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41 of 43 found the following review helpful:
 Good deal, way better treadmill than I had before Mar 23, 2011
By Peter Ortiz
We've had the treadmill now for a couple weeks. I really like it. We had a proform 630DS bought from craigslist a couple years ago and it was dying. Based on Consumer Reports ratings and other research, I decided on this model.
The setup wasn't too bad; just follow the directions. It will go faster with 2 people.
It's UBER quiet. But, that's based off my previous treadmill that sounded like a freight train. The motor, deck, supports, etc, are all very sturdy from what I can tell.
My wife likes the quick buttons and the pre-programmed workouts and uses it at least every other day. I usually run 1 - 2 times per week at 8mph and 4.5 grade with occasional sprints of 10 and 12...I have no idea if that's good or not compared to other users. There is no slippage reported and the deck stays comfortable.
All in all, I would definitely recommend this product. Am very happy with it. If something changes, I'll update the review.
57 of 65 found the following review helpful:
 I learned the hard way Apr 24, 2010
By CDub
I ordered this treadmill direct from Proform. The customer service on the shipping and delivery was very good. I opted for the in home delivery as well. The installers were very nice and professional.
That was the good. Now more about the actual treadmill. I read reviews all over the net, and as it turns out most of the reviews from the factory direct treadmills are simply ads. I even read the reviews on Sears and Dicks for this and the lesser models from Proform. The theme seemed to be "good for the price". And for $899 with free shipping I thought that seemed reasonable. And it seemed to have the right specs and cool features. Once the unit was set up it was clear this is not commercial Gym equipment. The handrails shifted and wobbled terribly. The belt looked like it was ready to curl up and the side panel on the deck came was lose. I started it up and it was fairly quiet. So I started walking and it wasn't bad. Now if I was sure that walking was all I wanted to do, then it would be ok. But then I decided to do a light jog. And as my feet went "thud & rattle" with every step it became clear that running on this thing would be a short lived miserable experience. Now mind you I am all of 150lbs.
Shortly after I got off I went back online and found a nice re-manufactured Precor 966i delivered for $200 more than I paid for this one. I could have also gotten a Star Trac 4500 for the same price or less that the Pro From. Now it took a little shopping and talking, but well worth it. Now you can get the extended warranty on the Pro Form, but I feel confident that you will be using that warranty. Now I will be eating the return shipping cost and restocking fee to return the Pro Form. And once I get this bad boy back on that truck I will be a happy camper. Learn from my mistake.
If you intend to do any running, run away from this one and get a better brand. If you think you need >3HP and 60" because of expected use or your height, keep in mind 60" and >3hp of crap is still crap. If you walk, just find a 2-2.5 HP motor from a better brand. This is just not a good value or piece of equipment. With so many online options available from Amazon, Auction sites and classifieds I see no reason to settle for this unit. And if this is their top unit, I shudder to think about the cheaper models.
Update:
Proform has arranged for the unit to be disassembled, and picked up. So a plus for customer service.
16 of 17 found the following review helpful:
Great Treadmill - Horrible Delivery Jun 16, 2011
By David Edmiston
"Dave"
This treadmill is fantastic. I can't believe how much my family loves it. Aside from a few small quirks, we're thrilled with this treadmill. However, the experience of taking delivery and assembling the treadmill was just the opposite. So I'm splitting my review into two parts: the treadmill itself and the delivery/assembly process.
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THE GOOD: The Treadmill
This treadmill is fantastic. It comes loaded with whistles and bells. But more important to me than the features is the feel of the treadmill itself. The base is firm and sturdy, but the treadmill surface and bed are well cushioned to absorb impact. The result is a smooth landing with every stride. I owned another NordicTrak treadmill before this one and it rocked and squeaked loudly every time my body landed another step. We have a home gym in our garage and we used to have to turn the TV up very loud whenever we used the old treadmill, but this one is much quieter.
I strongly urge you to consider adding the Proform Ifit Module if you purchase this treadmill. You're already investing a lot of money in this equipment; it's just a little more money to add the iFit Module and you get a ton more functionality out of the treadmill. The manufacturer sometimes has good sales. I got mine from them directly for $50, and that includes a year of service on their website.
The treadmill has the usual speed and incline controls, as well as manual and preset programs for different workouts and levels.
Other great features:
* Cup Holders: Yeah, just like our cars, a good treadmill needs a good set of cupholders.
* Book Holder: The book rack is sized just right for paperbacks, magazines, and maybe small hardback books. I doubt you could fit a large hardback book. But if you really can read a novel while you're exercising, then you probably aren't exercising hard enough.
* Two Variable Speed Fans
* Audio Jack and Speakers: OK, this is probably my very favorite feature. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed hooking up my iPhone to the audio cable they provided and playing my iTunes through the speakers. The speakers aren't fantastic, but I just need something to keep me entertained while I work out. I usually podcast talk shows anyway (like Adam Carolla), so I don't need incredible fidelity. The cable is pretty short, but it's long enough to set your MP3 player in a cup holder or on the book rack.
And if you add the iFit module, you can load the iFit app on your iPhone and add routes from Google Maps. Want to work out someplace unique today? Create a route through San Francisco or Chicago or even do laps around the lake at Epcot Center. The iFit module sends your progress through your WiFi network and the iPhone app reads your progress and moves the map while you run. Amazing! There are a couple of quirks that I don't like about the iFit module, but I'll review that item separately.
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THE UGLY: Delivery & Assembly
First I should explain that I received this item through the Amazon Vine program. I won't explain all the details here, but you can click the "What's this?" link at the top of this review if you need more information about the Vine program. What's important for the sake of this review is that this treadmill (just the treadmill, not the iFit module) is a freebie for me. The reason I bring that up is that the delivery process was so bad and the treadmill was so badly damaged in shipping that I would have just returned it if I had paid for it. But that wasn't an option in this case.
So what happened...?
The shipping company contacted me and let me know that the item was in transit and they wanted to schedule a delivery date with me. So far so good. We picked a date and they told me they'd contact me later in the week to schedule a morning or afternoon delivery. That meant I would have to take off work to stay home, but OK. When they called back a few days later, they told me that the item was in their warehouse and asked about scheduling a time for delivery at the end of the week. Since I was excited to pick up the treadmill and wasn't excited about missing work, I asked them where their warehouse was located and asked about a willcall pickup. It turns out they were about 15 minutes or so from my office, so it was a lot simpler for me just to run down there and pick it up during lunch.
When I got to their warehouse they drove the forklift up to my pickup truck with the treadmill on the lift. The carton is about the size and weight of a coffin with a big dead guy in it, except that this carton had been roughed up pretty badly. I could see by the way it was resting on the forklift that something had broken in the middle and that the two ends were sagging badly. I took some quick pictures of the damaged carton and then asked the guys at the dock about the damage. They said, "it's ok - it's normal". I looked around their dock at some of the other containers and saw that they weren't kidding: for those dirtbags, this beat up container was completely normal. But since I'm not exactly a paying customer, I knew I didn't have many options.
So I made a note on the paperwork that the carton was beat up and then took it home to see how bad it was. It was pretty bad. Although there was a ton of packing material--very sturdy wooden bracing--there wasn't anything bracing the bottom of the box and that's where they packed the most delicate item, the upper control console. The console was hit pretty hard and had some big dimples in the plastic. Also, the plastic shroud that covers the area at the front and front sides of the treadmill close to where your feet strike were cracked and broken.
I called the manufacturer, but they were confused about how I had received the item in the first place (where did you buy it? why not call them then?). I also sent emails to their help desk and to their marketing department, but neither one responded. So I decided to just bust out the toolbox and see what I could do. I managed to get all of the structural plastic pieces of the shroud that lifts and angles when the treadmill inclines back into place. The rest of the damage was cosmetic, so there were no more show-stoppers and I was ready to start assembly.
TOOLS REQUIRED
Although some of the tools are included in the packaging, the job will go much faster and easier if you use your own good quality tools. And if you don't already have the tools you need, it's worth a trip to Lowe's or Home Depot to get what you need. The treadmill is a big investment and good tools will make it go better.
You need:
* Good Phillips head screwdrivers of various sizes. The heads of the screws included in the hardware pack are kind of soft and they are easy to strip accidentally. Good screwdrivers will help.
* Allen Wrenches (also called Hex Keys). If you don't know what an Allen wrench is, picture the little talking wrench guy in the instructions from anything you've ever bought from Ikea. An Allen wrench is an L-shaped tool with hexagonal heads on both ends. Most importantly, the two legs of the L shape are different lengths. Although the hardware package comes with a big Allen wrench already, it has two long ends with different sized hex heads on each end (two wrenches in one). It's really hard to use this tool, because some of the Allen screws don't have enough clearance for that long tool, so you really need the short end of a good Allen wrench.
In general, the assembly wasn't terribly difficult, although it's a big bulky item and it really does take two people. But my biggest complaint about the assembly was the hardware. First of all, the way the installation manual was printed the scale of the parts was a little off, so it made it tricky to tell which sized screw you were supposed to use on some of the steps. Also, the self-tapping screws were pretty soft and the holes they were going into were very hard. So it took extra time and care to screw them in without stripping the heads. My thirteen year old son was helping me and the screws were too tight for him to screw.
But all gripes aside, once we finished the assembly, everything fit real well and the treadmill is very sturdy. I can live with the cosmetic damage. One of the speakers comes and goes, so I doubt it will live very long. But the treadmill itself is very sturdy and my family has already put a couple hundred miles on it.
So my concluding advice is: If you are somewhat handy and have a friend who can help out, then you should be able to handle the assembly. If not, consider paying extra to have it professionally delivered and installed. And hopefully the professional installer will also take better care of the delivery than the normal delivery monkeys that handled my order.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
It's a Beast of a Treadmill Jul 29, 2011
By The Reluctant Survivor
"The Reluctant Survivor"
I have finally got this treadmill together. I put it together myself. Being a woman this machine is a Beast. It weighs around 200 or more pounds. So make sure wherever you place it is where you want it. There have been some very thorough reviews of this machine and I agree with the positive comments about this machine.
I previously had a ProForm treadmill so I had no problem purchasing a second one since my previous treadmill lasted over 15 years and was still going strong.
This machine is very sturdy. I also like the "shocks" the treadmill has. It makes it much easier on your joints.
THE BAR
The bar that goes under the machine which is what supports the machine when folded UP. The instructions are definitely lacking. Increase the incline to around 3. This should "shorten" the treadmill and make the bar fit enough to put the screws in. Make sure you have the bar's 'fat' end at the correct end. And make sure you put the short and long screws at the proper ends. If 3 still doesn't help you get the bar to fit into place, then increase the incline until it does.
Go slow putting this thing together. Read the instructions and make sure you understand them before you permanently affix each part.
And if you're going to pay this much money and put this much effort into this or any other machine...then USE IT!
Good luck!
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Excellent Treadmill May 09, 2011
By Moonlight Graham
"Ben"
This is a fantastic treadmill that fits my needs very well. I love the quick incline and quick decline buttons - you can quickly shift between speeds. I like to do HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), so these buttons are perfect and make switching between sprinting and walking a breeze.
The assembly of the treadmill took me some time, but these things always do for me. They say you need two people for assembly. While that is entirely true, it is only true for a couple of steps, especially toward the end. I do wish the screws were labeled better - it just directs you to a size and they weren't in a pre-labeled cardboard case like most products have now. I started by sorting the screws, nuts, bolts, etc., and matched them up by the quantity indicated in the manual if I had any questions. The good news is they do give you a couple of extra pieces. When installing, it says to leave the base loose - I left it a little loose, but you will need a lot of play to fit the console in. Once I had everything installed and tightened everything up, it ended up being very sturdy.
I'm a big guy - over 6'4" tall and pushing (unfortunately) 280 pounds right now. Most of my jogging on treadmills has been on the commercial quality ones you will find at LA Fitness or similar gyms. I've also run on a few residential-type of models. While this one won't be confused for a commercial quality one (those usually cost a few thousand dollars more, I think), this one is by far the best residential model I've enjoyed. Even at my height and weight, the run was very smooth and stable. I am able to increase and decrease speeds with ease, thanks to the quick incline and decline buttons.
The console is very nice - the screen is very pleasant to look at and very easy to check while jogging. There's a speaker built in that you can hook up your iPod/mp3 player to and listen to while jogging. I haven't used that yet as I prefer to watch TV. The unit itself doesn't make a lot of noise, so I don't have a problem hearing the TV while jogging. I haven't yet checked out any of the ifit accessories. I like the idea of it - getting personalized workouts and jogging routines is great. I've used a few of the Nike Treadmill Plus workouts released on iTunes 4 or 5 years ago, and I will probably eventually find out what ifit offers.
There's also a small fan built into the machine. Since I'm a taller guy, it hits me about in my belly. The design of that could have been better, but it's not near enough of a flaw to make me take off a star. Since I have this treadmill set up at home, I have a big fan that I use anyway.
Overall, I love this treadmill. The setup wasn't that hard, it seems very sturdy and the jog is very smooth.
See all 29 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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