True to its claims? True Fitness PS100 Treadmill review

We were in one of a few campgrounds in December/January in which this was a gym. I took advantage of the True Fitness PS100 Treadmill. This is a commercial grade machine coming in at about $2800. This is perfect for someone starting a small gym or someone with a large house who is building a gym, lots of people using the machine and money.

The specifications: 

The True Fitness PS100 is a non-folding machine.

It is heavy coming in just under 300 pounds but its front wheels make it possible to move it.

It comes with a measly two-year warranty on the motor, two years on parts and one year on labor. Somewhere I read five years on the parts. It has a lifetime warranty on the frame but if it is used for commercial uses (A campground is a perfect place for it or a small condo building.) which doesn’t charge for its use and is in use less than eight hours a day, the lifetime warranty is intact.

About the TrueFitness PS100 

The treadmill has more than the traditional levels of incline and resistance which are normally 0% to 10%. Occasionally I will find 12% but it is rare; however, when you get up to this price range you get up to a 15% level, which is quite high.  The speed starts at .5 miles per hour and goes to 12 mph.
The display is a seven-inch LCD. which is very nice with a graph which showed my workout. On each side of the display are the workouts from which to choose. The heart rate sensors are on the handle as is the safety stop. It has a three horse power motor.

In addition to one of my very favorite features – quick buttons, The True Fitness PS100  has a one touch heart rate cruise control which allowed me to “lock in” on a specific target heart rate. I really like that because I like to be above my weight loss heart rate, which really is sort of a myth but that’s another commentary, so this makes it very easy. Some of the programs include hills, interval and weight loss. Pretty much the usual and of course a quick start mode so you can adjust the settings as you work out. (more about these later)

The quick keys, if you have never seen them, are numbers on the monitor so I didn’t have to press incline to go up or the same for speed. I just touch 3 and it goes to level 3 incline and the same on the other side of the monitor for speed. If for some reason you don’t like the quick speed you can always use the up and down buttons (plus and minus signs).

Just about all treadmills these days come with a belt with a name. The True’s name is True soft select and its belt is considered orthopedic. Since I haven’t written a treadmill review in a while or perhaps you have never read mine I always tell the consumer that the belt on a treadmill “should” be at least 17 inches wide by 48 inches long. Any shorter and you will be hitting the front of the belt or the sides. So this belt's size - 60 inches by 22 inches - is quite impressive.

I liked the long handrails which are covered with a nice padding of a rubber-like material.

My experiences:

I used the True Fitness PS100 every day for a week. I loved the long arms which were very comfortable to hold. There was room for my bottle and there was a key tray.

I loved the belt, which flexed when I walked and allowed me a long stride, which I like. The machine was quiet and I liked that I could change programs by pressing a program key while in a different program. I also like that I could pause my work out by pressing stop.

I could enter my weight before starting any program.

Each workout has a four-minute warn up and a two minute cool down, which is longer than most treadmills on which I have been.

Let’s say I chose calorie burner. I would select the level and time using the plus or minus sign. I would then press start and start walking. I loved this program because it is a walking workout in which all speeds are less than 4 mph and the levels do not increase more than to a 10% incline.

Most of the workouts are similar. In the Target Heart Rate I entered my time, the heart rate I wanted, the maximum speed I wanted to go, the maximum level I wanted to go and then I hit start. The treadmill then controlled me!

Jo’s final thoughts:

I am gearing my recommendation to the target audience I mentioned above because you can get fans and iPod docks on less expensive machines.  The belt was so comfortable and the programs were plentiful and easy to use. I would definitely recommend the True Fitness PS100. 

The answer to my title is yes.

You can read all my fitness equipment reviews here.