A treadmill for home use can be judged on a listing by two figures, the continuous motor rating and the maximum user weight. The four Maxpro and Cult models below publish both on their product pages, though not always in the same place or in the same way.
Every specification here is the brand’s own statement from its product page. Belt size, incline and folding are also listed for each model, since a flat, a shared room or a balcony corner leaves limited floor space for a machine.
Peak and continuous motor power
A listing can quote horsepower (HP) in two ways, and Lifelong explains the difference in a guide on its website. The brand describes the peak figure as the highest output a motor reaches for short bursts, and says buyers should always look for the continuous figure instead.
All four listings quote 5 HP as the peak figure, and both Cult product titles carry the word peak next to it. The Maxpro Torque Plus and the Cult SmartStride Active also state a continuous figure of 2.5 HP, although the SmartStride spec table lists only the larger number.
The Cult M4 FAQ gives that same continuous figure, while its description calls the headline rating continuous. The Maxpro PTM605 page gives a peak figure and nothing else about output.
On the Cult pages, then, the spec table, the description and the FAQ can each carry a different motor figure. A buyer reading only the table would see a peak rating.
The Torque Plus page shows how far apart the two figures can sit on one model, as the continuous number is half of the peak number. The SmartStride Active description gives the same pair.
Walking, jogging or running
Lifelong ties the continuous rating to the kind of use. For walking focused use, it treats 1.5 to 2.5 HP as generally enough.
Jogging calls for a higher rating, and the brand suggests starting at 2.5 to 3.5 HP. The jogging band begins at the figure where the walking band ends.
Running is placed at 3.5 to 4.5 HP or more.
Read against those bands, a continuous rating of 2.5 HP sits at the top of the walking range and at the bottom of the jogging range. A treadmill with a stated continuous figure of that size is therefore listed at the point where the explainer’s walking and jogging advice meet.
Lifelong adds that a higher end motor is usually safer and longer lasting when more than one household member will run on the machine. The brand favours DC motors for home use. It calls them smaller and quieter, and typically easier to maintain.
User weight, belt size and incline
Brands state a limit for the heaviest person who can use each model, and the four listings do not share one. Within each brand the limit changes from model to model: Maxpro lists a lower limit on the PTM605 than on the Torque Plus, and Cult lists a higher limit on the SmartStride Active than on the M4.
Belt sizes appear in millimetres on the Maxpro pages and in the M4 spec table, and in centimetres on the SmartStride Active page. The M4 FAQ gives a belt size that differs from its own spec table.
Three of the four listings adjust the slope automatically in 15 levels, namely the Torque Plus, the SmartStride Active and the M4. The PTM605 is adjusted by hand, with manual incline and decline in 3 levels.
Speed and folding
Top speed is listed as 16 km/h on the Torque Plus and the SmartStride Active.
The PTM605 lists 14 km/h, and the M4 lists 14.8 km/h.
At the low end, the M4 range starts at 0.8 km/h, and the other three start at 1 km/h.
All four fold. The Torque Plus and the PTM605 are described as foldable, and the two Cult models are described as having hydraulic folding.
Matching the rating to the household
One person who walks needs a lower rating than several people who run, going by the bands in the Lifelong explainer. The Torque Plus and the SmartStride Active both state a continuous figure that falls inside the walking band, and the M4 FAQ gives the same figure.
Jogging or running calls for a higher rating, and the continuous figures on these pages sit at the lower end of that range. The one description that claims a higher continuous rating, on the M4 page, differs from the figure in the page’s own FAQ.
Lifelong points to a higher end motor for a household with several runners. The two Maxpro listings and the SmartStride Active do not state a continuous figure above 2.5 HP.
The weight limit is a separate check from the motor rating. The listings state it model by model, from the lowest on the PTM605 to the highest on the SmartStride Active.
Where each listing fits
The Maxpro Torque Plus gives both the continuous and the peak figure in its specification line, and it is described as an AC motor. It fits a buyer looking for a stated continuous figure, automatic incline and a foldable frame.
For a foldable treadmill with manual incline and decline, the Maxpro PTM605 is the listing that fits. Its page gives a peak figure only, so the continuous figure would need to be asked from the seller, and it has the lowest listed top speed of the four.
Cult lists the highest weight limit of the four on the SmartStride Active, together with automatic incline and hydraulic folding. The spec table shows the larger motor figure only, and the continuous figure appears in the description.
The page title names a BLDC motor.
Both Cult listings are titled as treadmills with a massager, and the M4 pairs automatic incline and hydraulic folding with the same weight limit as the Torque Plus. Its motor figure and belt size are each given in conflicting ways on the page, so both need confirming before a purchase.
