Horizon Treadmill Reviews

  Treadmill Articles

Horizon treadmills are made by Johnson, who also makes Vision Fitness. Horizon is very popular and one of the top selling brands. Their treadmills are priced from $600 - $2,100. Their sub $1,000 models compete aggressively with the Icon brands, including ProForm and NordicTrack.

Overall, they are a fair value for the money. They have received favorable reviews from both Runner's World Magazine and Consumer Reports.

Note: You can buy Horizon treadmills direct at HorizonTreadmills.com.

Also check out NordicTrack Treadmills — they usually have some killer deals.

When shopping for a Horizon treadmill, all their various models may confuse you. Last I counted they had 23 listed on their site. They divide them into two brands, Elite and Horizon. You'll find many have similar features and parts.

Horizon sells their treadmills online and through sporting goods giants like Dick's Sporting and Sports Authority. Their Elite brands sell through fitness specialty stores.

Their budget models have the same issues you would expect with any treadmill built with inexpensive parts. The components are cheap and will breakdown with extensive use. These treadmills are primarily for walking.

Their $1,000+ models utilize better parts, and in some cases, are covered with a better warranty. For example, the Horizon PST 6 comes with a 25-year motor, 3-year parts and 1-year labor warranty. The decks have good shock absorption. They tend to be forgiving to your joints.

I'm not crazy about the construction of their consoles, many use plastic overlays with membrane buttons. It looks cheap. I also found that compared to comparable models in this price range the Horizon treadmills tend to be lighter. That is a plus if you plan to move the treadmill around, but generally the heavier the treadmill the more stable. In this price range you would also want to consider Sole, Smooth and Proform.

Although I have tested many of the Horizon models, I have not had the opportunity to test their Elite models. Reviewing the specs, they are rather impressive. For example, the T6 comes with a 3.0 hp motor and a 60" long running surface. The design is very contemporary. It appears they are getting away from the boxy look. The T6 weighs 265 lbs, making very sturdy and stable. The layout and design of the console is a vast improvement over the Horizon models. For Horizon, the price is hefty at $2,200.

Our Review - Horizon Treadmills

I am a bit leery of the Horizon treadmills for under $1,000. I am not confident they are the best value, and some of the customer reviews I've would justify my concern.

Regarding the mid-range models, several have some nice features for the price and seem to hold up fairly well. Although, this is a competitive price range and you should do some comparative shopping.

Runner's World Review

Runner's World rated the Horizon 5.2T as the "most favorite" out of 8 treadmills. A panel of experts and 150 runners conducted the review. I am not sure how scientific this study was.

Consumer Reports

CR gave the Horizon PST8 a "Best Buy" rating, giving it an "Excellent" for ergonomics and exercise range. They also gave the BowFlex 7 series a "Best Buy" in the same category of folding treadmills.

Customer Review

Note: There are a number of Horizon reviews on Amazon.com, and most are positive, Although I have received some negative reviews.

DON'T BUY ANYTHING FROM HORIZON! After looking and reading for almost 2 years, my next treadmill was one from Horizon Fitness. I had problems from the beginning with it, but never anything major. At about 8 months, the darn thing got to the point that it would stop whenever it got hot. The time it took to get hot kept getting shorter! When I called the company with this problem, they took all of my information and promised to send help. The help never showed! At 12 months and one day I got a letter from Horizon Fitness that the warranty was out and they could not longer work with me on my treadmill issues.

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Horizon T700 - Here's another negative review to add to your growing list. I too had a Horizon 700 seize up five days after I had it professionally installed at my home. Dick's was cooperative about sending a second unit to my home but after 8 minutes, it produced an unbearable high pitched squeaking noise. I just had this second machine picked up last night in order to gain a full refund. Dick's is no longer carrying this model. 

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Horizon E700 - We thought this machine would be great for the price, I tried it out in the store and it was very comfortable for me and my husband.  After 3 months of daily used the bearings seized up.  We called Horizon they gave us a number for a Tech "nearby".  I called the tech several times and he never returned my calls. So we gave up and tried to fix it ourselves only to find more parts inside broken. UGH! What a disappointment! Now we need to order MORE parts and see if we can get a different Tech... We paid $800 for a Coat-rack. - Heather

Positive Reviews from Amazon

Horizon Fitness WT951 - Easy to use; very smooth operation. Delivered prior to actual specified delivery date - great! The only problem I have is that the on/off switch is at the bottom front of the equipment--difficult and inconvenient to reach, especially if a person has a health issue that makes it difficult to get down on hands and knees or bend down to the floor to reach the switch.

T73 - Terrific treadmill, quality on approaching professional ones, great value. Great build, high quality heavy metal frame, well cushioned and spacious tread area, inclines well, VERY quiet (I was very surprised). Nice safety stop feature with magnetic clip you wear; if you fall, etc., it stops IMMEDIATELY, not just slows down. Belt area seems to be well designed, few places I could see where little fingers could get into trouble, better than other treadmills I've seen. Built-in fan seems silly, but actually works fairly well.

See Individual Horizon Treadmill Reviews