How we test and rate
A spec sheet tells you what the factory promised. Our rating puts every machine on the same scale, and our bench tests check what it actually does in a room like yours.
How our rating works
Every machine gets a score out of 5. It's the same formula for every model in a category, so a 4.5 treadmill on one page and a 4.5 treadmill on another are equally good by our measure. Five things go in, weighted by how much they matter to someone buying for home:
- 30%Motor and deckContinuous horsepower, belt width and length, and the user weight rating. On ellipticals: stride length and flywheel weight.
- 22%ValueWhat you get for the typical street price, compared with machines that cost the same.
- 18%Incline and featuresIncline range, decline, top speed and the console. On ellipticals: resistance levels and incline.
- 17%WarrantyHow long the frame, motor, parts and labor are covered. A lifetime frame and motor warranty scores highest.
- 13%Fits a homeOpen footprint and whether it folds. Smaller and foldable scores higher.
Our verdict sets the guard rails. A machine we recommend can't drop below 4.0, one we'd steer you away from can't score above 3.2, and a discontinued model tops out at 3.6. Until a machine has been through our bench tests, its page says the score comes from specs. Once it has, the measured results replace the illustrative figures and the score is updated.
A real example from the site
How we rated the Horizon T101
- Motor and deck
- 3.6
- 2.5 CHP, 20 x 55 in belt, 300 lb limit
- Incline and features
- 3.6
- 10% incline, 10 mph top speed
- Warranty
- 4.5
- Lifetime frame and motor cover
- Fits a home
- 4.1
- 70 x 34 in open, folds
- Value
- 4.3
- Fair for what you get
Our rating is out of 5 and uses the same formula for every machine in a category: motor and deck, features, warranty, how well it fits a home, and value for the typical price. Until we bench test a machine, the score comes from its published specs. How we rate
What every machine goes through
This is the bench test each machine on our list is scheduled for. We're early: most figures on the site are still marked illustrative, and each review says plainly whether its numbers are measured yet.
- We buy it at retailFrom the same stores you'd use, with our own money. If a brand ever sends us a unit, the review says so in the first paragraph.
- One person builds itBox to first walk, with a stopwatch running and every awkward step written down. If the manual gets something wrong, the review says where.
- We measure the floorWith a tape, not the brochure: open footprint, folded footprint and height. Each review's floor plan adds the clearance the ASTM F2115 safety standard asks for behind and beside the deck.
- We measure the noiseA Class 2 sound meter at deck height, 3 feet from the machine, at 3, 6, 9 and 12 mph with a 200 lb user on the belt, ambient noise subtracted. Then someone stands in the room below and tells you what they hear.
- We check incline and speedA digital level on the deck at the top incline setting, and a measuring wheel against the belt at 3, 6 and 9 mph. We publish the gap between what the console says and what the belt does.
- We read the power drawA plug-in watt meter at the wall, idle, walking and running, so you know what it costs to run and whether it needs its own circuit.
- We live with itAt least four weeks: 100 miles on a treadmill, 40 on a walking pad, 30 hours on an elliptical. We note what loosened, what squeaked and whether the latch still clicks.
What we don't do
We don't sell placement, and we don't take payment for reviews. We don't show crowd ratings or put an aggregate star rating in search results: our score is our opinion, and we label it that way. We don't present a figure as measured until we've measured it. The earnings disclosure explains how affiliate links work and why a commission never moves a rating.
Where the numbers come from
Every spec on every page comes from one product database, so a belt size on a best list can't disagree with the same belt size on a review. Specs are the manufacturer's until we've checked them on a unit. Measured figures carry the test date. Prices are typical ranges at the time of writing, and the retailer button always shows today's.
The kit
A Class 2 sound meter checked against a 94 dB reference, a digital angle gauge, a surveyor's measuring wheel, a plug-in watt meter, a 25 ft tape and a notebook. Nothing exotic, which is the point: you could check our work.
Who does it
The test team page lists who built and measured what. We plan to add a certified trainer or physical therapist to the team, and the byline will carry that credential the day it's true, not before.