ProForm 730 Si
Written: Jun 18 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Reasonable price, reliable, foldup feature
Cons: fairly loud, heart-rate monitor is lame
The Bottom Line: An excellent value for anybody but a hard-runner.
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| rob_fink's Full Review: ProForm 725EX |
I don't actually have the 725ex. I have the 730Si which, I imagine, was replaced by this model. I paid $700 for it at Sears about 4 and a half years ago. My model has an 18" X 55" belt with a 2.5 hp motor so I believe it is roughly the same. I thought it would be useful to those wishing to purchase a similar model today to know that even for $700, you can get a treadmill that will take some abuse and hold up for many years.
I am not a hard-core runner and have sporadic workout habits ranging from 0 to 15 miles of running on any given week (about 80% on this treadmill). In 4 and a half years, I've put over 1200 miles and 225 hours on this treadmill and so far, it has done fine. I use only one setting and that is the manual setting that just lets you set the incline and speed, adjusting it as you go. I run about 5.0 to 7.0 miles per hour with runs that last no more than an hour averaging about 35 minutes and 3 miles. They don't recommend you ever run it for more than 60 minutes continuously so hard-core runners should avoid it.
I have found that the settings on this treadmill seem to be off at least compared to the Life Fitness treadmills at Bally's where I run occasionally as well. I seem to be able to maintain speeds of 6.5 to 7.0 mph there while I'm about 1 mph slower on this machine. It could also be due to the slight incline. You always run at at least 1.5% incline. It does not go completely level.
I do recommend getting the extended warranty. It was a little pricey, but with all the moving parts, it's worth it if you use it. We haven't actually had any problems, but we had the guy come out and lube the belt and check it for wear on two occasions. This has probably extended the life of the unit.
The only problem I've had recently is that the belt will slowly drift to one side. There is an adjustment you can make to move it back, but I've had difficulty keeping it centered for long periods. It hasn't become an annoyance yet as it takes at least a dozen or so workouts before it starts to slide too far to one side.
My main complaint with it has been the noise, but hey, it's a treadmill. If it were completely quiet, the pounding you are creating is pretty loud so there's no avoiding noise. Also, the heart rate monitor is weak. You are wired to the unit with a band that goes around your head. I never really had any plans to use it so it wasn't a big deal. Besides, you can buy a good heart rate monitor for $50 now that you can use anywhere.
I feel like for the $700 I paid, I've already gotten my money's worth. You can easily spend $1500-$2500 on a treadmill, but I don't know what you get. I run on $2500 treadmills at the gym all the time. I don't find them any more comfortable. Sure, they stand up to 8 hours of continuous abuse, but I'm the only person running on my treadmill. For $2500, you could get 3 ProForm treadmills. I don't see one of them lasting 3 times longer than this one.
Again, if you're a serious runner who runs 6 - 10 miles at a time or more than an hour regularly, you will probably wear this treadmill out. For walkers and casual runners, it is an excellent value.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
rob_fink
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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