Buying guides and spec explainers
Treadmill spec sheets are written to be skimmed favourably. These guides explain what each number means and which ones you can safely ignore.
Almost every confusing treadmill specification is confusing on purpose. Peak horsepower is a larger number than continuous-duty horsepower and describes a condition the motor cannot sustain. Incline is quoted as a percentage because 15% sounds steeper than its true 8.5 degrees. Deck length is quoted in inches of belt, not inches of usable stride.
The explainers here take one specification at a time and answer three questions about it: what the number actually measures, what value you need given your height, weight and pace, and what goes wrong if you buy under it. Where a figure can be checked at home with a tape measure, the guide says how.
The broader buying guides sit above the explainers and put them in order — what to settle first, what to compare second, and what to leave until you are choosing between two specific machines.
Start here
The Complete Treadmill Buying Guide
Motor power, deck size, folding vs. fixed and budget tiers — everything to check before comparing models.
ChecklistTreadmill Buyer’s Purchase Checklist
A step-by-step, eight-stage checklist from budget to long-term ownership.
MethodologyTreadmill Reviews 2026
How we test and score every treadmill, plus this year’s category winners.
Motor, deck & incline
What Horsepower Do I Need?
CHP versus peak HP, and the figure your weight and pace actually need.
SpecTreadmill Belt Size Guide
Deck length and width by stride — and why height is only a proxy.
SpecIncline: Percentage vs. Degrees
15 per cent is only 8.5 degrees. The conversion chart and what each grade demands.
Space & running costs
Dimensions & Space Requirements
Footprint, six feet of clearance behind, ceiling height and the delivery route.
Running costHow Much Electricity Does a Treadmill Use?
Real draw figures, the monthly cost, and the circuit advice that actually matters.
PlacementCan You Put a Treadmill on Carpet?
Yes, with conditions — fibres in the motor, blocked airflow, and a base that steers the belt.
Browse another section
Every guide on the site sits in one of these nine sections.
Best Treadmills
Ranked picks for a specific person, room and running style.
By Price
What each budget tier actually buys, and where the cliffs are.
Brands
Who actually builds each lineup, and how the model numbers work.
Model Reviews
One machine at a time, with the faults named.
Comparisons
Head-to-head, where the decision is genuinely close.
Fault Diagnosis
Symptom first, cause second, repair bill last.
Maintenance
Under an hour a year, for roughly double the machine’s life.
Workouts & Training
What to actually do once the machine is in the room.
Tools & Calculators
Interactive answers to the three questions that need arithmetic.
Not sure where to start?
The full index lists every guide, brand page and model review we have published, grouped the same way. If you would rather answer a few questions than browse, the home-treadmill router narrows the field in about a minute.