There are plenty of really compact treadmills available these days, but BodyCraft’s SpaceWalker is unique for several reasons.
For starters, this little walking treadmill comes with a built-in work station, giving you a little makeshift desk to work at while you get your steps in.
This is cool, but what’s even more interesting is that you can fold the SpaceWalker up, lie it on its side, and use it as a little bench/table.
If you’re like me, then your immediate response to seeing this is probably along the lines of “who in the world needs a treadmill that can transform into a coffee table?”…
But it does actually look kinda cool on its side and I know there are tons of folks living in compact apartments, dorm rooms, and tiny houses that could take advantage of a multi-purpose treadmill like this.
The SpaceWalker’s versatility certainly sets it apart from most tiny treadmills, but this one also has something going for it that few can compete with…
It’s backed by a great warranty.
Yeah, I know, walking treadmills and great warranties rarely go hand in hand, but the SpaceWalker comes with a surprisingly generous home warranty.
Overall, I could see this unique treadmill being a good buy for folks who need a treadmill that won’t take up a lot of space, but before you buy, you need to know what to expect.
And that’s where I can help.
In this review, I’ll go over all the specs and features this little treadmill has to offer; I’ll also try to compare it to a few comps in its class to see how it stacks up.
After reading, you’ll know whether or not the SpaceWalker is a smart investment.
The BodyCraft SpaceWalker Treadmill
I don’t feel like we hear much about BodyCraft these days, but they’ve been around for a long time and they’re still a great fitness brand.
BodyCraft has an extensive lineup of fitness equipment to choose from, offering just about anything fitness related you can think of.
We’re talking treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, rowers, home gyms, benches…everything.
BodyCraft equipment is also reasonably priced, heavy-duty, and backed by awesome warranties – so like I said, they’re a great brand.
Surprisingly, they only a few home treadmills and the SpaceWalker we’re here to go over now is by far the most budget-friendly option they have.
At the time of writing this, the SpaceWalker is selling for around $900.
Pros
- Very compact
- Can be folded and stored vertically
- Can be put on its side to be used as bench/table
- Built-in work station
- 300 lb weight limit
- LED display
- Decent sized rollers
- No assembly
- Great warranty
Cons
- Very small walking surface
- Weak motor
- Little expensive compared to comps
Walking Surface
I usually start my treadmill reviews by going over the size of the “running” surface, but the SpaceWalker isn’t designed for running, so I figured I’d be more accurate and label this section the “walking” surface.
Semantics aside, we’re talking about the same thing here.
Regardless of what you call it, this spec tells us the physical dimensions of the belt and it’s an important one because it tells us how much room we’ll have at our disposal during workouts.
As the name implies, the SpaceWalker is a compact treadmill designed for walking only.
More specifically, this treadmill comes with a walking surface of 15″ x 39″.
This is reallllly small compared to full size treadmills, but keep in mind you don’t need as much space to walk because our strides are shorter while walking vs running.
All compact treadmills come with smaller running/walking surfaces, but the SpaceWalker is still one of the more compact options out there.
The Walking Pad C2, for example, comes with a 47″ long walking surface, which is quite a bit longer, although the high-end Unsit Treadmill only comes with a 40″ length.
At 6’1″, I had no issues walking with a full stride on the C2, but cutting 8″ off the length would certainly be noticeable.
I still think most folks will be able to walk comfortably on the SpaceWalker, but just know that folks over 6′ might find themselves shortening their stride a little.
Although, considering this treadmill is designed to be used as a compact treadmill desk, you’ll likely be walking at a much slower speed than usual.
You know, to make sure you can actually get some work done.
And walking at the slower speed will decrease your stride length even more – so again, I think the length here is fine and it definitely makes the whole unit a lot more compact.
Speaking of compact, folded, the SpaceWalker only takes up a footprint of 11″ x 22″ x 45″ (L x W x H) and it weighs about 82 lb.
When folded, you can store it vertically or lie it on its side and use it as a little table or bench.
This is pretty cool and it reminds me of something you’d see on that tiny house show that used to come on – what was it called…Tiny House Nation??
Hmm, I’m not sure that’s right, but regardless, I could see the SpaceWalker working perfectly in a tiny home.
Anyway, the 82 lb assembled weight is actually pretty high for such a compact treadmill and I think that weight speaks to how surprisingly heavy-duty this little guy is.
It comes with a 300 lb weight limit, which is impressive for such a small treadmill.
The C2 mentioned earlier can only handle folks weighing up to 220 lb.
Overall, the walking surface on the SpaceWalker is very small, but that’s kind of the point. Most folks should still be able to walk comfortably at slower speeds.
Motor
As small as the SpaceWalker is, you might assume it’s packing a smaller motor… and you would be correct.
More specifically, this treadmill comes with a 1 HP motor and can reach a top speed of 4.0 mph.
Smaller walking treadmills usually do come with smaller motors because they don’t need as much strength to reach these slower speeds, but the SpaceWalker is still a little weaker than a lot of the other compact under desk treadmills out there.
The C2 mentioned earlier is also packing a 1 HP motor, but the popular UREVO 2 in 1 comes with a 2.5 HP motor and the REDLIRO comes with a 2.25 HP motor.
To be fair, both of those treadmills come with much faster top speeds, allowing you to run as well, but they’re in the same category as the SpaceWalker, so I figured I’d mention ’em.
So, the SpaceWalker comes with a weaker motor, but it does come with 1.5″ rollers, which sounds surprisingly large to me.
And having large rollers is a good thing.
The rollers are what the belt actually makes contact with as it slides across the deck and larger rollers are preferred because they make more surface contact with the belt as it spins.
This basically means larger rollers usually offer smoother operation, but they also put less stress on the belt, making for an overall more durable treadmill.
Most full size home treadmills usually come with rollers in the 1.9″ – 2.5″ range, so the fact that this tiny little treadmill comes with 1.5″ rollers sounds pretty good to me.
Oh, and this is probably obvious, but I’ll point it out anyway – this treadmill doesn’t come with any incline/decline functions.
Overall, the motor on the SpaceWalker is weaker than some of the other comps out there, but if you’re just using it to get some steps in while you use your computer, it should be able to get the job done.
Features
The BodyCraft SpaceWalker comes with the following features:
Work station- the attached work station is the premiere feature this treadmill offers and it allows folks to get some work done while walking. The work station is small, only really big enough to hold a laptop, a notebook, or a magazine – but not all at once.
Bench mode- you can fold the deck vertically to meet the work station and keep it there for storage, but you can also lie this treadmill on its side (while folded) and use it as a table or bench. You can even sit on it in this position. I’ve never seen this in a treadmill before and to me, this is the SpaceWalker’s most unique feature.
LED display- there’s a small red LED display built-into the work station and it isn’t fancy, but it gives you a readout of your time, speed, distance, calories, and heart rate (grip monitors).
Cup holder- there’s also a handy cup holder built-into the work station.
Levelers- there are also built-in levelers you can use to get your table/bench level when lying the treadmill on its side.
Transport wheels- this treadmill isn’t that heavy (for a treadmill), but the built-in transport wheels will still come in handy when it comes to move this thing around.
Assembly
If you hate putting stuff together, you’ll appreciate that the SpaceWalker comes entirely pre-assembled.
Yup, that’s right, all you have to do is unfold it and plug it in and you’re ready to roll.
There’s a button to push to unlock the deck so that it’ll descend to the ground and there’s another button to push to unlock the deck to fold back up.
Just make sure you hear the “click” each time to make sure it’s securely locked in place.
Warranty
BodyCraft backs their SpaceWalker with the following home warranty:
- Lifetime frame
- 3 year parts
- 90 day labor
Yeah, so BodyCraft doesn’t mess around with their warranties.
Seeing a lifetime frame guarantee on this little treadmill is pretty hard to believe, but 3 years on parts is almost as impressive.
For the sake of comparison, most of the other compact walking treadmills out there come with a simple 12 month warranty, so BodyCraft’s guarantee is very generous.
But the SpaceWalker is also a bit more expensive than most of the other compact walking treadmills, so you have to think about how much an extended warranty is worth to ya.
Final Thoughts
Ok, I think that about does it here.
The SpaceWalker is a unique little treadmill, but it isn’t particularly complicated – there aren’t a lot of different components or features to talk about.
I’ve never seen a treadmill that can function as a bench before, so that’s pretty cool.
And BodyCraft’s warranty is easily the best guarantee I’ve seen on any affordable under desk or walking treadmill in this class.
The treadmill itself is very small and it comes with a weak motor, so it’s really only designed for walking at slower speeds while using the workstation.
Price wise, I think it’s a little expensive, especially compared to a lot of the other comps out there that are $500 or less.
But again, this is a unique treadmill with a great warranty.
I could see the SpaceWalker making a lot of sense for folks with limited space and who don’t have the room for a standing desk.
If you have room for a standing desk, it could be more affordable to buy one and then get a more affordable under desk treadmill separately.
But an affordable under desk treadmill isn’t going to come with the same warranty and it certainly won’t be able to be used as a bench…
