Precor Treadmill Review

  About Fred Waters

I just got back from visiting the corporate headquarter and manufacturing facilities of Precor Fitness in Woodinville, WA, and was thoroughly impressed. They are one of a few U.S. treadmill brands that are actually built in the states. Their manufacturing operation is state of the art.

Precor has been in the business of building quality treadmills for over 20 years. You pay a premium for a Precor treadmill, but you are assured of getting an extremely durable machine that incorporates the best ergonomic designs found on any treadmill.

Exceptional Quality

Precor treadmills are built to withstand extensive use and are ideal for serious runners. Their residential models are designed after their commercial models found in health clubs, in fact, they utilize many of the same components. These are components that have been extensively tested to withstand the rigors of a commercial setting.

Note: You can purchase Precor Treadmills direct at www.Precor.com. There is also a dealer locator available.

Industry data shows roughly 3% of fitness equipment sold has some initial service issue — one out of 33 units.  Precor is substantially below that figure with only .6% — one out of 166 units. And this reflects the fact that their products are built to commercial standards. 

Precor Treadmill Features

• Integrated Footplant Technology — Unique to Precor treadmills, this feature preserves your natural gait by accommodating foot speed changes that occur with every step. It creates a more natural walking/running motion to help you stay balanced and in control of your stride. You just feel more comfortable as you run in comparison to other brands (Available on the 9.31, 9.33, 9.35).
• Heavy Unit Weight — Although all their treadmills are quite heavy, several of the models are commercial grade heavy. This means you get machines that are solid as a rock.
• Generous Warranties — An indication of the quality of the components is the 10-year parts warranty. Ten years is a long time to guarantee the parts of a complicated piece of machinery. It should also me noted it includes wear and tear parts.

Our Review - Precor Treadmills

Quite often I get feedback from readers who decided to give up their gym membership and purchase a treadmill for the home. Many are disappointed because the moderate priced treadmill they bought just does not have the feel of the commercial models they have grown accustomed to. It comes down to if you want a treadmill that feels like a commercial Precor treadmill, you need to buy a residential Precor treadmill.

You won't find a lot of bells and whistles on Precor treadmills. They are not into gimmicks. The company focuses on providing you with one of the lowest maintenance machines on the market. Both the Precor residential and commercial treadmills are extremely durable and designed to withstand abuse. That is why they provide a 10-year parts warranty.

Furthermore, the company is equally focused on providing you with the most satisfying running experience in the industry. Their philosophy is making the product move the way you move and to build residential treadmills that are as close to commercial treadmill experience as possible.

Precor invests considerable money into research and development in order to surpass your expectations. You'll find other treadmills that match or exceed the specs found on Precor machines for less money, but they they can't match the experience.

Runner's World Magazine Rating on the Precor 9.33

Bottom Line: The touch-sensitive controls respond as soon as your finger lightly touches the recessed button area; you don't have to push. Fairly fast speed changes. Compact console with a large, dot-matrix display that some testers found hard to read. The display shows only two data readouts (plus heart rate) at a time; you have to push buttons to choose other data. Display only shows pace momentarily when changing speeds.

Tester quote: "The responsive buttons are great during a speed workout when you're tired. But I'd like to see more data readouts so I don't have to keep pushing buttons to get the information I need."

Consumer Magazine Review

A prominent consumer magazine gave the Precor 9.31 treadmill an "Excellent" for exercise range, ergonomics, construction and quality.

ConsumerGuide

Consumer Guide gave both the Precor 9.31 and the 9.35 treadmills a "Recommended" rating.

Precor Reviews:

Precor 9.23 Treadmill

Precor 9.27 Treadmill

Precor 9.31 Treadmill

Precor 9.33 Treadmill

Precor 9.35 Treadmill