Pacemaster Gold Elite Treadmill

Pros: Long belt, cushioned running, 15% incline, programs to automatically adjust treadmill to heart rate
Cons: Poor quality

My wife and I wanted the convenience of exercising at home, so we decided to buy a treadmill. We wanted to use it for both walking and running. From what I had read from various reviews on the Internet, treadmills below $1000 were not typically suitable ...

Pros: super solid feel, quiet, feels like a commercial machine, folds!!
Cons: rectangular recesses are a pointless space-waster

BACKGROUND & USAGE I bought the Pacemaster Gold Elite Folding treadmill when it first came out in the spring of 2006. I was living in Houston and sick of fighting the humidity so I planned to do all of my running - about 35 miles a week - indoors. I'm ...

Pros: Value, quality
Cons: Heart monitor is not accurate-who cares

I've had my Pacemaster for about 4 months. I've used it 4-5x per week. The product has been excellent. I run hard--7 minute miles and quarter mile intervals and I weigh 180 pounds. The treadmill is very stable. The treadmill has been perfect up to ...

Pros: Great reviews in Runner's World treadmill round-up.
Cons: Terrible electronics, constant service calls, huge bills.

Pacemaster has great PR in the treadmill world, but its products are bad. The electronic membrane on my Pacemaster -- this is the "touch system" that controls everything on the treadmill -- went bad after less than a year's use. I later found out that ...

Pros: Console has good feedback and options, multiple profiles. Virtual programs are convenient.
Cons: Bad quality control, cheap console, noisy, unstable, no water bottle holder. 

I originally purchased a Pacemaster Silver EXT model and after 7 service calls, both the service department and the Retailer decided it was time to switch the machine out.  Just about every part was replaced at least once on the machine and then ...

Pros: very reliable
Cons: color is ok

I received my PaceMaster Gold Elite Fold-up about 2 months ago & use it religiously. This has to be the best pound for pound purchase I made in a long time.

For my 2nd fold-up I find it very stable & tight. My normal w/o routine is to walk/jog between 3.5/7.5 mph with a 1% incline for 5/6 miles daily. I was getting tired of being embarrassed with my past 2 treadmills (under $1000.00 each) breaking down in front of friends & family in my mini home gym. I find it a piece of cake to fold & wheel this 260lb treadmill around due to tight space since it is only 6 feet high folded.

I can't see getting bored with the large variety of workout programs. I really enjoy my custom workouts, depending on my mood I bounce back & fourth between 2 of the 3,my wife took over the 3rd custom which she enjoys along with the fat burn programs.

No complaints so far on the heart rate since the target is pretty accurate .Another great feature I like about my PaceMaster Gold fold-up is that it is made in the US.

Pros: customer service, programs, durability
Cons: none

I purchased a PaceMaster Gold Elite in January of 05. After researching the various treadmills on the market (there are a lot of them) I chose PaceMaster because of the quality reputation and because it seemed to be the only one in my price range still made in America. I purchased it to aid me in training for my first marathon. Now I used this treadmill virtually every day and went from 240 lbs. down to 195 lbs. in then next twelve months. I had one problem with the lower board and when I contacted the retailer (2nd Wind Exercise) they came out and got me running again in three days. I was pleasantly surprised. Now I have put almost 3,000 miles on my PaceMaster and I love it. The programs are very varied and I never get tired of trying a new ones. I don't think you can make a mistake by buying this treadmill.

Pros: It does not cost as much.
Cons: It does not withstand running. Breaks a lot, heart rate not good

I have had my Pacemaster gold elite for about 4 months. I have had nothing but problems. I run 30-40 miles a week. I have had 2 power supplies replaced speed monitor heart rate monitor and the biggest one a Deck and Belt. My Treadmill does not have even 400 miles on it. Pacemaster said that with some runners you need a rear deck support. However when I called them before I bought the treadmill and told them how much I would be running they assured me that it would work just fine. I have a Clicking sound again that is the sound it made when the deck was cracked. I am getting rid of my Pacemaster Gold Elite. Thanks To 2nd wind Exercise for taking the Treadmill back and letting me upgrade. I am getting a True it cost more but hopefully I will not have the Problems I had with this Treadmill. All runners do not buy this Treadmill.

Pros: When it worked it was pretty nice to run on
Cons: It didn't work for very long!

This relates to the Platinum rather than the gold - same machine, more electronics.

I did all the research, thought I'd got a good machine, but it seems not.

I had it for about 6 weeks, have run about 130 miles and the deck broke. It's cracked across the landing zone (where your feet land while you run), almost 1/2 the width of the deck, rendering it useless.

This machine is rated for a user of 400lbs. I'm half that and it suffered a catastrophic failure after less than two months. I called for warranty service 3 days ago and am still waiting for a callback.

Lets just say I'm less than thrilled with both the quality and the service...

Pros: very sturdy, very functional, very smooth, very reasonably priced for what we got
Cons: more programs than I'd ever use.

My husband (6'0", 175 lbs) and I (5'2", 135lbs) were looking for a treadmill that could accommodate my regular running (30 min, 5x a week) and his occasional running/walking. We were very torn between this and the Landice L7. We did our homework on treadmilldoctor.com, and consumer reports, and were relatively satisfied that either way we were going to get a quality product.

What it came down to was the price. Neither of us were 400lbs, or training for a marathon, and felt we'd be satisfied with the Gold Elite.

And are we ever. We've had her for a month now, and my morning run has been a joy. The programs are fantastic. The frame is so sturdy, I feel like I'm on a commercial treadmill at my gym. The control panel isn't super fancy, but still has enough bells and whistles not to make me feel deprived.

All in all, we haven't had any complaints, and have very much enjoyed using it.