Proform Treadmills are produced by Proform which is part of the larger ICON Fitness company of Logan, Utah.  ICON Health is the single largest producer and marketer of Fitness equipment in the world.  

You might not think of the home exercise equipment market as being particularly prone to seasonal flux but last year’s models disappear from showrooms faster than a catwalk model who has consumed to many calories.

It can be incredibly confusing for the customer and must be extremely wasteful from a marketing point of view. Imagine, just when the marketing department successfully delivers the message that the latest super-duper treadmill with super-sonic motor and all new bells and whistles is worth every penny of the $$$$ price tag than BAM! management changes models again.

Just when a prospective buyer makes his or her mind up that the Proform 585 treadmill is exactly what they are looking for it is whipped off the market. Google is stuffed with plaintive queries for the Proform 400 or Proform 795. Too bad these models are now out of stock and Proform has replaced them with a stable of shiny new toys.

Not that Proform is the only culprit. Most of the home fitness suppliers tend to adhere to this game of Catch Me If You Can, and the only possible reason is to bestow a glittery aura round the newest models which are not in fact that much different from the ones that went before.

The unfortunate side effect is that with such a speedy turnover it becomes difficult for prospective buyers to track down actual buyer testimonies on those machines that are available for sale.

As an example the Proform 495 PI has 12 reviews on Amazon with an average rating of 4 out of 5. What a shame that it is out of stock both at Amazon and at Proform and is likely to stay that way.

In comparison the Proform Crosswalk 590 LT has garnered only two reviews. One is very good and one is very bad. As it happens the bad review relates very much to the condition of the machine on arrival after shipping so says very little about the machine itself. If the Crosswalk 590 is as good as Proform says it is then over time, the number of positive reviews that come in for it will cancel out the bad review. Unfortunately by the time thathappens it will no longer be available for sale.

Very often for high ticket items reviews sites are set up which are no more than a thinly disguised affiliate sites. Of course all you are going to find there are glowing reviews for whatever machines are currently being sold. Often the canny prospective buyer’s best bet is to seek out real user reviews from people who have actually bought and used the machine. Unfortunately this policy of churning the product line every five minutes makes it hard for shoppers to find information on the latest models.

In fact the confusion continues right on to the Proform website where customer reviews seem to be misplaced or misnamed where two positive reviews for the Crosswalk 780 reference the 995 SL.

Our advice to you is to decide upon what you actually need in a treadmill. Decide if you want the upper body workout provided by Proform Crosswalk treadmills for example or perhaps would work out more if the machine came with its own flat screen TV like the Epic View 550.

Compare the features of the machines and consider which are important to you and then look at the warranty. Some of the Proform machines have got a reasonable 25 year warranty on frame and motor which looks fine until you notice the 90 days coverage on parts and labor.

Of course you can buy an extended warranty on any of the Proform treadmills.

Please see the following articles for more information:

Proform Crosswalk Treadmills

Proform Tech Series Treadmills

Proform Power Series

Proform Proshox Series.