Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsI was a skeptic until...I fell in love.
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2020
Seriously, for years I put off buying a treadmill for so many reasons I lost count, but the big ones were up-front cost, space, and my fear that I'd lose interest in it -- way safer to keep a gym membership with a treadmill there, but have other options too. Enter COVID. LOL
I really tried to adapt and just run/walk/hike on my own, but boredom with this dragged on alongside COVID. I looked at used treadmills to save some $$$ but just wasn't finding anything that suited. My last straw was the free iFit trial I got on my phone, just to see how I liked the style/format---figured it'd be too corny for me and that I'd struggle with virtual training (having tried it before), but turns out I liked it more than I thought I would. Global workouts (some relief for the travel-deprived) + personalities + a huge range of workout options was really working for me.
OVERVIEW
Have had this thing a few days now and am freakin' in love with it. I doubt I'll lose interest...even if I cancel iFit after the year trial, the freedom and flexibility I've got with this thing to run/walk anytime I'm free without being hindered by weather, time of day, personal safety, is pretty liberating. I'm just mad it took me this long to get off the fence about getting one in the first place.
MODEL CHOICE
As a lover of hiking, I looked seriously at NT's incline trainer, but between the primo price and the fact that the deck didn't raise, I dropped back to the Commercial 2450. I actually looked at ProForm too to save some dough since it's the same parent company as NT, but was won over by NT's larger screens and more solid consumer reviews (but would probably be just fine with a ProForm, honestly). Anyway, I don't regret not getting the incline trainer...having done the Waipio Valley hike with Johnnie Gale this morning, 15% incline is plenty...and if that's not burning your calves enough, jack up the speed, lol.
FEATURES
Lots of feature-talk in other reviews so I'll try not to echo too much here...but one complaint by some is that some models were shipped by Amazon without a tray for setting up a tablet in case you want to watch TV or whatnot (since the screen on the trainer won't do that). Mine has the tray, so...wasn't a problem. Fan works fine as a nice cool breeze--thinking of dabbing some essential oil on a cotton ball and taping to the back so I can get some plumeria vibes on the Hawaii training series! LOL! Deck isn't too heavy/hard to raise, but be safe and lift with the legs. The tablet on the trainer has a tilt option, but it's not great, so if you're doing the non-treadmill workouts it can be tough to see. I'd recommend downloading iFit on your phone/tablet and connecting your account there. I haven't noticed any issues between having my account on the trainer and my iPhone. Have had no issues with power/program glitches/freezes/restarts. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
One part I'm still sorting out -- doing manual adjustments to speed/incline in iFit workouts. This is possible, but it does seem buggy sometimes. For example, I'll let the program control the incline, but I might want to adjust speed. If I adjust speed 5-6 times or so, the incline stops auto-adjusting, so I click "follow the trainer" mid-workout as a reset, and start my own adjustments over. This doesn't require stopping the program, and honestly, could be partly user-error. Either way, not a big deal.
SHIPMENT
Like many, I ordered through Amazon b/c the shipping was better than NT's site, where things were on backorder. Given some reviews, I was a little worried though, about damage during transit/delivery. I had zero issue with this, thankfully. I'm wondering if Amazon changed their shipping strategy to account for this b/c I did notice the date I picked for shipping when I ordered got pushed out a week by Amazon. As I tracked things on their site over the days, I noticed the shipment status was vague for over a week before it shipped, and the delivery date changed twice. No one actually contacted me personally via phone to confirm delivery timing/etc., so I contacted Amazon customer service via their chat function. Their agents had more info than what appeared on the site to me which helped. Once it shipped, the email updates came rolling in as to tracking/delivery status. Since they contract the delivery to another company, it wasn't clear at all how to change the delivery date if I had a conflict, but I'm sure if I contacted customer service again, that could get sorted. All told, I ordered the trainer July 31 with an Aug 5 delivery date, but got it on the 11th. If that was the price to pay for COVID and getting it without being damaged, I'll take it. ;)
DELIVERY
Maybe it's b/c I live in a single-story home, but the delivery driver took no issue bringing it across the threshold for me. He even helped me orient it so I had an easier time unboxing.
ASSEMBLY
To be clear, this really is a 2-person job. But I chose to assemble as much as I could solo, then get a friend to help with the rest. Wound up doing the whole thing myself, though I fully appreciate why this isn't the smartest idea, lol. Instructions were pretty clear to me, pieces were neatly organized, and this is one of the few things I've put together where I didn't screw up/misinterpret and have to go back several steps. Bulk aside, I've had worse issues with assembling Ikea shelves, so props to the NT folks on making this clear/easy. And kudos and thanks to those who posted tips in other reviews. Using the box as a sled for getting the deck oriented (I even kept part of the cardboard under the console half of the unit to protect my floor), and assembling in the spot you plan to use it is an absolute must, whether you're assembling yourself or not. This thing has wheels, but wheeling it down the hall to another spot in my home isn't happening. Forget the weight/bulk...based on the direction the wheels are oriented, this thing is too wide for my hallway. I could turn it 90 degrees, but then the wheels are useless so...yes, determine where you want it first, THEN build. Thinking ahead to a situation where you might move residences, one thing I'm considering is taking the entire upper frame off the unit so it can move in 2 pieces (deck + upper frame/console, b/c my main concern would be damaging walls/floors/the unit and especially the console itself). If you don't fully snap in the two plastic pieces that sit over the legs at the base (these plastic pieces are simply cosmetic, and not snapping them in makes zero difference to the look/functionality), you can raise them and access the bolts they cover to unscrew the frame/console...and this absolutely WILL take 2 people...just be sure you disconnect the wire connecting the console to the power supply on the back of the running deck, and safely secure it.
