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Being fit is what is trending right now, and with walking outside or going to gyms don’t suit many people, a treadmill is one of the best investments at the moment.
Buying a treadmill might be scary since the majority of the treadmills available in the market, as of now, seem to be anywhere from $1500 to $3000, and that is a pretty huge investment to commit to, especially with the economic crisis that is affecting the world.
Read on to find out what the best treadmills under $600 are, and how to choose a treadmill on budget.
How to Choose a Treadmill on a Budget
There are three main characteristics that make a treadmill “good”, and they will help you to choose a treadmill on budget.
Minimum Specifications (As You Need)
Not all treadmills are made equal. Some have too short of a treadmill belt, some don’t have a sturdy enough build, and some just aren’t user-friendly to use.
At the least, a good treadmill should have a 50” belt with 15” of belt width, should be sturdy and stable enough to sustain your weight comfortably, should have an easily accessible control panel, and have adequate speed and incline settings.
Quality of life additions such as a heart monitor and multiple, programmable walking/running profiles are big plusses, but not necessary since the goal is a budget treadmill.
You should look in-depth into the treadmill you are considering buying so you can decide if it is the best for you personally.
Long-Term Usability
A treadmill needs to be comfortable to use for long periods of time. Cushioning of the belt and padded handles are basically necessary for a good treadmill.
Furthermore, for the relatively smaller $600 investment to be as effective as possible, the treadmill needs to be built well enough so that regular high-cost maintenance is not required.
Absolute Cost
Nowadays, it seems the most popular and well-known treadmill brands seem to be suffering from the same exact problem – high power consumption.
Little by little, the high power-consumption costs stack up alongside maintenance costs, and what might end up happening is you effectively paying way over $3000 in a year for a $600 treadmill.
A good treadmill needs to be efficient and preferably not draw too much power, alongside the aforementioned point about being relatively low-maintenance.
Top 5 Budget Treadmill 2020
All things considered, a budget treadmill satisfying all these is quite hard to come by, but for your convenience, a list of the top 5 treadmills in the market right now under $600 has been compiled below.
GoPlus 2.25HP Folding Treadmill
An excellent entry-level treadmill, this treadmill is a steal to buy if found at a discount. With an ergonomic and easily adjustable design to boot, and several presets to choose from, this seems to be the perfect treadmill to buy. That is until we address the flaws.
With this treadmill, you are trading in an increased weight capacity for sturdiness and longevity, while also sacrificing higher speeds.
Is it worth it? Considering there are adequate features to it, and given it’s a properly good beginner treadmill, it’s good enough to make it to our list.
Merax L510c
We won’t lie; this definitely has issues. First off, it isn’t perfectly stable. It probably won’t last for over two years without needing massive maintenance at best. There isn’t any incline feature either, and it isn’t too comfortable.
However, since we are talking about budget-conscious treadmills – this is the cheapest treadmill on the list with a whole array of extra features.
Whether the extra features make up for the lack of a few common ones, this treadmill tops the last one simply because there’s more space to work with, and it goes faster. Not a bad choice if you are seriously hurting for cash.
Schwinn 810
This would have been our first pick had it been under $600 without circumstantial sales. And this treadmill has just about everything you could ask for from a treadmill.
Moreover, this could even be thought up as the ideal intermediate-level treadmill on a budget.
With an advanced and elegant system like this with so many bells and whistles, the only complaining you’ll do is from muscle cramps, thanks to overexertion.
The perfect treadmill, overthrown from the top due to the high retail price.
MaxKare 801
Cheap price tag? Check. Enough features to compete with the Schwinn 810? Check. It does lack some of what the Schwinn 810 boasts, but at half the price and requiring less power consumption, this is essentially the best of both worlds.
The setup time is also very quick, and it has a look that would suit any room. Plus, the long warranty on everything is definitely something worth mentioning, as that does bring down maintenance costs quite a bit.
Horizon T101
What beats the previous treadmills mentioned in this article? What beats the rest and is the best of the best? It is none other than the Horizon T101.
This treadmill is an absolute unit. Everything that was good about the Schwinn 810 is essentially packed up into a more budget-friendly package.
A few extra things are missing, of course, but trading in niche-case functions gives you a competitively viable machine at a competitive price.
All things considered, this treadmill is honestly so good, it might even make the cut for the top 10 treadmills!
Conclusion
For us, the best treadmill under 600 is the Horizon T101, but different people will want different things.
Perhaps you value price over extra functions and might opt for the Merax, or maybe you want a basic, decent entry-level treadmill and might opt for the GoPlus.
No matter what you choose, all of the 5 treadmills listed here are excellent choices. At the end of the day, your opinion matters the most, and hopefully, this article helps you weigh out the pros and cons and make an informed decision by yourself.