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.

Good workout and great value. Highly recommend if you WALK/hike regularly and want to exercise in the comfort of your own home. This manual treadmill is not for runners or those with limited upper body strength (see details below), but overall, I'm very satisfied with my purchase. PROS: -Gets you moving! Your heart rate will definitely go up. Since it's a manual treadmill, YOU power the workout. Great and effective exercise. -No electricity required, just 2 AA batteries for the speed/distance monitor (included, but good to get extra just in case). -Simple assembly (as in, it's simple to understand what goes where - you will need some elbow grease to tighten the screws, etc. Took me about 45 - 60 minutes to assemble.) -Economical in size; easy to lift and fold up for storage. (The belt portion you need to lift is about 20 pounds; including the handlebars, which you roll, the machine is about 35 - 40 pounds.) ON THE OTHER HAND: -Here's where that upper body strength comes in: the incline isn't as steep as other reviews describe, but you will need to hold on to the handlebars to get a comfortable walk/jog. Not the hands-free experience you get from electric treadmills. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but something to consider. -I wish the belt itself was a bit sturdier, for better traction. The belt is pretty thin/flimsy, which makes for a smoother manual treadmill, but it creates a loud whirring sound when you walk. While it won't replace a hard-core cardio workout outdoors or at the gym, it's a great little machine to have at home for an effective workout when you want it!

I got this manual treadmill because I was looking for a quiet, lightweight, inexpensive piece of exercise equipment. I bought it 2 months ago and I have used it only a handful of times because each time I get on it, I get frustrated within minutes because of the jerky motion. The belt is very sensitive to where you step; if you step off the center line, the belt stops. I am the type of person that needs a mindless workout to make the time go by, and this is NOT that. It is a good workout, 10 minutes on it feels like 45 on an electric treadmill.. But it is annoying to use. Adding lube to the belt would just make it dangerous, and I don't think it would really solve the issue. I love how on electric treadmills, you can set the speed, put on your headphones, and forget about what you are doing. This one doesn't have even a shelf to put items on, and the screen is very cheap. Only buy this if you don't mind staring at your feet for your entire workout!

I've wasted a lot of money over the years on workout equipment, but this manual treadmill paid for itself in months. I saw in previous reviews that people said it gave a good workout but have to admit I didn't believe it until I got it home started using it. You can really work up a sweat on this puppy. And it's so much more convenient than going to the gym. I started using it as part of a weight loss/fitness regimen 2 1/2 years ago (it worked - lost 25 pounds). I have used it walking at low speeds for long workouts of an hour or more and high intensity workouts of just 15 minutes. You are very much in control of how much effort you put into using it. It's a low impact workout and I never have any soreness. You can vary the workout by varying where on the treadmill you place your feet, the length of your stride and how much you lean in toward the handlebars. I have been using it 3 to 7 times a week for 2 1/2 years with no mechanical or other problems; it's an incredibly sturdy and simple little machine. I never have problems with belt slippage. Occasionally the odometer wires will slip out, but I just plug them back in. It's not particularly noisy either, I use it while watching TV and listening to music without problems. I also like that you can step off to change the TV channel or attend to something and then get back on with your previous stats (e.g., mileage, time elapsed) intact. Caveats and things to know: It's not as easy to move around as I would like. It's compact and unobtrusive, so I rarely put it away, but it's a bit clunky if you want to wheel it in and out of a closet or something like that. The odometer probably undercounts your mileage and calories burned. I just use it for a workout to workout comparison but if you want actual mileage, you probably need to count steps or get a pedometer and calibrate from there. It's harder to move when it's cold and when you first warm up. You will be able to pick up the pace more easily once you've been using it for a few minutes (5 to 7). Or you can use WD-40 or treadmill oil to increase the traction. When I was doing long workouts, I needed to oil it up frequently, but with shorter workouts I can go quite a few months without adding oil. The odometer needs 2 AA batteries; I go through them fairly quickly and buy batteries in bulk, so I don't run out in the middle of a workout. Bottom line: I can't say that I truly love exercise, although I like the results. But when I was losing weight with the help of this machine and getting that relaxed post-exercise feeling, plus being able to watch my favorite DVDs while I worked out in the comfort of my home at my convenience - I began to love this simple little manual treadmill; it really has done good things for my life at a more than reasonable cost.

So I ordered this with some trepidation and I was disappointed but not surprised. Mine was an "Amazon Warehouse Deal" so it had already been returned once and I found the problem was not fixed. A screw underneath the rear support brace that was installed from the factory had come out. When put back in there was not enough wood to hold it so it pulled out again rather quickly while walking on the treadmill. I could have tried drilling another hole through the brace and screwing into new wood but since I was considering returning it I decided against that. The main reason I returned it was that I could not get to a comfortable walking pace. The belt would go slowly, then roughly, then speed up, then catch and slow down again. It was lubricated and I added some WD40 as well but it it was never consistent and didn't feel comfortable. Another thing that made it uncomfortable was that I am 6ft tall and could not easily grasp the handles without hunching my back. Since walking was so unstable you must hold on and holding on was just plain awkward. The good: -It is quite light once you get it set up and was not difficult to fold up and move around. -Seems a fairly simple design without a lot of parts to break The bad: -As others have mentioned, the incline is not adjustable. Placing a board under the back decreases it a bit to slow the speed you are required to walk. -The adjustment for the belt does not tighten enough. I had the adjustment all the way back and the belt was still not tight enough for me. It didn't slip to the right or left but it was faster than I wanted to walk and I couldn't control the pace. -The wood board did not hold the screws in well. After miles of walking I could see this happening regularly. Maybe a different attachment method would help. -The handles are too low for someone over 5'10" and are not adjustable.

NOt good.... not good at all. In the description it states that it's very easy to put together..... well, it's a nightmare. I'm a single woman...... and very busy... I don't have time to mess around trying to figure out how to put this thing together. I bought this for that reason, that it was suposed to be very simple. Just know that when buying it. Now, if I can ever get this thing up and running, I'll review it further, but as of now........ it's not worth it.

super