LifeSpan TR1200-DT5 Treadmill Desk

TL;DR: If you can, buy it. It's life changing. Full review (1 month in, March 2018): Without a doubt, this is the best large purchase I've made in a long time. Lately I'd started to feel like my desk job was slowly killing me, especially during the winter months, and I needed to do something about it. My first attempt was a FitDesk bike, and while it was OK, I found that it was too easy to just stop peddling without realizing it while I was involved in some work task. After doing a bit of research, I decided to pull the trigger on this treadmill desk. Before it arrived, I was a little concerned about the space it would take up in my home office. This is not something you can tuck away somewhere when not in use; it needs a permanent spot. Fortunately for me, a little smart reorganization gave me plenty of room, and it works out well alongside the wall in one of the corners of the room. I was also a little concerned about the weight, and had already enlisted a couple of people to help me set it up. However, on the day it arrived, I was too impatient to wait for help, so I set it up myself. It took me about an hour, but it was doable, and I had no problems lifting and moving things into place. I should say that I regularly lift 50 to 100 lb items, so if that sounds challenging to you, you will want help. Before using the treadmill, I highly recommend going through all the settings. For example, one thing I discovered after several days of use is you can switch the maximum speed from 2 MPH to 4 MPH, which is great when I want a faster paced walk when I'm not typing away. As far as the desk goes, it's sturdy and has plenty of space. I wall mounted a large TV/Monitor in front of it, and have a second monitor on the desk, so I have plenty of work space and can switch to watching TV if I want. I have plenty of room on the desk for water/coffee, the monitor, one or two laptops, a keyboard and mouse, and any paper I need. Lately, after work, I've been using the treadmill desk to play a game (Elite Dangerous) that I use two joysticks for, and I even have plenty of room for that setup. The one negative I might see some people having with the desk is that it is not easy to move up and down. You're basically going to set it to the height you want and leave it. If you need a desk that's easier to raise and lower, you'll want to look at another product. The treadmill is very good. It's quiet enough so that when I'm on a conference call using a headset, no one can hear it. I don't have to crank up my sound to drown out the treadmill noise. It is by no means silent though, so in an office environment with other people there may be some complaints about the noise depending on your coworkers. The controls are simple, but the menu is a confusing mess, keep the physical manual or have a PDF on hand. It does sync bluetooth to it's own iOS app (Android too, but I haven't used), but the app is really garbage. As far as I've been able to figure out, it does NOT integrate with HealthKit, which is kind of a bummer, but I've just started tracking things on with the workout app on my watch. At the point I'm writing this, I've had the treadmill for a month and completed my activity goals every day since I got it. I've used it every day for at least 5,000 steps. If I'm working from home, I tend to do around 20,000 steps. Some days I go more because I really don't notice I'm walking; for example, I walked 12 miles the other day during my shift and felt fantastic when I got out of work. I find it very easy to work while using it going at 1.5 - 2.0 MPH depending on what I'm doing, I also find that I'm much more productive. I don't get that afternoon crash where I feel like I need a nap anymore. Lately, on days where I don't work from home, or if I want to walk more in the evening, I've been cranking it up to 3 - 4 MPH and using it while watching TV (faster) or playing video games (slower). It's amazing I can game or watch something for a couple of hours and walk a few miles without even really noticing it. I've dropped 10 lbs so far by just adding a treadmill to activities I was already doing. I'll try to keep this review updated as time goes on, but at this point I can't recommend it enough. If you have the space and you're stuck at a desk all day, get it. If you have the space and you game a lot, get it. If you do both, get it get it!