Lamar Treadmill Review:
Lamar tread mills are manufactured by Lamar Fitness - a company started by Kevin Lamar, a professional athlete for the NFL. He also ran the fitness division at Nautilus until deciding to go out on his own.
Lamar is fairly new to the treadmill industry and isn't as well known as some other names - although their Lamar Hiker was quite popular when it was around.
The real question is - Does Lamar make a good treadmill? Here's a quick review to help you decide.
Lamar offers 2 models - the Lamar L 1200 and the Lamar L 1400 starting around $1599. So these are high end treadmills and compete with names like Smooth, Nordic Track and Sole - tough competition.
Strengths:
1) Lamar units offer very large walking areas - 20 x 60" with the motor power to back it up. This is especially appreciated by taller exercisers and runners who want to pick up the pace.
2) Great warranty - With a lifetime frame, 40 year motor warranty, 3 year mechanical parts, 2 year electronics and 1 year wear items, this is a strong warranty. It lets you know the parts used should be fairly high quality.
3) Attractive Console - The LCD backlit consoles are quite attractive on these treadmills showing you speed, time, distance, calories, incline and pulse. They also offer you grip heart rate monitors, finger-tip control keys
Weaknesses:
There's no doubt these are attractively designed sleek machines. And they might even add some competition to the high end market. However they are new and don't necessarily have the high expert or user ratings to back them up yet.
Also, we were disappointed with the speed ranges - only up to 10 mph on the 1200 (which would be ok if prices started at $1200).
Also, while Lamar treadmills seem to have some solid basic features - for this price you really should expect a lot more - such as the scrolling information screens and highly rated cushioning of Sole treadmills (which start at $1299)
Please note: There have been some rumors that the company is in trouble and Lamar tread mills are being discontinued
Conclusion:
While Lamar treadmills definitely have potential and do offer some good basics, they really should drop the price in order to give you good value for your money. Also considering the rumors of trouble with the company, we definitely would not take a chance with a Lamar.
If you're going to spend this much on a treadmill, you really deserve to have more in your machine. Similar brands to compare to include Sole and Smooth.
If you do decide to buy a Lamar you can save some money on taxes and and store markup by buying direct online. You can also usually save quite a bit on shipping costs.
