If you plan on giving this to your wife for Christmas, remember to unload/hide any fire arms, and identify any objects in your house that could be easily thrown or used as bludgeons.

Play it safe and buy her a Dyson vacuum, she'll love it.

MegaTom wrote:If you plan on giving this to your wife for Christmas, remember to unload/hide any fire arms, and identify any objects in your house that could be easily thrown or used as bludgeons.

Play it safe and buy her a Dyson vacuum, she'll love it.

So you're saying that your wife would rather do housework than go for a stroll?

sdc100 wrote:Get yourself a hi-tech bike. There is no impact on the knees or any joints, and it offers resistance, which is the best form of exercise. Treadmills don't...

I don't understand this statement. Isn't the treadmill's incline setting all about resistance?

I've been using a treadmill every morning for about 15 years now and I believe it's made me healthier and added to my life span...and I'm about twice the age of many of the people reading this. Nothing does it like a treadmill!

The last time Woot had a treadmill was about a year ago and it was selling at about $100 more than this one. I waited too long to order, as it sold out early. I finally paid about $300 more for a similar machine in a local health store plus almost $100 to have it delivered.

Did some searching and would be interested in what the differences would be between the treadmill on woot and this one:

http://www.proform.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_-1_14201_16002_29509_168459

We plan to run 4-5 times a week, seems the proform offers similar but more commercial grade parts for a slightly higher price tag. Any input would be great as we know nothing about these.

aaa121 wrote:finally an item where the $5 shipping is actually a great deal!!!

the problem with free, or cheap shipping on heavy items is if it arrives DOA.


I don't know what woot's policy is on that though,
I imagine they would make it right.

hugehead83 wrote:Great cat toy as well:

Oh that was absolutely wonderful! Thanks for the laugh. Beautiful cats, too!

CowboyDann wrote:How is this on the joints? I don't have the money for this right now but I was looking into bikes because I don't want to destroy my knees running.

save your money and just walk...it's free and works

While technically accurate, and good advice. I suspect just getting out and running in the street works better for people who live in places where there is less snow than where you run.

Imagine what happens to runners who no longer can use the sidewalks as they're icy, or covered in snow. They take to the slippery roads where, six foot tall piles of plowed snow make sure drivers can't see them, and those that do need to cross over the yellow line as they pass and risk a head on collision on a snow narrowed road.

http://www.treadmilldoctor.com/Smooth-565-Treadmill-Review-2012 so so

Maybe a great deal for a new treadmill, but used treadmills lose alot of value. Check CL you can usually find one in like new condition for 25% of the price. Maybe cuz they are big and bulky too many people try dumping them when they give up or move, total buyers market. I got one last year for $400 that is going new for $1500. Looked like it was barely used

If you buy one for your wife, will she think she's fat?

Treadmilldoctor.com will tell you everything you need to know! They are unbiased and EXCELLENT. They rate this Woot treadmill pretty well also.

Does anyone at woot know if they are considered an authorized seller so that Smooth Fitness warranty would be in effect? This is vital with a treadmill purchase.

Also, how is shipping handled? This sort of huge shipment usually requires an adult to be present and is done with a phone call to make an appointment within an hour range...

speedoo wrote:Great info. Thanks!

Great Info: I can't afford this an was trying to get it through my insurance with Doctor's request, disability. Now I have found on Sears and Amazon, generation down but still $300. I love woot and check everyday. Looking forward to GOB.

moxxee wrote:I hear ya. Why not try an elliptical? It's much easier on the knees...

Lots of people get knee problems with ellipticals, too. I'm one of 'em ... worked for me for a few years, though. You know the progression: running > stairmastering > cycling > ellipticals > rowing > and finally - UGH: lap swimming. I'm still resisting it, but my knees are getting really cranky.

(I've ordered a high quality mini-trampoline as an interim measure, but I don't have high hopes.)

I can't speak directly to the treadmill but I've had their elliptical for the last year and the quality is excellent.

Can I have the recipe for Deep-Fried Tangy Crunchers, please?

markrosenzweig wrote:It's not Jan 1 yet, but it will be by the time this thing gets delivered.

It says it'll be delivered by Christmas though. O_o IT IS LYING TO ME?!?!?!?!

The real question here is what data type they chose to store the time to first woot! Exciting!

Nice coat rack and place to store shoes!

Ok woot really, You can get this treadmill or that big old rug doctor to my door by Christmas but not a little old book binding set. I don't even want to understand the rhyme to your madness on this one :/

wickerjk wrote:Elliptical is terrible on the lower back. I'd rather my knees take it since they're designed to work that way.

They're supposed to work that way? As opposed to your back hurting from...walking upright?

They pretty much connected the problems with lower back pain to people who were using the elliptical while holding onto the stationary bars...an unnatural motion.

Do some research and you'll see the many, many, many posts that simply tell you to leave your hands in the walking position (better workout anyway...more natural) and backpain will mysteriously vanish.

Christmas shopping for the wife now done. It was easy shopping for her... she called my damn phone 5 times this morning trying to get in touch with me to let me know THIS is the treadmill she was thinking about getting. Woot just saved us a few hundred bucks on our new clothing rack. Rock on Woot!

woot4jam wrote:Speaking of which, my brother recently bought this 'travel' Elliptical:

Stamina 55-1610 InMotion E1000 Elliptical

He paid $150 but I see it is now $89, it is a small compact that he keeps in the trunk of his car as he does a good bit of travel.. takes it right up to his motel room and no fuss about if there is a gym or not.

I tried it... It was sufficient...

seams a little more reasonable than a $800 treadmill : )

-Jam



[MOD: File size on that gif was a big hefty. Funny though. Here's the link instead.]
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1282136/woot/treadmill-1267210720209.gif

My wife bought one of these and for her 5'6" height it works fine. However, for my 6' the "stroke" is too small. I find that the short revolutions of the pedals makes me feel like I am going to fall over. As you stated, it is certainly adequate for the price.

wow, so no one has bought three yet?

I've had a Smooth Fitness elliptical for about 7 years now. It has been a really good solid machine. I believe it is built better then a lot of the store units. Kind of in-between the sporting good store units and the higher end units that are used in gyms.

I had an issue where the electronics went out and Smooth had someone out within a week to repair it.

Then at about 7 years, I had broken something on the flywheel. I could have paid a lot to have someone come out to fix it, but smooth was very helpful. They explained how to fix it and were pretty reasonable on parts prices/shipping. I ended up fixing it myself with their help on the phone.

bpr2 wrote:when that lube runs out over time... what then?

Most of the cheaper ones require silicon lube and the ones with "lifetime" lube take wax. You can lube them with silicon spray if that's what it takes but I use ski wax on mine.

wickerjk wrote:For those that are worried about their knees, there are is recent info that it is a myth that runners have bad knees. Most of the articles I've read recently hint that runners' knees are better than knees of those who do not exercise, but with no comparison to bikes, ellipticals, etc.

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1948208,00.html

http://www.halhigdon.com/Articles/knees.htm


The key points seem to be: slowly increasing mileage/speed, good shoes that are replaced on a proper interval and good form.

Most of the time when I know people have bad knees it is because of doing something the knee is not designed to do, i.e. bending excessivly (baseball catchers), jumping excessively (basketball players), twisting & turning (torn acl from gymnastics, basketball).

This is all based on my research to switch from swimming to running as my main form of exercise.

Thank you! The idea that running wears down cartilage is an absolute myth. Cartilage is replenished by your knees and only gets destroyed via injury or arthritis. Arthritis patients are actually encouraged to walk/run to promote lubrication and strengthening of the joints. Running outside if the air is polluted with carbon monoxide and other carcinogens (along roads or within city limits) is actually hazardous to your lungs not to mention the risk of being hit by an Krampus driver or careless cyclist. Running on an indoors treadmill is simply good exercise.

Bone density is a significant issue as we age. Regardless of how much resistance you use on bike or swimming, the only significant downside to low impact/non-weight bearing exercise is that it does not force the body to maintain or increase bone density.

Running and it the subsequent impact forces do force the body to adapt. If you don't want to run for all of the legitimate reasons given then you must supplement the non-weight bearing stuff with either weight training or some other form of exercise that stimulates the body. Swimming and biking and ellipticals are not going to do that.

This is one of the significant reasons why swimmers and cyclists also do some (1-2 days a week) weight training.

With a doctor's note this is a qualified FSA expense -- good news for those of you with FSA money left over!

The problem with this treadmill is that no matter how fast you walk, it doesn't go anywhere.

An alternative:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUuwEq98ByM

Paid $1,300 for a treadmill roughly 2 hrs ago. Well worth it. 10 minutes out of bed in the morning and I'm on my way. No need to run. Raise the incline and you WILL get a workout. I'm 55 and I look amazing. Buy it!

iwade2 wrote:Raise the incline and you WILL get a workout. I'm 55 and I look amazing. Buy it!

We want proof! Where are the pics?

I've had a Pro-Form 745CS treadmill purchased from Sears for over 10 years. I've used it intermittently during that time but all together it has a lot of miles on it. There has never been a problem with it other then my self discipline.
The Pro-Form is made by Icon Health and Fitness. They have several labels including NordicTrack.
I noticed that Sears still had a good selection of treadmills as recently as 2 years ago at reasonable prices.
The first step in the purchase decision process should be knowing where you're going to put it - I've never seen an attractive one. Using it gets very boring so save some funds for a small tv (with earphones preferably) or at the very minimum a mp3 player.
I suspect very few people will regularly use speeds higher than 5 mph. More important is having fine adjustments. Our machine has .1 mph increments and they're useful to keep you going at the maximum comfortable pace.
Remember, there are a lot cheaper clothes racks around - know you're going to use it.

This is a great deal!! I just bought a used one and so far am loving it. Plan to use it a lot. Never owned one before but all the comments about maintenance and the health benefits are greatly appreciated. Just wish I had this treadmill or could afford it at this time.

About 5 years ago, I purchased the Smooth 5.25, which is basically an earlier model of the same treadmill Woot is selling here. Overall, I have been happy with the treadmill and have had zero problems with it to date. The treadmill is solid and substantial, which is more than I can say for some of the cheaper models. This is important because you don't want the treadmill to feel unstable while you're using it!. The only maintenance I have had to do is to lubricate the belt, which is somewhat of a pain, but not difficult to do.

When researching treadmills, I referred to the Treadmill Doctor website to evaluate different brands and models. Since they also sell parts, It's a good resource for seeing what type of maintenance and repair costs you might face down the road as well. Here's their review of the Smooth 5.65:

http://www.treadmilldoctor.com/Smooth-565-Treadmill-Review-2012

I am not a small guy (210 lbs) and have had no problems jogging on our treadmill at a 6 - 7 mph speed for 5 miles at a time. The model I own has a 275 lb max weight, so I'm fairly close to the max weight limit, but that hasn't seemed to negatively affect the durability or life of the treadmill to date.

Overall, I'd recommend the Smooth brand if you're in the market for a good, moderate-use treadmill.