Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill

2011/12/12 | Author Amy

Bowflex is a brand which needs no introduction in the fitness department, with top selling products worldwide ranging from home gyms to weights benches to heart monitor watches. But if you are going to spend up to $1000 on a new home treadmill, you can’t simply rely on a brand name as your only guide to potential quality. So, does the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill do the manufacturer’s name justice, or is it an embarrassment to the famous Bowflex brand? Well, after over 230 customer reviews on amazon, it is certainly popular, and having achieved an average of 4/5 stars, it seems that the vast majority of customers are very pleased with the product. Costing anywhere from just under $950 all the way up to $1999 depending on retailer, the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill is in the mid-range of prices among the best treadmills for home use, and if we compare it to the other best treadmills in its price range, we will be able to determine whether the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill is good value or not.

Full product features of the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill are as follows:

3 Horsepower motor reaching speeds from 0.5 to 11 mph
Belt dimensions – 20″ (W) x 60″ (L)
Incline elevation from 0 to 12%
Quick speed buttons for swift access to your favorite workouts
A massive 15 in-built workout programs
Grip heart rate monitor
LCD 3-window console with backlight
Total unit weight – 298 lbs
Max weight capacity – 300 lbs
83″ (L) x 35 (W) x 55 1/4″ (H) – dimensions
40 5/6″ (L) x 35″ (W) x 65 1/2″ (H) – folded dimensions
Triple speed fan
2x Bottle holders
15 years warranty for the frame, 10 years warranty for the motor, 2 years warranty for the parts, 1 year warranty for electronics and labor

Click here to get your discount of $700.00 off the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill while it lasts!

First off, the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill has a 3 Horsepower motor which can reach running speeds of up to 11 mph, along with incline angles of up to 12% for extra difficulty. These specifications are generally as good as if not better than the best treadmills for home use within this price range. The 3 Horsepower motor is at the top of the motor power range, and home treadmills generally only reach 10% incline so the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill offers an extra 2% for those who really desire an extra challenge. What is really quite superior to similar home treadmills, however, is the amount of workout programs that the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill has: 13, plus 2 custom programs to make 15 total. This is very useful for those who like a diverse selection of exercises in order to perfect different types of cardiovascular fitness. Nevertheless this is not always a positive if you would prefer to focus on a certain workout type, and from experience I can say that it’s sometimes slightly annoying pressing through so many workout programs. Perhaps that’s why the majority of the best treadmills for home use have around 6 to 9 workout programs on average. However, to the credit of the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill, it does have ‘quick start’ keys which you can press to get to your favorite settings. As for the LCD display, it measures all of the standard workout metrics and is backlit as standard – so no major differences in this respect. Superior to most other home treadmills is the large belt size of 20″ (W) x 60″ (L) which affords the runner ample space for proper exertion during your workout, essential if you are going to make significant progress. Common to most high-end home treadmills the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill has implemented a cushioned belt which decreases the impact upon surface contact and thus significantly decreases the stress upon muscles, bones and joints, all the while allowing the lift-off to remain firm and unaffected as compared to asphalt. Finally we come on to the weight: at 298 lbs the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill is certainly not light; it’s definitely not a dainty piece of equipment but that is why it has a large weight capacity of 300 lbs.

Enough of the feature descriptions – the section wasn’t intended to run that long, but unfortunately there are just so many features that the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill has that it is difficult to keep it brief. What is just as important as the entire feature list is what customers have to say about an item. We have already covered the impressive 4/5 star rating on amazon in addition to the exceptionally high number of total reviews (over 230), so now we move on to the specific details. In the case of the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill, as we see with many of the top treadmills, there aren’t many negative issues and/or fixes that we can cover, because the reviews are predominantly positive. The only ‘solutions’ I can offer are: number one, get your own fan, because the built in fan on this treadmill is definitely not good enough; number two, you will need at least three (yes, three) people to carry and assemble this treadmill due to its extremely hefty weight. Also, don’t count on it being transferable between rooms of your home, again obviously due to its weight. Unless you want to nitpick, those three are the main issues raised by current owners of the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill. In addition to amazon, make sure to read consumer reports as well, another well respected source of current customer reviews.

Positive aspects of the Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill:

Huge range of features
Large belt dimensions for comfortably intense workouts
Powerful motor, high speeds
High weight capacity