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It was nice - when it worked
I purchased this treadmill after reading the good reviews it received - wish my experience could have been the same. It arrived in good condition, set up was a little difficult, but manageable. Then, I plugged it in and turned it on and nothing. No lights, no sounds, no movement. I did the troubleshooting from the website with no luck. So I called Horizon Fitness - but you can't actually talk to a person, you leave a number and they call you back. After 2 weeks of playing phone tag with the company, someone finally sent me instructions on how to take the motor cover off and check the wiring. (for future reference, email works better with this company) Turns out the main plug wasn't plugged into the components board. I plugged it in and happy day, I had a functioning treadmill. That was 2 weeks ago. Yesterday during my nominal 30 minute gentle walk, the incline control starting going crazy - put me up to 10% and wouldn't go back down. Today, I tried again and now none of the buttons work and the treadmill won't go. I pushed buttons, reset, turned off and back on, unplugged and replugged, went online and did the troubleshooting, all to no avail. This treadmill is a waste of time and money - and I'm so disappointed, because I really did like it when it worked.

good value/features, easy to assemble, solid construction
Others have covered most of the points I'd emphasize, so here are some brief notes and chime-ins:

- took me, a not-very-mechanical type, about an hour to assemble; holes are not perfectly aligned but you can manage; be advised that the "on" switch is on the bottom left as you look at the machine; lubricating is a hassle, but useful to see how you'll need to do it; company says they'll send you more silicone lubricant if you contact them.

- the hand-grip pulse monitor doesn't work for me at all (held it softly, for at least a minute with both hands, as manual indicates, but it's way off). Be aware though that most thumb and hand monitors don't work great. If you want this info, you might want to get a Polar chest-strap monitor or something similar.

- the manual doesn't indicate what the various preset programs offer (rolling hills, interval training, endurance blast, etc.). You have to figure this out yourself.

- it's quite easy to make up your own interval training on the fly (I use music to vary the tempo); the incline and speeds are changed readily. It's annoying that the timer only accommodates 1-hour intervals.

- there is ample space on the monitor for water, ipod accessories, etc. There's also a little ledge designed for a book if you want to read while walking.

- the machine is quiet and the track is commodious, so you don't have to hang onto the handlebars all the time; there's room (I'm a 5'8" woman) to use handweights to vary your routine and add an upper-body element.

- Works best for the cardio part of my routine (I also have an elliptical machine, a stepper, and a rowing machine, plus free weights). The treadmill enables knee-friendly weight-bearing exercise and it's mindless enough that you can zone out while you're exercising and listen to music, watch tv, or carry on a conversation.

- This treadmill's relatively low clearance (base is about 6" tall) means it works fine in my little low-ceilinged basement gym.

- you might want to set up a standing fan within reach of the treadmill to cool yourself off while you exercise.

- the price is excellent given the features.

- it's quite heavy, so (1) pay for delivery if you want someone to heave this down into your basement or lug it up to the second floor for you (2) consider carting the parts into the room separately (3) SET IT UP WHERE YOU PLAN TO USE IT.

- And while it folds, it's not going to fit under your bed unless your bed's 4' off the floor. ;-)

Great treadmill!
I've had this treadmill for a few weeks now and love it. It's compact enough to fit into a small space yet big enough to work out on. It offers a variety of speed and incline settings, which is great, plus it has a heart rate sensor. I did a lot of research on this before I bought it and decided on this model because it seemed like a great bang for your buck. Sure, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles that more expensive treadmills have but do you really need all those extra things? I'd recommend it!

Price, Features, and Stability are EXCELLENT. Overall: Buy it
I wanted to get into shape and living in Seattle, Washington we just don't have the right type of weather for a 3-4 day a week jog schedule. (Always raining) I turned to the internet and did ALL the research to find the cheapest and best reviewed treadmill. Guess what, this was it. Now I know why it was so highly reviewed too. The price on this treadmill is amazing. How can you ask for a better deal. Second, it features all of the features you can ask for. It moves up and down to simulate jogging uphill, has tons of speed settings, and tons of other great options. It goes as fast or as slow as you could ask for. (faster than I can run and I'm 17 and 6'3" 165 pounds) Finally, its stability is pretty good. Holds up great and was easy to put together. My brother is 250 pounds and runs on it and does fine. Sure, its a little small for him but he manages it. I wouldn't recommend this for a very large person however. If your over 300 pounds, definitely find a bigger one. Its not very wide and not very long but both me and my brother are 6'3" and hes fairly heavy and we both are comfortable on it. It moves around while jogging on hard wood floor so you might want to buy a mat to put under it otherwise you will be jumping off periodically to adjust its position. The only problem I noticed was that when I first started jogging some black shavings from the tread of it came off but has since stopped. Overall, buy this treadmill. It's perfect. I don't see why you would spend money on anything else.

They must have made improvements
We purchased the Merit 725T treadmill from Amazon after reading the reviews and decided that the pros outweighed the cons and that this was great for our budget. Upon arrival I was ready for the worst, as far as assembly, and decided to time how long it would take to put together. From the moment that I cut the straps on the box to the moment that I turned the machine on was 20 minutes flat. There were only 4 pages of directions to follow and roughly 20 screws/bolts to put in. While I used my own tools, this machine comes with the required phillips screwdriver and alan wrench that fit all of the screws/bolts. One thing that we were unable to find while researching the treadmill were the measurements when assembled and when folded. They are as follows: 68" long (wall to end) 31" at the widest point 53" at the highest point. When folded: 35"(wall to furthest point 31" at the widest point 54.5" at the highest point.
We have only had the treadmill in the house for a few hours, but it has been used three times already for roughly 30 minute periods, and the noise that some complained of is not an issue at all. During the first use I called my wife to let her know that it was up and running and she asked if it was loud. I was walking using the 4 mph setting and she could not hear it running in the background. I will add to this that we have the treadmill on a carpeted floor and tile or hardwood would certainly make a difference. I will post pictures soon.