dangle wrote:
I was between the two for some time last year. I should have bought the F65.
Treadmill horsepower ratings are misleading. There's no regulation on it so it's just a marketing word. You are not going to see 3.5 HP if you are using a standard 15 amp outlet for your treadmill. If you have a dedicated 20 amp circuit, you still won't. Maybe closer to 2.5 on a dedicated 20 amp. It doesn't mean that that the motor isn't 'better' on the F80, it just means that HP shouldn't be the metric to be used. Feel free to correct me where I'm wrong. My electrician neighbor gave me quite the explanation when we were talking about running some new lines to the garage for tools.
The screens between the two are equally lame. You just have a bit more bezel for the F65.
There's an additional warranty for parts, electronics and labor on the F80. 5 years vs. 3 for parts and electronics. 1 vs 2 for labor.
I do agree that treadmill 'horsepower' ratings are not regulated and thus likely all over the place. I definitely wouldn't say a 3.0hp TM from some random Chinese no-name company equals 3.0HP on a Sole nor a 3.0HP on a $10k Woodway.
Still, I suspect for a solid company like Sole, the higher HP number on the engine will indicate stronger capacity, and likely longer lifespan if you're running it hard. I've never killed my TM motor, but Lionel Sanders burns through multiples of his Nordictrac treadmill per year (at least he did in the past per his youtube videos), so it is definitely possible to 'kill' your TM motor by wearing it down.
I'll also add though that nowadays it seems that almost all the 'good' TM brands, including Sole, have LIFETIME warrantees on their motors. Meaning they do NOT expect the motor to fail for the vast majority of people. So if you get the F65 with the lesser motor, it has a lifetime warrantee on it.
Replacing the motor isn't hard as well, although you will need to purchase the correct sized socket wrenches to remove the big bolts that hold it down. I found replacing my motor (they sent me a new one for free during my TM overhaul even though mine was running fine, 'just in case!") easier than replacing the deck (by a lot).