So I want to get myself a treadmill. I have an eliptical, but it's wreaking havoc on my knees if I do it longer than about 20 minutes. And I enjoy walking, so a treadmill is kind of the best thing I can think of.

I have looked at a few, but the problem is a) I don't have enough room for a gym sized one that sits there all the time, so I need one that folds when not in use, and b) electrical ones are about $ 700 over here, and I don't have that kind of money.

Now my question is, what's the difference between a manual one and an electrical one? Is there any significant difference? Is either of them more efficient? Better? Worse?

Any advice, opinions and so on would be appreciated....thanks in advance!

San, I remember several years ago my aunt bought a manual treadmill for my grandmother because she was afraid an electric one would be too easy for her to set at a high speed and then fall.

I tried it out after she got it and my experience was that it was waaaay easier to get the manual treadmill going and not be able to stop it. The manual ones are built on a roller system that generates momentum. The electric ones are easier to set on a speed and *stop* if you need to stop it. I actually nearly fell on her manual one because I couldn't slow it down fast enough.

That's just my experience - I'd personally never buy a manual treadmill just for that reasons. Then again, this was 5ish years ago and things may have changed in the technology.

Is there a fitness store around they would let you try them? That would be my idea :P Good luck and I hope you find what you need!

San,
Just a thought...most of the experts will tell you that a treadmill is WORSE on the knees than an elliptical...that's what I have consistantly heard, anyway. So, you may want to do some checking or reading up on this subject. My ortho doctor who is treating my knee told me I should be riding a stationary bike more and using the treadmill way less!

Hmm...thanks for all the replies. I never thought about the stopping thing and whatnot....certainly worth looking into. The idea of going to a shop sounds like my best bet I guess, have to check if there are any sports shops around here who would let me try.

As for eliptical versus treadmill - I heard that as well, but the weird thing is that I can walk for an hour or two, and walk 'briskly' as they call it, with no problems whatsoever. 20 minutes on the eliptical, and my knees hurt, my feet fall asleep and I have to stop. And I have the same problem on a stationary bike, plus my back kills me after a short while on the bike. My doc's baffled by it, and so am I, but it really appears that plain and simple walking is better for me than anything else, especially now that I already lost some weight and the impact on my knees should be less than before.

Okay, sleep now, then look into where the closest sports shop is around here....I am sure there is a larger one somewhere that has some stuff to try. Again, thanks for all the suggestions!

I have the same issue san, when I use the elliptical my feet go numb but my knees ache afterwards for a day or two. But I can run/walk for 30mins or more with no problems, no shin splints no aches, my knees dont hurt or anything. I never thought to look into it. Guess I never thought much about it until someone mentioned it. :P