Reebok I Run +

I jog on the road most of the time but moved out into the country this year and while its great in the daytime the roads round here are a bit too narrow and a bit too dark to run on after work - so I wanted a treadmill for these occasions & when its just too foul outside.

Before buying a treadmill I ummed and aahed for a while on whether to invest a lot of money in a full featured treadmill or go basic and see if I actually use the thing. In the end I picked up a 2nd hand older I-Run model from ebay and I have to say I'm very happy with the choice. the model I bought does not have the black plastic grab handles and has different controls to the model shown here, but seems to be similar in features.

Space is not at a premium for us but I very much appreciate how tidy the I-Run is when folded - and more importantly how quick & easy it is to set up and put away. If you are limited for space this treadmill will be hard to beat - although it is heavy for one person to move around a room (no problem to set up/put away on your own though).

The controls are basic but easy to understand - I didn't get a manual but 2 mins of fiddling worked them out. To be honest the preset programmes aren't that useful, being fixed at 15mins, 30 mins & 45 respectively. The 15 & 30 min programmes gradually build up speed then ease off at the end, whereas the 45 min does then same & then mixes in regular speed intervals. However you can ignore these pre sets and using the manual programme quickly set a target time, target distance or target calories. Or even easier: just press start, dial in the speed you want & stop when you've had enough! Simple.

The buttons are easy to use on the run and the display is nice & clear. It always shows distance, speed, calories & pulse. In fact the pulse sensors on the safety bar is the only thing that doesn't seem to be working - but then this is a second hand machine and I have a chest strap & watch that is an overall better tool for heartrate monitoring.

Finally, when you are running (read jogging for me) the I-Run feels like a well built piece of kit. I'm no light-weight at 16 stone but it feels solid underneath me.

Overall this is a good, basic, quality, well designed choice. In the future I may want a treadmill with a power incline and a large range of challenging programmes but for the time being this fits the bill and seems to be value for money. I haven't had it long enough to comment on durability but it doesn't feel like its going to fall apart any time soon. Reccomended.