The most expensive of the Sole Fitness folding treadmills, the F85 is a sizable piece of equipment. It does fold up and down easily but it is a heavy machine and you will want to know where in the house it is going so once installed it won’t need to be moved again.

Its size and weight – 250lbs – give it a solid immovable base. It des not shake or wobble and gives even the heaviest user a feeling of security and durability.

Studies claim that the Cushion Flex padded track used by the F80 through to the F85 protects the joints from up to 40% of the stress and impact they would suffer if running on asphalt. It’s true that treadmills are a lot easier on the joints than pounding the pavement outdoors. They make a great cold weather alternative or even replace outdoor running altogether where the user has suffered a sports related injury and must resort to a lower impact, cardiovascular workout.

The F85 is Sole Fitness’s number one seller. It has the longest running track of the F series and the strongest motor. Its user weight capacity is 400lbs making it more robust than most other treadmills in this price range. Like the other Sole F series treadmills, there are ten programmes – six are preset, two are user defined and two are heart rate controlled.

The heart rate controlled programs enable the user to work within heart rate capacity zones as recommended by the American Heart Association. The user’s recommended heart rate is worked out automatically by the wireless heart rate monitor strap which comes with the machine. The strap sends information back to the console and the machine automatically adjusts incline and speed to keep the user’s heart rate within the recommended zone.

As well as heart rate and pulse, the red Led console displays speed, distance travelled, calories burned, pace and incline. There are controls for setting programs on the console itself and also in the hand grips which is a much appreciate feature.

One does have t wonder if Sole actually pays any attention to its customer feedback because time and again users complain about the weakness of the cooling fans and the speakers on the whole F series of treadmills. Surely with the F63 going for around $1,000 through to the F85 at a whisker under $2,000 a half decent pair of speakers and a fan that cools the user (as opposed to blowing kisses at him from a distance) is not too much to ask?

The F85 is really such an impressive machine that such nit-picking may be beside the point but it is beyond comprehension why Sole would let such minor details mar the overall user satisfaction of such a great piece of kit. Of course, it is not difficult to just ramp up the volume on the home sound system and move the standing fan closer to the machine so don’t let the weak speakers and wishy-washy fan put you off.

Most users say that the F85 is easy to put together. It is a heavy machine so it is best to know where you are going to permanently park it and do all the installation work in place. The hydraulic assisted folding mechanism makes it very easy to tuck the deck up out the way but when you do so, unless you have protected your flooring, you will find nubs in the carpet or wooden floors. This can be easily prevented by using a heavy duty rubber mat like the Body Solid Supermat or the Supermat Treadsolid.

The F85 comes with a very good warranty. The deck, motor and frame are all covered for life, the electronics, rollers and belt are covered for five years and the warranty covers in-house labor for two years.