NordicTrack T Series Treadmills

Best Overall Low Profile Option

1. NordicTrack T Series 8.5s

Best Overall Bang For Buck Option

NordicTrack T Series 8.5s Review

Deck Height: 8.2” - Low Profile

ahhh The NordicTrack 8.5s. This thing is a beauty. Rather than give you the tech specs, details and overall product review I am going to give you my personal review because I own this treadmill and still use it every so often.

My Experience With This Treadmill After 3 Years

I have owned this treadmill going on 3 years now and it has been every bit of awesome as I expected.

My girlfriend and I bought this treadmill because we were moving into an apartment for about 2 years while our new house was being built.

Our apartment had an extremely low ceiling height so we needed a low profile treadmill that would work for us. We did our research and came to the conclusion that this was the best treadmill for low ceilings.

And man were we right.

This thing has everything you could possibly need and comes in at an extremely affordable price for what you get. This thing has a very nice 10 inch screen, comes with iFit, allows you to run up to 12mph, and run at an incline.

It's got everything you need and then some.

Not to mention, I have yet to run into any issues at all with this treadmill. It's reliable and still looks new. That's the kind of quality you should go after, especially if you plan on moving to a more spacious house, and thus might need to sell your treadmill later on - you want the best resell value you can get.

2. NordicTrack T Series 6.5si

Best Bang for Buck Cheap Option

NordicTrack T Series 6.5si

Deck Height: 8” - Low Profile

With an 8” step-up, the NordicTrack T-Series Treadmills are perfect for compact spaces with low ceilings.

NordicTrack’s T-Series range is quite extensive, but we find the 6.5Si, and the 8.5s, which are the entry level models to be the best combination of features and pricing.

Compact Size

For starters, they has a very streamlined design and a compact footprint that makes it extremely easy to fit in just about any apartment home gym space. Yet, the running deck is 20” wide and 55” long which allows even a tall user to use their full stride without feeling restricted when they jog.

After use, it can be folded and it stands just 73” tall.

Sadly, there are no casters to help lift the deck under it. But who really cares?

With the lightweight, but extremely sturdy frame, most people would have no problems pushing it to a corner of the room for storage.

Power & Speed

Under the hood, it features a 2.6 CHP DurX commercial plus motor that runs butter smooth without creating a din. It auto-cools if you are using it continually and this prevents it from overheating or crashing midway through a workout.

Cushioned Treadmill Deck

We really like the FlexSelect Cushioning feature which activates a set of shock absorbers under the deck making the running surface spongy. If you have creaky joints, this feature will make it easier to walk on the surface. The best part is that you can turn it off if you’d like the surface to feel like you are running outdoors.

Interactive Display Screen

On the top, you have a 10” interactive touchscreen display that shows you everything from the vital details to preset workouts. The controls are positioned on the left and right hand rails for convenient access.

Also, the NordicTrack 6.5Si, and 8.5s come with a 1-year free iFit subscription which will give you access to 16000 workouts including on-demand ones that can be played on any laptop, tablet or mobile device.

3. XTERRA Fitness TR150

Cheapest Lowest Profile Treadmill

XTERRA Fitness TR150 Review

Deck Height: 5.5” when flat - Extremely Low Profile

The TR150 from Xterra has one of the lowest deck heights in this list of best treadmills for low ceilings.

It does feature three manual incline settings which increases the deck height by up to 2 degrees in increments of 0.5 degrees, especially at the forward part of the deck.

But if you rarely use the incline feature, this is one of the lowest profile designs that you’ll ever come across.

What It Looks Like When It Arrives

The TR150 features a running surface that is 16” wide and 50” long. A little smaller than our #1 pick, but a great option for small rooms and basements.

The frame is stainless steel tubing and can support a max load of 250 lbs. It is very sturdily constructed and there’s no wobble or squeaking noises, which is a common problem in cheap treadmills.

Under the hood, you have a 2.25 HP motor, which obviously is no professional treadmill designed for runners but it has enough power to withstand prolonged jogging and running sessions without overheating or conking off.

The flywheel mechanism ensures that the belt moves smoothly and you can choose a speed between 0.5 MPH and 10 MPH, which is phenomenal for a basic treadmill at this price point.

It does not feature a fancy, touchscreen console. Instead, there’s an LCD display that keeps you informed about the time spent on it, the distance covered, the speed setting you are using, the calories burnt so far, and the pulse.

All the controls are centered on the console and are easy to access even during a jog.

There are 12 workout programs on board, during which the speed of the treadmill is automatically increased to make it more challenging.

Overall, the TR150 is a great choice provided that you have sufficient clearance for the incline, and that even the tallest, heaviest person using the treadmill weighs less than 250 lbs.

4. MaxKare Folding Treadmill

Best Budget Treadmill

Deck Height: 6”

Budget-priced treadmills are either too poorly built to sustain regular, vigorous workouts or they lack even basic features that people usually look for, like an incline setting or a display console.

The MaxKare folding treadmill ticks both these boxes. It is built like a tank and it has almost all the features that people usually look for while shopping for high-end units for home use.

It features a 16” wide and 43” long tread deck with a multi-layer construction for noise absorption and cushioning for the joints. If you're on the hunt for a small treadmill for seniors, I'd say go with this one. It's not only easy and safe to use, but it also offers all the conveniences that seniors would ask for in a treadmill workout without taking up any significant real estate.

The 43” length may not be ideal for full-stride sprints. But it more than suffices for light jogging as well as low-intensity workouts.

The stainless steel tubing frame stays rock steady without creaking or moving during your workouts, and it has a max load capacity of 220 lbs.

Powering the treadmill is a 2.5HP copper motor that lets you ramp up from 0.5mph to 8.5mph in controlled increments. The speed controls are located on the hand rails, which also features an integrated heart rate monitor to track your vitals.

The LCD control is pretty streamlined giving you all the details you need in a bright and concise fashion. There’s no clutter and selecting the functions, such as the 15 onboard workout programs is as simple as pressing a button.

When you are done using it, you can lift it up to fold it for storage. While unfolding, a soft drop system prevents damage and unfolds it smoothly.

Overall, we are very impressed with the MaxKare Folding Treadmill. It may not be the most feature-rich option or the best choice if you are looking to sprint at top speed. But it beats most of the similar-priced competition.

5. RHYTHM FUN Treadmill

Slimmest, Quietest, and most compact

RHYTHM FUN Treadmill Review

Deck Height: 5”

The Rhythm Fun Treadmill is a very versatile little treadmill that can double up as an under-desk walking surface allowing you to walk while you work, or watch Netflix for that matter.

Don’t let the uncanny design fool you into believing that it’s any lesser than a regular treadmill.

Press the foot-operated button and pull the foldable hand rail up and it transforms into a regular treadmill with all the bells and whistles that one would expect in much higher priced units like those high end Nautilus T616, the T618, Sole F63, Bowflex BXT6, or one of those Zwift compatible treadmills.

For starters, the running deck is 18” wide and 50” long, which is more than sufficient for comfortable jogs as well as full-stride sprints. The surface has a 7-layer silicon design that gives you ample cushioning.

Further, the double dynamic suspension system adds to the shock absorption on the surface, making it comfortable to walk and run on, for people of all ages. 

The Rhythm Fun Treadmill is powered by a 2.0HP DC motor and has both, walking as well as running modes. In the walking mode, the top speed is 3.7mph. Switch to the running mode and you can hit top speeds of 7.5mph.

While it does not have a dedicated console due to the folding handrail and the under-desk design, it comes with a cell phone holder, an integrated Bluetooth speaker and a compatible app called YPOO which allows you to track every tiny detail including time, speed and calories.

You can also customize your workouts using the inbuilt workouts on the app.

When not in use, the Rthythm Fun Treadmill can be folded for storage. Because of it's flat design this treadmill can fold flat and fit under your bed. It stands just 30” wide and 8” thick and can easily be tucked into a corner of the room, without it sticking out like a sore thumb.

6.  Sunny Health & Fitness Folding Treadmill

Sunny Health & Fitness Folding Treadmill Review

Deck Height: 7 ¼” 

The Sunny Health and Fitness Folding Treadmill has a top speed of 9mph which is a tad more than most other options in this list.

If you are looking at more intense sprints, say you're running to build muscle, or you want a weight loss cardio machine that can take quite a beating, this might be a slightly better option.

It features a 15” wide tread deck that’s 49” long and features a thick, cushioned running surface.

There’s no way to customize the level of cushioning though. So if you want to get a more realistic feel of outdoor running, there’s just no way to achieve that.

Minor quibble really. And one that you can fix with the right pair of shoes... 

The 2.2 HP motor is very smooth in operation. It doesn’t create a ruckus and the belt moves smoothly even at top speed. There are customers who have used this for hours with zero problems whatsoever. You can be rest assured that the motor wont die on you, nor will it toast the belt.

There are 3-manual incline settings. Thankfully, even the highest setting isn’t too pronounced which should allow you to use it even if you have parked it in a room with low ceilings.

Instead of a console, you have an LCD monitor with a device holder which lets you use your cell phone and a compatible workout app if need be. The monitor displays standard information, but comes with 9 inbuilt workout programs that should suffice for most home gym setups.

Some of the advanced levels on the workout programs are pretty intense, we’ll give you that.

While there are a bunch of controls below the LCD display, the speed controls are positioned on the right handrail which makes it effortless to increase or reduce speed on-the-go. Also, there’s an emergency stop clip which stops the treadmill instantly when pulled.

This can be a very useful feature for seniors or people with cardiac conditions.

When you are done using it, the Sunny Health and Fitness Treadmill folds down for storage. It stands only 58” tall when folded and comes with casters underneath it for easy transportation.

7. Weslo Cadence G 5.9

Weslo Cadence G 5.9 Review

Deck Height: 7”

The Weslo Cadence G5.9 is an entry-level treadmill that boasts of one of the cheapest price tags in this list of best treadmills for low ceilings.

While that’s not a feature that we base our selections on, it does tick some of the boxes in our checklist.

For starters, the tread deck is 16” and 50” long which is more than what we expect for a low-profile treadmill aimed at home users. To add to this, it has a top speed of 10mph.

While you may not be able to do a Usain Bolt on this, it’s pretty spacious and you should be able to get a good workout at a reasonable pace.

The tread deck features a Comfort Cell Cushioning, which is an additional layer of impact absorbing foam under it. Most customers who use it mention that the track feels springy and soft under their feet. Great choice if you have preexisting joint problems or need a treadmill that is easy on your knees.

The frame is extremely sturdy. There’s no wobble or creaking noises even when a tall and heavy user runs on it at top speed.

That said, the max weight capacity is 275 lbs. It's one of those compact home gym equipment for small space, but one that packs a serious punch.

Related Reading; Best Self Propelled Treadmills

You can manually set the incline to two positions, which adds about 4” to its height at the highest setting.

A Blue Tint LCD screen (it’s a tiny screen. Not a huge display) shows you the basic information that you seek. It’s very easy to toggle through this information even on-the-fly.

There are no controls on the hand rail though. Even the heart rate sensor is built into the console and you have to press your thumb on it to get a pulse reading.

The Cadence features 6 onboard personal trainer workouts that range from beginner exercises to super-advanced ones. If you thought that you couldn’t get a sweaty workout on a home treadmill, try this out.

While there are a few minor niggles, the Weslo Cadence G5.9 should be a terrific option for users who seek a basic, inexpensive treadmill for home use.