The Horizon 7.8 AT Folding Treadmill is a huge treadmill, which unfortunately comes with a king-sized problem.
Priced at $1,999, this treadmill weighs an impressive 330 pounds and features an oversized 22-inch by 60-inch walking platform.
“This is a beast of a treadmill framing wise,” said “Big” Mike, who at 6-foot-4, 298 pounds leads our BigGuyTreadmillReview.com testing team. “It’s a tank. It has huge side rails and uprights. It’s just really solid.”
During testing, our team found this treadmill to be solid and stable for walking and running, standing out compared to most other treadmills under $2,000.
One feature we particularly appreciated is the inclusion of FTMS Bluetooth. This allows users to connect their own smart devices to the treadmill without being locked into a costly monthly subscription for fitness apps. In our opinion, paying hundreds of dollars per year for app subscriptions to use the electronics on fitness equipment is highly unreasonable.
The ergonomics of the Horizon 7.8 are well-designed. The motor cover is appropriately low, the handlebars are positioned ideally for larger users, and the electronics are intuitive and user-friendly. However, everything changed when it came time to use the incline feature, which revealed a significant flaw.
Similar to the issues we reported with the Horizon 7.0 AT Treadmill, the incline mechanism of the Horizon 7.8 completely failed under a heavy load, aka “Big” Mike.
“It has a runaway belt,” said Mike, who had to abruptly get off the treadmill once he tried to incline the Horizon 7.8. “That shouldn’t happen! I would have fallen off the back of it. It would have literally kept increasing in speed.”
During our tests, the incline could not hold a weight of around 300 pounds or more, causing the belt to malfunction and run uncontrollably. This is a huge potential safety hazard for users who weigh 250 pounds or more and wish to use the treadmill at steeper inclines.
This issue became evident when our tester, weighing over 250 pounds, attempted to use the incline function. The belt sped up uncontrollably due to a combination of body weight and gravity.
To make matters worse, the treadmill failed to activate a “SPEED ERROR” warning or shut itself down, as it should have under these circumstances. This raises serious questions about the reliability and safety of the machine.
The problem appears systemic, as similar issues were observed with both the Horizon 7.0 AT and Horizon 7.8 AT treadmills. The treadmill simply does not perform adequately for heavier users at higher inclines, despite the manufacturer’s stated weight capacity of 350 pounds. Based on our findings, users close to or exceeding 250 pounds should be cautious about relying on this treadmill for incline workouts.
Some users might dismiss the need for a functioning incline feature, but it is essential to consider the broader implications. What if a guest at your home tries to use the treadmill with an incline and has an accident? Or, as your fitness needs evolve, you might require an incline setting for effective workouts. A treadmill with a malfunctioning incline is a serious limitation, akin to owning a car that can only turn in one direction. It is baffling that Horizon did not identify and address this issue during product testing.
Another problem we encountered was a slipping walking belt straight out of the box. While tightening the rear rollers might resolve this issue, it reflects poorly on quality control. Users should not have to perform maintenance on a brand-new treadmill. While this is not a major defect, it is still an inconvenience that should have been addressed during manufacturing.
In summary, while the Horizon 7.8 AT Folding Treadmill excels in certain areas like ergonomics and Bluetooth connectivity, it fails to deliver reliable performance for heavier users, especially at higher inclines.
The combination of safety concerns and quality control oversights makes it difficult to recommend this treadmill to a broad audience. Horizon should revisit its design and testing processes to address these critical flaws.
“Overall, it performed decently,” Big Mike concluded. “For $2,000 I’ve seen other treadmills that performed much better and are more compact (when folded upright).
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