An excellent running/walking treadmill
Written: Mar 01 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Quiet operation, stable, low impact running surface
Cons: Manual could be better
The Bottom Line: I would highly recommend this treadmill for either walkers or runners.
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| mickster13's Full Review: Smooth 9.1 Series Treadmill |
I decided it was time to get serious about getting in shape. I’m intelligent enough to know that these infomercial products are all hype and no results. If you want to lose weight and get in shape you have to eat right and burn calories.
Since it has been a few years (actually more then a few) since I have exercised I thought a treadmill would make the most sense. I could start out walking and work my way up to running. I went to a few stores and tried various models. Of course, each sales person has the best brand and they dish the competition. I did notice a serious quality different between those that sold below and above a $1,000.
I make many purchases on the Internet and decided to do some research online. When you search for treadmills the Smooth Fitness name keeps coming up.
I called and talked to their sales people and they recommended the Smooth 9.1. They suggested that it is an excellent model to make the transition from walking to running, and that it will hold up well with regular running. Their sales pitch is that they sell factory direct and therefore you avoid retail overhead costs. And by purchasing on the Internet you save state sales taxes. It makes sense, of course your talking to sales people who are probably making a commission.
Not wanting to invest all this money on the word of a sales person I found some independent ratings. The smooth brand got some decent ratings from Runner’s World. A web site called Treadmill Doctor gave the 9.1 an overall good rating and an excellent value rating.
Looking at comparable brands, this appeared to be a good price since it came with a 20” wide belt and a 2.5” hp continuous duty motor. Apparently you need a good size motor to handle the rigors of running. The continuous duty rating means a motor can run fully loaded at its' rating for 24 hours a day nonstop.
I have had the treadmill for a few months. It has been very reliable and I particularly like the running surface. It has what is called the adjusta soft system. The treadmill is designed in a way that minimizes the impact, but still has a solid feel. From my earlier basketball days I have bad knees and I have not had any perceptible problem since using the treadmill. I currently combine both walking and running.
It is reasonably quiet. So often when I travel and use the hotel treadmills and I have to blast the TV in order to hear it. With this machine I only have to slightly increase the volume.
I will say that the manual was weak. When I first set up the treadmill I needed to recalibrate the belt. I could not figure it out from the manual, but received an instant response from their customer service.
If you were training for a marathon this treadmill probably would not be adequate, but for my approximate 10 miles of walking and running per week it does a great job.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mickster13
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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