Let’s just face reality when it comes to buying a treadmill online. If you aren’t going to spend at least $600 then you are just not going to get a very good machine. That’s just how it works. The under $500 group of budget treadmills is really not strong.
But there is another reality to face as well. Chances are you won’t be using your treadmill nearly as often as you think. Research shows most home machines collect dust. Look, you’re busy, everyone is busy, so finding time to use a treadmill is just challenging. It’s ok.
So is a budget treadmill really all that bad? The answer is no. First off, you can get a decent machine for $300 or less. The Weslo Cadence comes to mind. Is it great? No. Will it turn on and work? Yes. If you are just jogging now and again or walking on it from time to time, then it will work, it will hold up and it won’t cost you a ton of money.
When it comes to the best budget treadmill for the money, we would say the Weslo Cadence G 5.9 is at the top of the list. However, if you are buying on Amazon, you might want to be aware of a few things.
Any treadmill that says manual means there is no motor. This means the treadbelt moves by you walking on it. They hardly count as treadmills when you think about it. This is why some brands include the word electric in their description. It is understood that a treadmill is electric if it doesn’t say manual. Therefore, you know these manufacturers aren’t heavily invested in the industry and are more interested in churning out low quality products than they are in making something that works. So if it says manual or electric, you can pass on it.
There is a very popular brand called Exerpeutic on Amazon as well. They have top sellers in exercise bikes and ellipticals. However, their treadmills aren’t top sellers for some reason. As far as budget machines go, they make a decent and inexpensive treadmill. They make a few actually. If you won’t consider Weslo, give them a look.
So for the best budget treadmills online, you should really be interested in either the Weslo Cadence G 5.9 or one of the Exerpeutic models. Nothing else is worthy of your consideration.