I’ve had a True PS100 for 5+ years now with zero issues. Most of my (and my wife’s) running during the school year has been on it. I’d guess there may be 7k miles on it. I’ve lubed the belt, but nothing else. Goes to 12 mph, and one of the things I wanted was the ability to get to speed quickly for intervals and strides. Less expensive models can take a while.

Of course, if money is no object, look no further than a Woodway.

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Lots of informative threads on this topic if you search the forum.

FWIW I bought a Sole F80 last year and I've been very happy with it. Not as many tech bells and whistles as some others (so basically no HD touch screen) but extremely well built and capable of 12 mph (roughly 5:00/mi). Almost always on "sale" for $1500ish.

Is there a disadvantage to having a folding treadmill vs non-folding?

Thanks so far for the comments.

Another vote for the Sole F80 here. I bought it during Labor Day last year and it’s been rock solid ever since. Like someone else said above it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but for me that wasn’t a selling point. They give a great warranty on their items which was big for me with having peace of mind. The newer versions have Bluetooth which connects to Zwift seamlessly and is a nice add on to have if you already bike on their platform.

If I had to give one con and something I wish it did have it would be customizable preset speeds. If you’re doing intervals you may need to hit a 8mph button and then up the speed a few 0.1 increments. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but now that I’ve had it this long it would be nice.

I have a sole F85 that I found on Craigslist for $500 with only 200 miles on it. Think I’ve put around 1k Miles on it in 3 years or so. Never had an issue with it. Goes up to 12 mph and 12 or 15% incline I think.

+1 on the Woodway. Insanely expensive, but oh so nice. I saved up for a bit to buy one, and my only regret is not getting one sooner. We use it 6 days a week and has been worth every penny. So soft on your joints, and feels like running on a rubber track.

If I were to permanently settled down, I'd go woodway. I think they are totally worth it. I would go out to gym and use it. However with COVID, I wanted something for home and got a trueform trainer based on this review from TriRig https://www.tririg.com/...rm_Treadmills_Review

I just finished assembling it. I only did a short run but I like how it feels and does remind me of woodway. The manual part will take some getting used to but I like it and feels more like actual running.

Is it true all Sole treadmills display mileage in only 1/10th mile increments? Asking you and any other Sole owners who see this post.

I find myself unexpectedly in the position of shoppping for a new treadmill. Would like a Sole F80 based on everyone's recommendations and not willing to pay commerical level money for a Woodway or Landice but the wife isn't happy with how much it is. Leaning towards a F63 instead. But having a hard time finding them in stock but seems I'm not the only one (nearest retailer to me is 60 or so miles away it seems but they have 2 of them according to their website). There is a couple of F80s in stock closer but for some reason they are listed for "suggested retail price" or $2800 or so. Despite them being listed as $1599 directly from Solesl's site (but disclaimer of 30 day delay for delivery).

So far only used Soles I'm seeing in my area are an F63 (2018 model year) asking $700, and F65 asking $925 and an F85 asking $1625. If I don't want to piss off the wife I'm probably regulated to $1000 price target. I'm still leaning towards buying new just to get the Sole warranty because from what I can tell it only applies to the original owner. To me it's worth spending full retail over used for an F63.... unless I cna get that price down to $500.

You’re correct on the 1/10 increments. There is a small track display that shows your progress around the track which helps a bit.

The warranty does apply to the original owner only which is why I went brand new, too.

I have a Sole F63, bought it October 2016. Two weeks ago, something didn't feel quite right with it. After inspecting it, I found a hole in the board under the belt. See picture. Sole will not cover it. Be careful with their warranty. It is for motor and frame only. The board under the belt is NOT part of the frame. Two weeks of back and forth with them and I still do not have a price for fixing this. I am 140 lbs so not putting excessive force on it

Good to know your experience.... curious how much use you have put on it? Wondering if I should also consider an retailer "extended" warranty service plan on top of the factory one.

I've had some cheaper level fitness equipment fail on where I did purchase the service plan. Ended up getting cut a check for a portion of the original price I paid (minus depreciation). This was a long time ago though.

That wooden board under the belt is the 'deck'. It's probably the most common point of failure for all similar-type treadmills.

I believe the deck is warranteed for at least several years for the F80 and 85 - I had mine replaced for free once, but I had to buy a second deck on my own, costs about $200 online.

Replacing the deck is moderately annoying just because you have to loosen the belt, remove the bolts, and the deck is a bit bulky and heavy, but I did it all by myself in about an hour not including unpacking time as a total rookie. There are some youtube videos on how to do it but it's not complicated or risky. Sole customer service should be able to talk you through it too - they did that with me when I called for my first deck replacement.

My best estimate is 2k-3k miles

If anyone is looking for a Woodway, I stumbled on a run specialty gym offloading recently refurbished Woodway Desmo’s (December 19) remade to the 4 Front standard due to COVID. These were only in use for 5-6 weeks before the Covid shutdown.

Just pulled the trigger on one - the deal was within what I was going to pay to get a solid quality new one after I blew through my third nordictrack in two years, with warranty replacement estimated in January.

I can share the info - DM for details.

I've owned a Sole F85 for approximately 10 years. Never once had an issue.
For reference I'm 184lbs and have logged probably 700-800 miles per year on it.
Recently I added a Runn speed and cadence sensor to it, which allows me to get more accurate data and connect to running apps.
The only negative (can be a big one for many folks) is that it is extremely slow to speed up and down. Anything shorter than 2min intervals I have to first select a much higher speed so the belt pick ups quickly before I slow it down to the desire interval pace.

See, this is info I wouldn't have found on the vast internet...

Looks like the Woodway is the Lexus and the Sole the Toyota. Fair analogy? (My wife & I both drive Toyotas so we'd be good with Sole.)

I wanted to second what KodioMN mentions about the Sole's slowness in getting to speed. I have a Sole F80. It's been super reliable, but it takes 30-45 seconds to change speeds, which is frustrating when I'm trying to do short intervals. You just can't. I employ a similar tactic: if I want to do my interval at 8-9mph, I hit the 12mph button, let it speed up, then quickly hit the 8mph button and adjust to final speed. Same is true for slowing back down, but then I just hop off :).

I did buy my treadmill back in 2013, so this may not be the case with Soles anymore, but if you're debating that brand and are concerned about that, definitely try it out!

In almost every town there is an outfit that sells commercial treadmills as they come off lease from gyms and fitness clubs. While a decently priced consumer-grade treadmill will usually be fine, I think that a used commercial treadmill is way better. Unless you are a dentist. At that point go and buy a Woodway.

ive ran on both regularly.

the woodway is king. ive never ran on anything more comfortable or better. that said, sole makes a really great lower end "consumer" level product that would be find for 90% of folks that want to run. good build quality, higher hp motor, good warranty. to me the F80 is hard to beat.

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I was considering a sole but ended up buying a horizon 7.4 AT. theyhad one to try at a fitness store and it felt surprisingly good.

Adjust speed quickly and I have had no issues with it. The app is complete garbage and it doesn't track elevation climbed, but I use my Garmin watch and zwift Run pod. lifetime warranty on motor.

for $1200 or so I figured I can't go wrong. I have had it for almost a year with zero issues. Just another option to consider if you don't want to spend 8 or $10,000 on a treadmill

Just watch the big warehouse type stores unless you really know what you are looking at. Some diamonds in there, but also some with hard use. I got mine from a specialty guy that sources them from places he trusts. Mine came from a hospital rehab center.

Curious when you bought yours? Looked up prices and it's a bit more than that currently....like same price as an F80 or listed for $100 cheaper with 1 national chain.

I waited too long to pull the trigger on a F63 despite it being an hour drive away. Wanted to try and wait it out for some credit card extra cash back promotion coming up on Oct 1st. Bad gamble since they are now sold out locally to me. Trying to figure out what to get in the same price range that is still in stock. Or just wait the month and order the F63 directly from Sole's online site.

About a year ago. Guess prices have gone up with the covid nonsense.

The Sole just looks very cheap and 80s to me. Saw one at the running store and didn't like it. May work great though...lots of happy campers

The Sole just looks very cheap and 80s to me.
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Yeah, well, some of us like the 80s. The 80s were radical. Don't bag on the 80s, man.

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
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The thing that's just as important as the in-realtime review of it by trying it, is the long-term warrantee. With any TM, you should seriously examine the warrantee - if you are using a TM regularly, with all the moving parts, something will fail at some point. That fail point moves up a lot closer to near 100% within 7-8 years with TMs < $2000 including Sole F80s.

The sole gets solid reviews not just because it runs solidly, but because enough folks have had decent experiences with their warrantee situation that it holds up.

If you get a great super-value treadmill that can outperform the Sole at a cheaper price, but becomes a nightmare to warrantee or even repair the moment something goes wrong, you just lost all the value you saved. And again, the failures don't typically happen up front even in the first 3 years - but after that, a lot of failures. To the point that I've seen on pro TM technician websites recommend that people entirely replace their <$2000 TM after 8 years if it needs more than trivial service.

I love my Sole F80 as much as the next guy, but I store mine in a garage that gets real AM condensation from all the temp cooling and accelerates wear on the TM and I've had to replace everything short of the frame in my F80 to keep it running the past 10 years. Luckily, the reputation was good, and I had no problems with them, but I did have to buy some parts out of warrantee (still wayyy cheaper than buying a new TM)

I have the 7.1AT, we got it early into COVID, when it looked like they were going to limit outdoor time around here, but that never happened. That said, I've put a fair amount of use into it, and it's holding up well (due for a belt re-lube after we move this weekend). I never bothered with their app, I have a Runn sensor mounted on the belt, and use it with Zwift (I have a footpod that I can use too, but the belt sensor makes sense so my wife can also use it on Zwift). I find it acclerates quickly, and is very stable (it is heavy AF, not looking forward to bringing it out of the basement to move this weekend...) and can handle my fat ass running on it (200lbs ish) for long periods of time. I find that it holds speed pretty well too, with minor fluctuations on foot contact (which is what you expect with a 3.0CHP motor). It's not overly loud either. I would say you definitely need extra fans, the built in won't move much air around you (I found myself doing a number of long runs on the mill this year, on super hot and humid days, because of t-storms outside).

It's certainly no Woodway, but for the price (We're in Canada, ordered directly from Horizon, they often have coupon codes for subscribing to their newsletter, and despite being in the mid of every fitness equipment vendor being pillaged, we got it within two weeks of ordering, delivered to our door (they wouldn't offer the service to bring it where you wanted because of COVID, they did bring it up the front steps and lay it in our front hallway in the house though...).

That's what I'm now starting to look into more as a factor to decide which one to go with. I got agreement with the wife now to bump up the budget for a nicer treadmill and now starting to look at ones up to $2000. Considering the Nordictrack 1750 (biggest HP motor of the group) and ProForm 2000 (because the -3% decline is tempting and it's the lowest price of the bunch). Also considering the Horizon 7.4 AT because it is comparable but I can get coupon discounts potentially directly ordering from their site. Counting out the Sole F80 mainly because I want a better interface console.

But the factory warranties on the C1750 and the ProForm are a bit dismaying (only 10 year frame, 2 year parts and 1 year labor). Horizon 7.4 AT is comparable to Sole it seems with a lifetime motor/frame, 5 year parts and 2 year labor. I did notice for the F80 the lifetime warranty extends to the Deck too. Interesting to see this and it would make the bump from an F63 worth it because that doesn't have that same deck warranty (only 3 years along with parts the same too, labor is 1 year only).

Also if in 10 years whatever treadmill I end up with breaks down such that I have to replace it (assuming only minor repairs/regular maintenance up to that point) I really don't mind having to buy a new one. Plus I'd hope I'd be in a situation to be fortunate enough to get a Woodway or something but we'll see. That's future me problem to deal with.

Additional tips from my experience with my Sole:

- Lifetime deck warrantee is worth it. I went through 2 of them. To be fair, they weren't totally broken, just some superficial fissuring on them, but the repair guy sent me new ones just to be sure.
- Lifetime frame warrantee is standard for nearly all TMs, even cheap ones
- Make sure if you're buying a 3% decline TM that the max speed of the TM while in decline mode is sufficient. Most of the ones I saw go to max 7min/mile in decline mode, which may or may not be adequate for you.

Curious how much mileage you put in before those decks started to have issues? I'm not planning on super heavy volume compared to the marathon and IM (full or half distance folks) for quite some time until my kid probably become a lot older. Mainly during the winter months it will see use 3-4 times a week (maybe 5 at times) by me and hoping to ramp up to get to 20 or so miles a week come next spring (if I don't do something stupid to injure myself). Then during the nicer months I'm expecting (or hoping) I get outside more and it'll see use 1-3x a week at most depending on weather/time constraints. I really don't plan to run more volume than 20-25 miles a week once I'm back in shape for the next few years honestly. Estimating less than 1k miles a year on the thing over time (including the wife using it occasionally).

I do prefer a stronger motor though as I'm not exactly lightweight (hovering around the 180-200lb range the last few years...mainly because I'm inconsistent with training for stretches and I'm not watching what I eat as closely over that time period).

I did mention the decline piqued my interest but honestly probably don't mind if it's speed limited because I'm not a fast enough of a runner at this point to worry about 7min miles being "too slow"....I wish but I'm just not there yet unless I can consistently run at least 25+ miles a week for a year straight or more.

Honestly, it varies. I didn't check how many miles before I changed my deck, but it was about 3 years of fairly hard running on it, probably averaging about 20mpw on it (which means I went strectches with 0-10 miles and some with 40-50).

As said, my deck was probably actually fine to go - it had mild cracking on the surface which I only noticed because I was in a barefoot running phase and could for the first time feel them under them belt. It was very superficial when I took the deck out, and for sure I could have even flipped the deck for it to keep going. I only changed it because when I called Sole to ask if this was a problem, they just said they'd send me one for free under warrantee before I ran into any issues.

My 2nd deck change was again, an 'optional' one - I was replacing one of the rollers which had rusted out and they sent me a 2nd deck fwhen I mentioned the new deck had some minimal fissuring on it as well about 3 years after the first (out of warrantee). I do think I paid for that one, though (they sent me a new motor for free as well at that time.)

It varies with how heavy, how hard, and how fast you run, but it should last you years. I'm actually positive I could have kept running on my decks despite the damage, with no problem in retrospect.

You can also contact Woodway about buying factory-refurbished units. I've got a Desmo frame with 4Front electronics/features and a new tread. Other than cosmetics, you'd never know it wasn't new. I didn't buy from Woodway, but from someone who bought a refurb from Woodway.

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<The Dew Abides>

I ended up pulling the trigger on a Horizon 7.4AT after your recommendation and comparing it to the options out there in the same price range. Ordered directly from Horizonfitness.com and ended up finding some coupon deals. PSA to those who are reading this but I got a 6% off coupon to work there in the cart "SAVE6" which helped save just under $100 (well $95.94 to be exact). Ground shipping was free.

Also to those who use cash back rewards referral sites I also used an ActiveJunky referral link to get back another 4% cash back rewards on top of the 6% at the cart savings I found which should net me another $60 back on top of what I've already save with the coupon. It's legit cash back as I've been using it for years to tune of getting almost a couple hundred back in rewards from them and counting.

I was impressed enough with the features and warranty of the 7.4AT to want to try it out (and an updated display along with a better, to me, interface control console compared to the Sole's). That and it appears they have it in stock and I can expect it in a 10-15 days (or so they say). Just wasn't sure about the additional price for the Nodictrack 1750 over all the other ones I was looking at and the rather paltry warranty (same with the ProForm warranty and it wasn't something I could find in stock easily either).

How silent is a Woodway? I'm contemplating getting one but I live in a condo with neighbors above/beneath/around me and it would be a mega bummer to not be able using it properly for noise issues...

Thanks

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Do you have the right power hookup for it?

I saw the 4front was running on 220V/16A which is the power output we have here in France.

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I'm totally gonna crap all over NordicTrack. I'm on my third warranty replacement - one frame and two motor issues. The first one was a bad motor, now it is a motor control board. Icon Fitness is now stating the control board will be here in JANUARY 2021! They're clearly prioritizing new machines over warranty.

So. My experience hasn't been good. I'm taking the Woodway plunge now...I feel like I'd buy three or four more NordicTracks. That being said, I have put 2100 miles on the replacement since I got it last October between the wife and I.

Yeah, I kind of noticed a common denominator big complaints and poor customer service not taking care of existing owners for spare parts. The Nordictrack was the only one in stock locally to me and on Amazon too out of the ones I looked at. The limited warranty and complaints on customer service swayed me away from it.... wasn't worth the premium they were asking I felt.

Ironically I'm getting rid of (not by choice) an older Nordictrack C2050 treadmill and that's why I'm in the market for a new one. Friend's mom needed a place to store her treadmill in the divorce and I ended up holding on to it for 7 years.....then the other week she finally asked for it back. A bit annoyed as it still works (after me fixing it a couple of times) but it is what it is.

In fairness, we beat ours up day in day out!

Unfortunately, I don't have a basis for comparison against other brands. I'm in a single-family detached house, so I don't have neighbor issues. The Woodway is incredibly heavy and sturdy, so my footstrike doesn't make much noise that would transmit to a neighbor. That's my guess, at least.

In a gym environment, the Woodways seem a lot quieter than other brands. Other brands have flat decks with a belt that runs over it, so they're sort of like a drum, and footstrikes make a whump-whump-whump noise. On the Woodway, the tank-style tread doesn't resonate.

The Woodway incline motor is considerably louder than its belt motor, so there's a fairly loud groan while it moves up or down. My wife says that's the only sound she ever notices when she's downstairs. My Woodway is upstairs in a two-story house, so that may be a good indication for you. I have it sitting on a thick rubber "stall mat" from Tractor Supply -- picture a very heavy-duty gym floor -- and I think that helps. Honestly, the hardest thing about a Woodway is getting it up the stairs. Their customer service is fantastic. Good luck!

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<The Dew Abides>

That's very helpful indeed! Thanks a lot!

The mat is definitely in my plans as well. Did you isolate the walls with some soundproof foams? (A friend of mine did that for a "traditional" treadmill but I wonder if that's necessary for a woodway)

Also may I ask you how much you weigh? I am around that 145lbs mark (66kg) and I believe that may help to get even less noise

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This video gives a good example of the noise comparison. But the noise associated with using it on a 2nd floor will likely depend on the thickness of the floors/insulation. The Woodway is incredibly quiet.

I did not sound-insulate the walls; I don't have any adjoining neighbors. My only sound insulation is the stall mat, and that's really more for dampening vibration (versus "insulating" in the sense of muffling sound) and protecting the wood floor, and for spreading out the weight of the treadmill so it's not focused on the four feet. The stall mats are recycled car tires, with the same hardness as a car tire and significant weight -- a little over 100 lbs for a 4'x8' mat.

I weigh about 155 lbs. The Woodway weighs something like 450!

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<The Dew Abides>

Finally pulled the trigger tonight on a Sole F85. I’ve been trying to track down a F80 locally from Dicks with no luck. There are none in stock in the entire state of CO. I received a Dicks 20% off coupon from my daughter’s sports organization which brought the F85 price down to the F80 price so it was an easy decision. Pretty similar with the F85 having a slightly bigger motor (4.0 hp vs 3.5) and a more stout frame (400lb wt limit vs 350). Being delivered in 2 weeks.

My prior treadmill was a Nordic Track Viewpoint that got regular use for almost 15 years with one roller replacement. Would probably go for more years but got damaged by the moving company during a move to a new house this summer.

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Formerly DrD

I have a Precor that is a gym quality model. I bought it from the Precor distributor years ago.

Built like a tank. I never use it. I’m in Chicago/ Milwaukee area if you want to buy it.

PM me

There’s an barely used F80 for sale for 700 in my area. Trying to decide if I should jump on it.

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Let food be thy medicine...