http://www.smoothfitness.ca/treadmills/smooth-675.htm#reviews
http://www.soletreadmills.com/details.php?name=F80
Looks like a pretty tight race here. Am I missing anything? I’m leaning towards the smooth based on the current price.
What say ye? Experienced users would be a big help.
I know nothing about the smooth, but I have a sole that has worked great. It is over 5 years old and the belt just started to separate at the seem. I called them and even though it was out of warrenty they sent a brand new belt for free. works good as new now. I probably put about 800 miles on it each winter for each of the 5 years I have had it.
It doesn’t feel as good as the club versions of precor, life fitness, woodway, etc… but for a home treadmill they are a great buy and you get a lot for the money.
My wife and I bought a Sole 85 in late 2009, and it has been really solid. I’ve put almost a thousand miles on it without incident. (We had a child last July, so I’ve been time-crunched… but sneaking in 30 minutes/day on the treadmill is still quite doable.)
I did a ton of research before buying it, and from what I could tell: Nearly everyone who bought a Smooth or Sole treadmill in the $1300-1800 range was happy with their purchase. I couldn’t find too many examples of unhappy customers of either product.
FWIW, There have been threads on slowtwitch about this subject before, e.g. http://forum.slowtwitch.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=2647655;
I use a top of the line Sole in my office for analysis and find it great. Really like the wide deck for various runners. Great consumer treadmill for the money.
I have a Sole F80 and love it. No issues whatsoever. One of its features that has been a nice benefit lately is its small “footprint” with the deck raised, it tucks away nicely out of the way for such a large treadmill.
Sole has a solid reputation and was my original choice…until i saw the smooth on for $1199.
The price difference kind of threw a twig in the gears. If they’re that close (which it seems), the rather significant
price difference might swing me unless there’s a reason not to.
Another Sole owner, I’ve got 1000+ miles on my F85 and its been completely trouble free and solid as a rock. It’s definitely a purchase I would make again today without hesitation.
I own a Sole F-85. Bought it in 2007 and beat the hell out of it. Very happy with my purchase.
Owned 2 Smooth’s. Recommend Landice.