Weslo WLTL99315 CardioStride 3.0 Treadmill

This is a great treadmill for the money. It arrived in a large box and was packed well. All items needed for assembly are included. It would be helpful to have two people to assemble it, as it is a bit heavy for one person to manage. Also, there are times when you will have to set the treadmill on it's side in order to attach bars and screws, so having a second set of hands would help tremendously. That said, I assembled this on my own, and it took about 1.5 hours. The treadmill has an incline that is adjustable, but the tread cannot be made flat; it will always sit at an incline. Wanting to make it flat, I had read that someone purchased bed risers from Walmart in order to elevate the back legs, so I tried doing the same. Unfortunately, it didn't work, as the treadmill MUST be at an incline in order to propel the tread. You are the one making the tread move, and it needs the momentum provided by the incline in order for that to happen. Laws of physics. The belt is the biggest issue, as it often slides off-center. Included in the box is a starter bottle of oil to lubricate the tread, but it wasn't enough, so I went out to purchase a bottle of spray lubricant that has a straw attached to the nozzle which allows me to spray under the belt. In my experience, I need to lubricate the belt before each use. If I don't, it becomes difficult to walk with a smooth stride. In addition, there are two screws located on either side of the back end of the tread. Turning these screws tighten and loosen the belt. An allan wrench is provided for this purpose. I find it's necessary to center the belt at least twice during a workout; once before, and possibly once during your workout if the belt slips. This is annoying, as you need to stop your workout, get off the treadmill, and make adjustments. The console is just a basic one that keeps track of time, calories, and distance, which meets my needs just fine. The belt is also wider than other manual treadmills I've seen, which is helpful. Even if you are fit, it is necessary to hold on to the bar with at least one hand for safety reasons...otherwise you can easily lose your balance, as the stride is not always smooth and controlled. I like that the treadmill folds up, as I can store it in a corner of my apartment without having to keep it open all of the time. When folded, it has a fairly small footprint, but it folds at a slight angle which may prevent you from placing it flush against a wall (when folded). I am physically fit, yet 20 minutes on this can challenge me. Due to the incline and the fact that you have to make the treadmill move, it certainly provides a great cardio workout. If you can deal with some of it's drawbacks and annoyances, I think this treadmill is well worth the money, especially when compared to the price of it's competitors.

This is a little hard to adjust the belt, and it is at an incline that you cannot adjust. Other than those two things, for a small treadmill it works okay.

Good solid manual treadmill with a few significant issues. Starting with the latter - first of all, the handrails are tall enough for me (I am 5'9") and I suspect they are tall enough for most everybody. However, they are set far forward, requiring me to lean forward and in this position my feet kept hitting the plastic "Weslo"-written panel. After removing this panel, however, I am able to walk upright in a normal position. Second, the belt moves toward the left during the workout and it travels to the side, stopping the workout and requiring adjustment. This happens every half-hour or so. I have yet to figure out what to do about this because tightening adjustments slow the belt; theoretically, possibly, this means that there may be more machine friction on the right belt side so tightening the left a little more might solve this. (Later - this adjustment -tightening the left side using the little key provided - did solve the problem). Third, the belt noise is a bit uneven. Fourth, on assembly the handlebar screw holes did not quite line up without some vigorous and sustained hammering with the palm of my hand (rubber mallet may be in order). Fifth, the angle of the belt is not adjustable and personally I would prefer a greater angle. Sixth, to provide the the lubricant under the belt, the belt must be well loosened. Fortunately, the belt is easily adjustable with the key provided and the key has a stick-on holder. Generally speaking, this is a well-constructed item which was quite thoughtfully packaged. The fastener parts were included in a bubble pack with well separated and labeled bubbles. The parts (except for the most obvious) were labeled right and left and the labels of everything corresponded tot he instructions. The parts are heavy duty and appear solid for years of use. The bubble pack also contains all of the tools you need including a wrench and a phillips head key (the instructions say you need other tools, but that is not so). I purchased this to replace a four-year old InMotion T900 manual treadmill, which is a good machine for a smaller person (the handrails of the T900 are too low and so contributed to neck- and back- ache). I think this Weslo will be appropriate for most. For me, well worth the $80 paid.

This is my first manual treadmill ever. So I wasn't sure what to expect. It only took 40 minutes to put it together, and it is easy to move. What I didn't like was the fact that once the treadmill was fully put together I tried it out and realized it is much too steep to use. I'm in my twenties, about 5'2, and am pretty active but I had to hold on the handle for dear life while using this machine. It's like walking up a very steep steep hill. I didn't think it was going to be that much of an incline! It was unusable for me that way so I took out the screws holding the bottom half on the incline and just laid the belt part on the floor. It rests on the handle bars which is just enough clearance for the big wheel to turn. I can get a good jog/brisk walk while gripping the handle bars and it is much more comfortable than being on that steep incline. My mom has a manual treadmill from Sears that is a much better quality. It was about $130 but hers is on a much smaller incline and the belt is tight enough that you don't fall off while trying to use it! So I wouldn't recommend this treadmill, you get what you pay for. Just trust me and save $250 to buy a foldable electric treadmill.