We purchased this product because several years ago we owned a Reebok Elliptical and had a lot of problems with it and ended up returning it. This time, we thought we'd try something new, and the ads stated that the treadclimber burns more calories etc, than an elliptical. We didn't have a lot of weight to lose, but we just wanted to get in better shape, and we needed something space efficient and low impact. Since they had a 100% money back guarantee we decided to give the treadclimber a try.

We purchased the 3000 model directly from bowflex with free shipping at $1800. It arrived quickly in 3 very large boxes. The assembly took much longer than I had expected, but it wasn't too difficult. The first thing we noticed was that it was very noisy. There is the sound of the motor running and then each time you step on a treadle, it sort of clunks as the hydrolic engages. We called to ask about this and they said it was normal. Since they don't let you hear the sound of the machine in the ads or on the video they included, we didn't expect so much noise. We continued to try out the machine, however.

The first couple of times on the machine were a little strange because you have to get your body sort of coordinated on it. It feels like hiking uphill. By the 3rd time it was much smoother and easier. The machine goes up to 4mph, but I usually used it at around 2.5 and got a great workout. It definitely lived up to the advertising in respect to the level of workout you get at a low level of impact. However, it never seemed very stable or well built for the amount of money we spent on it, and it remained very noisy.

Although it did give a good workout, both my husband and I agreed that it wasn't worth the money. It seemed cheaply built and like it would not last long at all. Then, a couple of days later, we started having a problem with one of the hydrolics, so we decided to send the whole machine back at that point. We called and got an authorization number and packaged it back up, and now we are just waiting for UPS to come get it. Hopefully they will refund our money quickly, since we want to buy an elliptical now, just a different brand than what we had purchased in the past.

So all in all, it does give a good workout for a low impact machine, but it just didn't seem to be $1800 quality at all.

MY FIRST UPDATE...Only a few days after calling for the authorization number to return it, UPS was here to pick it up just like bowflex told us. I'll post another update when we get our money back :) We ended up ordering a Smooth CE elliptical to replace it http://www.epinions.com/content_190340894340 .

MY SECOND UPDATE...After using my UPS tracking number to confirm that the machine had been returned to treadclimber, I called several days later to verify that they had begun the process of giving me my refund. The warehouse had not yet forwarded any information to the accounting dept. to tell them it had been returned however. So the friendly customer service rep verified with the tracking number that it had been received, and then contacted the accounting dept. herself to get the ball rolling.

MY FINAL UPDATE...I received my full refund to my credit card a couple of days ago, less than a month from sending back the machine. Since we purchased the machine with free shipping, we didn't have to pay for return shipping etc., so the refund was for the full $1799.

Recommended: No