Smooth Fitness is a big player in the fitness equipment industry. They make and sell treadmills and elliptical machines. One of their treadmills is the Smooth 9.45ST treadmill. Smooth Fitness promotes this treadmill as a commercial quality treadmill for your home. Overall, I’d say the Smooth 9.45ST treadmill offers a lot of premium features and isn’t particularly lacking in any one area, but you do pay for it. It is priced north of $2,000.

Very cool feature: hands-free cruise control

You can control the speed without pressing buttons. All you have to do is wave your hand over the motion sensors and you can slow down or speed up. This is a great feature, especially when running. You know what I’m talking about. When you’re running hard, having to press buttons interrupts your gait and is a distraction.

Other features of the Smooth 9.45ST treadmill:

Engine

You get just the right power with the 3.0 hp continuous duty motor. For the price, I would expect more power. However, more is not always necessary. Fact is, this is one strong treadmill, capable of accommodating users up to 400 pounds (well above the industry norm).

Wireless heart rate monitoring

I don’t like using pulse grip heart rate monitors. I don’t like hanging onto something while walking or running. The reason is that when you hang on to something, you are not working as hard.

Size

Running space is 20 inches wide (pretty standard) by 60 inches long. I would expect no less than 60 inches in length for a treadmill that costs more than $2,000. 60 inches will accommodate most users and steps. Of course, there is a limit to the length and 60 inches in length is by far an industry standard, especially for treadmills priced above $1,000.

adjustable damping

This is an important premium feature. You don’t get adjustable cushioning on most treadmills. This is where Smooth Fitness is adding real value to this 9.45ST treadmill. You can choose from 12 ride deck damping settings. This is a fantastic feature for people with joint problems. But it’s also a great way to increase intensity (softer impact = more intensity, think running on sand) and prevent joint problems.

This treadmill comes with many other standard features you’d expect when paying $2,000 and up, like music system, computer, workout programs, bottle holders.

What is not included in the Smooth 9.45ST?

Three items not included that you should be aware of:

• ipod docking station
• folding capacity
• TV

If your budget is around $2,000 (note prices are at time of publication of this article), then the Smooth 9.45ST treadmill should be a contender on your treadmill list (unless you want a folding treadmill). or a TV)