“Are NordicTrack Treadmills Any Good?” – What You Need to Know

If you’re thinking of buying a treadmill, chances are you’ve come across the Nordictrack treadmill brand.

You may have thought to yourself:

“Are Nordictrack Treadmills Any Good?”

Good question.

Is Nordictrack a good brand for you?

About twenty years ago, Nordictrack was more known for their famous ski machine than their treadmills. However these days they produce some of the most popular, top-rated treadmills in the world.

But in order to answer your question about whether Nordictrack treadmills are any good (and if they’re any good FOR YOU), let’s backtrack a little and give you some history first:

Nordictrack Treadmills – Background History

Nordictrack has been around as a fitness equipment brand for over 20 years. They have a long track record in the industry.

They are actually owned and manufactured by ICON Health and Fitness – one of the largest names in the fitness equipment business.

(Icon has recently changed their name to iFit. However because most people know them as ICON, I’ll stick with calling them ICON for now).

ICON also owns names like Proform, Healthrider, Freemotion, Smooth and Gold’s Gym.

What does that mean for you?

Well, first of all, it means that ICON has the money, means and engineering talent to build a better treadmill for less.

It also means that if we go into a recession or hard economic times, this company will be around to actually service your treadmill and back up the warranty. You can’t say that about a lot of other treadmill brands today.

Nordictrack is pretty much the jewel in the ICON crown.

ICON puts a lot of their focus on Nordictrack – which you can see in the fact they these treadmills tend to carry the latest tech first before it filters down to ICON’s other brands (they were the first ICON brand with iPod docks, adjustable cushioning, full-color consoles, decline and iFit).

You can also see this in the fact that Nordictrack has a few unique types of treadmills you can’t find anywhere else – like the Nordictrack Incline trainers or the desk treadmill.

Nordictrack Incline Trainers:

Nordictrack Incline trainers are a unique and popular type of home treadmill – with a twist.

You get up to 40% incline (instead of a standard 10-15% incline on a regular treadmill).

What’s the big deal about a high-incline?

The main benefit of high incline walking is that you can burn MEGA-calories. Walking on a 40% incline can burn up to 5 TIMES more calories than walking on a flat-plane surface.

So if you want to see results super fast, these are great treadmills to look consider.

And they also carry something else you don’t find on other treadmill brands as well – up to 6% decline. So they’re great for crosstraining as well as calorie-burning.

Here are a few top reviewers comments on different incline trainers:

And this one on the X22i incline trainer:

And here’s one on the older (now discontinued) X11i incline trainer:

So overall if you’re wondering – Are Nordictrack treadmills any good? this is one class of Nordictrack treadmills that rate quite highly – and give you more than a traditional treadmill.

Click Here for More on Nordictrack Incline Trainers

Nordictrack Home and Commercial Treadmills:

Of course Nordictrack also makes some regular home treadmills and even commercial-grade treadmills that have rated highly with experts and consumer magazines as well.

The top-rated Nordictrack treadmill of all time has to be the Nordictrack Commercial 1750.

It’s been around for over 8 years now and usually pulls in a few Best Buy ratings ever year. (Nordictrack updates it every year).

Why is it so popular?

Well, it was one of the first treadmills to come out with a full-color, HD, touch-screen console.

That was years ago – and now almost every Nordictrack treadmill has a full-color, HD touch screen. But for the time, it was totally unique.

Many people prefer the full-color touch-screens.

You can easily see your workout stats with a swipe of your finger. You can also connect to iFit Coach and run trails all over the world, watching the scenery pass you by in the console screen for added virtual reality fun.

Another plus?

The Nordictrack 1750 treadmill was also one of the first home treadmills to come out with incline AND DECLINE. You can get up to 3% decline (and 12% incline) on this treadmill.

The decline adds more crosstraining options to your workouts and can be a great way to rest after long intervals.

While other Nordictrack treadmills now carry decline as well, the Nordictrack 1750 was one of the first – which got people’s attention.

Basically the fact that this treadmill is so popular and well known, makes it a very popular choice with buyers.

Here’s what New York Magazine had to say:

And even Good Housekeeping liked it:

So if you’re looking for a mid-range treadmill that has rated highly with experts and users, you may want to consider the Nordictrack 1750.

Click for More on the Nordictrack 1750

Other Highly-Rated Nordictrack Treadmills:

Nordictrack has produced several more highly-rated treadmills over the years.

The Nordictrack 2950 treadmill (which has now been replaced by the new 2450 Treadmill with similar features) was popular as well.

Here’s what Forbes had to say:

And here’s what Outside also had to say:

So as you can see, Nordictrack treadmills do have a long history of getting good rankings or reviews with experts. But at the end of the day, if you’re wondering if Nordictrack is a good brand, you have to decide if they have what YOU want.

You need to decide of they are the right fit for you.

For example, are they in your price range? Do they offer the features that you want?

Knowing these things beforehand can better equip you when you do go shopping for their treadmills. So you can see if they can match what you’re looking for.

Click to Compare all Nordictrack Treadmills

Are Nordictrack Treadmills Any Good? The Downside of Nordictrack Treadmills

Of course, it’s not all unicorns and rainbows with Nordictrack. There are some downsides with these treadmills that you should know.

For example, a lot of discount stores used to sell older Nordictrack models that they got from ICON – and these are not great value. These have smaller, hard-to-read consoles, shorter decks and no iFit compatibility.

This is not happening as much lately – but you might still find a few kicking around out here.

The problem with this is that people think they’re getting a “quality” Nordictrack treadmill for cheap. But in reality they’re just getting an older, out-of-date, starter treadmill with a slightly jacked-up price.

Another thing you should know is that Nordictrack updates their most popular treadmill models every year or two.

While this can be great if you’re looking for the latest treadmill tech – it also makes things confusing from a research standpoint.

For example, you might read one review that says the Nordictrack 1750 treadmill has adjustable cushioning while another one says it does NOT have adjustable cushioning.

The reason behind this?

The reviews are for different models of the Nordictrack 1750 treadmill (which did not have adjustable cushioning one year – and did have it the next year).

So this can be really confusing for potential buyers. This is why I always tell buyers to check the Manufacturer’s website here for the latest information on their chosen treadmill.

Don’t trust this blog – or any other third-party blog or website – to make your final buying decision.

As much as we bloggers try to keep up with all the updated Nordictrack models, sales and features – we’re human and inevitably we end up sometimes falling behind (I do have a day job after all).

So in answer to the question – are Nordictrack Treadmills any good?

Overall, I think they’re one of the best brands out there right now. Here’s why:

They have a multiple-years-long track record of consistently putting out top-selling treadmills. They also continue to rack up Best Buy awards from review websites and consumer magazines alike year after year.

They’re also backed by one of the largest fitness equipment companies in the business – ICON – who can afford to build a better treadmill for less.

While not every Nordictrack treadmill is a home run, for the most part, these treadmills give you great value for the money.

So take your time, browse this site (or other sites), read some reviews and get an idea of which treadmill is best for you. So you can feel comfortable that you’ve found the best treadmill for you.

Click Here to Compare All Current Nordictrack Treadmills