Horizon Fitness distributes inexpensive treadmills as well as other kinds of home fitness equipment. The Horizon T101 is an entry-level treadmill that costs under $700. It it among the industry’s best selling machines at that price point. This is a very good entry-level treadmill and it comes with a solid warranty. It is fairly small and folds easily for storage. Some of its best features include its nine built-in programs, a speaker system to play MP3s and an incline.

Horizon’s best seller is the T101. However, the Elite T9, Elite T7, Adventure 5 and Adventure 3 are the company’s higher-end machines that are definitely worth considering if you have a larger budget.

Pros

Price: Horizon treadmills have been priced for individuals who have smaller budgets for fitness equipment. The T101 was launched with an under $800 MSRP, and you can usually find the best price for it online.

Warranty: It comes with a two-year parts warranty. For a low-cost treadmill, that is very respectable. The lifetime warranty on the motor and frame is excellent and difficult to find for machines in this price range.

Audio: The MP3 player port and speaker system help make the time fly when you are working out.

Exercise programs: The treadmill comes with nine built-in programs, which are more than enough to challenge beginning exercisers. You can choose from calorie, distance and time programs in addition to weight loss, interval and manual workouts.

Incline: The track on the T101 inclines to 10% in order to make workouts more efficient.

Heart rate monitoring: The treadmill’s dual grip monitoring system makes it easy to monitor your pulse.

Console: Horizon’s consoles are good-looking and user-friendly. The T101 comes with a gray console with orange LED lighting and three data windows. There is also a cooling fan as well.

Portability: The treadmill folds, making it easy to transport and store.

Stability: The T101 is able to support as much as 300 pounds, unlike most other budget treadmills.

Cons

Short Track: the tread belt is 20″ x 55″, which is a vast improvement over the 17″ x 45″ small running area on the Evolve SG. However, for really tall exercisers, it isn’t long enough. The Horizon Adventure 5 has a 60″ track, but costs $500 more.

Motor: The 2.24 horsepower motor is well suited for jogging and walking. However, it isn’t necessarily all that great for hardcore runners. Speeds of up to 10 mph are supported. A smoother experience may be provided by a larger machine that has a larger motor.

Cushioning: It has okay cushioning, but it isn’t anything to write home about. If you are going to be doing a lot of jogging on your treadmill, you might want to think about getting the Adventure 5 or the Adventure 3 instead. They have a better warranty, display and drive system, which in the long run will pay off.

Our Recommendation

The Horizon T101 is perfect for a person just starting a fitness program or someone wanting to focus on moderate or light workouts. Its nine programs offer exposure to various kinds of treadmill workouts. In addition, many exercisers will feel a lot more motivated to work out since they can listen to MP3s or podcasts easily. Also, the 2-year parts warranty is not bad. Many low-cost treadmills only have a 90-day warranty on parts.

The Horizon T101 gets an above average rate. However, don’t be fooled. It is very good for what it is: a low-cost walking treadmill.

It you would like a bit more advanced but cheap treadmill, then check out Horizon’s Adventure 5 or Adventure 3. Both of them have steeper inclines, more powerful motors and several other important upgrades.