GUIDELINES FOR BUYING A TREADMILL

1) KNOW WHAT FEATURES ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU BEFORE PURCHASING.

2) LENGTH OF TREADMILL – MINIMAL SHOULD BE 50” MAXIMUM IS USUALLY 60 INCHES.

3) HOW THICK IS THE PADDING (TREAD): 2x OR 4x THICKNESS?

CAN YOU HAVE THICKER ONE PUT ON?

4) DOES THE TREADMILL FRAME HAVE A SHOCK ABSORBING SYSTEM? HAVE SALESPERSON EXPLAIN THE DIFFERNCE BETWEEN THE SYSTEMS ON YOUR TREADMILL VERSUS ONE THAT IS A BETTER ONE ON A HIGHER PRICE MODEL.

5) LISTEN TO THE MOTOR WHEN YOUR ARE CHANGING THE ANGLE OF INCLINE. DOES IT SOUND LOUD OR QUIET? IS IT SMOOTH?

· REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE LISTENING TO A MOTOR IN A LARGE AREA. ODDS ARE THAT THE AREA IN YOUR HOUSE THAT YOU WILL BE USING THIS TREADMILL IS SMALLER AND ENCLOSED, SO THE SOUND WILL BE AMPLIFIED.

6) IS THE TREADMILL EASY TO MOVE AROUND? DOES IT HAVE FRONT WHEELS? IF THE SALESPERSON SAYS YES (AND OF COURSE THEY WILL MOVE IT A FEW INCHES TO SHOW YOU) MAKE SURE YOU TRY MOVING IT A FEW FEET. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU WANT TO MOVE YOUR TREADMILL AROUND.

7) WHAT IS THE WEIGHT OF THE MACHINE?

8) HOW EASY IS THE CONTROL PANEL TO USE? USING A MANUEL SETTING IS EASY. IF YOU WANT TO USE A PROGRAM, HOW HARD IS IT TO USE?

9) ARE THERE GUARDRAILS ON THE SIDE? IF YOU FEEL YOU NEED THEM.

10) WHAT IS THEIR WARRENTY POLICY? WHAT DOES IT COVER?

WHAT DOES IT NOT COVER? (GET SPECIFIC ANSWERS!)

11) HOW MUCH IS AN EXTENDED WARRENTY? (WHAT DOES IT COVER?)

12) HOW MUCH IS DELIVERY? DOES IT COVER SETUP?

13) HOW MUCH IS THEIR RESTOCKING FEE?

(VERY IMPORTANT IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE TREADMILL)

14) CHECK ON VARIOUS ACCESSORIES: FLOOR MAT, LUBRICANTS, ETC.) FIND OUT WHAT KIND OF MAINTENANCE IS REDQUIRED.

15) IF YOU BELONG TO A HEALTH CLUB TALK WITH ONE OF THE MAINTENANCE PEOPLE, (SPECIFICALLY THOSE THAT TAKE CARE OF THE MACHINES), AND ASK WHAT TYPES OF MAINTENANCE ISSUES ARE FOUND IN THE LONG TERM WITH THE TREADMILLS).

16) MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT SIMILAR TREADMILLS AT VARIOUS PLACES TO COMPARE PRICES.

17) YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO CHECK CONSUMER REPORTS AND THE WEBSITES OF PRECOR, LIFECYCLE, OR ANY OTHER OF THE BRANDS.

18) MAKE SURE YOU RUN OR WALK ON THE TREADMILL YOU DECIDE TO PURCHASE FOR AT LEAST 20-30 MINUTES.

19) COMPARISON SHOPPING IS INVALUABLE! WRITE DOWN PRICES OF ALL THE ACCESSORIES YOU WANT WITH YOUR MACHINE. THE PLACE YOU PURCHASE YOUR TREADMILL WILL USUALLY MATCH THE PRICE OF A LESS EXPENSIVE ACCESSORY (I.E. RUBBER FLOOR MAT) FROM ANOTHER STORE.