Buying a treadmill?

Get this one

When I bought mine, I mostly wanted one with a big motor that was rated well above my weight.

I also wanted touch style heart-rate and a chest band receiver.

And single touch speed controls.

I think you're best off going to a store where you can try out a bunch. I got mine for free from a family friend- you certainly get what you pay for! Beware that some of the old ones are VERY loud as in you can't get up early to workout because it will wake your entire neighborhood (or in my case- can't hear the TV even at full blast). Also, I would look for one that has the incline amount. Again, the old ones don't always have this information.

I have a True treadmill tat I purchased in 2002. It is very quiet, supposedly cushioned in a certain way to be good on the knees. I got the narrow track as I'm small and didn't want it to take up more room than necessary. I did pay a lot for it, but I think I'm getting my money's worth out of it. It is still in fine shape 11 years later.

Get this one

OMFG HILARIOUS!!!! Not what I was expecting as I scrolled down the page!! Bravo!

Be honest with your needs. You can pay extra for a higher max speed (like 12 mph) but for me 10 mph is more than enough (hahah, like I'm gonna run faster than a 6 minute mile--LOL). It adjusts in .1 mph increments. I can also touch the button to jump right to a mph in 1mph increments.

Ditto for incline. 10 degree is plenty steep. It adjusts in .5 degree increments. I can also touch to adjust it directly to a degree, by 1 degree increments.

According to what I read in my research, anything more than a 2.5hp engine is probably overkill. An engine is worth it though--none of that manual stuff.

iFit sounds good (google maps/TV/"virtually run the Boston marathon"/etc thingy) but it costs $100 to set up plus a monthly fee after that. My treadmill is iFit capable, but I've never added the dongle for it or signed up for the added service.

I did pick a treadmill with good shocks and a spacious running belt. The idea being that you want enough space that you don't run off the edge of the platform if you have a long stride. I'm only 5 foot tall, so this is probably overkill for me, but it means Hubby can use it if he wants.

Likewise I aimed for a weight limit that gave even hubby some clearance. (I think mine is rated to well over 300lbs).

I skipped the built in fan. I have a floor fan already that's next to the treadmill.

It has an AUX port and speakers, but honestly I usually use my headphones.

I didn't want the arm movement thingies. Better for me to just let my arms swing naturally.

Mine has 10 or 20 present programs for "hills" and "fat zone" etc but I never use them.

My has heart rate grips but they are terrible. Apparently most are bad at it. I didn't care about these when I bought mine and I never use them now.

It has a magnetic safety clip that I'm supposed to clip to me, but I don't. The idea is that you clip it to yourself so that if you trip, the treadmill stops automatically (preventing what happens to the dude in the video clip). If I ran faster I'd probably clip it to myself though.

I got my NordicTrack on sale a couple weeks before Thanksgiving (which was better than the black Friday price) from Sears. I basically just had a list of my minimum requirements and a price I was willing to pay. I waited until I saw something that meet my requirements and price and refused to spend more for "upgrades" that I didn't need/want.

I have a NordicTrack that I bought 8 years ago at Sears, it's still running strong. It has iFit, I've never used it. It has a built in HRM, I use a chest strap because it's more accurate. The only downside is the deck...it's large, invisible in the dark, it'll bust a toe or two

AWESOME idea! Put it on HILL mode-u burn twice as many calories and if u do squats,*kitten* amazing!

Craigslist.

Treadmills are dreadfully expensive. You can get a great deal on CL.
That way you can be sure that you'll use it religiously and you can also make sure that when you do invest in one it will have what you KNOW you need/want and wont have what you dont.

I just bought a Proform 580X interactive trainer for $250 on CL.

I love the basics like incline and easy one button (numbered) speed increases.
It also has preset stuff if you want to kill yourself right off the bat (like I tried...)
It also has IFIT compatibility. (haven't used that yet...)
And a longish bed. (So I dont fall off the end...)

Also has shocks, the ability to plug stuff into treadmill (like iPod), and... and... and...
I dont know... other stuff.

Point it this thing is $1500 in Sears and I was unwilling to spend that for something that I couldn't guarantee I'd use consistently.
(So far Ive used it every day since 1/1...)

Check it out.

Good luck

If I were to buy a dreadmill (spelled wrong on purpose), what would be some things to look for? I'd be using it to run on, like to be able to incline on it of course, maybe decline a little, not spend a fortune, etc.....

Get one that will go well above your maximum speed, that way it will never be working at 100% capacity for the workout, it will wear out very quickly if you work at maximum speed on it for the duration.

http://www.amazon.com/ProForm-PFTL60910-Proform-505-Treadmill/dp/B0048HS02G

Anyone ever used this one before? I found one of these near me for a decent price.

You might want to go with a higher incline..10% isn't much..I bought a Freemotion treadmill back in December..40% incline and 3% decline. It kicks my *kitten*...Put it on 30-40% incline and just walk yourself back into shape..If your more of a runner. This high incline will give you something else to do when running for the most part gets a little boring..I use -3% all the way up to 40% in almost every workout..I've had a used treadmill before. It didn't last. I wanted something different and something that was going to last..I'm definitely happy with it..