Ironman Home Treadmills are owned and manufactured by Keys Fitness - who also own the CardioMax, Alliance, HealthTrainer and of course the Keys Fitness brand name.
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Special Note: As of April 14, 2008, Keys Fitness Products L.P., along with affiliates, filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas.
While this doesn't affect their current treadmills, it may pose some serious problems with servicing in the future.
Here's the rest of the review...
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Ironman offers mainly economy to mid-priced treadmills that start around $800 and up.
Although they aren't as widely known as other brands, Ironman does offer some good basic features.
Strengths:
#1) Strong Motors - Starting around 2.0 HP up to 3.0 HP, the motors powers on these units are pretty decent.
#2) Decent Warranties - The warranties on these treadmills aren't bad - most offer a lifetime frame warranty, 10 years on the motor and 1 year parts and labor. It's not the best warranty out there but not the worst either.
(Note: The Ironman Envision treadmill is covered by a lifetime motor warranty which is much better.)
#3) Built In TVs - This is a popular feature which many treadmill brands like Nordic Track are starting to offer.
Several Iron man treadmills offer a built in TVs. The Ironman Legacy comes with a built-in 7" screen LCD TV. And the Ironman Envision offers an 8.5" Flat LCD TV Screen with Mp3 Plugin.
#4) Positive Ironman Treadmill Reviews - User reviews are generally positive - around 4 stars out of 5 at Amazon. And the Ironman M4 (model now discontinued) did rate a Consumer Guide 'Budget Buy'.
Weaknesses:
Obviously the main weakness here is the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by Keys Fitness. While this doesn't affect the quality of the treadmills already on the market, it may pose serious problems with servicing.
We would not recommend any of the Keys products - including Ironman treadmills at this time because of this. Other recommended brand alternatives would be Sole or Nordic Track .
Conclusion: Not Recommended
Iron man treadmills are a good basic treadmill overall, with decent motor powers, some nice extras like built in TVs and body fat monitors and strong warranties.
The reviews are generally positive and the treadmills are affordable with attractive consoles. However, due to the problems with the parent company, Keys Fitness, we would not recommend these treadmills right now.
