Tread Carefully (Horizon Omega CS Treadmill)

Member Name: jimscreechy

Product:	Horizon Omega CS Treadmill
Date:	23/04/02 (4406 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Robust, Large running area, Ergonomic

Disadvantages: Misrepresented features, MPH display

I have always been athletic and particularly concerned, though not obsessed with fitness. Throughout my life I have almost always participated in some activity to maintain my fitness and generally improve my physical condition. The trouble is none of these activities can be done at home. I have been a gym goer for about twelve years in addition to playing various group and partner sports, but I have to travel some distance in order to partake. A quick jog around the park still requires you to dislocate yourself from the marvels of modern technology and place yourself at the mercy of the elements for some period of time. Even if you need a quick drink, or more unfortunately, "Mother Nature" makes one of her unannounced calls you could find yourself 'caught out'.

That said, I came to the logical conclusion that can only be made after a decade of forethought, and decided invest in a treadmill. Yes, yet another one of those essential modern conveniences in my humble abode and at my fingertips.

Having made the decision, the remaining considerations where, how much to spend, what to buy and from where. A preliminary investigation revealed that entry level machines in this market that would provide the type of quality I sought, started at about £800. With that, I set my limit at £1200 and began my search.

Unfortunately I performed this task four months ago and no longer have all the information collected on the various machines I vetted, but I did choose to purchase the item from John Lewis as opposed to the other suppliers because of my satisfaction with previous purchases and my knowledge of their excellent after sales service. I was fortunate in that they had a number of machines set up and I was able to try out various models before reaching my final decision. This is an essential procedure as the 'feel' of a treadmill invariable affects your willingness to use it and the overall comfort in doing so. So
me models I tried had excessively long hand rails which made me feel claustrophobic. Others did not provide the level of cushioning I felt necessary for such extensive use as I intended. There were other major and minor consideration but the more important I have listed below with minor comments on each.

Requirements

Speed up to 16kmph (10mph)........
There are quite a number of treadmills on the market that have a maximum speed of 10 or 12kmph. In order to be effective for my needs I needed one that could attain a 16kmph speed.

Effective cushioning........
On average I run 15 to 30 miles a week. This produces quite a lot of stress on the joints and it is very important to take this into consideration when keeping fit. Lack of cushioning can cause long term problems seriously affect both the outcome and enjoyment of your training.

Calorie counter........
It is always helpful to know how many calories you burn. It is a great incentive for improvement and for the dieters it can provide that all too essential feeling of accomplishment.

Incline adjustment.
Running on a consistently flat surface has never been overly enjoyable for me and let's face it, training for most of us is a chore even though we may find it invigorating. Hills and slopes really tend to get me to focus on what I am doing and alleviate boredom on those long runs.

Heart rate monitor capability
I felt this is another essential feature because to really effectively monitor improvement it is necessary to know what your heart is doing.

Effective running area
This may seem like trivial point but those of us who run on treadmills know it requires a certain amount of time before you get accustomed to running on a moving surface. Varying your pace even slightly; particularly when running quite quickly, can shift your relative position on the belt. A large running area is safer and provides you with the con
fidence to make full use of the speed available.

Guarantee on parts and motor
If I continue my current training regime I will have clocked up some 1200 miles by the end of the year. This is quite a lot of mileage and when spending such a significant amount of money, you want to know that part replacement is not a necessity before at least four years.

The Horizon Omega initially met all my prerequisites and at just over £1000 it was more affordable and better designed that the others.
As I previously stated I did not keep the information I collected on the machines I researched, so I cannot draw comparisons between them and the Horizon Omega. Instead I will concentrate on the performance of the item since purchase and my feelings and recommendations.

My first word of advice to any potential purchasers of such equipment is find one the model that you think suits you and test it properly before you buy it. If it means looking like a bit of a "Pleb" running in the shop or going to a gym to do so, test it. Even though I did try out the Horizon Omega in the department store, I did not gain the level of familiarity that one attains when the device is owned, which is somewhat unfortunate as some of the features listed do not function in the way they should. I will explain briefly.

1.) Although the display has a calorie readout, the machine does not have the facility to enter weight. It is impossible to determine calorie usage without knowing weight. Are we to assume a child or myself, a 12 stone man uses the same amount of calories to run a mile as a 16 stone one?
2.) When used with the heart rate monitor the digital readout which can display either distance, laps/pulse, and calories defaults to laps/pulse. Pressing the select button which should allow you to change between these settings, does not work. You are therefore unable to tell how far you have run. For me this is a significant problem as my traini
ng sessions are measured on the distance I run. The display does work correctly if the heart rate monitor strap (or watch) is not used while on the treadmill.
3.) The readout is in MPH and cannot be changed to KMPH. This is only a minor inconvenience but it would be nice to have a changeable option.


Ultimately this is a very sturdy and well built unit. It feels as robust as any treadmill you will find in a Gym and easy to operate. It has a nice LED display that represents a track and gives you an immediate visual representation of how far you have run. In addition to the normal Increase/Decrease speed buttons, it also has a keypad numbered from 1 to 10 to effect speed changes. You therefore do not need to keep you finger on the keypad for an excessively long time to increase the speed but can just hit the number once for much larger increment change. It folds up easily into the space saving storage position and although quite heavy is not to difficult to move around into the required position. The displays are easily read and the buttons all positioned ergonomically, so little effort is required to make adjustments while running. This particular model does not have pre-programmed workouts so manual adjustments of speed and incline are necessary. (Horizon does do a more expensive model that does have this feature.) It is very comfortable to run on and the cushioning system is exceptional. I have added an anti-static strap because after running for a few minutes you can get a nice static shock if you touch the metal frame, this is an unfortunate condition which affects all treadmills not just this one, and I am surprised this feature is not included on any models I investigated nor have ever encountered.

After four months of running whenever I choose I have to say this is one of the best investments in my health I have ever made. Despite the discrepancies in the features that I have mentioned, I continue to fully enjoy my use
of this machine and have saved hundreds of hours in travel as a consequence of having it at home. For me, a definite must have.

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