs and facilitates a maximal speed of 12 mph and up 15 levels of incline. These are all great accommodations for what this treadmill offers, and the price range that comes along with it.
The Bowflex BXT216 Treadmill earns the number two spot on our best treadmill list. This treadmill has a couple solid features that ensure a durable and high performing piece of equipment. The construction of this treadmill is solid with a heavier base and a 3-ply 2.5mm belt. In addition, the console is easy to use and learn, and provides bluetooth connectivity for your music and entertainment. Lastly, the deck folds down, which is a great feature for anyone trying to maximize space in a room, or save from an eye sore.
The last pick in our best treadmill list is the Cybex R Series Treadmill. Similar to our number one pick, this treadmill comes with the IS4 Intelligent Suspension System. This is a system that allows for “softer” landings, which is a perk for anyone running, walking, or with achy joints. In addition to the suspension system, this treadmill also comes equipped with Interval Training Zone tools. These tools allow for quick changes in speed with just a touch of button.
Best Treadmill for Your Home
The Pro-Form Pro 2000 Treadmill earns our top spot for the best treadmill for your home. We liked this as the top home pick for a few reasons.
Photo courtesy proform.com.
As mentioned above, we liked this treadmill for the home for a couple reasons. We like that this treadmill can be folded up to be easily stored in a variety of home settings. In terms of performance, it offers both incline and decline surfaces, so it can mimic any form of outside surface. Another perk that we like about this treadmill is that it comes with free shipping and financing options. It lessens the financial headache some treadmills can come with.
Our second best treadmill for the home pick is the Sole F63 Treadmill. We like the performance specs that come with this treadmill, along with the folding deck feature. It’s a good treadmill for saving space and keeping an idea on your wallet, too. Whether you’re running or walking, the 60″ surface will be great for both. It’s not the most technologically advanced, but it has Bluetooth, a decent console, and six preset workout programs.
The Nordic Track C 1650 is our final pick for the best treadmill for the home. This treadmill has a couple great features. In terms of entertainment, it has Bluetooth, a 10″ HD touchscreen, an auxiliary port, and two amplified speakers. We like these features for a home-based treadmill because it can keep one entertained for a long duration of time. Additionally, we like this treadmill’s FlexSelect™ Cushioning, which is designed to provide comfortable and soft landings when making foot strikes.
Best Treadmill for Running
The TrueForm Performance Treadmill was our favorite pick for running. Similar to the WOODWAY Curve (below), the True Form Performance Treadmill is non-motorized, so you have to walk or run to make it move. One cool feature of this treadmill is the posterior arm that you can clip bands on, so you can accommodate resistance. It’s not the cheapest treadmill option out there, but it’s a great treadmill when performance is the goal.
Image courtesy www.trueformrunner.com
The WOODWAY Curve is another great pick for running that has some similarities to the TrueForm (above). This treadmill is unique in design and earned our top pick for its ability to match our performance asks.
This treadmill also has a curved designed, which WOODWAY states is to increase caloric burn and improve one’s form when in full stride. To generate speed you have to walk or run, so there’s no top speed. This allows someone to run at the pace they please without the worry of pushing buttons, or setting workouts. This treadmill is a good option for those with high performance in mind.
Our final pick for the best treadmill for running is Assault AirRunner Treadmill. This treadmill is similar to the other models above, as it doesn’t require electricity to operate either. These are common treadmills to see around functional fitness gyms because they’re constructed by the same company that makes Assault Bikes. Two positives about this treadmill is the lighter weight construction and the wheels on the bottom, which make it easy to move.
Best Treadmill for Walking
Our best treadmill for walking is the Horizon Fitness T101 Treadmill. This is a simple and reliable treadmill that earned our vote for three reasons.
Photo courtesy horizonfitness.com.
The first reason this treadmill earns our top spot is the lifetime warranty it comes with. Walking is a low impact activity, so chances are you want this treadmill to last, and a lifetime warranty ensures that. Second, there are no frills to this piece of equipment, which is nice for someone needing it for the simple purpose of walking and doesn’t care about entertainment features. Lastly, it’s pretty affordable at a price of $649, so it won’t break the bank.
The Bowflex BXT116 Treadmill takes home the second spot for best for walking. In our list, this is the most expensive treadmill, but we felt it earned a spot for two standout reasons. First, it comes with Boxflex’s Comfort Tech™ deck support, which is a nice feature for the folks walking long distances. This deck will provide additional support for a long duration and decrease foot strike force. Second, the console has a calorie burn focus, and that’s usually a big deal for anyone searching for a walking oriented treadmill.
Our final pick for walking is the Weslo Cadence G 5.9 Treadmill. This treadmill is pretty simple in design, but fits the bill when walking is the goal. It’s a bare bones model and has a price around $300, which is extremely affordable for many treadmill consumers. Keep in mind, this won’t be your best bet for running, or performing hard workouts, but if you need a treadmill for walking alone, then it could be a decent pick.
Best Treadmill for Apartments
The best treadmill for apartments is the Horizon Fitness Adventure 3 Treadmill.
Photo courtesy horizonfitness.com.
The standout apartment feature is the Horizon Fitness’ signature FeatherLight folding system for easy storage. We like this because anyone living in an apartment could always use more space, so a fold up treadmill is often a must. In addition to the fold up nature of this treadmill, it comes equipped with Horizon Fitness’ Johnson Digital Drive Motor, which is said to be quieter than other options on the market.
The Bowflex BXT116 Treadmill earns our second pick as best for the apartment. We chose this treadmill for its ability to minimize sound, which could be a concern for those living in major cities. It’s a bit more expensive at a price of $1499, but Bowflex does offer finance options. We like the Comfort Tech™ deck support that comes with this treadmill because it will limit foot strike force and actively decrease noise from runs. In addition, we like that this treadmill folds up to save someone space.
The Weslo Cadence R 5.2 Treadmill earns our last spot for apartment dwelling populations. This is a pretty bare bones treadmill and comes with fewer performance options that the ones above, but we think it’s a good option for anyone living in a possibly more condensed space. It has a fold up design, six pre-installed workout apps, a max speed of 10 mph, and two grades of incline. It’s affordable and comes with decent options for the price.
Still Looking for the Best Home Treadmill for Your Needs?
There are tons (and tons!) of other options and needs to consider when purchasing a treadmill or other cardio equipment. That’s why we’ve listed even more categories and options below. Looking to build a great new home gym in your apartment and need to round it out with a treadmill? Or do you have particular budget constraints that will influence what you might want to buy? Read on for our continued thoughts and picks!
Best Treadmill for the Money
The Nordic Track C990 is our top treadmill pick for the money. We chose this treadmill for a variety of reasons.
Photo courtesy nordictrack.com.
The first reason we picked this treadmill is for the versatility it comes with. There’s the signature Nordic Track FlexSelect™ Cushioning on the belt, and it caps at 12 mph and 12 levels of incline. All of these features provide multiple workout settings for the serious or recreational exerciser. For this treadmill you can expect to pay $999, which isn’t the cheapest, but it does have solid warranty options, so longevity shouldn’t be a huge concern.
Our second pick for the money is the Pro-Form Performance 600i Treadmill. This treadmill is also a solid option if joint support is your concern, and comes with Pro-Form’s ProShox™ Cushioning. In terms of versatility, this treadmill has an included 22 workouts apps and a 12% incline grade. For this treadmill, you can expect to pay $799, which is a pretty solid deal for the features it comes with.
The Horizon Fitness T101 is our last pick for the money. This treadmill comes with a lifetime warranty on the frame and motor for a price of $649, which is pretty great to have in the treadmill world. In addition to the solid warranty and price, this treadmill includes Horizon Fitness’ Variable Response™ Cushioning, so you’ll be able to use this treadmill for a long duration with moderate comfort. Lastly, the max speed is 10 mph and incline 10%.
Best Treadmill Under $500
The Weslo Cadence G 5.9 Treadmill earns our top spot for a treadmill under $500.
Photo courtesy weslo.com.
At the end of the day, this treadmill is by no means the best option out there, but for the price it’s pretty solid. With a price that sit around $300, we feel that it could be a good option for many users. In addition, you can shop around and find models for less from various online retailers. It has your standard 10-mph speed adjustment and incline option, so it can meet multiple asks for the dollar amount.
The XTERRA TR150 Folding Treadmill is our second pick for under $500. For this treadmill, you can expect to pay around $287.00, and with that, you get what you pay for. This treadmill is pretty standard in terms of features and specs. It caps at 10 mph and has three incline settings. In addition, the console is pretty basic, but has nine preset workouts, which is a decent feature for the money.
The last treadmill on our under $500 list is the Goplus Folding Treadmill. The price of this treadmill comes in at $389.99, which is okay for the features it offers. In terms of speed, it comes in at a max of 7.5 mph, which really isn’t that much compared to other models out there. There are 12 preset workout programs, and there’s a 5″ blue ray console. Possibly the biggest perk that comes with this treadmill is its ability to fold up and store easily.
Best Treadmill Under $1000
The Sole Fitness F63 Treadmill earns out top pick for the best treadmill under $1000.
Photo courtesy soletreadmills.com.
This treadmill doesn’t eclipse the $1000 dollar mark by much, as it’s priced at $999, but it still earned our number one pick. If you look around at other reviews, then you’ll notice this treadmill is consistently ranked well. In addition to being under $1000, this treadmill come free of tax and shipping. This treadmill tops out at 12 mph and has 15 incline levels, which tends to be the most you’ll find on a treadmill. Lastly, there’s Bluetooth compatibility, which is a small, yet nice touch.
The Nordic Track C 700 is our second pick for treadmills under $1000. We like this treadmill for three reasons. First, the price comes in at $749, which is well under the $1000 price point. Second, it comes with a lifetime frame warranty, a 5-year motor warranty, and 1-year parts & labor warranty. This is solid for a treadmill that’s priced slightly lower than other models. Lastly, it comes with Nordic Track’s FlexSelect™ Cushioning, so it will be comfortable to use for prolonged bouts of exercise.
Our last pick for treadmill under $1000 is the Horizon Fitness T101 Treadmill. This treadmill comes in at a price of $649 and offers a solid spec resume. This treadmill comes with three features we like for the money. First, the Variable Response™ Cushioning of the belt, which is designed to decrease foot strike force. Second, we like the FeatherLight™ Folding, so you can easily store this machine to the side in a room. Third, there’s a lifetime warranty on the motor and frame.
Best Commercial Treadmill
Our number one pick for best commercial treadmill is the Cybex 625T treadmill. This treadmill offers solid features a gym owner may desire.
Photo courtesy cybex.com.
Cybex boasts that this treadmill is designed to last, and that’s one of the biggest concerns for a treadmill in the commercial setting. This model comes with Cybex’s Intelligent Suspension System and 5 horsepower motor. Both of these features provide this treadmill with solid construction features that would match a commercial gym-goer’s desires. The last feature we like was the nine pre-programmed workouts.
The Nordic Track Commercial 1750 is our second pick for this category. We thought this was a good fit in the commercial setting for a few reasons. First we like that it comes with Nordic Track’s Runner’s Flex™, which is a feature that can match multiple gym member’s needs. Second, it comes with dual fans, and that’s a big deal for gym-goers and gym owners alike for cleanliness purposes. Lastly, the entertainment options on this model are also pretty good with a 7″ HD screen, and adjustable tablet holder.
The last pick in our commercial is the Pro-Form Power 995i. For commercial use, this treadmill is one our tops for three distinct reasons. To start, it comes with multiple preset workouts and can provide a user with their power output at any given time. That’s a cool feature to motivate others to workout. Another feature is the 30 workout apps it includes, so there’s endless options for achieving the workout you desire. Lastly, it has 15 incline levels and max speed of 12 mph, which is solid for most users.
Wrapping Up
Those are our picks for the top treadmills for different needs! Any we miss or that you’d like us to take an even closer look at? Let us know in the comments below!
