STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

My boyfriend works at a sporting goods store, and this is what he said:

Proforms are good for general home use... like one or two people using them, and not 24/7. The lower end versions are the same as the higher end, but you don't get all the bells and whistles (heart rate moniter, calorie tracker, etc.)

If you're giving it a lot of wear and tear, then it's best to upgrade to a Reebok... they have better motors, or something.

That's all I could get out of him for now (he happened to call on his break as I was reading this)... if you want any more info, I can ask him later.

Well, I'm on my fifth treadmill and I highly recommend going to Wal-Mart and purchasing the one that is around $300.  The reason I state this is that in my experience the $300 one from Wal-Mart lasts as long as the $1500 one from the sporting good store.  If you don't need all the bells and whistles, the important part of the treadmill (belt and motor) will last just as long on the $300 treadmill from Wal-Mart as the $1500 one from the sporting goods store. 

My first two treadmills were from Nordic and neither lasted more than 2 years (I run 30+ miles per week on the treadmill).  After looking into fixing them (replacing motor and realizing how $$$ it was), I talked to one of my running buddies and he recommended the $300 Weslo from Wal-Mart.  Granted, they are averaging about 2 years before the motor burns out, but for the difference in price, I'm really averaging 10 years to 2 years!

A couple of things the $300 Weslo has that also makes it good are the following: Incline (good to add variety to workout), it goes up to 10 MPH (I think the $400 version goes to 12 MPH).  Do NOT buy a treadmill that doesn't at least go up to 10 MPH.  At 10 MPH, you are running a 6 minute mile, which is essential for interval training.  Finally, the Weslo has the cardio and mile counter and it has a belt that is long and wide enough for a good size stride (another essential).

HTH!