Review - Sole F85 Treadmill
March 24th, 2008
My site review of the Sole F85 treadmill is very favorable for several reasons…
- It comes with some impressive features like a 3.5 continuous duty HP motor, 60″ long running surface and 2.75″ rollers.
- It has a good service record. From the feedback I have received, it holds up well for both joggers and runners.
- It has an impressive warranty. In addition to lifetime coverage on the motor, and five years on the parts, you get a two year service warranty.
For the reasons above, I gave this treadmill a “Best Buy” rating, and I feel it is as close as you are going to get to commercial grade at a $2,000 price range. However, no treadmill is perfect.
I recently received a review from a customer and they have the following complaings…
- He is 5′9″ and found the heart rate sensors too low on the handlebars. That is a problem with most treadmills, either the handlebars are too high or too low.
- The heart rate monitor took too long to provide a readout. He mentioned, as long as 2 minutes. That seems exceptional, but if so, it needs to be fixed. However, this model does come with a heart rate control strap, which is another alternative to get a readout.
- The plug in for the speakers did not take the plug he had for the iPod. I have received this complaint for other treadmills. It would be helpful if they would provide an adapter plug, however, this is not a big expense.
- When the Sole F85 treadmill is folded it is not very compact. That is true. In fact, I use to have a folding Smooth Treadmill that was the same way. Actually, I find the design for the F85 contributes to the stability and gives it a more solid feel. If it had a smaller footprint when folded it probably would not be as stable.
- Finally, he stated it was not as quiet as he expected. I’ve been on this treadmill and found it reasonable quiet, especially considering it is running such a huge motor.
These comments were good insight, and once again shows that no treadmill is perfect. However, I still believe at $2,000 the Sole F85 is one of the better treadmills available.
Regards,
Fred
Is there a best time to buy a treadmill? It is nearing Black Friday and Christmas and am wondering if I will get a better deal for waiting a few more weeks.
Thanks,
Joy
It depends on the manufacturer. In the case of Sole I don’t image they will be dropping their prices. However, there are a couple of manufacturers who will probably get aggressive with their prices, including Smooth Fitness and NordicTrack. Go to my site and you will see which models are seriously being discounted.