Best for Home Use
Best for Serious Runners
Best for Walkers
Best for Seniors
Horizon Adventure 3 Review
Jessica is a NASM-certified personal trainer, nutrition coach, and behaviour change specialist. From teens to older adults, she is experienced in addressing unique fitness considerations associated with all age groups.
Read full bio >
Brian is a regular competitor and national qualifier in the National Physique Committee events of bodybuilding and classic physique. A veteran writer and editor of more than 24 years, he's published numerous articles on fitness, health, and exercise.
Read full bio >Designed for walkers, the Horizon Adventure 3 is the entry-level folding treadmill in a series led by the Horizon Adventure 5 Plus. The Adventure Series includes Passport video workouts, which work with your TV. The series also debutedĀ ViaFit Connect, which links treadmills to the Internet. The ViaFit web app is designed to chart your distance covered, calories burned, and other fitness activity. Time and again, studies show that people who track their progress are more likely to achieve their goals.
Key specs on the Horizon Adventure 3 Treadmill include a 55″ x 20″Ā track, Variable Response Cushioning and a 2.5 CHP drive.
What We Like:
- Track Length: Ā The track length of 55″ is just right for walkers. The width is the standard 20″. Other treadmills in this series have longer tracks for runners.
- Variable Response Cushioning: The newest treadmills have the smartest tracks. The high-end Variable Response Cushioning on the Adventure 3 isnāt uniform. It has three firmness zones. The track provides a relatively soft landing area and a firmer area for takeoff.
- 30 Programs: The Adventure 3 Treadmill has 30 built-in workouts. These include manual mode plus interval training, distance programs, calorie burn programs, and step programs.
- Audio: Enjoy your MP3s during workouts through the Horizon Adventure 3’s built-in speakers.
- ViaFit Connect:Ā ViaFitās main feature is the automatic tracking of fitness data. You can track your data with the ViaFit.com app or stream your data to other compatible programs.
- Passport: While ViaFit deals with numbers, Passport is about imagery. Passport connects the Adventure 3 Treadmill to your television. High-definition video adjusts to the speed and intensity of your workout!
- Display: The console is clear to read and easy to use. The workout data shown includes time, distance, incline, speed, calories, heart rate, and laps. There’s also a racetrack graphic to help visualize your progress. Horizon Fitness describes the screen as “extra-wide”, but weāre not sure what that means. It is 5.75″ wide and many other treadmills have 10″ color touchscreens screens. For a better visual experience, you can connect the Horizon Adventure 3 Treadmill to a home TV though. Horizonās Passport system will provide virtual trips around the world as you exercise.
- Console Extras: Just like health club treadmills, this unit has a reading rack and two cup holders.
- Incline: Rev up your metabolism and get extra tone. This track can automatically incline up to 12%. Walking on the incline boosts the efficiency and effectiveness of your workouts. It also makes exercise more interesting, especially when used with the interactive Passport system. Ten āstep programsā are included.
- Motor: The best treadmill motors are both quiet and powerful. This unit has a 2.5 CHP Johnson Drive System, which is enough power for long and frequent walks. Horizon promises that this motor operates quietly enough to let a baby sleep. That’s not true. Babies are sensitive creatures who don’t take kindly to sleeping next to treadmills. But the machine is quiet.
- Folding:Ā The Adventure 3 Treadmill can easily be folded to conserve floor space. The folded dimensions are 45″ x 34″.
- Warranty: The warranty is a pretty good match for an inexpensive treadmill, offering a lifetime frame and motor warranty, a three-year parts warranty, and a one-year labor warranty.
Horizon Adventure 3 Treadmill - Key Specs:
| Star Rating: | 3-stars |
|---|---|
| Motor: | 2.5 HP |
| Incline: | 0 - 12% |
| Running Area: | 20" x 55" |
| Folding: | Yes |
| Top Speed: | 12 MPH |
| Weight Capacity: | 300 LBS |
| Dimensions: | 71" L x 34" W x 54" H |
| Built-In Programs: | 30 |
- Customer Service:Ā Horizon Fitnessās customer service isnāt always impressive. In someĀ customer reviews, the service is described as downright frustrating. It can reportedly take a long time to receive parts or get repairs. They do not outsource their call centre. The downside is longer wait times, but at least when you get someone they will be in the HorizonĀ office that often has the ability to put their hands directly on your same machine.
- Contact Grips: The only heart rate monitor on the Adventure 3 is manual. Contact grips tend to be less accurate than wireless heart rate monitoring systems.
- Stability:Ā When this machine is properly assembled, we expect good stability for users weighing up to 200 pounds and maybe more. The Adventure 3 Treadmill has an official maximum capacity of 300 pounds, but it only weighs 177 pounds. Customers who use similar Horizon treadmills and weigh 200 pounds have reported shakiness.
Our Verdict:
The Horizon Adventure 3 has a respectable list of specs as well as plenty of workout options that make it easy to track your longterm progress. This is an affordable treadmill for walkers that will hold up for at least a few years. The only real concern is Horizon’s customer service. The company makes good products but since they do all theirĀ customer service in house, you may have to be a little more patient than normal to get someone on the phone. A minor issue, to be clear. Overall, it’s easy to recommend this machine.