Sole F63 vs Smooth 5.45: Choosing The Best Treadmill For Under $1000

Finding a treadmill that delivers a solid performance at under $1,000 isn't the easiest thing to do but the Sole F63 and the Smooth 5.45 treadmills fit into this category nicely. Let's compare the Sole F63 vs the Smooth 5.45 and find out which of the two exercise equipment deserves the top spot as the budget treadmill for walkers and light joggers.

Reviewing The Basic Specs

If you put both these treadmills together side by side, there is practically no difference in the basics they offer. Each has a 2.5 HP motor and can work at minimum speeds of 0.5 up to maximum speeds of 10 MPH. The running surface on each measure 20 x 55 inches.

When talking about stability, the Sole F63 takes the lead. It weighs in at 245 pounds while the Smooth 5.45 treadmill comes in as the lightweight at only 210 pounds. This 35 pound difference allows the Sole F63 to hold a user weighing 325. The Smooth 5.45 can only accommodate a maximum user weight of 250 pounds.

User Friendly Console And Programming

Each treadmill machine offers an LCD display to keep tabs of the information that is most important to the user. These include time, distance traveled, and the speed, to name a few. Each treadmill unit comes with six programs built-in. The Sole F63 comes out on top with two user defined programs for added adaptability. The Smooth 5.45 and the Sole F63 both have hand pulse grips but again, the Sole F63 moves ahead with an inclusive wireless chest strap to allow for easier heart rate monitoring.

The Smooth 5.45 comes with a very useful program that conveniently adjusts the workout based on the heart rate as monitored through the hand pulse grips.

The Extras

The Sole F63 model treadmill offers built in speakers and cooling fans allowing the user to have a more comfortable workout. Unfortunately, these extra features could use a higher standard. The Sole model has earned more points over the Smooth 5.45 because of the incline and speed controls easily accessible from the arm rest. These settings can be adjusted easily during your workout, to give more of a challenge or offer interval training.

Price and Warranty

The retail price in the market for Smooth 5.45 is $1,497 and the price of Sole F63 is $1,899. However, the sales price is reduced to just $999 if you buy it direct from Sole or Smooth, or through third party online sites. Besides the reduced rates, both machines also have really good warranties but Smooth holds the edge over Sole in this aspect. Smooth 5.45 has lifetime guarantees for the motor, frame, and deck whereas in Sole F63, you will only get 3 years warranty for the deck and lifetime guarantees for the motor and the frame.

Sole F63 vs Smooth 5.45: Which Treadmill Wins The Competition?

There is no doubt that both these equipments provide the best facilities, which you can obtain in a treadmill under the thousand-dollar range. This makes it really difficult to choose which is the better one of the two top-rated treadmills. However, if we have to declare a winner then I will give the credit to Smooth 5.45. It's true that Sole F63 has some unique features but Smooth 5.45 has two more useful benefits -- better warranty and the automatic heart rate control program.