The New Balance 1600 Treadmill Review – Not enough of an upgrade for the price

Ohiyo!

I think this week is about reviewing equipment which has disappointed the Treadmill Sensei. You see, we are all a pretty big fan of New Balance equipment here at the DOJO – especially their treadmills. With recent huge price drops on Amazon, a customer will get way more for their money in a New Balance treadmill than from any other unit in the $799 to $1299 range. In fact, if the models stay the same and the prices continue to be as low as they are, chances are looking good for New Balance to sweep the Ichi Ban Best Buy Awards later this year and look for revised ratings to match their revised pricing. As decent as some of the units from Horizon, Spirit and Schwinn are, they just can’t compete with the New Balance models going in to the next busy season.

Unfortunately, New Balance’s run on great equipment comes to an end with the New Balance 1600 treadmill. This unit really exists as a slight upgrade from the New Balance 1400, having a different batch of programs and a 12 mph top speed versus the 11mph on the 1400 treadmill. The New Balance literature also lists a 57″ length deck, but without having the 1400 side by side with the New Balance 1600 treadmill I really couldn’t tell the difference between the two. This could be a bit of “creative measurement” on the part of New Balance.

I’m really not sure what New Balance was thinking when they put together the specs on the New Balance 1600 treadmill because there isn’t enough of an upgrade from the New Balance 1400 to warrant the additional $200 in cost, and if you’re already willing to spend $1199 for it I’d suggest spending the additional $100 for the much better New Balance 1800.

I do want to take a second to mention how incredibly easy all the New Balance units are to put together. These are easily the most user friendly machines out there in regards to assembly.

Now, keep in mind the New Balance 1600 treadmill isn’t a bad machine at all and completely blows away just about any other unit at its price, it just falls short when compared to the rest of the New Balance line. For being not as good of a deal for the cost, the Treadmill Sensei gives the New Balance 1600 3 out of 5 golden buddahs.

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com