looking to buy a treadmill, but i have no idea what im looking for

[TStoneMBD]

id like to buy a treadmill, but there are so many different models out there with so many different price fluctuations.

of course, i would like to purchase a treadmill for the least money possible. i want to make sure that im not going to buy one that is going to collapse, make alot of noise or wobble alot. one that doesnt take up too much space and can collapse to save space would be a nice bonus.

i really dont care about monitoring heart rate, calorie burnage, inclines or automated running patterns. i would just like to be able to make the machine go faster or slower, and would like to be able to get it up to 8 minute miles or better.

are any of the models ok?

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...%3A4134%3A5151
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/fa...priceAscending

can i get away with purchasing one of the 3-400$ ones? are there any major chains that can deliver these directly to my apartment? dicks will ship but walmart will not.

i weigh 220 lbs if that is necessary information.

[swede123]

For home use I don't know what brands/models are good and bad, but one thing I know to look out for is the power of the motor and stickiness of the belt. There's nothing worse than a thread mill that will slog down when a healthy size guy like yourself get on it. Instead of the supposed 8 mph you get 4 mph and if the belt keeps slipping it can get downright dangerous.

Another consideration is how long your stride is. Many home use threadmills have pretty short belts, so you constantly have to remember to take shorter steps. This really screws up your rhythm.

Unfortunately both these requirements pretty much rule out all the $500 and down models. One idea is to look in the classifieds, check out some used sporting goods stores. Sometimes you can find commercial quality equipment for half price or less.

Swede