Program Challenged? No Need to Worry.
Written: Nov 23 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Inexpensive, works, comfortable, easy to use, folds.
Cons: No programs which can be a pro for some.
The Bottom Line: For the right person this is a great buy. I have no hesitation recommending it and giving it a 4 star rating.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Proform 350 Treadmill |
ProForm’s 350 Treadmill is at the lowest end in terms of the company’s treadmills. At $400 it may be hard to believe you can buy a decent but very, very simple treadmill.
The Basics:
There are several important features about a treadmill that I will start off with.
~The 350 weighs 125 pounds.
~It easily folds and rolls. It folds with the pull of a latch. It is on wheels which makes it fairly easy to move but beware that you should be able to lift 45 pounds in order to move something that weighs 125 pounds. Forty five pounds is a lot of weight for many but I always suggest that unless the treadmill is in the middle of your living room and you are having company don’t fold it up and store it. The piece may never be seen again.
~The maximum user weight is 250 pounds which is not a lot but for $400 this just might be a good starter treadmill is you are under that weight.
~It measures about 62 inches long by 28 inches wide by 51 inches high.
~The warranty is 90 days on party and labor and 3 years for the motor. In general my experiences with ProForm. ProForm is owned by ICON, a giant of a company which also owns such brands as Weider and NordicTrack.
~The Belt and Deck: The size of the deck and belt are very important unless you are a very small person. If a belt is too short or narrow it makes walking or running on it uncomfortable. I have been on treadmills that are too short and end up hitting the front of the belt which can be dangerous. The ProForm 350’s belt is 17 inches wide by 50 inches long.. I was delighted to see this size belt. The rule of thumb if you are doing any comparing is that a belt should be at least 17 inches wide by 48 inches long.
Treadmills these days call the impact system on treadmills by various names. The 350 has what ProForm calls ProSoft Impact Absorption which we are told reduces impact on joints by up to 15% as compared to running on the road.
ProForm’s CX18i has what they call Pro Sox Impact Absorption which the company says reduces joint impact twice as much as the 350 does however it is $300 more. As I said in that review comparing treadmill running to road running is an erroneous comparison. They are so different. My feet, which tend to hurt me, were as comfortable on the 350 as they were on the CX18i. I power walked, climbed hills and did interval training on many occasions for 45 minutes to an hour. I would say my feet hurt me equally. If you don’t have feet problems then I think you will be quite comfortable on the 350. If you do then there is not much a treadmill will be able to do. I also found the impact on the tread as quiet on the 350 as on the CX18i when walking. I ran just to hear the thump, thump. The 350 was slightly noisier but not enough to make me say no to this machine at this point.
~The Design: The console is a nice size but smaller than other. There are few buttons to play with. You’ll find places in which I put my water bottle and towel.
I always talk about the placement of the handles. I got an e-mail from a physical therapist who wanted to buy a treadmill with rails. I searched and found her two but it took me quite awhile. The treadmills of the past with railings are just not made. This is too bad because side railings are important for older people. The 350 has two handles and a bar below the console all of which I can hold onto. The bar below the console is where the sensors heart which took my heart rate quickly. On some treadmills I have given up waiting for my heart rate to show up. The number lit up quickly on the console of the 350. My free tip: To know your maximum heart rate subtract your age from 220.
There is a key clip on the machine which is a safety feature. A cord is attached to the machine and the other end clips to your clothes or finger. If you fall the cord pulls and the machine stops immediately.
About the console:
Like other ProForm machines and like more and more treadmills the 350 has a built in fan. The fan has two positions- high and low. If you like air blowing on you then this is a great feature although if you are very tall it will not hit you in the face.
The 350 doesn’t have a console as sophisticated as many other treadmills. That is an understatement. It showed me my time, speed, heart rate, and calories. I can input my weight which makes the readouts a bit more accurate than treadmills that don’t ask for weight. Asking my age would be even better but you’ll pay more for that and since the readouts are relative anyway as long as you use the same machine you will have an idea of your numbers.
The 350 has a calorie counter. Many treadmills count your calories but this one works a bit differently. When I put in my weight with the weight increase or decrease buttons. There is a calorie goal setting. I can tell the machine how many calories I want to burn. Another free piece of advice: 3500 calories equals 1 pound. If you burn 500 calories more than you usually do for 7 days and don’t eat any differently you will lose 1 pound. So let’s say that’s my goal. One time I put in 500 calories. What happened was that the machine counted my calories down and when it was at 499 calories the display flashed, the machine made some noises and the treadmill stopped. Just for your information 500 calories are a lot of calories to burn even when power walking. To get that high I had to put the incline on high and on that particular day determined to burn 500 calories I think I finished the book I was reading! Seriously I wasn’t reading. I can’t power walk and read but I had some good music on in my CD player.
The 350 has a QuickSpeed Control which can be found on other ProForm models. This is a feature I really like. This control allows me to increase my speed or decrease it immediately. I don’t have to push the incline or decline button for each tenth of a mile per hour faster that I want to walk or for each level of incline I want to walk. . If I am walking at 3 miles an hour and want to go to 4 rather than pressing the up arrow, which is what is usually done, I just press 4 and it immediately jumps to 4. The buttons from 1 to 10 are at the base of the console. There are QuickIncline buttons that do the same thing. The machine will adjust the incline from 1.5-10% at the touch of a button on the incline and 0 to 10 miles per hour on the speed. For those of you looking for a gift let me assure you that 10 miles per hour is more than adequate unless you are buying this for a marathon runner and most likely you won’t since they usually run outside. I can also use the arrows at any time during my workout if I prefer.
The programs:
I believe this may be the first treadmill I have ever used or certainly in the past five years that have no built in programs. What does that mean? It means that unlike other treadmills as an example I would choose hills. The treadmill would then, depending on the intensity level I chose, change the level of the deck and change the speed automatically. At any time I could change the speed, intensity or level with the arrow buttons or the quick buttons. The 850 has arrows and other then allowing me to chart my calories this is a totally manual machine.
My thoughts:
Please check with your doctor before starting an exercise program.
The 350 is lighter in weight, lower in horsepower and less money than most treadmills. I would certainly recommend it for people new to treadmills, older people who don’t want to deal with programming machines or for that matter any age person who just wants to get on a machine, hit start and choose on his or her own how fast you want to go and how high you want to climb. It is terrific for the younger person who can’t spend more than $400 but wants to be able to get a cardio vascular workout. It is great if you want to be able to fold a machine. I really like it. It wouldn’t be one I would buy because I have been working out for so long I would be bored without the variations of programs. This review is for you though. The machine isn’t boring unless you have owned a treadmill for 5 years and are looking to replace it. Then I would say go to the 840 or one of the other models. You will be able to find a decent treadmill for well under $1000.
I was going to rate this machine 5 stars but I have decided that even for the money having no programs will bring it down to 4 stars.
How to Choose a Treadmill • Nordic Track ViewPoint TV • Nordic Track Incline Trainer • Landice Treadmill • Star Trac Pro Treadmill • Cybex Pro Teadmill • Cybex 900T Treadmill
My other equipment reviews can be found here
Recommended:
Yes
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