Fuel Treadmill Review

I've been seeing Fuel treadmills advertised all over Google, and figured I needed to go and check them out.

Fuel treadmills is a new entry into the competitive budget market, which is currently dominated by Icon Fitness (ProForm, NordicTrack, Image, Weslo) and Horizon Fitness.

Fuel is sold through Dick's Sporting. They had the Fuel FT94 on the floor. Typical of Dicks, you could not get anyone to assist you. How they make any fitness equipment sales is beyond me. Without any feedback from their salespeople this is what I determined.

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Note: Both the Fuel FT94 and FT96 are available at FuelFitness.com. Prices include free shipping.

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The Fuel FT94 Treadmill Features.

The Fuel FT94 sells for $699. This puts it in the budget treadmill range. Overall, the treadmill seems like a reasonable value. You get a 2.25 continuous duty HP motor and a 55" long treadbelt.

It is equipped with five preset workout programs, two user defined programs, hand pulse heart rate readout, and speakers with audio jack for an MP3 player. Excluding the speakers, these are typical features for this price range.

The deck seemed to do an decent job of absorbing my impact. The treadmill was not all that quiet, but once again this is a budget model. You want quiet — plan to spend $1,500 or more.

The warranty is lifetime on the motor and 1-year parts and labor, which is about average. You will find some models at this price range with only a 90-day parts and labor warranty.

What I thought was sub-par was the console. It was very basic, with a plastic overlay on membrane buttons.

Our Review - Fuel Treadmills

Since this is a relatively new treadmill, I cannot comment on the durability and the service record. Time will tell. However, if Fuel can build a solid treadmill with a good service record and back it with decent customer service, they could carve out a good share of the budget market.

On a final note, I would recommend the FT94 primarily for walking, and the FT96 for both walking and light jogging.

Customer Reviews

"I think your wesite is great and extremely informative.  I just wanted to know why you don't consider Fuel Fitness part of your "best buy" for $200-$1000.  I love my FT94, it really is a sturdy built machine that has a great warranty on it so I know I won't have any issues with it in the future."

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