PHOENIX 98516 Easy-Up Manual Treadmill

I did a lot of research before buying this treadmill, but, from what I read, I thought that it might meet my needs. I wanted something that I could use in front of my living room tv and then wheel away when not in use. I wasn't interested in running, just in walking fast enough to get my heart rate up to 85 to 90% of my maximum heart rate, and, because I'm short, I thought I wouldn't have problems having to lean over to reach the handlebars. I was concerned about having to put the machine together -- I'm not very handy -- and I worried about whether it would be too noisy or not pleasant to use. I purchased this treadmill about a month ago and I have been using it almost every day since I got it. It is actually one of the best products that I have ever purchased on Amazon (and I make about 50 or more purchases each year). After using it for a week, I cancelled my gym membership, because I found that the workout I was getting on the Phoenix was at least as good (if not better) than the workout I was getting on the electric treadmills at the gym. I use it in front of my huge 46 inch TV each night for about 45 to 60 minutes and it's made me feel much less guilty about the amount of TV I watch (especially this time of year, when my beloved Red Sox are on nightly). One thing that I especially love is that I can step off the treadmill briefly -- to advance my DVR past the commercials or whatever -- and hop back on without having to press any buttons and without losing the accumulated totals of minutes, calories burned, etc. shown on the display (the display "remembers" its totals for up to 4 minutes). I was able to put together the Phoenix by myself (and I'm a very short -- 4 ft. 10 in -- 66 year-old woman who is not very handy around the house) in about an hour. The only difficulty I had was that one of the screws that connects the handle bars to the sides just wouldn't quite fit, even though I had the holes aligned as much as possible. I fixed that problem by putting the metal screw into the freezer for about an hour and by then the screw had shrunk enough to fit into the holes. I put some treadmill oil on the roller platform before I first used it and I haven't had to re-apply it since. To start it, all I do is hop on and lean my upper body forward until the tread starts moving. I wore a heart monitor the first few times on the machine because I wanted to make certain that I was in the right range. On my first use, my heart rate rose too high for someone my age -- it was over 150 per minute -- so I solved that problem by putting a one-inch paperback book under each of the back wheels, so the slope wouldn't be quite so much, and my heart rate went down to the 130s which is where I want it. I don't find the treadmill too noisy. It makes some noise of course, but nothing that prevents me from hearing the TV easily, and much less than an electric treadmill. What I especially like about using this manual treadmill is that I feel that I am in total control of it (instead of feeling that I have to constantly race to keep up with an electric treadmill). I just step on and start or stop whenever I want, without having to press any buttons or program any machines). I also really like the padding on the handle bars. It makes the handlebars really comfortable to grasp. I started by using the treadmill only about 20 minutes at a time and now I use it up to 45 minutes at a time or for two 30 minute sessions 6 days a week or sometimes even for 3 sessions of 20 minutes. Oh, and I've lost 5 pounds since I got it (about a month ago), another nice feature. I don't know how sturdy it is, or how well it will hold up after months and years of use. But, at such a low price, it seems easy enough to replace should I need to. This treadmill will not meet the needs of everyone, especially for those who want to run or who are tall. But for me, it has been pretty near perfect.

I get a decent workout, especially because the incline is 8.5 degrees. But it is very noisy. The worst part is that I can't let go of the handles or I'll slide off the back, and this is after increasing the tension....so therefore I can't do crosswords/sudokus while I'm working out. So I watch movies, but I have the volume really loud to hear it over the noise of the treadmill. It was very inexpensive and I do get a good workout so therefore it's all O.K. Also, it was easy to put together and it's small enough to not be obtrusive in our family room.

Would not recommend! I was looking for a simple treadmill. unfortunately this one is not it. I was very excited to use it upon arrival. It was easy to set up. When it came to trying it I did not like it. It only has one setting, in which the treadmill is at an angle. With it being at this angle it is very dangerous and one can easily fall even if your are holding on to the railing. If this treadmill had settings of the desired incline it would have been perfect. I was decided to send it back, however I needed to pay $70 for shipping so I decided to keep it and give it away. You are far better in buying a pricey electrical one in my opinion. Very disappointed in this purchase.

I got this treadmill to supplement a workout routine that already contained a lot of advanced cardio. I consider myself a high-intermediate/advanced exerciser in very good cardio-vascular shape, so I took this into account when I read other reviews for this treadmill. I wanted to address a few of the other points people have cited as cons: 1. Height of handlebars/width and length of track: I'm 5'4", so it's not really an issue for me, but unless your arms are really long, if you're much taller than 5'7", you will find yourself stooping. The nature of the work you have to do to move the belt on a manual treadmill has you leaning slightly forward anyway, but extra height will mean you have to bend and lean, and this might be too strenuous on your back. The track is wide and long enough to accommodate the stride of a correspondingly average/short person, so again taller people may find themselves limited. At my height, I can comfortably stride across the middle 2/3 of the track (more lean forward, more work in hamstrings and glutes, so more oxygen demand), full track (long, fast strides, higher intensity bursts), or at the top 1/3 of the track (standing more straight, shorter stride, less work for a recovery period). 2. Accuracy of the mileage/calorie/time counter: Well, the time is accurate, but nothing else is. I walked on mine while wearing a pedometer calibrated to my stride and the mileage was low by at least 30%. I don't have a way to accurately calibrate calories burned, but my heart rate is consistently in the 70-80% max range after the first five minutes on the treadmill; there's no way I only burn 187 calories (what it measured) in 1 hour of walking at that level of work. I use the counter only for timing. When that breaks (it eventually will, as it's pretty cheap), I'll just use a stopwatch. 3. Incline of belt: Manual treadmills rely on the belt's incline to provide a downward force to overcome static friction and minimize kinetic friction so the belt moves as smoothly as possible. The belt on this treadmill is inclined at 8%, which is fairly steep for a walk, as you'll notice after about 5 minutes on the machine. Your legs really have to work to make the belt move, and you have to be careful not to over-use your hip flexors. There is an upper weight limit of 250 lbs for the machine, which is part a load limit for the frame and part a reasonable limit for friction on the belt; the heavier you are, the harder you will have to work to move the belt as well, so keep this in mind. The incline means you will tire quickly if you don't have much cardio conditioning, but also means you will get much better results if you keep the belt and walking platform well-lubricated. WD-40 works in the short term but doesn't last very long, and the composition of WD-40 may wear the belt out faster. It's probably advisable to get a silicone lubricant designed for treadmills. Other reviewers have commented that they can get a less intense workout by putting a platform under the back of the belt - that's true, and you'll have to push harder with your feet, but you might also notice the belt wearing faster than you would expect because of the increase in friction. 4. Running: It's really difficult to run on a manual treadmill because of the way you have to push with your feet and hold the bars to maintain stride, and most sites I've read don't recommend it. I do just fine walking and altering intensity at regular intervals. 5. Belt slipping: The instructions give suggestions to remedy this, and they seem to work for me. First, you can adjust tension with two allen-type screws on the back. If the belt slips toward the flywheel when you walk, you simply have to walk to the left side of the belt until it readjusts itself. In summary, this treadmill is a good tool to supplement an intermediate-to-advanced cardio-vascular workout if you're short-to-average height and have NO leg/hip problems. You don't have to be in great shape to start walking on it, but the nature of the movement means if you're just starting exercising you might not be able to do more than 10-15 minutes at first. It's not a strolling walk; it's more a hike. Expect to have sore hip flexors until you get used to the stride. Take care of the belt and tighten the screws on the frame on a regular basis and you can probably expect to have this machine for several years.

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