When you talkabouttreadmills, one name pops into mind almost immediately NordicTracktreadmills. NordicTrack is a brand name for home exercise equipment.The best known is of course the treadmill. A treadmill is a piece of equipment that has a moving track that youwalk or run on. This provides what is called "cardio" training and isvastly popular worldwide.Treadmills became very popular in the late1980's with the explosion ofhome exercise videos and workout programs.

Using a treadmill at homebecame a status symbol of sorts and the NordicTrack brand gainedpopularity. This continued until the mid 1990's when sales bottomed outand a design infringement suit was filed by Icon Fitness. Icon won thatlitigation and as a result, NordicTrack was forced into bankruptcy.

Ironically, Icon Fitness (the world's largest supplier and manufacturerof home exercise equipment) took over and now produces the NordicTrackbrand.

NordicTrack treadmills are still sold today at various outlets, on EBayand other auction type web sites as well as second hand distributorslike 2nd Wind Fitness. They are available in several price ranges fromas low as $699 to over $2500 for the professional models.

The most popular NordicTrack models are the mid-range models (under$1000) including the A2105, A2250, A2350, C2155, C2255, C2500 andcommercial 1500.

As I was looking at treadmill review sites, it became apparent thatNordicTrack is no longer the brand of choice among consumers. Icontouts their army of engineers and use of imported parts to keepproduction costs down, but reviewers say that the machine quality hassuffered as a result. As a matter of fact, just about all the reviewsites don't even list a NordicTrack model in the top 10.



Of course, reviews are mixed and you can find positive ones as well.The reviews at Treadmill doctor pretty muchsay that NordicTrack has recently stepped up their machine quality andthey recommend NordicTrack for different reasons.

When you look at customer service after the sale, you get a completelydifferent picture. Users report negative experiences with Icon'sservice division. This is unfortunate for the consumer and from thevolume of reports, it is apparent that improvement is needed here.Parts availability and delivery is the most common thread.

As far as construction of the machines, NordicTrack definitely is lightyears ahead of the competition. Lightweight and foldable, NordicTracktreadmills are made well and look good in the home.

What I did notice was an amount of reviews concerning the powercomponents. One reviewer said that a machine in the $1000 range neededa more powerful motor to drive the treadmill belt. The specific modelhe was reviewing had a 2.0hp motor. He felt that a machine in thatprice range should have at least a 2.5hp drive motor.

All in all, I would say that the average review of the NordicTracktreadmills is on the positive side. In reality, there are many newbrands available on the market. The competition is absolutely fierceand reviewers do tend to have their preferences. So read the reviewswith a grain of salt, go to the fitness store and try one on for sizepersonally. This is the ONLY way you will get a feel for any specificmachine.