Best treadmills in India - buying guide

When buying a treadmill, you need to pick the right one based on your weight, height, whether you use it for walking or jogging or running. Otherwise it will just become just another showpiece you are hoarding in your house. So let’s figure out how to decide that today, along with identifying the best treadmill based on these parameters.

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I’ve reviewed about 17 treadmills across the brands Lifelong, Cockatoo, MAXPRO , PowerMax Fitness , Sparnod Fitness , Durafit. Each of these brands have different ones for different usage, weight and height.

First let’s get the pricing, reviews and warranty out of the way - treadmills come at prices from 10-11K all the way up to 40-50K. Most of them give a warranty of 1 year with 3 years on the motor and a 5 or lifetime year warranty on the frame. There are 100s of different models available in the market - I’ve only chosen the best ones to compare in this review, to identify the best treadmill.

Next thing to check is the supported weight. The models of treadmills compared range in the bracket of 90-125 kgs. Remember that this is the max weight - while walking. If you are going to use it for running, you have to reduce 20-30kgs as the max weight. For example, if you want to use the treadmill for running and the treadmill has a user weight of 100kgs, max weight of the user for running should be between 70-80kgs only.

Next is the horsepower or HP. The horse power is the heart of the machine. Generally a machine with higher horsepower will support heavier weights. In general 2 numbers are depicted for horsepower, the lower one is for continuous horsepower and the higher one is for peak horsepower. Ideally - when using for running, a continuous horsepower or 1.5 or 2 HP is required. If you are using it mainly for walking, a lower HP is still OK. If you are planning to use the machine for running or you are over 100kgs weight, select one with a minimum 2HP continuous horsepower. This is one area where many people go wrong. If the continuous horse power is not listed and only peak horse power is listed, continuous horse power will be approximately half of the peak.

Next important criteria is the running area. Taller people require a bigger running area. Runners require a longer running area. Why? Because their strides are longer. Remember that gif I posted in the start? If you select a small running area, it will not be useable at all. So what is a comfortable running area to look for?

• Walking / jogging - minimum 1000mm x 380mm

• Running - minimum 1100mm x 400mm

The models under 15k compared, Durafit Efficio, Lifelong FitPro, Durafit Compact have smaller running area and are ideal only for walking and light jogging.

Next is speed and incline - typical walking speeds is about 4-7.5 kmph. Typical jogging speeds can be between 7 - 9kmph and typical running speeds go upto 12-14kmph. These are typical - you may be a lot faster in which case you may need to factor that into account. So if you are using your treadmill mainly for walking, a treadmill with upto 8kmph max speed is sufficient. For jogging, upto 10kmph is sufficient and for running you need the higher speed ones.

Inclines come in manual and automatic. In manual incline, as the name suggests, you will have to manually adjust the treadmill if you want to add more intensity. In automatic, there will be a motor that will adjust upto 15% incline. If you intend to use it intensively or different people of your family use it - an automatic incline will be useful. Only the top end models Durafit Heavy Hike, INALSA, Sparnod fitness STH-4200/4100 and MAXPRO PTA460 offer automatic incline.

Next let’s talk about storage. If you have a lot of space in your house and can keep your treadmill open all the time, good for you! But if you are short on space, treadmills can be folded in two ways - vertical and horizontal. Most offer the vertical fold - which make sure it can stand in a smaller area but stil very visible. The horizontal ones can be pushed under a bed or a sofa even, depending on which one you buy. These can be convenient for people who are short on space. Only three models compared allow horizontal fold - Durafit Compact, Sparnod Fitness STH-3000 and Durafit Efficio

None of these models have a video screen, most have an LCD screen for the controls. The horizontal fold models normally come with a remote as they don’t have a bulky display on top of the treadmill.

Next few capabilities are only nice to have - not the most important features. Most models except the horizontal fold models also come with speakers which you can connect to using usb or aux input. Some models are able to connect to an app where you can see various different statistics.

Ok - now we’ve covered what you have to absolutely look for - let’s get to my recommendations - which as always, i’ve categorized based on usecase.

Best budget treadmill for walking, light jogging and space saver

Durafit Compact treadmill - available at 14999, this supports users upto 100kgs. With a continuous horse power of 1.25 and max speed of 8kmph, it is ideal for walking or light jogging. It is a great space saver as well - as it can be collapsed and stored under a bed. Since it can be collapsed horizontally, incline cannot be adjusted.

❇️ Best treadmill for walking and light jogging and space saving Durafit Compact

Best budget treadmill for walking, jogging and light running

PowerMax Fitness TDM-9x treadmill - Available at around Rs. 18k, this treadmill supports users upto 100kgs. With a max speed of 10kmph and a continuous Horse power of 1.75, this treadmill is ideal for walking, jogging and light running. It has a good larger running area as well of 1100x400mm, ideal for jogging and light running. It does have incline adjustment, but it’s manual with 3 levels.

❇️ Budget treadmill for walking jogging and light running PowerMax Fitness TDM-9x

Best treadmill for running and also a space saver

The Sparnod Fitness STH-3000 available at about 28k can be collapsed horizontally which can be a huge space saver. With a 2.25 continuous horse power, user weight of 110kg (running weight 85-90kgs) and a running area of 1110*406mm, this can be ideal for running. Again, since it can be collapsed horizontally, incline cannot be adjusted.

❇️ Collapsible treadmill for running Sparnod Fitness STH-3000

Overall best treadmill in India

There are many treadmills available at a higher pricepoint than this as well, but comparing the specs - this gives equivalent or better capabilities than the higher price ones as well. My best recommendation for treadmill is the Durafit Heavy Hike available at Rs. 35k. It’s got a fairly large running area of about 1270*470mm, 2.5 continuous horsepower, a 16kmph high speed and auto inclination of 16 levels - this is ideal for runners. There is no need to go for more expensive models, this gives great performance.

❇️ Overall best treadmill Durafit Heavy Hike

As for me, while I do use a treadmill if I’m in the gym but I’m more of a body weight / strength workouts with weights kind of person. If you liked this video, you may like this other video I made on everything you need to set up an aesthetic home gym that does not look like you have to dedicate a room for a gym.