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 Sole F63

Best Treadmills
Top Treadmills for 2013
Reports directly from our consumers to you!
 		Precor 9.31
Our Choices: 
Under $1,000 Sole Fitness F63   (When on sale under $1,700 list price)

WOW! Money No object:   Precor Premium Series 9.31

 Treadmills:  Consumer Reports and  Brand Summary 



December 8, 2012: We started our search with the 2013 Consumer Reports "Buyers Guide."  No treadmills were listed so next we checked the January 2013 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.  Again, none were listed in the index!  OK, lets try Amazon.com and see what "the crowd" likes the best since this relies on many to select "best sellers."  We checked this list of Amazon.com's Best Sellers in Treadmills and below is a summary of the top five.
#1

We Like this High Quality Brand!
 #2

Good reviews for a "Budget Model"
 #3

4.1 out of 5 stars
 #4

4.8 out of 5 stars
 #5

3.3 out of 5 stars
We Own a Sole E35 Elliptical and Love it.  Read our Review at Best Elliptical Machines.  We like the idea of a desk with a treadmill so you can walk while you work.  We watch TV while using our elliptical trainer so we can get our heart rate up into the "Elite Athlete" level of 90% by the end our our workouts.  This involves a lot of sweat which would short out a laptop.

The idea of walking while working at a desk is fine if your BMI is well over 30 and you have not exercised for ages but we would get something you can push yourself with and grow into. 30 minutes a day of high intensity is great to keep you healthy, once you are fit.  If your BMI is high, the "walking desk" is great as your body builds endurance.

Today, we think some of the best value and tradeoffs for the money is from Sole Fitness. (We are not paid by Sole, we only get a commission if you buy using our Amazon.com links ... so PLEASE use our links the day you order if you value our help.)

We checked Consumer Reports online and found they surveyed models there, but some were not available any more.  Here is a summary of the ones from Consumer Reports we could find to check against the list above of "Amazon's Best Sellers."
 
 
Best Treadmills for 2013 by category:

 Category:  Highest Quality Folding Treadmill
               Name, Price, Score x/100
 

Category: "Recommended Budget folding treadmills"

Category:  Highest Quality Non-folding Treadmill
               Name, Price, Score x/100



Brands:                                                                         TOP OF PAGE
Icon Health and Fitness:  The original NordicTrack went bankrupt some years ago and Icon bought the name.  You can find NordicTrack at Sears. Icon also builds Epic (sold at Costco to make it appear they are not heavily discounting the Reebok brand) ProForm (Sold at Sears and Sports Authority), Reebok (sold at Costco) and Schwinn elliptical trainers.  Icon products are also found at Wal-Mart and Dicks Sporting Goods.   Most elliptical review sites say they create "innovative products with numerous bells and whistles" but their shortfalls (in both elliptical trainers and treadmills) are quality components.  Buying an extended warranty is a good idea if you plan on heavy use.  The better brands offer 3 to 10 years on parts.  Our top rated Precor EFX 5.33 offers lifetime on frame and welds with 10 years on "parts and wear items" with one year on labor.   If you look closely, some of the Schwinn models (Schwinn 431 and Schwinn 460) only offer 90 days parts for wear on parts.  Your shoes might last longer running on pavement! 

Precor was established in 1980.  It is the most expensive brand but we feel you get what you pay for.  "Precor has distinguished itself as a worldwide industry leader, providing state-of-the-art fitness equipment to health clubs, hotels, spas, fitness centers, and private homes all over the world. The company is proud of their hard-won reputation for producing fitness equipment that's easy for people of all abilities to use and durable enough to withstand years of use. The same experience and commitment to quality that goes into all of their commercial equipment also goes into the creation and manufacture of our home models."

Sole, Xterra and Esprit/Spirit are all made in China by the same parent company--Dyaco in headquartered in Taiwan with a US office in Jonesboro AR. Sole is mainly sold online and at Sears and Dicks Sporting Goods. Xterra has a different dealer network including some of the warehouse stores like Costco. Esprit and Xterra both have models similar to the Sole E35.



 Note 1: If you find our reviews helpful and decide to buy from Amazon.com, then please use our product links so we get a commission.
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