Schwinn home treadmills are owned and manufactured Nautilus Fitness who have been in the fitness equipment business since 1986.
Nautilus also owns Stairmaster, Bowflex and Trimline. They're the second largest producer of exercise equipment in North America (after Icon).
Schwinn has had past success with their treadmills - their Schwinn 820p treadmill earned a 'Best Buy' rating from a leading Consumer magazine several years ago.
Schwinn discontinued the 820p and didn't produce any new treadmills for a few years.
They've recently however introduced 2 new treadmills for 2010 that show promise - the 840 and the 860 treadmills, both around the $800-$1200 price range.
Strengths:
#1 Quiet Operation
One thing we especially liked about these treadmills is that they run very quiet. This is great if you have other people in the family (like younger children who take naps) or if you want to run in front of your TV. You don't have to crank up the volume just to hear it.
#2 Strong Motor Powers
Ranging from 2.5 to 3.0 HP, these are decent motor powers and would be adequate for both walkers and runners.
#3 Built In Workout Programs With User Saved Info
The built-in programs let you run then and track your distance and time info - so you can work to improve it over time. This is a great feature if you get inspired by seeing how far you've come.
#4 Stable Feeling
Schwinn treadmills do give you a very stable feel when you walk and even run on them. The base is solid and the suspension is good.
And with a 300 lb user weight capacity, they can take a decent beating. However the downside to this is that these treadmills are very heavy (a heavier machine often gives you a more stable feel) so they can be a bit of a pain to move.
Weaknesses:
Warranties are quite weak on these machines - the best one (the 860 treadmill) offers 10 years on the motor and frame with 1 year on electronics and parts, 3 months on wear parts and 3 months on labor.
Now compare this to a Sole warranty with lifetime warranties on frame, deck and motor, 5 years on electronics,belt and rollers and 2 years on labor and you'll see the difference.
Plus the fact that these are so new to the market and haven't had the time to prove themselves yet may also be a problem for some buyers.
Conclusion:
Schwinn treadmills offer solid construction, decent motors and quiet operation. They have rated very well so far in user reviews and they're also affordable at around $800-$1200 (depending on where you buy them).
However they are new to the market, have less-than-stellar warranties and don't include a lot of the 'extras' (iPod docks i.e.) that other brands give you.
A good brand to compare these treadmills against is Sole.
Where To Buy At A Discount:
We found that these treadmill ran a bit higher in stores ($1200-$1500) however you can get them at Amazon Fitness for less than that. Plus you can also get Free Shipping which will save you about $150.
