Sole F80 Treadmill 2008 Model Review

Great Treadmill - Solid Piece of Equipment!
anonymous (Poulsbo, WA)
I researched many of the same brands that were listed in prior reviews and decided to go with Sole F80. I ordered directly from Sole, since they're not sold in WA state, and the closest Dick's Sporting Good store was in OR and to far to drive too to look at their floor model. I did call them and the F80s were sold out. When I ordered my F80, it shipped the next day, with free shipping & no taxes (at least for WA state), and I got it within a week.

We assembled it within an hour, the instructions are not the best, as others have said, but we were able to figure it out by looking at the diagrams in the manual, but make sure to read through the manual for safety instructions. We set it up in the garage and our garage floor was not level, so we put a shim on one side to level it, and after that it was rock sold. It really is a solid piece of equipment! I wanted something solid, with a good warranty, good deck, quite, didn't need all the bells & whistles - that some other brands offered, and this treadmill more than exceeds my expectations.

I have RA and can't believe how much better my feet feel after a work out on the Sole F80, unlike my old treadmill where my feet would throb really bad afterwards. I'm 5'1" and the fan works great for me, I just tilted the vents inward all the way. The motor is super quite, compared to my old treadmill. My husband, who's 6' 2" with long legs, got on the treadmill to see how it fit him and he had no problems walking or jogging on it, but for someone who's tall like him, with long strides, they might consider the F85 with the longer deck.

As far as Features, other reviewers have already written about it, so I won't dwell on it, but it has more features than I'd ever use. I'm pretty simple, I hit the start button, set my speed & go, and I do use the incline, which I love. It's amazing how time flies on the Sole F80.

The only criticism I have, is with the speakers, they could be better, but again I wasn't looking for bells & whistles, so I won't mark off for that.

Recommended!  
Lyn
I tested this treadmill out at Dick's Sporting Goods before purchasing and I am very happy with it. I've had it for a month now and I run on it 5 days a week, 3 - 5 miles each time. It feels sturdy and strong, and even though the running deck isn't as long/wide as a gym treadmill it is still comfortable to run on.

The fold up/down feature is nice, although lifting it at first is quite heavy. Once you get it going it is pretty easy. Folding it down is really easy - it pretty much folds down by itself.

I only have a few gripes about this treadmill:
- there is no number pad on the display. There are 6 preset speed buttons, if they aren't the speed you desire you have to continuously hit the up/down buttons to get to the speed you want. You can get creative by hitting the speed button closest to the speed you want to go and then hit up/down from there. A number pad would be nicer.
- the built in fans are not meant for a short person. I am 5 feet, 0 inches and the fans do not rotate down enough. They seem to aim right above my head.
- the workout time on the display only counts down. I know this is really picky, but every treadmill I've ever run on the time display counts from 0 to the programmed time (which also usually allows you to keep going past the programmed workout time).

Those are my only gripes. I would still purchase the treadmill because of the quality and price.

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