With the F80 selling at a shaving under 1,500 what more do you get for your money when buying the Sole F80 treadmill than you do when paying less than $1,000 for its little cousin, the F63?

Basically the motor on the F80 is more powerful. This is an important difference because it makes the machine more flexible – suitable for both running and walking where the F63 runs out of challenge anywhere beyond a medium jog.

The user capacity is also affected by the motor although on paper there is only a 25 lb difference, the F63 being advertised with a capacity of 325 lbs and the F80 at 350 lbs, in fact the F63 begins to show signs of struggling at about 260 lbs. The F80 does much better in the higher weight range.

The Cushion Flex Shock Absorption Whisper Deck does exactly what the name implies and soaks up a lot of the impact shock associated with running. The result is a much more joint-friendly workout than you could expect if running outdoors and studies have shown the difference to be about 40% less impact than running on asphalt.

There are 10 programs to choose from. Six are preset training sessions, two are user defined and the last two are focussed on heart rate training. The F80 offers and incline of up to 15 %. Adjusting the incline allows the user to target different muscles groups and also adds another variable to the intensity of the workout.

The F80 includes a wireless heart rate strap and there are pulse monitors as well as speed and incline controls in the hand grips. The easy speed control feature is nice and cuts out all that fiddling about associated with up/down arrow controls.

The six window LED console displays the user’s performance in time, distance, speed, incline intensity and calories burned, pulse and pace. It is not the most stylish of consoles but it is intuitive and easier to use than many others in the same price range.

The Sole F80 has a few safety features which are worth mentioning. First of all there is a three second countdown before the treadmill begins to roll and then it slowly builds speed over six to eight seconds instead of whipping right into action. In combination, these two features ease the user into the session with no sense of surprise and much less chance of injury.

When not in use the deck locks securely into place and the hydraulically assisted easy fold feature makes it very easy to fold up when not in use. It is worth noting here that this is a weighty machine. If you intend to have it in a carpeted room you will see the nubs left in the carpet when the deck is raised. To prevent or at east minimize this, you may want to use a rubber mat under the machine.

All in all the F80 is great value for money. Though it costs a bit more than the F63, you are buying a more serious piece of equipment which provides a better workout and a more challenging range of motion. The F80 is used in Hilton Hotels because of its durability, movability (bear in mind this is a heavy machine and you will not want to be moving it too often) as because it comes with a good, solid warranty.

You definitely do want to take warranties into account when considering any large piece of home exercise equipment. These are complicated and sophisticated machines and they cost a lot of money. Things can and do go wrong and you want to be protected by the strongest warranty you can get.

Sole Fitness’ warranty on the F80 covers the frame, deck and the motor for life and the electronics, belt and rollers for five years. In-house labor is covered for 2 years. Compared to many others this is an excellent warranty and demonstrates Sole’s confidence in this product as well as its commitment to customers.