I have the chance to get a cheap treadmill.  It's one of those $170 jobbies at Wal Mart.  A friend got one for his wife for Christmas, but she don't want it, so I might buy it off him.  Wondering though... is that $170 down the drain.  Will a treadmill that cheap fall apart after a couple of months?  BTW... I intend to use it mostly for walking.

Thanks

I read somewhere where most people that buy home gymn equiptment quit using it very quick after the initial couple of months. So if very much is spent on it, it is wasted. buy it. If it wears out buy a better one... fullclip

yes.. any treadmill under 600 bucks is junk..

You can spend 5000.00 on some ya know..

for just walking it should be fine. the problem with the $170 from wally world is that the belt is pretty narrow. so if you have a wide walking stance/running stance then it may not work for you. the board under the belt is made from particle board. lots of running may lead to breakage. but like said above, most people put them up after a month and never use them again so it never comes to that point. get this one, and if you use it for a couple months and get a routine going then invest in a more expensive/better quality treadmill.

Breaking is certainly an issue.

Equally important would be things like how smoothly it works, how powerful the motor is, and, as Kooter mentioned above, how wide the belt is.

Many years ago, I made the mistake of buying a $100 stationary bicycle.  It was unbearable to use.  I finally just hauled the almost new bicycle to the dump – I didn’t feel I could in good conscience sell it to someone else.

I absolutely hate exercising anyway.  For me, having a poor piece of equipment becomes a real good excuse for not doing it to begin with.

A couple of years ago I bought a $2000 True treadmill (it was so cheap since it was a discontinued model!).  It is a wonderfully smooth and powerful piece of equipment with all sorts of bells and whistles!  I only use it for walking, and, admittedly, it’s definitely more than I really need.  

However, despite the very substantial cost, I’ve never regretted the purchase and would do it again.

I’ve long since lost the links, but before getting the above I read a lot of reviews of treadmills on the internet.  I don’t recall anything under $600 or so getting an even marginally decent review.

You got steps in your home?

Nope.... except 3-inch drop out the front door.