Almost 840 Reasons to Buy the ProForm Treadmill
Written: Oct 26 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great price; great features; comfortable.
Cons: None unless you really need railings.
The Bottom Line: For the money if you want a nice treadmill with great features, I'd say the 840 is a very good choice.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Proform 840 Treadmill |
Perhaps because the holidays will soon be upon us or perhaps it is just the simple factor of cost but I have been inundated with requests to review machines by ProForm, a company owned by ICON. It is hard to keep up with the changing numbers on the models so I hope my reviews will help you decipher some differences For the purpose of making my reviews a bit easier to follow I will at times compare machines. I will be comparing the ProForm 840 treadmill to the ProForm CS17e. For starters the 840 is a couple of hundred dollars less coming in at around $850. Please note that due to the nature of the reviews some information will be overlapping.
Information about the ProForm 840:
A treadmill is a standard cardio vascular machine that I have found becoming more and more sophisticated as other machines like ellipticals come on the market. Some of these newer machines people find less boring. In my experience companies who make treadmills are scrambling to catch up. When I look at the bottom of the line ProForm costing in the $200 range (not yet reviewed) I don’t see a sophisticated machine but I do see a very inexpensive machine that is great for the beginner. The 840 is on the higher end of ProForm’s treadmill line.
There are a couple of features about treadmills I notice right away. I look at the size of the belt and deck. I do this for a reason. If a belt is too short or narrow it makes walking on it never mind running uncomfortable. If anyone has ever had the unpleasant experience of walking at a fast clip and hitting the sides of the belt or worse the front of the belt you know that it throws off your balance and if you are not careful or new to the treadmill can get hurt. The ProForm 840 has a 19" x 55" belt which is one inch narrower than the CS17e. The 840 will accommodate most runners. In fact the general rule of thumb if you are making comparisons is that a belt should be at least 17 inches wide and 48 inches long. If you see one shorter I would avoid it.
I also want to be comfortable on the deck. My feet hurt me. I have Sjogren ’s Syndrome so I have to make sure that not only do I have the best sneakers but the most comfortable walking surface. The 840 has what the company calls a Pro Sox Impact Absorption System. This is intended to reduce strain and increase comfort. It works on an air based technology with a good deal of cushioning. Like the experience I have on the CS17e I find that my feet do not hurt me as much as they have on other machines. I can spend an hour on the 840 without my feel going numb or my ankles hurting me. In addition it is quiet. Treadmills are not going to be as quiet as elliptical machines because each step is hitting the belt. No matter how good the belt is if you are running you will hear yourself running. I could hear others hitting the deck but it isn’t annoyingly loud.
I also notice the general design of the machine. On the 840 there are two integrated places in which to put water bottles, cell phones and key. Believe it or not I have reviewed machines that have no place for a water bottle.
Handles are very important to me. Ideally for older people I like side railings but the less expensive pieces of equipment are doing away with that feature. But the 840 has two places in which to hold onto and they are both well positioned. I can hold onto the side handles which though aren’t long are adequate to keep my balance. There is also a handle right in front of me in which the heart rate monitor is. I feel heart rate monitors are an essential built in feature to cardio vascular work. If there isn’t one built in you will have to buy a heart rate monitor or learn how to take your own pulse. (If you want to know, leave a comment.) In spite of the readouts on machines being inaccurate I still feel that if you work out on the same piece each time then you will have a relative measure. Having said that I have found heart rate monitors to be more accurate than other displays. I know this because I always test a machine using my pulse and then checking the machine’s readout. It is really important to know your heart rate; to now exceed your maximum target heart rate (220 minus your age) or to work comfortably even at half your maximum target heart rate.
Features of the console:
Like the ProForm CS17e the 840 has a CoolAir built in fan. Unlike some machines you may see this one has one fan rather than two. The fan has two positions you can put it in, high and low. It will blow air at 4-6 miles per hour. I have noted that I do not like air blowing on me. If you do, you will love this feature. If you do not you do not have to use it! Note that if you are tall this fan will not blow on your face. It isn’t high enough.
The console has a 4-Window/5x7 Matrix Console. What the Matrix means is that it shows you your workout essentially in a graph form. The graph is 5 inches by 7 inches and easy to read because it lights up. I noted that the console on the CSI7e was perhaps the largest I had seen. In fact the matrix is larger than on the 840 coming in at 7" x 10". Personally the size of the graphics doesn’t matter to me because I pay no attention to it. The benefit of the graph is if you are interval training (changing levels and intensity fairly regularly); you can then monitor how long you have run at various intensity levels by watching the red lines change.
The four windows show my speed, time, distance, incline, pace, and calories. I am able to input my age and weight which makes the read outs more accurate.
Becoming more and more important is a feature I really like. This is the QuickSpeed Control. For example my gym has many treadmills. Usually when I increase the intensity I have to click on each level. So I would click the up arrow and it moved in increments of a tenth. It also beeps. Granted most people are not listening to my beeping but I have always found this annoying. With the QuickSpeed this is eliminated. I can increase my speed or decrease it immediately. It does not have to basically stop at each interval.
The way this works is really interesting. On the large hand rail where the heart rate sensors are buttons which light up when pressed. 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. It is a really neat feature. There are QuickIncline buttons that do the same thing. The machine will adjust the incline from 0-10% 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.
The programs:
You can choose the quick start button and not choose a program. If you want a program there are ten workout programs. They are laid out nicely on the console. There are six programs such as hills and interval training; If I choose interval training the machine will automatically control the resistance and level. There are two programs I can design on my own such as the quick start program. During quick start I can change the resistance or incline as I go along. I can change my resistance and incline though during any pre-set program as well. I am not locked into walking at 4.0 miles per hour at a level of 5% for 1 hour even if I picked that level. If I'm feeling tired or want to interval train (change resistances and speed frequently) all I have to do is press the QuickStart buttons. There are also two pre-programmed heart programs.
Additional information:
The machine folds and rolls. There is a 2.25 horsepower motor. The CS17e has a 2.75 horsepower motor. However the 2.25 is more than adequate. There is a 300 pound weight limit. The CS17e has a 250 weight limit. It is 56" high x 72" long x 36" wide, which is slightly smaller than the CS.
The treadmill has a 90-day warranty and a 12-year warranty on the motor.
My final thoughts:
In my opinion the ProForm 840 treadmill is an excellent choice. If $850 is in your ballpark I don’t think you can go wrong. Some people have had problems with the parent company, ICON’s, customer service but I don't think I have never heard complaints about a company.
Other treadmill reviews:
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
Recommended:
Yes
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