New Balance 1400 Treadmill Review

  About Fred Waters

I recently tested the New Balance 1400 treadmill at the local Sports Authority. Considering how these machines are abused by not only prospective buyers, but also overactive kids, this treadmill seemed to withstand the strain.

This is what I liked about the New Balance 1400 treadmill:

• It was relatively quiet. The 2.5 hp continuous duty motor seemed adequate for walking and light jogging. Although I would upgrade if you plan to run or jog regularly.
  
  
• The deck was lengthy enough to handle a moderately tall individual, someone under 6'1'. The running area is 56", most treadmills in this price range are 54" or less.
  
  
• I ran on the treadmill to get a feel of the shock absorption and was relatively impressed. The suspension reduced the impact without being too soft.
  
  
• New Balance has what they call EZ Care Maintenance System. They make it simple to either lubricate and clean the deck, or to adjust the belt. In fact, you can lift a panel to view an optical sight index for balance adjustment. An interesting feature.
  
  
• The New Balance 1400 is a folding treadmill, and it is effortless to raise or lower.

What we did not like about the New Balance 1400 Treadmill:

• The display looks cheap with the multi-colored plastic overlay.
  
  
• The warranty is below average, with 1 year parts coverage. Although it comes with a 15 year motor warranty.

Our Review

Although this is a very competitive price range, we feel the New Balance 1400 is a contender. It surpasses comparable priced ProForm and Horizon treadmills, and except for the warranty, competes with Smooth and Sole Treadmills.

My one concern is some of the negative reviews I've received from customers. Several complained about the customer service.

Customer Commenets

Very quiet and reasonably priced at $899 at Academy. Downside is LCD display not viewable when looking straight down, if you are tall you must squat down to see. The jogger and walking programs are reversed from what label says. And the fan leaves much to be desired, almost unnoticeable breeze (it seems to blow harder on low setting). The first unit I had made a whining sound when the fan was on. I may be bringing back and upgrading to a sole or smooth.

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Terrible product. I had problems with the motor within 6 months. The wrong part was shipped to me 3 times by Fitness Quest. 6 months later it's squeaking very loundly and I need to buy a part of Over $100. Hopefully I get the right one this time. Would not recommend this product to anymore nor any product serviced by Fitness Quest.