Some people can’t afford to buy a new treadmill, and with this economic drought we are going through, who can blame them. One option is to purchase a used treadmill. The problem with purchasing a used treadmill is that you don’t always know what you are getting. Some questions to ask before purchasing include:

• Is the warranty still good? If so, what is still covered?
• How many hours has it been used?
• Have there been any parts that have been broken or replaced?
• Was it used for serious training or mostly just for walking?
• Does it have a new tread belt?

Those are just a few to get you started. If you don’t feel comfortable with this process, then you should consider purchasing a refurbished treadmill. Refurbished treadmills are treadmills that have been previously owned and then bought back or returned to a treadmill company. Once the company receives these used treadmills, they go over them to see if there are any parts that need to be replaced, and they sometimes will put a fresh coat of paint on. This saves you the worry of whether or not the treadmill is a dud. Often times refurbished treadmills come with a warranty from the company you purchase it from.

Below is a video from a company called Atlas Fitness Systems. They specialize in refurbishing treadmills and other fitness equipment. Keep in mind that we don’t know anything about this company. We put their video on our website just so you could see the process that a used treadmill goes through before it is put out on the market as a refurbished treadmill. We hope you enjoy it!

Since the popularity of home fitness rowing machines has increased year by year since the 1980′s, the number of companies manufacturing them have also increased. Despite the many manufacturers, the leaders in the industry remain constant. Below is a synopsis of the top rowing machine manufacturers.

Stamina Rowing Machines – Stamina has been making rowers since 1987. They jumped into the home fitness industry, making everything from treadmills to exercise bikes. However, reviews of their rowers have been the highest out of all the machines they make. Specializing in realistic water rowers, they provide machines lifelike feel and comfort.

Tunturi – This company is based in Finland and they are best known for making the highest quality two wheel bikes in the world. However, they have been making simulation rowing machines for over 80 years. Originally designed to help Finland’s rowing athletes be able to practice indoors, the production of their top notch machines skyrocketed when the at home gym equipment industry took off.

Concept 2 Rowing Machines – Concept 2 is a another leader who got involved in manufacturing at home rowers when the boom began in the seventies. They have been making indoor rowers since this time. Reviews of their products are generally positive and their biggest attribute is their durability. Often, you will see used Concept rowers for sale because they last a long time.

Kettler Rowing Machines – Based in Germany, this company has been a leader in all fitness equipment for fifty years. Their rowers are considered top of the line and they now export their fitness products to over 60 countries.

WaterRower Rowing Machines – WaterRower is best known for it’s lifelike simulation of the real sport. Many professional rowers choose these machines to practice with. Although the price of their products are generally high, so is the customer satisfaction rate they receive in most customer reviews.

It is difficult to do a comparison between all of the top makers of rowing machines because they all have different strengths and weaknesses. Your best bet is to find one that feels good to you and fits within your budget.

Many product review websites online are designed for one purpose – to sell you a specific product. Many people use product reviews to build up their product and are too concerned with making their product look good to offer legitimate customer reviews. This is true with rowing machine reviews and the reviews of all exercise equipment.

Top rowing machine manufacturers like Kettler (Kettler Coach) do not have to resort to this type of black hat marketing. Their products stand on their own reputation and performance. Other fitness machine manufacturers are not so straightforward. Beware of a comparison between rowing machine brands. Often this is a sign that one of the manufacturers is using this format to build up their own.

Beware also, of rowing machines reviews that are for sale on smaller, specialized websites. Many of these sites are affiliate marketing sites and the reviews are often not even real. This concept has been along for many years, pretty much as long as internet commerce has been around.

Never trust a review about a used piece of fitness equipment. Used rowing machines vary tremendously in quality and should be checked out in person anyway. Often, someone trying to sell a used one will build up the durability and strength of the particular model they are trying to sell.

Large commerce and customer report websites are the answer. Check out Amazon and Buy.com. They offer legitimate reviews that hold water. Also, opinion sites like E-Opinions are great places to read both negative and positive reports.