There is less than $400 in price difference between the 5.65 and the 6.75 and yet there is a world of difference in quality and buyer satisfaction.

Most tellingly, the 6.75 has five extra inches of running surface and a more powerful motor. At 3.0 horse power the continuous duty motor on the 6.75 will provide for a more challenging and varied workout and has enough juice for users of up to 350lbs (160kgs).

The 5.65 goes up to a speed of 10mph whereas the 6.75 goes to a maximum of 12 and both machines have up to 15 incline levels.

For those who have never parked a motorised treadmill in their living space before, the actual size of them can come as a shock. Somehow although they are aware that the length of the treadmill is over 61/2 feet they convince themselves that it will fit nicely in the corner behind the aspidistra. Not so! Not only do you need a 6.5ft by 3 foot space to park the thing in, you also need six feet clearance (2 meters) behind it.

Obviously given the fact that treadmills in general are such a popular piece of home equipment, plenty of people do find a suitable space and go on to enjoy all the cardiovascular benefits and weight loss that treadmills offer. Indeed many a couch potato, too shy and uncomfortable to go to the local fitness centre has regained their confidence along with their muscle definition on their home-use treadmill.

The Smooth 6.75 is a suitable machine for getting back into shape. It comes with 12 preset programs including 5 for speed, 5 for incline, 2 distance and one all important heart rate control program.

When selecting a Speed program the user may elect to focus on stamina by selecting the slow increase and gradual decrease in speed of Program 4 or choose to work in powerful but short bursts of speed as in Program 5. The Incline can be set manually to increase the intensity of the workout.

The Incline program profiles mirror those for speed but this time, the user can manually set speed while the machine automatically increases and decreases the incline to simulate a long steady run up a single hill or bursts of efforts over peaks and valleys.

By setting the distance program the user can choose to run for 3 or for 6 miles and whatever speed they choose while the machine will automatically adjust the incline. Last but not least is the heart rate control program. There are pulse monitors in the handgrips which send heart performance data to the console. The machine then adjusts speed and incline to keep the user’s heart working at their target heart rate.

As is standard with home fitness machines in this price range the Smooth 6.75 comes with speakers and a cooling fan. There is also a water bottle holder and a reading rack. More important is the Im-Pression shock absorbing cushioning system which reduces impact on the users feet, ankles, hips, knees and hips and the gas-shock assisted fold system and transport wheels which allows the unit to be folded up and stored away without placing any strain on the user’s back.

The Smooth warranty on the 6.75 covers the frame and motor for life, electronics and parts for 5 years and in-house labor for two years.

Overall a good machine which offers value for money and is worth the extra cost over its 5.65 stable mate and we would also recommend the next up in the line, the 7.35. As far as the 7.6HR goes however – don’t bother. Buy the 6.75 or 7.35 and pay $50 for a chest strap from Amazon. You’ll still have saved over $100 and you’ll have a better machine.