NordicTrack T6.3 Treadmill Review

treadmill Doctor Note :

If you are in the market for an $800 treadmill, this is one to consider. The problem is that in this range you will probably need to use customer service and that could prove problematic.

MSRP:

$799

Walking Area:

7.1

Power:

3.2

Cushioning:

6.3

Reliability:

4.8

Noise Level:

5.8

Quality:

4.8

Value:

5.4

Warranty:

3.5

Overall Rating: 5.06

Votes in favor of the treadmill

Belt size is just correct for an unhurried walk

The running area, or should we call it walking belt, measuring 20" x 55" is 5" short of the belt that is now standardized in value treadmills and is well suited to normal users. It is a reasonably good surface for walking. Running is ruled out as the structure and motor is too weak with only 2.6 HP at your disposal.

Cushioning offers decent support to walkers

The FlexSelect cushioning is about as good as it gets in this low end price segment. You can expect decent impact tolerance that will save muscles and joints from injury. The cushioning will not be tested too much as running is ruled out. Anything superior will have to wait for prices to touch $1,000.

Negative points...

At 2.6 HP this treadmill is vastly underpowered

A 2.6 HP motor generating maximum speeds of 10 mph and the incline motor provides inclines up to 10% isn't suited for power running or jogging; this is purely for walking, period.

You will search in vain for value in the sub $1,000 price range

With NordicTrack working feverishly to cut corners and bring in cheaper parts, you won't find the T6.3 impacting the quality stakes. The only T series NordicTrack to come close to the Best Buy Award in the $400 to $699 segment was the T6.1 with a $699 price tag.

Warranty cover is meaningless

The lifetime warranty for frame, 25 years for motor and 1 year for parts and labor is too insignificant to merit attention. Ultimately the company is passing on the burden of after sales care, with mounting operations costs, to the public.

User Capacity of 325 pounds is exaggerated

When the unit weight is barely above 200 pounds and with downgraded parts across the board, taking on user weight of 325 pounds or more is unsustainable. Users need to get accustomed to worn out parts and increasing maintenance costs.

The final analysis

Serious runners and vigorous fitness freaks would do well to give the NordicTrack T6.3 a wide miss, saving their money for higher models $1,500 and above.

Great looking machine that doesn't need any introduction. The Nordictrack name doesn't need any introduction but you will pray that you never heard of them if you have a need for their customer service.

General Information

These products are produced by Icon Health and Fitness. They are the largest retail fitness company. This well-known brand name is heavy on features and their newer units are holding up quite well in the home if you don?t count some of the glitch prone features. The treadmills are beautifully packaged machines and look great in your home. NordicTrack is quickly becoming known for making a solid quality machine at a bargain price and they are selling more units that anyone else in their respective price range.

Quality / Philosophy

NordicTrack is produced by Icon, a company with thousands of employees and large resources. The NordicTrack models are near the top of the quality scale in the Icon line. Put simply, their machines have the best design in the business. Icon has a long, storied history that provides an example of how the big keep getting bigger. Icon used to be the mass-market darling because of their cheap prices but they used to have quality to match. These days they put quality into the machines and pack them with features. Icon also has the worst customer service in the business but we rate the machines by the individual machine quality, not the quality of their service.

Outlook

Icon is the largest fitness equipment producer in the world with over $1 billion in sales. If the fitness industry were a solar system, Icon is so powerful that they would be the Sun. In terms of stability they are the best, but overall their customer service isn?t up to the standards of any of the lower volume producers. They promised an improvement in service but the results were more of the same. Although you get a value price for the product, you also get value service so keep this in mind when buying their machines- apparently they price their machines so low in comparison to other companies that they don?t have money left for service. Due to the sheer number of units they produce, we pick up support in many cases where this factory leaves off.