Ironman 220t Treadmill Review and Price Comparison

Your Ironman 220t Treadmill Buying Guide
Summary of What The Experts Say
There are mixed opinions from experts on the Ironman 220t treadmill. One expert said that this was the best choice from Ironman's budget lineup. Another said that you should look into the Ironman 320t instead. Finally, one recommended you buy the Ironman 150t instead if you want to save a few bucks as the two are largely the same.

Experts note that this treadmill comes with a 2 year parts warranty which is one year more than the 150t. It has a 2.25 HP motor rating which slightly addresses the issue of the oversized deck for the motor that has plagued the 150t.

Alternatives to the Ironman 220t treadmill in this price range outside the Ironman brand include Epic, Nordictrack,Sole,Smooth and Horizon.

Summary of What The Users Say
Users of the Ironman 220t seem to be suffering from the same problems that has plagued its younger brother, the Ironman 150t. This includes the deck squeaking problem if you walk too close to the front of the deck, a motor going out of commission, and problems with the tech support team (couldn't find anyone to come.)

A few users have noted how the machine was generally very heavy (sturdy feel) and the look was pleasing to the eye.

What Should You Do?
If you're faced with picking either the Ironman 150t or the Ironman 220t at the same price, the obvious choice would be the 220t due as it features a larger motor and a longer parts warranty. But as is often the case, they're not found at the same price. So this then becomes a question of how much more should you pay for a nearly identical treadmill but with a 0.25 HP motor upgrade and a 1 year extra parts warranty?

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Although there's no scientific way to determine a value for these two items, we can take a stab in trying to approximate how much these items are worth. Let's first take a look at the warranty. If you buy a 3 year extended warranty plan at Amazon for treadmills less than $1000, it'll cost you about $130. Since these plans include 3 years parts AND 3 years labor, that's 3+3=6 units. So the one year extended parts warranty for the Ironman 220t then becomes equivalent to 1 unit. Since 6 "units" from the extended plan costs $130, the 1 "unit" from the 220 costs 130/6=$22 approximately.

The motor is a little harder to measure. The cost of a replacement motor part can vary quite a bit. The cost per half horsepower (0.5HP) can be anywhere from $30 to $100 (note: these figures are approximates and derived by looking at iconservice.com’s motor replacement parts). Let's say the motor that the Ironman 220t is equipped with is of an average quality (which is to be expected since the machine is less than $1000), we should then use the middle range of the estimate and say an extra 0.5 HP costs $60 more. Since the 220t is only 0.25 HP more than the 150t, it costs $30 more.

From our calculations then, a $50 price increase ($22+$30=$52=$50) from the 120T to the 220T is the fair price for the upgrades.

Verdict: The Ironman 220T is a slightly improved version of the 150T which slightly addressed the "too small of a motor for too large of a deck/belt problem" with the 150t. A treadmill with a 2.25 HP rating is sufficient for walking but slightly less than what we would recommend for jogging. For runners, look elsewhere. Depending on the price when you read this, the Ironman 150T or the 220T could be the better deal of the two. Common to both treadmills, the technical support when you need it might not be the most helpful. To hedge against this, we believe if you buy a three year extended warranty plan, you're well protected. Of course, if you don't want to deal with the possible support headaches, you should look elsewhere (such as our current list of best buys.) Though there are apparent risks if you buy this treadmill, if you can get it at prices significantly less than $1000, you’re still getting a great deal as problem free treadmills for less than $1000 are practically non existent. You might also want to take a look at the Ironman 320T treadmill as it is a slightly upgraded 220T.

After reading opinions from experts and users, we have objectively analyzed the Ironman 220t Treadmill and assigned it a meta score as follows:

If the total price is $650, you are getting a Super Bargain (5.0/5.0)
If the total price is $750, you are getting a Great Bargain (4.5/5.0)
If the total price is $850, you are getting a Good Bargain (4.0/5.0)
If the total price is $950, you are getting a Small Bargain (3.5/5.0)
If the total price is $1050, it is No Bargain (3.0/5.0)
If the total price is $1150, it is Somewhat Overpriced (2.5/5.0)
If the total price is $1250, it is Greatly Overpriced (2.0/5.0)
If the total price is $1350, it is Severely Overpriced (1.5/5.0)

The current lowest price is $869.99 which makes it a Small Bargain.

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