LifeSpan TR1200i Folding Treadmill - Review and Recommendation

LifeSpan TR1200i Folding Treadmill is excellent home folding treadmill, with many options and great features that justify its price. It has very good and strong 2.5 CHP motor, and it comes with lifetime warranty on motor and frame.

LifeSpan TR1200i Folding Treadmill is not the smallest and not the lightest residential treadmill on the market, but for the unit to be strong and durable, it simply must come with the weight 'penalty'.

When assembled, LifeSpan TR1200i weighs 197 pounds (89.2 kg). Unit should be placed on the permanent position and when not in use, folded - running deck folds upwards easily, thanks to the lifting mechanism. Hard floors are the best floor type for this or any similar unit. Wooden floors and carpets should be protected using good and strong treadmill mat - such mats are recommended for hard floors, too.

Unit comes with transport wheels, so it can be moved around, if really necessary.

Unfolded dimensions (L x W x H): 70.25 x 33 x 55 inches (~178.5 x 84 x 140 cm)

Folded dimensions (L x W x H): 39 x 33 x 63 inches (~99 x 84 x 160 cm)

Belt dimensions (W x L): 20 x 56 inches (~51 x 142 cm). Running belt is wide enough and provide plenty of space for walking and running. However, length could be better - at 56 inches, people with longer strides could have issues with running. 2 ply belt is strong and durable and is mounted on 2.5" (~6.35 cm) front and 2" (~5.1 cm) back rollers.

Running deck suspension is based on 6 independent compression shock absorbers - in combination with strong motor, large rollers and non-elastic running belt, running is smooth and gentle on the joints.

Maximum allowed user weight is 300 pounds (~136 kg), which is more than enough for most trainees. Stronger units supporting maximum user weight of 350, or even more pounds, tend to cost more, especially if they are running treadmills. Walking treadmills supporting 400 pounds users are cheaper than running treadmills supporting 400 pounds users.

LifeSpan TR1200i comes with 15 possible incline positions, which can be changed easily, as required by the user or workout program. Maximum lifting capacity of the incline motor is 650 pounds (~295 kg).

Deck height is ~7.25" (~18.5 cm) above the floor. At level 15, front part of the running deck is some 11.5" (~29.2 cm) above the floor - important for rooms and home gyms with lower ceiling and for taller runners.

This unit comes with very good 'Residential Warranty':

- Frame: Lifetime
- Motor: Lifetime
- Parts: 3 Years
- Labor: 1 Year

Lifetime warranty for frame and motor is very important - frame is welded steel and it will hardly brake, unless someone throws it out from the window. Lifetime warranty on the motor is important since motor is the heart of such units and when it broke down, its repair can be quite costly.

LifeSpan TR1200i treadmill comes with 21 easy-to-use exercise programs: 2 heart rate programs, 2 customized user programs and 17 preset programs, of which 5 are weight management, 5 healthy living, and 7 programs are sports training programs.

Speed range is between 0.5 and 11 mph (0.8 and ~18 km/h).

LifeSpan TR1200i Console

Display is multi-color LCD with simultaneous readouts of running/walking time, burned calories, covered distance, number of steps, current heart rate, walking/running speed, and incline level. Also, it shows name of the current exercise program and profile, and if present, personal data from a USB device.

Note: unit comes with the USB port - trainee results, including minutes, calories, heart rate, distance, and step count are automatically saved every 20 seconds for upload to the user's free LifeSpan Club account.

Heart Rate Monitor is based on contact heart rate sensors and chest strap receiver, however, chest strap is not included and must be ordered separately. Personally, chest strap is much more convenient than contact heart sensors, especially for people actually running on the treadmills.

Console is easy to use with large soft-touch keys: start, enter, up/down arrow keys and QuickSet™ buttons help user start at a specific speed and incline level.

Audio center provides two speakers and headphone plug-in - listening to favorite music is sometimes very important when working out.

Long story short - regardless if you need a good treadmill for your home gym or you are just passionate runner and need a good home treadmill, LifeSpan TR1200i is a model you should consider. It doesn't have, for example, Google Maps option, or it doesn't come with treadmill lubricant (the manual says to apply it before first use), it is rather heavy, it doesn't come with USB memory stick, or chest heart rate strap etc. but taking into account all the pros and cons, it is very good treadmill.

For more reviews and recommendations, check LifeSpan TR1200i Folding Treadmill Amazon link (link opens in the new window).