A New Balance treadmill is aimed at the middle to low end market. Surprisingly enough these treadmills offer quite some value for their bucks, but don't expect anything too fancy.
The design is quite good and allows you to change programs on the fly, while you work out, without much hassle, but the biggest plus that the New Balance treadmills have it's the motor itself. They have chosen to put a powerful 2.5 HP, continuous duty motor that performs quite well in terms of reliability and noise output. This is the part of the treadmill, which has the longest guarantee, on average 15 years. The other parts on the other hand only have a one year guarantee, so you can safely presume that after two years or so you will need to make some investments in repairs.
As with all low end treadmills, it is critically important that you take care of the machine in terms of periodic cleaning and lubricating, otherwise those repair people will visit your house more often than your neighbors will.
Some interesting design elements which I found quite handy at the New Balance treadmills is the very neat way it allows adjustments and most important of all the oversized water bottle holder. To keep their design updated to the latest technological trends they have also included an iPod holder. We are waiting with great interest for the warmly regarded phone holder and if possible kid holder or wife holder.
The heart rate monitoring system require you to keep your hands on the handles at all time, so if you need to feel that freedom sensation of just running, well choose another treadmill. The programs don't automatically adjust to your heart rate so you must become a real expert in learning what those heart rates actually mean. One word of advice though, never exceed 80 percent to ensure that your heart doesn't give you any problems.
The amount of programs to choose from is rather limited, but as you can change them while you practice this is not much of a drawback.
The belt and the cushioning are both on the average, although the belt system is supposed to have a better design. Time will prove I guess if the concept is sound. If at any moment you feel that the belt is underperforming or that it lags, don't hesitate to go to the shop and put that guarantee into value.
Overall, a New Balance treadmill is a pretty good choice for the low end market, but the price tag seems a little bit too high for me, given the amount of features and the reduced warranty on parts and labor. Therefore, in the end if you like the machine and it acts "friendly" to your needs you should buy it.