Weight Loss for Busy People Best Fitness Blog
Our Image Advanced 1400 treadmill review examines a treadmill that appears to offer a great deal at an affordable price – so does it?
The problem for brands like Image, which is owned by the huge Icon Health and Fitness is how to compete in the highly competitive low to mid range market.
Big selling brands like Sole make tremendous treadmills starting at just over $1,000, as do market leaders like Bowflex.
Whilst Icon brands like ProForm and NordicTrack practically own the under $1,000 market. So how do you build treadmills to challenge the higher end brands?
The Image Advanced range is designed to do just that, with better motors, decks and build quality and a wider range of features than the standard models.
Have they succeeded? Not really. There are a couple of decent models in the range but if I had $1,500 to invest in a treadmill, I’d still buy something like a Sole.
However, the entry level Advanced 1400 is worth checking out and does offer a pretty good value for money proposition at $799.
Image Advanced 1400 Treadmill Review – Features
Sure, there are compromises like some cheap components and limited warranties. But you do get what you pay for with treadmills and you’re not going to get club quality for under $1,000.I quite like what Image have done with the Advanced 1400. They’ve essentially invested in the build quality and essentials, like the motor and deck, whilst keeping the price affordable.
The motor is a 2.25 HP continuous duty unit. Not bad, but don’t be fooled by the ‘commercial drive’ tag applied to it. Commercial units start at much higher power outputs than 2.25 HP.
It is a decent motor, though and whilst not suitable for serious runners, it should be more than capable of handling the expectations of moderate exercisers like walkers and joggers.
If weight loss is your aim, then our Image Advanced 1400 treadmill review would suggest that this model is worth considering.
The responsive one touch speed and incline controls make controlling speed – it’s capable of up to 10mph – and increasing the incline up to the 10% max a breeze.
The treadbelt at 55″ x 19″ will be fine for most people, although tall users may be more comfortable with a treadmill with a 60″ x 20″ belt.
The AirShox cushioning on the deck is common to other Icon brands and gives adequate protection from impact injury. If sore joints are a problem, you should be comfortable enough on the Advanced 1400.
The build quality on this model isn’t bad for the price, with a sturdy frame and a fairly stable platform on which to exercise.
Inevitably compromises have been made in build quality to knock the treadmill out at this price and this is reflected in the warranties – 12 years on the motor but a mere 90 days on the parts and labour. Do you think they’re expecting it to break…?
The Image Advanced 1400 folds up, which is always an advantage for home users who invariably have limited storage space. The SpaceSaver design means it takes up little space when not in use.
Where Image has excelled is in the electronics – not the primary factor you should consider when buying a treadmill, but important nonetheless.
The treadmill comes with the backlit ClearView 7 x 10 matrix display LED console, ten pre-programmed workouts, grip pulse heart rate sensors and iFit.com compatibility.
The iFit feature means that you can download programs from the iFit website, which control your workout in the same way as the 10 pre-programmed ones do.
A nice option if you seek variety in your workout – there’s even a motivational music soundtrack included!
You also get the RaceTrack progress monitor found on other Image models, which translates as the console telling you where you are in your workout.
The MySteps step counter is useful, although somewhat redundant if you already use a pedometer day to day.
Image Advanced 1400 Treadmill Review – The Bottom Line…
Our Image Advanced 1400 treadmill review would conclude that you get a lot for your money with this treadmill.
If you’re looking for a solid, stable, reasonably priced machine with plenty of useful elctronic features on which to walk or jog, then the Advanced 1400 is certainly worth a look.
Image isn’t one of the best known brands in the exercise equipment world, but they’ve made a competitive product that should prove popular.
Ok, the warranties are poor but that’s all too common in this price range. That aside, there’s not a great deal to fault in this machine for the price.
