Image 15.0R Treadmill Review

Our Image 15.0R treadmill review evaluates a budget buy for the home exerciser looking for a lot for their money – does it deliver?

Well, as always with treadmills in this price range – the 15.0R retails for $699, although big discounts can be had online – there are ifs, buts and maybes.

You can’t expect a club quality treadmill on which you can do some serious interval training or fast runs at this price.

But you can expect a decent, well built treadmill on which you can walk as part of a weight loss program.

So with expectations tempered, will this treadmill provide a robust, durable workout companion?

Image 15.0R Treadmill Review – Features…

Image are owned by Icon Health and Fitness, one of the largest manufacturers and retailer of exercise equipment and given their economies of scale they can churn out reasonable machines at low prices.Reviewing budget treadmills is always a challenge. Inevitably corners have been cut to knock them out at this price whilst providing a decent profit margin for the manufacturer.

Considering the fact that this is not intended to be a club quality performer, our Image 15.0R treadmill review found a lot to like about this model.

The motor is nothing to write home about. The 2.5 THP is equivalent to around 1.75 HP max of continuous duty – enough to power a brisk walk but no more.

However, if walking is your exercise of choice, then that’s sufficient.

Take the 10 mph max speed with a pinch of salt – the motor is screaming at around 6mph!

The QuickSpeed controls are common to Icon treadmills and offer a handy one touch mechanism to change speed.

The belt is a modest 50″ x 17″, so forget it if you’re tall or have a long stride. Most woman and shorter guys should have enough space to walk on, though.

The deck itself does a reasonable job of cushioning the impact of each step, although you only get a single ply belt, which is likely to wear out fairly quickly with regular use.

The treadmill folds up and benefits from Icon’s SpaceSaver design – it folds away easily and is compact enough when folded to squeeeze into the smallest of corners. Great for home users with limited space.

You also get a host of features, like the handy MySteps step counter, a heart rate monitor and workout fans.

There are also four workout programs, but you don’t get the iFit.com compatibility of more expensive models.

Overall the build quality is quite good for the price range, although the components are cheap and there’s a lot of plastic.

The motor comes with a 3 year warranty, but there’s only 90 days on the frame, parts and labor – all too common on budget treadmills.

Image 15.0R Treadmill Review – The Bottom Line…

Our Image 15.0R treadmill review would conclude that for the price, you won’t get anything significantly better – hardly a ringing endorsement, but you get what you pay for with treadmills.

The 15.0R is a good choice for the home exerciser that wants a treadmill to walk on. Accept it for what it is and you probably won’t be disappointed.

If you can bag it for under $400 you’ll be getting a real bargain – particularly with free shipping.