Smooth Fitness 7.1 HR Pro Treadmill with Wireless Heart Rate Monitor Review

The Smooth 7.1 gets high marks for runners. It's not inexpensive at $2,000. It's a nice machine but I'll get right to the point and say that unless I were an indoor runner I might look at a less expensive machine.

A Closer View

Warranty

Smooth gives you a Lifetime Warranty on Frame and Motor and 20-year motor and lifetime deck and frame. You'll get a 5- year warranty on all parts and 1-year of in-home service at no additional charge.
The basics

The Smooth 7.1 weighs 260 pounds which is about what other treadmills weight. Smooth's user weight is up to 350 pounds. This is higher than some of the inexpensive machines you will find but 400 pounds would be note worthy.

The Smooth 7.1 measures 73 inches by 39 inches. The Smooth has a belt that is a tad shorter than some other belts making the 73 inches a nice number if you are short on space. However it is wider than other machines so it may be a wash for the space in which you are putting it.

This is a folding treadmill with a power a power mechanism to fold the deck at the touch of a button making it really easier to fold.

The sizes of the belt and deck have been a deal breaker for me on some machines. The rule of thumb is that the belt should be at least 17 inch by 50 inches. Smooth's is 20 inches by 54 inches. This is certainly above the rule of thumb but if you are very tall you may want to look at a longer belt.

Many machines now have names for their decks. Smooth has an exclusive Impression Shock AbsorptionT Technology. There is no question that I felt no impact on this machine.
The machine has short handles on the sides. I happen to like the placement of the handles with the sensors on the Smooth 7.1. There is a handle right in front of me. I find that I can hold on to it at high speeds and check my heart rate. It comes with a chest strap to monitor your heart rate if you do run and don't want to use the sensors.

This treadmill inclines up to 15% and up to 10 miles per hour. These are standard and very adequate numbers.

Programs and Features

I really like that I could enter my weight and age making the readouts more accurate than machines that don't have that feature. I have never seen a height and sex option which the Smooth gave me!

The console is easy to read. The readout includes heart rate, time, distance, speed and calories burned.

Smooth gives you eight preset programs including working according to how much time you want to spend on the machine; distance which works entering how long you want to run or walk and then the treadmill counts down from the distance you put in. The speed starts at 2mph and the resistance level starts at 0. Your time and calories count up from 0 and the distance down from the target distance you told the machine to do.

You'll also get calories, speed, heart rate (This option shows the persons heart rate on the console and the treadmill will adjust incline to keep the heart rate at a determined level.) and interval programs.

The Smooth 7.1 has a specific weight loss program. There is a pre-set workout time of 24 minutes and speed and incline changes during the workout. You may see on other machines a program that is called fat burn. These are fairly similar so although the specific weight loss program sounds great it isn't that novel.

Jo's final thoughts

There is no question that is a sturdy and well made machine. It is given high marks in the treadmill industry. If you have $2,000 to spend then I would certainly recommend the Smooth 7.1. This is an excellent machine. It's quiet, smooth and has enough programs to keep even those who have used treadmills for years busy.

Please check with your doctor before starting an exercise program. Also please keep your children and pets away from any treadmill.