Treadmills and Walking Pads
NordicTrack Commercial 1750 Review: A Great Treadmill With an iFIT Habit
8.2
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Every product tested at homeNo paid rankings
IronnookSource: nordictrack.com
This is the home treadmill we would buy for a runner who wants one machine for easy miles, hills and long runs. The motor, deck and cushioning are commercial grade, decline is rare at this price, and it folds. The cost is iFIT: SmartAdjust and the best features need a membership of about $39 a month, and assembly is a two-person, two-hour job. Skip it if you will never subscribe.
Best for: Runners who want incline, decline and a folding frame in one
The Commercial 1750 pairs a 4.25 CHP motor with -3% to 12% incline and a 22 by 60 inch deck. We ran the numbers on the folding frame, the noise and the iFIT bill that comes with it.
Treadmill buyers tend to ask the wrong question first. They ask how fast it goes, when they should ask what it will cost to keep using it in year three. The Commercial 1750 answers the first question well, and the second with an asterisk the size of a monthly bill.
The hardware is what NordicTrack does best. A 4.25 CHP motor runs the belt from 0 to 12 mph, over a 22 by 60 inch deck that is wide enough for a long stride and long enough for anyone. Incline ranges from -3% to 12%, and that decline is what sets it apart: few treadmills near $2,000 can tip downhill to rehearse a race course. A 16 inch HD screen pivots toward a mat for off-belt work.
The price on NordicTrack's page when we checked was $1,999.99 against a $2,499.99 list, or $84 a month over 24 months at 0% APR. It is on promotion often, so do not pay list.
Two respected testers rate it near the top. Outdoor Gear Lab scored it 82 out of 100 and ranked it second of eight treadmills, naming it its pick for marathoners. Garage Gym Reviews gave it 4.4 out of 5. We agree with the shape of those verdicts: strong where running matters, less so where living with it matters.
Noise reports differ, which is common with treadmills because test rooms and methods differ. One tester recorded 74.7 dB up close; Outdoor Gear Lab logged 62 dB. A third calls it quiet, with no squeaks even when the incline changes. Our advice is to treat it as a moderately noisy machine and put a mat under it.
The treadmill runs without iFIT, but only a little. Without a membership you get a handful of free workouts and manual controls. SmartAdjust, the feature that moves speed and incline to match a scenic route or an instructor's cues, is part of iFIT. A membership costs $39 a month or $396 a year, with a trial included.
Over three years that is about $1,190, and so a $2,000 treadmill really costs about $3,200. If you run by feel on your own playlist, that is money you can keep, and a cheaper treadmill will suit you better. If you like following a trainer along a scenic route, it is money well spent.
For a work-from-home walking habit, the W60 Plus is one of the better budget pads. The deck is wider than most, the motor is quiet at about 54 dB, and the 12-level incline makes slow walking feel like exercise. It tops out at 4 mph, has no handrail and sits at $359.99 only on sale, so check the price. Buy it to walk. Do not buy it to jog.
A stable, no-nonsense treadmill with a real running deck, 15% incline and dials that jump straight to a speed. You bring the screen and pay no subscription. It is the smarter buy than a touchscreen model if you stream on your own tablet, and a poor one if you want on-board classes.
The C2 is a walking tool, not a treadmill: it stops at 3.7 mph, has no incline and a 220 lb user limit. Folding it in half cuts the length to 32 inches, which does help in a studio, though the folded slab is still 5.5 inches thick and owners report belt drift and a glitchy app. At $449 on sale it is fair value for casual walkers. Anyone who wants to jog should skip it.
Folded, the deck cuts the footprint by roughly 43% according to Outdoor Gear Lab, and EasyLift Assist helps you lift it. Assembled it measures 77.3 by 37 by 59.5 inches and weighs 311.5 lb. That weight, together with a 37 to 38 inch width, means it will not go through many standard doors once built. Plan where it will live before you order.
Assembly took testers 90 to 120 minutes and needs two people. One review also reports that storing it in a garage voids the warranty, so check the terms on the maker's site before putting it in an unheated room. NordicTrack lists a lifetime motor warranty on its page, and Garage Gym Reviews lists ten years on the frame and two on parts.
Two small complaints came up in the tests. Some runs felt jumpy for the first 30 seconds after start-up, and Outdoor Gear Lab measured a 4% speed variance. There are no handrail controls, which gets awkward during sprints. The step-up is about 10.1 inches, so shorter users may notice it.
The return policy deserves a read before you click buy. Garage Gym Reviews lists a 30-day window with a 10% restocking fee and $250 return shipping, which makes sending back a 311 lb treadmill an expensive way to change your mind. Measure your doorways and stairs first, and confirm the current terms with NordicTrack at checkout.
If you run three or more times a week and you have a room it fits in, the 1750 is one of the best treadmills for the money, and we would pick it over cheaper rivals that skip decline. The Horizon 7.0 AT is around $1,000 cheaper, and the ProForm Carbon Pro 2000 about $700 cheaper without decline.
Do not buy it to walk twice a week or if monthly fees make you grind your teeth. Do buy it if you want a motor and deck that will outlast most of its rivals. We score it 8.2: excellent hardware, held back by iFIT dependence and a heavy, two-person setup.
