The Sole F80 Review

I recently purchased the Sole F80 Treadmill. After many discussions (for those who can’t read between the lines, this means fights) with my husband about the dire need of a treadmill living in this frozen tundra he moved me too, I started my search for the perfect mill for me. A lot of my research was pretty easy a friend recommended that I check out the site treadmilldoctor.com for reviews on most of the treadmills out there. This site is great; I could see what seems like a good buy, what is the best treadmill in a price range and stuff like that. But now I had to figure out what my price range was and what exactly I wanted in a treadmill, because once I get one it will have to last me years.


From everything I was finding on treadmills, there is a huge difference if you want to run on one or just walk. That huge difference has a lot to do with price, all those treadmills you see that cost about $500 are not made for runners. The motors can’t handle it, the belt is not long enough, and the belts tend to slip after a while. What I found was that if you are looking for a running treadmill you need to start at $1,000 and up.

Now came deciding on features, wow people you can get a treadmill with almost anything these days. From heart rate monitors a virtual screen with a virtual runner to run different trails. Crazy the stuff you can get, but of course the more stuff you get the higher the price goes. I finally decided that what I wanted was a heart rate monitor strap not the hand holds (I mean come one try running and holding those things it is a pain in the Arse), an ipod hook up, and a fan would be nice.

OK, so now I finally had an idea of what I could spend and what I wanted then my search began. I read a ton of reviews and finally decided that the Sole F80 was the treadmill for me. It has an older sister the F85 that I was checking out also for about $500 more; the only difference is a larger motor and larger running surface. Granted those things are important for runners, but what the F80 had was perfect for me. You see I am not a fast runner and I am sort so the 3.0 horsepower motor and the 20x55 running surface is just fine for me.

Now I am sure you are wondering just what I think of it. All I can say people, is it was LOVE at first run. This thing rocks. The motor is quiet, the belt is soft and smooth, the speakers are clear and loud, the heart rate strap is accurate. The only down side is the fans kinda suck. Truth be told I don’t even feel them when they are on. But I can live with that. One of the best features this treadmill has is controls are the arms so you don’t have to reach up to the display if you want to speed up or down or increase or decrease the incline. This makes it a lot easier to change everything during a run. I have used several treadmills at different gyms and have always hated the heart rate grips. If I wanted to check my HR I had to grab those stupid things and hold one for a couple minutes to get a reading and most of the time it is not accurate anyway. Well this treadmill has the grips which I don’t think are very accurate at least not while running but it also has a heart strap monitor. So before your run you just put it on and you have an accurate reading for the whole run…. LOVE IT!!

So to break it down for you, this is a very reasonable priced runner’s treadmill. The average price is $1,500 new. Here are the specs.

Specifications:
• Assembled Dimensions: 33 by 75 by 58 inches (W x L x H)
• Folded Dimensions: 68 by 43 inches (H x D)
• Motor: 3.0 horsepower
• Speed: 0.1 to 12 miles per hour
• Elevation: 0 to 15%
• Deck: 1-inch Whisper
• Belt: 2-ply
• Running surface: 20 by 55 inches
• Roller: 2.75 inches
• Fold-up: Easy Assist Fold
• Pulse Grip
• Heart Rate Control
• Heart Rate Chest Strap Included
• Display Type: LED
• Six-Window Display
• Color: Red
• Accessory tray
• Six Standard Programs
• Two User-Defined Programs
• Two Heart Rate Programs
• Quick speed/elevation buttons: 12
• Speed/elevation in handles
• Built-in cooling fans
• Weight capacity: 350 pounds


So basically I would totally recommend this treadmill to anyone who wants one.