Nordictrack A2550 Pro Compared to Golds Gym Trainer 550

I know a lot of you appreciate our budget treadmill reviews because those are your only options. When you’re choosing between budget treadmills you’ve got to do a lot of research and be extra careful, because it’s easy to choose one that won’t hold up at all. Today we’ve got some $699 treadmills we’re going to pit together in a face-off. We’ve got the Nordictrack A2550 Pro and theGolds Gym Trainer 550.

Let’s start with Motor and Drive system. The Nordictrack motor is 2. 5 CHP. If it wasn’t covered by a lifetime warranty, I wouldn’t recommend a motor under 2.75 or 3, but since it is, you can always get a new one if it breaks. Not saying it won’t hold up, but smaller motors are more common to burn up or break because they have to work so much harder. The Gold’s Gym has a 2.75 CHP motor, which is a good step up. Just that much extra horsepower gives me a lot more confidence in a treadmill. 2.75 HP is actually really impressive for a $700 dollar treadmill.

Belt, deck, and weight capacity: The belt of the Nordictrack A2550 Pro is 20″ x 55″ this is a standard for smaller, cheaper treadmills. It’s only 5″ shorter than the standard full sized 20″ x 60″, and it still works fine. If you’re really tall, you may notice it a bit, but for shorter people, it usually doesn’t make a difference. The Gold’s Gym Trainer 550 on the other hand, has an 18″ x 52″ belt, now that’s pushing it. Taking 2 inches off the width, and 8 inches off the length, starts to make you feel cramped. The weight capacity of the Nordictrack is 350 lbs, compared to the Gold’s Gym’s 275 lbs. That’s a huge difference. A 275 lb weight limit is prone to crack and break. Even halfway light runners could crack it after a time. And the fact that it’s only covered by a 90 day parts and labor warranty suggests that they don’t expect it to last much longer than that. A 350 lb weight capacity indicates a much sturdier treadmill overall, and gives me a lot more confidence in the strength of the deck. 350 lb weight capacity for a $700 dollar treadmill is fantastic. The Nordictrack A 2550 Pro feels very solid for a treadmill that cheap.

Features: The Gold’s Gym Trainer 550 has a small blue backlit LCD screen on the console, and has 12 workouts. The MPH goes up to 10 MPH, the incline goes up to 10%. It uses Airstride Cushioning, and has a little fan. It also has a heart rate sensor, and built in speakers with a music port. The Nordictrack has a graphical display with little LCD windows, Ifit Live compatibility, dual grip Heart rate monitor, 16 built in workouts, it goes up to 12 MPH, has a 10% incline, and uses Comfort Shox cushioning. I’d say the Nordictrack has more to offer on the specs side.
Here’s a little comparison table:

With the huge difference in the warranty, and the extra specs and features the Nordictrack A2550 provides, it beats the Gold’s Gym Trainer 550. The Nordictrack A 2550 Pro wins!