The Horizon T82 Treadmill Review – Solid upgrade and a best buy runner up for 2008

Ohiyo!

It’s a new day and the Treadmill Sensei is glad the Ichi-Ban Best Buy Awards are now finished. You, my loyal readers, how no idea how much work goes in to compiling those every year. My brain is fried!

Today I want to talk a bit about one of the top offerings from Horizon Fitness this year, the Horizon T82 treadmill. We got in a batch of their equipment a couple of months ago and have been slowly sorting through and testing it all. We reviewed the T82 back in September but this is my first chance to sit down and actually write that review up.

As with all of the Horizon units, assembly is fairly straightforward and easy to manage on the T82 treadmill. The instructions that come packed with the Horizon T82 were clear and simple to follow. On the unit we reviewed, there was a minor alignment issue in one of the holes in the console, but nothing major at all. Total assembly time, even with the alignment problem, was less than 10 minutes. For most people that time will probably be in the 15-20 minute range or so. Very quick and hassle-free.

It seems like Horizon upgraded the plastic they use in their equipment this year. Normally on these lower cost treadmills you have to be very careful when you put them together for fear of cracking the thin, rigid plastic that makes up the consoles and shrouds. However, the plastic on the Horizon T82 was very sturdy and thicker-feeling than normal. This is an excellent addition and will allow the Horizon T82 to hold up to more of a beating than other treadmills in the under $800 price range.

The Horizon T82 is a great buy at about $799, featuring the standard large and cool running Johnson-Tech motor, coming in at a fantastic-for-the-price 2.25 horsepower. The T82 also features a good-sized 20″ x 55″ running area, 10 mph top speed, 10% incline, heart rate monitoring and a staggering 14 programs. Horizon went all out when putting together the design for the T82 treadmill this year, making it a huge upgrade over last year’s award-winning Horizon T72 treadmill.

The key to the Horizon T82 is that it is an incredibly sturdy treadmill, weighing just under 190 pounds. With the addition of that plastic upgrade, the T82 is one of the most solid treadmills available at its price point. For being a great new unit from Horizon, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Horizon T82 4.5 out of 5 golden buddahs.

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com