The Sole F63 vs The F65 – Everything You Should Know Before You Decide

It’s no secret I’m a fan of Sole Fitness and that I think they offer some of the best home treadmills in their respective price ranges.

I mean, heavy duty frames, powerful motors, long warranties… what’s not to like?

But some of their treadmills fall in the same price range, making it hard to decide which one is the better buy – case in point, the F63 and the F65.

These two models are priced similarly and when you check out their stats, it’s not that easy to spot the differences – especially with the updated F65.

Basically, the F65 has a slightly larger running surface and a larger console, but surprisingly, the F63 has a longer warranty.

So, does it make sense to spend the extra cash and get the F65 or is it better to save your money and go with the F63?

Well, that’s what I’m hoping to help you answer.

In this article, I’ll be comparing all the specs and features Sole’s F63 and F65 have head-to-head to see how they compare; I’ll also offer my 2 cents regarding which treadmill I think is the better buy.

After reading, you’ll know which treadmill is the better option for your home.

Alright, let’s do this.

	Sole F63	Sole F65
Running Surface	20" x 60"	22" x 60"
Motor	3.0 HP	3.0 HP
Weight limit	325 lb	330 lb
Assembled weight	254 lb	267 lb
Features	6.5" LCD console 10 workout programs Bluetooth speakers USB charging port Cooling fan	9" LCD console 10 workout programs Bluetooth speakers USB charging port Cooling fan
Warranty	Lifetime frame/motor 3 year deck/parts 1 year labor	Lifetime frame/motor 2 year deck/parts 1 year labor
Price*	$999	$1,499

*price at the time of writing this anyway

The Sole F63 vs The F65

     

If you’re familiar with my work (and as I mentioned up above), you probably know that I’m a Sole fan.

I’m fond of this brand because their cardio machines are usually the heaviest-duty in their price ranges and they’re usually backed by the longest warranties.

And when it comes to treadmills, their motors and running surfaces are usually more impressive than the majority of the competitors.

That said, Sole’s tech features aren’t as impressive – most of their equipment comes with pretty simple consoles with limited workout programs.

So, if you’re looking for workout streaming and lots of workout options to choose from, Sole probably isn’t the best brand, but if you’re looking for an easy to use treadmill that’s built to last, they’re a great brand to explore.

As I’m writing this, the F63 and the F65 are their two most affordable treadmills to choose from, but we’ll talk price a little more in a bit.

Let’s start with the important stuff first.

Running Surface

I always check out a treadmill’s running surface first because I think this is one of the most important specs to consider before buying any treadmill.

And that’s because the running surface tells you exactly how much room you’ll have when using said treadmill.

And if it’s too small, you aren’t going to feel comfortable using the treadmill for long.

Luckily, neither the F63 or F65 have that issue – both come with pretty spacious running surfaces.

To be a little more specific, the F63 comes with a running surface of 20″ x 60″ and the F65 comes with a running surface of 22″ x 60″.

So, the F65 is 2″ wider than the F63.

As a guy who’s used to a 22″ wide treadmill (I currently own Horizon’s 7.8 AT and love it), I’d have a hard time dropping down to a more narrow belt.

But at the same time, would it really effect the quality of my workouts?

No, not really.

The 22″ wide belt on the F65 will offer a slightly more luxurious feel, but at the end of the day, both treadmills are easily large enough for folks of all sizes to safely use.

So, I don’t think this difference alone would necessarily be enough to warrant the extra cash, but let’s keep moving along.

I also like to compare assembled weights because I feel like this spec gives us an objective way to compare “heavy-dutiness” between machines.

With heavier treadmills being preferred because they’ll be less likely to wobble, wiggle, or really move in any other unwanted fashion during workouts.

Well, the F63 comes with an assembled weight of 254 lb and the F65 comes with an assembled weight of 267 lb.

First of all, I’d like to point out that both of these treadmills are remarkably heavy for their price range (your average similarly priced treadmill is gonna weigh somewhere around 200 lb).

And even though, technically speaking, the F65 is a little heavier, I don’t think 13 lb is going to make any real noticeable difference during use.

Both treadmills are heavy enough to offer a secure feeling during workouts.

There’s also very little difference between the weight capacities for these treadmills: the F63 tops out at 325 lb and the F65 at 330 lb.

Overall, the F65 comes with a wider running surface and a slightly higher weight limit when compared to the F63; it’s also a little heavier, but I don’t think that would be very noticeable during use.

Motor

Ok, time to talk motors.

The motor is the heart of a treadmill and it’s probably easy to understand how having a strong motor would be beneficial for any treadmill.

Basically, stronger motors don’t have to work as hard to provide the same output.

You’ll notice that most home treadmills offer the same max speed (12 mph) and the same max incline (15%), but that the motor strengths can vary quite a bit.

It’s true, a lot of motors can provide similar workout conditions, but again, the stronger ones can do it with less effort – which means a smoother workout for you.

Anyway, back to the treadmills at hand.

The F63 comes with a 3.0 HP motor and the F65 now also comes with a 3.0 HP motor… so there’s no difference whatsoever.

Before the new update, the F65 came with a 3.25 HP motor, but now it looks like Sole is using the same motor for both machines.

Kind of a bummer I guess, but I’ve noticed several brands doing these over the last few years, so what can ya do.

Anyway, most agree runners should go with a treadmill with at least a 3.0 HP motor to ensure smooth operation and both treadmills hit this mark equally.

When it comes to the rollers though, surprisingly, the F63 is packing more impressive numbers.

The F63 comes with 2.5″ rollers, while the updated F65 comes with 2.36″ rollers.

FYI, the rollers are what the belt makes contact with as it glides across the deck and having larger ones is a good thing when it comes to durability and smoothness of belt action.

Again, the F65 used to come with 2.5″ rollers as well, but now it seems it comes with the slightly smaller ones.

I’m not sure why Sole downgraded the size of their rollers for this treadmill, but again, it’s always a little disappointing when upgraded models come with downgraded components.

So, the F63 wins out when it comes to the rollers.

Oh, and both treadmills can reach the same top speed of 12 mph and the same top incline of 15%, so no differences there.

Nope, the only real difference here is that the F63 comes with a slightly larger rollers because both come with the same motor.

Features

When it comes to the features found on these two treadmills, there aren’t many differences.

Sole tends to use more or less the same console design for a lot of their treadmills and this happens to be the case when it comes to the F63 and F65.

Both treadmills come with the same 10 workout programs, which includes 6 preset profiles, 2 heart rate guided workouts, and 2 customer user workouts.

Speaking of heart rates, both treadmills are compatible with strap monitors for more accurate readings during workouts.

Both treadmills also come with bluetooth speakers, USB charging, built-in cooling fans, and included tablet holders.

Both treadmills come with quick-touch speed/incline buttons as well, making for more convenient selections.

Each treadmill also comes with 2 water bottle holders, so there’s no reason to get dehydrated with either model.

The only real difference I can see between these two treadmills and their included features is that the LCD console on the F65 is 2.5″ larger than the one found on the F63 (9″ vs 6.5″).

I don’t think this would make any real difference whatsoever in terms of visibility or workout quality, but bigger is always better I guess.

Warranty

Sole offers the following home warranty for the F63:

• Lifetime frame
• Lifetime motor
• 3 year deck/electronics/parts
• 1 year labor

And Sole offers this home warranty for the updated F65:

• Lifetime frame
• Lifetime motor
• 2 year deck/electronics/parts
• 1 year labor
• 90 day cosmetic items

Interesting, very interesting…

It’s rare to seem a higher-end model come with a shorter warranty, so this makes me think Sole might be in the midst of re-thinking all their warranties.

We’ll have to wait and see.

But back to the point at hand – the only difference here is that, at the time of writing this anyway, the F63 offers an extra year of coverage for parts.

Otherwise, these warranties are the same.

The F63 is more affordable than the F65, so I guess it’s an even better warranty for the F63, but it’s going to be hard to find a better treadmill warranty at either price.

Although with these changes, I’d have to say Horizon offers better warranties now…

But still, you can’t beat a lifetime frame/motor guarantee and they aren’t that common at either price point.

Two years on parts is pretty average for the price of the F65, but 3 years on parts for the F63 is amazing for the price.

And a year on labor is pretty standard stuff.

Overall, the F63’s warranty is quite a bit better, given the price differences.

Price

Alright, let’s talk dollars now.

At the time of writing this, Sole has these treadmills listed at the following prices:

Sole F63 – on sale for $999

Sole F65 – $1,499

Things have changed quite a bit since the last time I edited this post because at that time, the F63 was going for $1,199 and the F65 was going for $1,399.

Just goes to show you that the prices for these treadmills will change over time, so don’t get too mad at me if these prices aren’t accurate by the time you see this.

Regardless, these days, the F65 is about $500 more than the F63, which is a pretty big difference when it comes to home treadmills.

Considering how similar these treadmills are, does it make sense to save the cash and go with the F63 or are the subtle upgrades worth the extra $500?

Final Thoughts

When there was a $200 difference between these treadmills, I thought this was a pretty tough call; now that there’s a $500 price difference, I think it’s an easier decision.

I think the F63 is the better buy.

I mean the only real advantage I see the F65 having over the F63 is the wider running surface.

And as a person who has a treadmill with a 22″ running surface, I agree the extra space is nice, but I’d expect more for such a big difference in price.

The F63 and F65 have the same motor now and even though the F65 has a larger console, the features on these 2 treadmills are pretty identical.

The F65 is a few pounds heavier, but that only equates to a 5 lb difference in weight capacity, so no real advantage there.

Plus, the F63 comes with larger rollers and a better warranty (at least at the time of writing this).

I still think the F65 is a solid treadmill, but it’s a little disappointing to see that Sole used a weaker motor, smaller rollers, and cut a year off the parts warranty.

So yeah, based on the prices at the time of writing this, I think the F63 makes a lot more sense.