Treadmill review: Matrix T5x

As promised; upon day 2 on the treadmill here I'm writing a review. By day 2, I'm referring to the second day of many in a row because the suns going down to early here, so I've been on this treadmill before and know the ins and outs. I'm currently at the Staybridge Suites in Corpus Christi and they have the Matrix T5x treadmill.

The T5x is a newer treadmill, at least based upon my recent hotel experience, and the one here still has the feel of a newer piece of equipment. The link above shows the stats on it, basically standard for any treadmill nowadays, 0-15% grade and 0-12mph, nothing to exciting. The unit here has a very tight belt, and a stable deck so there's not a lot of rattle when I'm running on it flat or while running and adjusting the height. The user interface is a little confusing at first but you can navigate the options easily.

For my test I covered two workouts, the first was a longer run/jog to wake my body up that I usually do on Monday and then a speed workout the second day, both of which cover most of the functionality.

Pros

• The belt didn't slip at all during the long run, or the speed workout(1 min walk, 1 min 9.5mph+ and repeat 15 times). For me this is a huge plus because I run heavy when I get tired
• Speed adjustment can be keyed in on the keypad by your right hand
• Comfortable run, the deck went up and down easily without much noise.

Cons

• The E-Stop button is among the worst placed, it's dead center of the heart rate guard, so when you speed up sometimes you'll bump it. I did this once in the long run
• If you do not change the time BEFORE you start your workout, you're stuck at a sudden shut-down at 20 minutes, this may have a fix but I haven't found the command yet.

Grade: B - that estop is really annoying
Overall though it was a pleasant run, I'd still prefer to be outside but the hours I'm working now are not encouraging it so I'm going to be on this puppy for a while.