Looking for a treadmill

[Pedro-bot]

So the wife wants a treadmill, she's tired of her elliptical. Anyone know of a good model/brand to shop for. Looking for something middle of the road, some bells and whistles just to keep things interesting. She takes her workouts pretty serious so I don't mind spending the extra $$ on a quality machine that will last. Please post up FHE or opinions with suggestions. 

[Grampa]

she will not take off

[somegirl]

I have tried lots of different types of treadmills at hotel gyms and there is a huge difference between them.  Unfortunately I can't really remember brands/models to recommend (I think LifeFitness is one of the better ones), but I would suggest that she try them out first if possible.  If you can't find a store that has them on display, then maybe look for gyms that will let you visit for a day for free and try out their treadmills.

Most importantly you want to make sure that the treadmill feels sturdy and comfortable when running, especially when it is up on an incline..

After that check out their exercise programs (unless she would only ever do a fixed time/speed/incline).  There is a huge difference in the different programs, and a lot of things that you can't tell from looking at a feature list.  For example, on some when the incline increases, the speed decreases by a fixed amount (and vice versa).  On others, the speed stays constant no matter what the incline is at.  I was on one that I had set my initial speed too low, and although I could manually change it during my workout, it would revert to the initial setting every 30 seconds, which was incredibly annoying.  Some will have a fixed 5 minute cool-down at the end, others don't.  A lot of these things are personal preference.

Other possibly nice things to have: water bottle holder, heart rate monitor, shelf for holding a magazine or an ipod.  Some have a built in fan to cool you off.

[Bun-bun]

I would happily give you the treadmill we bought for my wife, but she would have to take off all of the clothes hanging on it first

[Pedro-bot]

she will not take off

Great suggestion, thanks. 

I have tried lots of different types of treadmills at hotel gyms and there is a huge difference between them.  Unfortunately I can't really remember brands/models to recommend (I think LifeFitness is one of the better ones), but I would suggest that she try them out first if possible.  If you can't find a store that has them on display, then maybe look for gyms that will let you visit for a day for free and try out their treadmills.

Most importantly you want to make sure that the treadmill feels sturdy and comfortable when running, especially when it is up on an incline..

After that check out their exercise programs (unless she would only ever do a fixed time/speed/incline).  There is a huge difference in the different programs, and a lot of things that you can't tell from looking at a feature list.  For example, on some when the incline increases, the speed decreases by a fixed amount (and vice versa).  On others, the speed stays constant no matter what the incline is at.  I was on one that I had set my initial speed too low, and although I could manually change it during my workout, it would revert to the initial setting every 30 seconds, which was incredibly annoying.  Some will have a fixed 5 minute cool-down at the end, others don't.  A lot of these things are personal preference.

Other possibly nice things to have: water bottle holder, heart rate monitor, shelf for holding a magazine or an ipod.  Some have a built in fan to cool you off.

Incline? Fixed speed with incline? Cool-Down? Magazine holder? Water bottle holder?
Hehe, these are all fascinating options. I am clueless about treadmills, and as trivial as these details seem, they are quite intriguing to this newb.

Now when we go look at machines, I actually have specific details to look for. Best part about seeming to be knowledgeable is I am sure my wife is going to ask how I suddenly know so much about treadmills. I can actually tell her "somegirl" told me about it. And I'll actually be quite accurate in saying that. 

Thanks for taking the time to post with such detail somegirl. 

I would happily give you the treadmill we bought for my wife, but she would have to take off all of the clothes hanging on it first

Hmmm.......I got some spare hangers if ya wanna trade. 

[Ivan]

Please post up FHE or opinions with suggestions. 

I bought a low-end treadmill from Smooth Fitness about 7 years ago,  It gets a lot of use, and I've had no problems with it.  It is.... very smooth

http://www.smoothfitness.com/treadmills/

[Popeye the Sailor]

Also, make sure ones laces are tied before using the treadmill.