Smooth Fitness 5.45 Folding Treadmill
- Space-saving treadmill with dual-stage, soft-drop folding system
- 20-by-55-inch Whisper Weave treadbelt is virtually noise-free
- Patented suspension running deck reduces impact of walking and running
- Includes 6 workout programs and 9 storable user profiles
- 250-pound capacity; measures 36 x 60 x 75 inches (W x H x D)
Product DescriptionWhen designing the 5. 45 folding treadmill we took one of our all-time best selling units, the Smooth 5. 25, and made it better but kept the same low price. The 5. 45 folding treadmill continues our tradition of manufacturing quality treadmills at an affordable price. At 210 pounds this “budget” treadmill is as solid a machine, as sturdy as any you’ve used at the health club. Smooth’s legendary Swing Arm Shock Absorption provides unrivaled comfort. The 5. 25 offers a variety of training programs and a generous 20″ x 55″ deck this treadmill will be an outstanding exercise partner for years to come. Amazon. com Product DescriptionLooking for a cost-effective, space-saving treadmill for the home? Look no further than the Smooth Fitness 5. 45 folding treadmill, which despite its moderate price tag offers a ton of high-end features. The centerpiece of the Smooth 5. 45 treadmill is the dual-stage, soft-drop folding system, which includes a gas shock-assist li. . . More >>
Smooth Fitness 5.45 Folding Treadmill
Tuesday, 19. January 2010 13:54
I purchased directly from the manufacturer and paid extra to have it delivered and set up, which was convenient, but turned out to be a nightmare.
First of all, this treadmill was/is practically useless to me. One of the most important fuctions that I use at the gym was a numbered keypad to enter in speeds directly. However on the Smooth treadmill if I was going 3 mph and wanted to jump up to 6 and then to 9, the only way to do that is to press the up key for every fraction of an increment. That also means if you are jamming it out at a pretty fast pace and you want to slow it back down you have to press the down button about twenty times, instead of just hitting a number on a keypad. I like to mix it up, but the programs are lacking and don’t offer enough control and variety, so I have to go manual. There is a whopping 6 buttons for the entire controls for this treadmill. The control panel is very flimsy itself. This is a $1,000+ treadmill – any treadmill at half that cost has a numbered keypad – I never thought that a treadmill at this price wouldn’t have that basic feature. The reviews seemed great and lifetime motor warranty and money back guarantee seemed fantastic, so I thought I had nothing to lose. I only found out after the item was delivered that it didn’t meet my expectations. But then to the nightmare.
The delivery guys damaged the product and didn’t tell me or my wife, and to hide the damaged box they took all the packaging with them even though on the delivery documents it requires the driver to confirm with the customer that the packaging material must be left with the customer in order to return the product. Well, even before I realized it was broke, I knew I didn’t want it because of the lacking functions. But, since it was all set up I thought I’d try it out anyway, since the company had a good(?# return policy. Well, that’s when I found out it was broke. I wanted to return the product anyway, but now I had to deal with a damaged item.
I contacted the company and asked for a refund. They asked me if I still had the packaging. I told them that the people that damaged it took the packaging with them to hide the damage when they must have dropped it, because they were quick to get out without telling us anything about it, and without pointing out the policy about the packaging material. The company then offered to send out a replacement, but refused to give me a refund. I refused the replacement, but if the packaging was all that costly and important to them, I offered to pay a restocking and packaging material fee. Then the President of the company called me on the phone and was very rude, and followed it up with a strange email.
#my completed and unedited email from the president of the company)
As a recap to our conversation, we are interested in resolving your matter by sending you a new treadmill under certain conditions:
1) Once the new treadmill is set-up the original unit must be re-boxed using the packing materials from the new unit
2) No refund can be issued due to the original packaging material being discarded after delivery
When we spoke this morning I explained to you that a return is not an option due to several factors:
The product was signed for when the freight company delivered and set-up the merchandise and it is currently at your home
The original packaging material was discarded after the set-up and delivery took place. As it states in our return policy, “Customers should retain the original packaging material for at least 30 days, in the event the unit is to be returned. ”
Your unwillingness to allow us to exchange treadmills.
If you are interested in exchanging treadmills this option is still open of course subject to the conditions in the first paragraph, however as mentioned above a refund at this point is not an option.
Regards,
John Hamilton
Smooth Fitness
1-888-800-1167 x3118 (V)
1-856-914-0434 (F)
(end of email)
I don’t really understand the part about my “. . . unwillingness to allow us to exchange treadmills. . . ” being one of the reasons they are denying me a refund.
I eventually gave up on trying to get a refund and accepted the replacement treadmill, so I at least didn’t have a $1,000+ piece of dead weight in my house. All the same because I’ve never used it because the lack of functions. We originaly thought we would save money in the long run by cancelling out our gym memberships and getting a treadmill because that is about all we used. But we just ended up out $1,000+ and no gym membership. I gave up on running and just ride a bicycle for fitness. My wife doesn’t bike so she works out on the treadmill, but she hates it.
Rating: 1 / 5
Tuesday, 19. January 2010 15:45
I have a Smooth Fitness 5. 15 at my farm and when my more expensive but very old Landice at home bit the dust, I bought the 5. 45. I did not have any trouble assembling it myself. However, the 5. 45’s programs do not include the two I actually use on the 5. 15, the time countdown and distance programs. This one has all sorts of programs I would never use but if I had know the time and distance ones were missing I would have chosen another treadmill.
Rating: 3 / 5
Tuesday, 19. January 2010 18:28
After almost six year using my Smooth Fitness Treadmill, I guess I am qualify to share a few good experience using my treadmill.
The model I got in 2004 was called EVO/FX2 – very similar to this one ($899, 2. 5 CHP, a bit narrower 18″ x 53″, same features, similar functionality and size).
I set it up in my garage and use it five to seven times a week, one hour each time. My goal is simple – to lose weight. Every time, I just power it on, set to 3. 0 for walk or 3. 5 for jog (Don’t laugh, I’m almost 60 yrs old). For six years, IT NEVER FAIL ONCE – VERY STRONG AND STURDY all the way.
I lost 30 lbs (195 to 160) since 2004 and have maintained it ever since. So natually I AM VERY HAPPY and GRATEFUL and willing to write a few good words for this brand.
Rating: 5 / 5
Tuesday, 19. January 2010 19:26
When running on this treadmill you can tell right away its very sturdy and smooth even more sturdy then some 2 or 3 times its price. I did notice as some said that the handles or top instrument panel is a little flimsy and it is but i dont hold on to it much so it doesnt bother me. Id rather they spend the money on the running platform then instrument doo dads. There are only 6 buttons so there nothing really there to look at. But with all the bad the base and running deck is clearly the best in its class. Ive tried many treadmills in this price range and most shake like its going to crash but of some did have nice LCD displays and more buttons. Also i weight about 235lb so i was alittle hesitant on the 250lb max but when it arrived the manual and all the info stated the max was 275lb and even at my weight its smooth machine.
Rating: 5 / 5
Tuesday, 19. January 2010 20:00
We live in a small house but not an apartment (north-east tri-state area. . . houses are small) anyway, we bought this from the manufacturer and when it arrived he box was enormous.
It takes some time to assemble and is not really *that* ready out of the box.
Unfortunately we could not find a single place to put it because it was just too big. Even when folded the belt part only goes up at a 45 degree angle so it still sticks out way too much and obstructs everything. It should really fold up closer to 90 degrees.
Also once its set it simply has to stay there because it will not go though a standard doorway assembled and if you try to move it after disassembling it be ready for a surprise; It simply will not stay flat because of the hydraulic device thing underneath it will ’snap’ it like a giant inverted mouse trap! You have to find a way to tie the thing together but the strong pressure broke all the ties we had. . . what a hassle! . . just to get it through a darn doorway!!
Great performance but BULKY, HEAVY and a HASSLE to transport.
Rating: 3 / 5