UPDATE
Sadly after 8 months I am no longer as in love with this machine. It is used pretty reasonably / no one more than 165 lbs uses it, no one runs hard core on it (rarely used for anything more than a quick walk), and rarely used for more than 75 min at a time.
After about six months of use, it started to squeak on a regular basis, even with regular lubrication applied. Lately we have noticed a smell like an overheated part once its been in use for a half hour or so after checking to make sure nothing is clogged and air is moving properly, we can only conclude that the motor is near the end of its life.
Perhaps we just happened to get one off machine that had a shorter/than/average lifespan and I will be contacting the seller in hopes of a good resolution, but I am very disappointed to have this purchase seem to wear out less than a year after I bought it.
original review
I freakin LOVE this treadmill. I am not comfortable walking / jogging outside after dark or in bad weather so I got this to help me be more active / and my whole family uses it.
It is light enough that I can move it around the room we keep it on my own. My husband and I worked together to bring it onto the house and would need to do so to move it up or downstairs but its reasonably light weight and its simple to fold up / set up. It is holding up to regular use quite well (its been a few weeks since it arrived / I will update if this changes). After about two weeks it needed some lubrication but its working beautifully and is simple enough our 6yo can use it to walk with no issues.
Before buying, I saw that other reviewers have complained that the speed/distance are off because a 4 (or whatever) on this is way slower than a 4 on another treadmill. Now that Ive used it / this treadmill is set to measure distance (and also speed) based on kilometers and not miles. In my experience so far its as accurate as any of the other treadmills Ive used. If you are used to measurements in miles, be aware that since a km is shorter than a mile, 4.5 km/h is going to be more like 3 mph. Doesnt mean the treadmill is broken, just different units (like gallons and litres).
Other reviewers were right that due to the shorter, narrower belt this wont be ideal for a taller person to run. But I am 51 and can quite comfortably jog on it with no fear of accident due to the size of the belt. Since weve also built a standing desk to fit across this treadmill to become a walking desk for working from home, the slim width is actually an advantage for us. Being able to walk while working on my laptop is awesome!
Aside from the use of metric units and the size of the belt, potential cons for a buyer (and my thoughts on them) are:
/ the short length of the power cord (Im just using an extension cord)
/ the display on the base of the treadmill / ahead of your feet instead of built into the handrail (this lets the design be slimmer and fold down easier so Im actually a fan of this)
/ the use of a remote to change the speed (since theres no controls / display built into the handrail / like other reviewers, Ive used some Velcro to attach the remote to the rail so it doesnt get lost).
/ the instruction book doesnt explain how to Bluetooth pair a device. but if you have ever done this before you dont need instructions and if you havent done it before Im not sure its a feature of a treadmill that youd be looking for.
/ this treadmill does not offer an incline feature. This is the only downside of this machine for me as I
Id like to be able to add some incline to my workout and affected my star rating . but at the same time, I do recognize that being able to adjust incline would mean that it would have to be bulkier and heavier / and then it would not suit us as well because it would require more storage space.
Originally my husband was a bit sceptical of this treadmill when I ordered it because it wasnt a brand name that he was familiar with / but now that weve been using it, we agree that this machine suits our home and our needs much better than one of the bulkier models from the more recognizable manufacturers. We would definitely recommend!
Perfect for the price for a while.
UPDATE Sadly after 8 months I am no longer as in love with this machine. It is used pretty reasonably / no one more than 165 lbs uses it, no one runs hard core on it (rarely used for anything more than a quick walk), and rarely used for more than 75 min at a time. After about six months of use, it started to squeak on a regular basis, even with regular lubrication applied. Lately we have noticed a smell like an overheated part once its been in use for a half hour or so after checking to make sure nothing is clogged and air is moving properly, we can only conclude that the motor is near the end of its life. Perhaps we just happened to get one off machine that had a shorter/than/average lifespan and I will be contacting the seller in hopes of a good resolution, but I am very disappointed to have this purchase seem to wear out less than a year after I bought it. original review I freakin LOVE this treadmill. I am not comfortable walking / jogging outside after dark or in bad weather so I got this to help me be more active / and my whole family uses it. It is light enough that I can move it around the room we keep it on my own. My husband and I worked together to bring it onto the house and would need to do so to move it up or downstairs but its reasonably light weight and its simple to fold up / set up. It is holding up to regular use quite well (its been a few weeks since it arrived / I will update if this changes). After about two weeks it needed some lubrication but its working beautifully and is simple enough our 6yo can use it to walk with no issues. Before buying, I saw that other reviewers have complained that the speed/distance are off because a 4 (or whatever) on this is way slower than a 4 on another treadmill. Now that Ive used it / this treadmill is set to measure distance (and also speed) based on kilometers and not miles. In my experience so far its as accurate as any of the other treadmills Ive used. If you are used to measurements in miles, be aware that since a km is shorter than a mile, 4.5 km/h is going to be more like 3 mph. Doesnt mean the treadmill is broken, just different units (like gallons and litres). Other reviewers were right that due to the shorter, narrower belt this wont be ideal for a taller person to run. But I am 51 and can quite comfortably jog on it with no fear of accident due to the size of the belt. Since weve also built a standing desk to fit across this treadmill to become a walking desk for working from home, the slim width is actually an advantage for us. Being able to walk while working on my laptop is awesome! Aside from the use of metric units and the size of the belt, potential cons for a buyer (and my thoughts on them) are: / the short length of the power cord (Im just using an extension cord) / the display on the base of the treadmill / ahead of your feet instead of built into the handrail (this lets the design be slimmer and fold down easier so Im actually a fan of this) / the use of a remote to change the speed (since theres no controls / display built into the handrail / like other reviewers, Ive used some Velcro to attach the remote to the rail so it doesnt get lost). / the instruction book doesnt explain how to Bluetooth pair a device. but if you have ever done this before you dont need instructions and if you havent done it before Im not sure its a feature of a treadmill that youd be looking for. / this treadmill does not offer an incline feature. This is the only downside of this machine for me as I Id like to be able to add some incline to my workout and affected my star rating . but at the same time, I do recognize that being able to adjust incline would mean that it would have to be bulkier and heavier / and then it would not suit us as well because it would require more storage space. Originally my husband was a bit sceptical of this treadmill when I ordered it because it wasnt a brand name that he was familiar with / but now that weve been using it, we agree that this machine suits our home and our needs much better than one of the bulkier models from the more recognizable manufacturers. We would definitely recommend!