Tell me about your folding treadmill

[lunalibre]

Anyone here own and use a folding treadmill on a regular basis? I'm seriously considering purchasing one of the treadmills that would fold up against the wall. I would be walking on it, not running, and I'm short so my stride is not very long.

Do you like yours? How loud is it to use? If I were walking on the treadmill with the TV on, would someone be able to sit on a nearby couch and not feel like the noise was blasting them out of the room? I would like to get some exercise while the TV is on and the family is unwinding at night. Would the treadmill be distracting to everybody else?

I see these treadmills often on craigslist, but then, a lot of treadmills go on craisglist. I'm trying to decide if folks are getting rid of them for the standard reasons (don't like/use a treadmill as much as expected), or if they don't like folding treadmills specifically.

Thanks for any info.

 

[Pakey]

I have a folding treadmill. I leave mine open all of the time because folding it up is a pain (heavier than it seems). Also, I don't want to face a wall so mine faces outward which means that when it's folded, it would be about 8 feet out from the wall anyway.

It's quite noisy, even just walking. To watch TV, I have the volume almost at max. I would not want to sit in the same room with someone on the treadmill trying to watch TV. I have an exercise room at home with my own TV but I prefer to listen to music when jogging on it.

I would not hesitate to buy a used one. People sell them because they have good intentions when purchasing but then they don't use them. I paid $1200 new for mine but I probably could get the same one used for half that price. It's rather boring. I use the elliptical trainer much more than the treadmill; it's quieter and a better workout for me.

 

[Sadie22]

I have owned a folding treadmill for twelve or fifteen years. Even though the walkbelt part folds up, it is still huge. Mine is noisy enough that TV volume would have to be turned up to be heard over it. Maybe treadmills are made quieter these days. However, my feet make noise hitting the belt so that's part of the overall effect. I tend to use it only when no one else is around.

I think a lot of treadmills are sold because they are bulky and difficult to move around in a home let alone to move to a new house, they take up a lot of space, and the potential exerciser finds they're not as motivated to use a treadmill as they thought they would be or it's boring.

 

[AlwaysMoving]

I have a folding treadmill by NordicTrack. They make it seem so easy on tv to fold it, but it isn't. It is very heavy. Honestly, I don't feel safe doing it alone. I definitely can't unfold it alone because the handle you must pull out to unfold has a lot of tension to avoid accidental unfolding. I just made sure I put it in a room where the track can remain down at all times. For my model and my mom's (who has a NordicTrack also), the track, when folded, doesn't do completely straight up and down. It stops at an angle.

Oh, and the entire unit is so heavy that even if I wanted to roll it to another part of the room, it would be almost impossible. Otherwise, I love my treadmill. I don't think it is any noisier than the ones I use at the gym. My model might not be as large/bulky as those, but it isn't cheap either. I have all the settings I could ever need. I had my treadmill in the livingroom, because it was so heavy I could not move it to any other part of the house (upstairs). We had to turn the tv louder, but if I had a gym model in my livingroom, it would have required a louder tv volume. It wasn't a ridiculous amount of noise though.

 

[Harters2WDW]

We bought this one in June: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Golds-Gym-480-Treadmill/11993389 and I have been very happy with it! It was a great price, took less than two hours for two of us to assemble and works very well. I walk/run on it (not much faster than a 10 minute pace for running). It's a little noisy (more so when I run), but my daughter can watch TV with me when I am on the treadmill. It is in our Florida room, so it's a bit noisier out there as I run a window unit AC a the same time. I have been very happy with it! Good luck!

 

[njmom47]

One thing I can tell you is don't buy a manual one! I have a manual and it's now a clothes hanger because the belt had to be adjusted all the time.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I have a folding one. Mine is from Sears. It is very heavy. Yes it is hard to open/close, BUT it is convenient and does not take up a lot of space when folded up.

Mine is semi-loud and I would not put it in my living room as it would be louder than the TV. Mine is in the basement positioned to watch TV down there. Plus I have to use the stairs to get there. I don't "run", so I can't comment on that part.

Enjoy your treadmill. If used often it is a great way to get your walking in for the day and still enjoy your favorite TV show!

 

[drinkme]

We bought this one in June: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Golds-Gym-480-Treadmill/11993389 and I have been very happy with it! It was a great price, took less than two hours for two of us to assemble and works very well. I walk/run on it (not much faster than a 10 minute pace for running). It's a little noisy (more so when I run), but my daughter can watch TV with me when I am on the treadmill. It is in our Florida room, so it's a bit noisier out there as I run a window unit AC a the same time. I have been very happy with it! Good luck!

The model above is the Golds Gym 480. We just bought the Golds Gym 410 from Walmart a few days ago. It's VERY heavy. It's foldable, but like the others posted, it's just too heavy to fold. We have a room for it, so it's not out in the open. I bought a small flat screen tv (19 in") and hung it on the wall to watch while I'm walking/jogging. It's not loud.

 

[CC12005]

Mine is not too heavy to fold up. My treadmill sits in a corner, it's very quiet, I never turn it on. That's the reason you see so many on Craiglist. I've used it less than 15 mins. total in the 8 years I have had it. Purchased brand new. And I wonder why my pants are tight

 

[Fridye]

I'm bumping this in case someone else can offer some advice.

Would an elliptical trainer or some other equipment be better?

 

[AlwaysMoving]

I'm bumping this in case someone else can offer some advice.

Would an elliptical trainer or some other equipment be better?

I also have an elliptical, but feel I get a better workout if I use the treadmill at a fast pace and at a high incline. Just my opinion. At the gym, I can tell there are regulars who only use the elliptical, so I guess it depends on the kind of workout you are looking for. I feel the elliptical uses the legs in a different manner, like climbing stairs, and I just can't keep up with the pace, which is why I prefer the treadmill.

 

[Fjobe]

This is the one we have as well. It is loud enough that it is hard for me to hear the TV without turning it way up (when I'm running on it), but DS will watch TV in there and acts like it doesn't bother him. It looks like it'd be heavy to fold up. We have it in the corner of our bedroom, so I've never had to fold it up. I really like the exercise programs it has.

 

[Fjobe]

We bought this one in June: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Golds-Gym-480-Treadmill/11993389 and I have been very happy with it! It was a great price, took less than two hours for two of us to assemble and works very well. I walk/run on it (not much faster than a 10 minute pace for running). It's a little noisy (more so when I run), but my daughter can watch TV with me when I am on the treadmill. It is in our Florida room, so it's a bit noisier out there as I run a window unit AC a the same time. I have been very happy with it! Good luck!

Whoops - did that wrong.

This is the one we have as well. It is loud enough that it is hard for me to hear the TV without turning it way up (when I'm running on it), but DS will watch TV in there and acts like it doesn't bother him. It looks like it'd be heavy to fold up. We have it in the corner of our bedroom, so I've never had to fold it up. I really like the exercise programs it has.