Smooth 9.15HR Treadmill Review

First, you should know the Smooth 9.15 HR Power Treadmill is my wife and I's second treadmill. Last year, we bought a $300 treadmill from Sears. We weren't that happy with it and were kicking ourselves for buying a "discount treadmill" instead of investing in a solid piece of fitness equipment. It was noisy, flimsy, an awkward ride (especially for running), and we were actually relieved when it broke about eight months after buying it. We didn't bother hunting down the warranty information, we just started looking for a new treadmill.

That weekend we went to a couple of local fitness equipment stores that featured treadmills, elliptical trainers, stationary bikes, stair steppers, and a bunch of other home gym equipment. I don't know whether it was sleazy salesman weekend or what, but at both places we were approached by someone immediately and given information that sounded more like a sales pitch than anything helpful. Both places tried to pressure us into buying that day. Needless to say, we left without getting a treadmill.

That evening I decided to look up treadmills and treadmill reviews on the Internet. We have an eBay account, and we've purchased a few things online before, but I was a little daunted at the idea of buying a $2000 piece of equipment without having seen it first. Not to mention, I figured shipping on something as heavy as a treadmill would be quite high.

I found a treadmill reviews page, however, and stumbled onto a section about "Smooth Treadmills" named so because they're made by a place called Smooth Fitness. Overall, the reviews were favorable, and what caught my eye was that the place offered free shipping. They also had a moneyback guarantee, so I figured what the heck and ordered one.

After our experience with the crummy Sears treadmill, we decided to spend a little more money this time. The Smooth treadmills ranged from $1500-$3000. We figured we didn't need a "premium" treadmill, so we went for a mid-ranged one, the Smooth 9.15HR Treadmill. We liked that it could be folded (the walking part comes up) and rolled into a corner. The Smooth 9.15HR was about $1900 and, as I mentioned, came with free shipping.

Smooth 9.15HR Treadmill Review: Initial Thoughts

Our new treadmill arrived within a week. Assembly was fairly painless. Between the two of us, it took about 15-20 minutes. Within a half-hour, we were fighting to see who got to play with it first. Despite being bigger, my wife somehow won.

She primarily uses the treadmill for walking, adjusting speed and incline throughout the workout to get a good cardio workout. The Smooth 9.15HR responded nicely to her adjustments.

The first thing I noticed, listening from the side, was how quiet the machine was. I could already tell, before even getting on myself, that the Smooth treadmill was far superior to our old clunker. While my wife was walking, I found the wireless heart rate monitor and played with it when it was my turn. I'd never see a wireless one before (our old treadmill didn't even have a heart rate monitor), but it turned out to be much more accurate than those ones at the gym where you have to wipe the sweat off your hands and grab the censors (and sometimes they work).

When my wife got off and it was my turn, I cranked up the speed for a brisk jog and eventually a full out run. The treadmill felt good under my feet, stable. The shock absorbers (do treadmills have shock absorbers?) worked well, making running on its surface much less abusive than running on the sidewalk or road. The Smooth 9.15 has a sturdy frame, and there's no jerking about or creeping across the floor when it's in use. There are strips to either side of the running area which are handy to stand on when you're programming the treadmill (or just need a break).

I noticed that the LED panel had an oversized display which is nice for those of us who would rather not wear glasses when we exercise. The panel measures the usual stuff: elapsed time, pace, speed and distance, calories burned, and pulse rate (if you're using the monitor). The 1/4th mile track display is kind of neat, too.

Smooth 9.15HR Treadmill Review: Pros & Cons

Pros

Folds up to make a compact footprint (at the push of a button)
Sturdy, good warranty
Quiet operation (no problem watching TV while you're running/walking)
Good all-around treadmill

Cons

$2,000 is a hefty sum to spend on a piece of home fitness equipment--recommend you only buy if you know from experience you are dedicated to using it.
They forgot to include a drink holder
Still takes up a big chunk of space when folded
Kind of heavy if you need to move it around (200+ pounds), though wheels make it plausible.

Closing Thoughts:

The feel of the Smooth 9.15HR Treadmill was comfortable and well smooth. The overall quality of the machine seems pretty good. Maybe not as indestructible-feeling as a $3,000 premium treadmill (I wouldn't know), but much better than our junker from Sears. We definitely felt we got our money's worth.

Smooth 9.15HR Treadmill -- Recommended?

Yes

Smooth 9.15 HR Power Folding Treadmill

Review by Jason Fitch from Kingston, WA

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