3G Cardio Elite Runner Treadmill Review

3G Cardio Elite Runner Treadmill

$3,999

Made in Taiwan

AWARDS: Highest Rated (Score 95/100)

UPDATED 2024 Model:  3G Cardio Elite Runner Updated Review

We have been looking forward to this review for a while.  3G Cardio has done their biggest update in years with their Elite Runner Treadmill and we are excited to get our hands on it.  Some of the new changes to this model are a matte black aluminum “automotive” finish, updated blue LED screen and FreeSync™ with FTMS Bluetooth®.  We will dive into that one later.

We like 3G Cardio quite a bit.  They are a smaller company and seem to have really good control over their product quality and customer support.  They are quick to answer the phone and eager to solve customer issues.  They are not the type of company to “nickel and dime” their customers on service either.  This also shows in the reviews online.  If you are doing online research, then you have already gone down the wormhole to find our review site.  If you have come this far then it is because you have been frustrated by all the horrible customer reviews for the “top rated” treadmill out there.  See, online “review” sites are big business, they are referred to as affiliate marketing and most are nothing more than advertisements. That is why you see such a huge discrepancy between the ratings offered up by “Best Treadmill on the Planet” review site compared to what the actual customers say.  Why don’t we do this with our site?  We are not smart enough to figure it out… LOL.  Sorry, went off on a tangent there.

The 3G Cardio Elite Runner Treadmill is a very solid, heavy-duty treadmill with a 10-year residential / 2 year in-home labor warranty.  5 years commercial warranty.  This treadmill tested extremely well and was given our overall highest score of 95.  This treadmill is similar in size to what you would see in a health club.  It has a huge incline and more than enough room for big users to run.  This treadmill performed flawlessly with a 302 LB person going to town on it!  One of the most stable treadmills tested.

The Elite Runner Treadmill passed many of our most stringent tests with flying colors.   Some of the highlights of this treadmill include a fantastic warranty and customer service.  A well constructed thick orthopedic belt and quick acceleration speeds. This Elite Runner treadmill really performs and feels more like a $6000+ health club treadmill, which is very impressive.  We also like that 3G Cardio is not constantly bombarding us with memberships sign up text on the display.  The Elite Runner actually has plenty of programs including interactive heart rate, custom and built-in fitness tests.  The display is simple and easy to use and best of all, does not cost $40 per month extra.  If you want to get on and go, simply hit the “GO” button and that is it.  Nothing to log into or update.

We normally don’t get too deep into the “programs” of a treadmill but the 3G Cardio Elite Runner Treadmill is a bit different.  They incorporate something called “FreeSync™” into their upper display.  From the outside, it appears to be an old school style electronics display (which we love) but, there is a special FTMS Bluetooth ® module embedded into the screen that will allow you to connect to your tablet or mobile device.   You can download any fitness app (from the Google or Apple marketplace) and then your device will be able to control the treadmill.  Your tablet or phone will act as your electronics display.  Apps like KinoMaps™ and Zwift™ will show you onscreen visuals like walking up a mountain path and the 3G Elite Runner will elevate up and down, in real time.   The Elite Runner will also send and receive data from the tablet (speed, calories, distance etc) and display it on the screen.  This is cool.  

We here at Big Guy Treadmill Review absolutely despise when a treadmill manufacture strong arms their users into paying for a monthly subscription.  If you don’t pay, you get a super limited experience.  And if your fancy built-in tablet screen breaks, you are screwed.  Also, you may not know this, but many users have been locked out of their treadmill / fitness equipment.  There is a huge lawsuit going on right now between some HUGE corporations and whoever wins may be able to block other treadmills companies from the software that is already installed in their machines.  This happened years ago with Life Fitness.  They had an app installed in their treadmills called MyRun™.  Icon Fitness bought the MyRun app and then forced Life Fitness to brick all their customers, rendering the app useless.  With this FreeSync ™ module, you can use any app you want, on any device you want.  Or, don’t use any app at all and keep it simple.  Some of these fitness apps do charge a monthly fee but you can cancel anytime.  We think it is crappy to force you into a subscription like Peloton, Nordic Track and so many others do. We wish that more treadmill brands used FTMS Bluetooth, but we also understand that it is a business.  Peloton is a software company, not a fitness company.  Their business is selling memberships and if they used FTMS Bluetooth, it would undermine their entire business model.  We do understand this.    

Pros:  3G Cardio has the “FreeSync™ connectivity with FTMS Bluetooth®” on most of their products now. Big and extremely well built, solid treadmill at a fraction of the cost of health club machines.  Great running surface with orthopedic belt.  Quick speed acceleration and fantastic 10 year parts warranty and 2 year in home labor / customer support.  Simple built in programs – easy to use with no required membership fee. Fixed pricing.  You will not see the online prices go up and down so there is no need to worry about missing a better sale price.

Cons:  Expensive.  Heavy and not easy to move around.  We did not love the position of the cup holders.  A little more speed loss than we would like to see from a high-end treadmill but overall, not too concerning.