Sole AFTON 2019 F63 Treadmill, Black

I wanted to wait for some time to review and see how the treadmill operated over time. I have now over 100 miles on the treadmill. I was concerned because at around 25 miles I started getting a squeaking sound from the front left side when running that was cleared up but running the incline up to 1 but would return within a few seconds of returning to level. After a few days of this and concern that I was going to need to call for support it went away and has not returned. It appeared to be from where the machine rested on the stop on that side and there was some minimum motion that was causing this. I adjusted the position of the treadmill and it is in the garage on a level concrete floor so it is definitely a firm level surface.Delivery is as expected by LTL freight but I met the driver and was ready with furniture dolly's for the transfer. since my driveway is only 4 car lengths an nearly flat he offered to drop it in the garage so I just helped push it in.Assembly was relatively quick, about an hour or so. I do spend a good deal of time looking through the instructions ahead of time and lay out materials and identify where and when they are used in the assembly process so the build goes much smoother. That hour is just the build time. Two people really makes this a breeze to put together since you can hold things level or out of the way has the case may be. The instructions are pretty good, although the description of the threaded fasteners could be a bit more clear and I believe could be a hang up point for those not as familiar with the identification of them. A blister pack with the fasteners labeled by description and/or step used would be fantastic and allow people without that previous experience to identify them more easily.I agree that the jump from 5 mph to 7 mph seems to be a large gap and would very much like to have seen a 6 mph button and possibly a way to jump by 0.5 mph increments but with the controls on the handle you can get there pretty quickly. The included heart rate strap tracks well with my fitbit watch overall, each having their own ramp up and down speed to the current heart rate but at the stable heart rates track as closely as is necessary for personal use. The feel of the deck is extremely firm but soft enough to be easier on the joints than running on concrete or asphalt. The ramp up and down speed to the target speed is actually the slowest I have ever seen in a treadmill, I don't know if that is good or bad, it was just different than any treadmill than I have ever been on. I am sure that it lessens the starting torque on the motor on the way up and the amount of possible slip on the belt in both directions for speed changes. Using the buttons on the handles for both speed and incline adjustments are very responsive and easy to use while running and in a much more natural position than reaching for the treadmill control console. As has been stated in previous reviews the fan is pretty much a joke. I think it is there to have a line item in the listing that says it has a fan. I use stand up fans and box fans so I wasn't going to use the fan likely anyway. The holder for the tablet of removable laptop screen is very nice. There is a USB port for charging but pretty slow, slow enough that the phone even says charging slowly, I even used the phone supplied USB 'C' cord that normally charges quickly to make sure it wasn't a cable thing, it wasn't. It still charges and keeps the phone from discharging while using it with the screen on so it really serves its purpose, I don't believe it was intended for you to get a 4 mile run in and charge your phone from 10% to 100% anyway. The tray mid way down from the console is great for storing the extra cables for connecting to the speakers (which I honestly didn't try, either I use BT headsets of BT stereo in the garage depending on if there is someone sleeping). The locking and releasing mechanism for putting the deck up is very nice and the the shock for letting it down slow was a "shock" to me and a great idea. Again, mine stays in the garage and stays down so I only had it up to move it.Almost all of the exposed materials are covered with plastic which is great for cleaning and rust prevention. My last treadmill had over 2,700 miles on it and I wiped it down with disinfectant post workout each time but sweat still found places to start rusting and bubbling the paint over time. If this one does it will at least be hidden by the plastic trim panels :-D.I would definitely recommend this treadmill. It has a great build and operational quality at a price that won't break the bank.

Dislikes: product doesn't work, multiple calls to company to address warranty go unreturned, endless hold times when you do contact someone or constant transfers to lines that aren't answered. Service department never answers. Electronics are warrantied for 3 years, but product is barely 13 months old, and cannot get problem addressed by seller - circuit breaker appears blown and console is completely dead. Multiple bait and switch points of communication with customer service though promising to address the situation, but zero follow through, "we're sorry this is happening, we'll be glad to assist you..." rings pretty hollow when the problem was solved. Said they would help with a refund and return of defective equipment only to immediately turn around and say Amazon was responsible for that. The warranty on this product at this point is fraudulent as I have seen zero effort by the company to replace or make the purchased product complete or functional.Likes: was pretty easy to assemble and ran well for about 700 miles, but it should not be broken after a single year of use by just a husband and wife using a few times each week.Based on false warranty implications and potential for failure within a few months/years of purchase, this would be zero stars, because no one wants to make an expensive home gym purchase to be stuck with a broken treadmill and no recourse within a few months or a year.

In our case we wanted a treadmill to replace two pieces of exercise equipment: an Inspire Cardio Strider 2 and an older treadmill. I share the house with my parents and got the Cardio Strider 2 for my father after he had heart surgery several years ago. At the time, we thought it was a good investment but all the sitting hurt his hip and found the treadmill to be a better use of exercise time. I still used the CS2 because the treadmill is old and can really only be used to walk on it since its tread isn't all that wide (17") .So now we took the dive on this bad boy to replace two pieces of equipment. To start, the shipping company used was fantastic. They put the thing on a dolly and put it where we wanted it. This is already an improvement with our CS2, as it was literally dropped off in the street and we had to slide it into the driveway, open the box, and bring it in piece by piece. The shipping company used here for the Sole treadmill was proactive in calling us and sending us a robocall when they were on the way on the day of arrival. In fact, we had gotten the robocall and I was getting ready to go outside to meet them when they rang the doorbell! It was fast and efficient.Once we got the box opened we took the items downstairs. The main platform is very heavy and you have to be smart in how you move it down steps. My initial plan of attack was to spring open the hydraulics as soon as it got to floor level. However, in our case, we have a door that is right at the end of the stairs and the unit cannot fit through it as the unit is too wide for our frame. So we kept the platform collapsed and bound with the secure guard wrap (basically how it arrives) and slide it down that way, got it through the door, and *then* sprung open the hydraulics.After sliding this beast down the stairs getting it assembled was incredibly easy. I took my time to read the instructions and in assembling it, but it took about an hour when all was said and done, I would say.I have used this thing twice now and have been very impressed with it. Especially for the price. I did see a review about short handles but I think that is how all models in this price range are set. The handles for this unit are longer than our old one. I am about 5'9" and a little taller than my father and we both reach the handles just fine and feel they are adequate.One note though, when the model inclines the handles do not, so the higher you incline the lower the handles go. This is fine if you don't mind bending over a little while you incline and want to hold the rails. Others might have a problem with this so it is worth mentioning.In my case, I get a very good workout @ 3MPH at an incline of 5. Anything beyond 5 and the handles feel like they are getting away and I have to lean forward more than I would like.But most importantly, it feels very solid and sturdy, which is important to me as I use it to run. The 20" of tread width is great, too. I haven't gotten quite comfortable with running at speed, but I do not see myself running faster than 6.0MPH on this, and am breaking in at 5.0MPH to start. I run as far as I can and then do the walk + incline for the remainder, to both get myself familiar with the unit while also trying to get back in shape.One last note is that I contacted the seller while this thing was being shipped and they were extremely prompt and courteous. Very happy with this purchase and the party that manufactures it!

Worked well after putting it together, and on initial test. This is a proper and BIG treadmill!A review here said that you need two people preferably to move the deck (which is the biggest part of the shipment). The deck and associated packaging take up the entire length and width of two pallets. Without the packaging it is still much longer than a single pallet. So if you are lugging this a substantial distance, I would say you need three people. I had a hand truck which got me up a hill from my garage to my front door (no direct access sadly), but getting it in the door was a mammoth struggle.Once in, putting it together is not exactly hard, it's more frustrating in some parts. Instructions are not very detailed. Parts do not have labels. Many holes do not line up as they should, on mine one hole is actually substantially smaller than the bolt that is supposed to go in it. Luckily, that was only for a lower cover.Screws and hole positioning for the under arm covers are terrible. Two of us tried collectively for a couple hours. It is not worth the effort for a part which pretty much is just decorative. Make it better SOLE. How do you fix a screw you cannot see in a hole you will not see, which is supposed to line up with its mate on the inside? And there isn't a way to tell if you are aligned. And you have to deal with 4 of these.Other than that solid treadmill! It is big so if you are concerned about fitting in a small apartment, your concerns are very legitimate! Let's hope it works over the long run without issues.

The media could not be loaded.  Like most, great value with little complaints. I understand why this treadmill keeps popping up and various reviews and is a pick for CR. Big bonus was it DOES NOT have iFit (read way too many issues about that and looked specifically for a treadmill that doesn’t have).Upsides:Speakers are not that bad if you are streaming a tv show on your pad (like we do). If you are watching something for the sound quality - use headphones.With exception of my iPad (11”), it charges our phones and her iPad without any issues. (I will not knock Sole for that. It is probably my pad that is the problem). (UPDATE - after a hard reboot of my iPad, all devices charge without issue)The pad/tablet holder is at a good eye level for viewing and will hold the larger iPad Pro (with pencil and folding Apple case/keyboard).If you want to have a magazine, or book, while walking/running; you can put it in front of the display.Noise is pretty decent. Normal conversation voice is, slightly, louder than the treadmill.Good range of speed and incline that meets our walking and light run/jogging needs.Downsides:If you are on the heavier side, it might seem a little wobbly. It does not feel unstable though. Still comfortable for me.The fan is weak. However, I haven’t seen any review on any treadmill that raved about it.If you are used to a 22+” wide belt, you will notice that this is 20” wide. Thankfully for a longer bed, just walk in the middle of the bed and your hands will miss the side rails.Overall, it is a great value for the price. Glad we got this one versus paying extra $$$ for not much more bings and whistles.I would buy again and recommend it.