Sole’s F80 Treadmill- Powerful, Durable, and Loaded with Features [A Review]

As my daughter loves to remind me, nothing is perfect – but Sole’s F80 is pretty darn close.

For the price range, it’s hard to come up with any other treadmills that offer such an impressive combination of performance specs and tech features.

With a 3.5 HP motor, a 22″ x 60″ running surface, and 2.36″ rollers, the F80 has the muscle to hang with any other $1600 treadmill out there.

And now that it comes with a 10.1″ touchscreen that comes pre-loaded with entertainment apps and free fitness streaming (Sole+), it’s about as feature rich as any treadmill in its class as well.

Toss in a great warranty and there’s little room for disappointment.

Overall, I’d say the F80 is easily one of the best treadmill under $2k, but there are some other heavy-hitters in this price range.

In this thorough review, I’ll go over everything this treadmill does and doesn’t have to offer, but I’ll also compare it to some of the other top treadmills in this price range.

This way you can get an ideas as to how the F80 really stands up against the competition.

After reading, you’ll know whether or not this is the right fit for your home gym.

Sole’s F80 comes with a strong motor, large running surface, and sophisticated touchscreen console, making it one of the best options in the ~$1600 price range. If you aren’t looking for a touchscreen, you may want to check out Horizon’s 7.4 AT, which comes with a longer warranty.

Sole’s F80 Treadmill

Sole Fitness started out producing treadmills for hotel chains.

They became a popular choice because their machines were designed effectively to handle the light commercial use that was necessary in an environment like a hotel.

It came naturally for them to then transfer that same attention to quality detail over to the residential market.

When they started including home treadmills in their lineup, they soon became some of the most popular machines on the market.

And they still are today.

Sole treadmills are a common find on most “best treadmills of the year” lists and they offer models in every price range.

And at roughly $1700 on sale, the F80 is one of their mid-range models.

I consider this a moderately priced treadmill when compared to all the home options available these days (which is a great price range to be in terms of features and quality).

Anyway, the F80 offers a great combination of specs and features and is backed by one of the best warranties you’re going to find.

Sole has heavier-duty models in their lineup, but I think most casual runners will do just fine with what this treadmill has to offer.

Pros

• 22″ x 60″ running surface
• 3.5 CHP motor
• Cushion Flex shock absorbing technology
• 350 lb weight capacity
• 0.5 – 12 mph
• 0-15% incline
• 2.36″ rollers
• 2-ply belt
• Bluetooth speakers
• Quick touch speed and incline buttons
• Wireless charging
• 10″ touchscreen display
• Screen mirroring
• Access to entertainment apps
• Free streaming workouts through Sole+
• Cooling fan
• Folding deck
• Great warranty

Cons

• Lot of competition in this price range

Running Surface

When looking at treadmills, I usually start with the running surface – to me, this is easily one of (if not the) most important specs to consider when making a choice.

Why?

Because the running surface is crucial when it comes to comfort during use.

In case you aren’t sure, the running surface describes how much usable belt space you have during your workout. It’s the dimensions of the top surface of the belt, measured in inches.

Bigger is better because you’ll have more wiggle room during your walks or runs.

The last thing you want is to feel like you’re going to fall off the treadmill if you accidentally drift a little to one side or the other.

Well, the F80 has a running surface of 22″ x 60″.

This is as large as most home treadmills come and the extra couple inches in width give this treadmill a more commercial feel.

If you’ve ever used a treadmill at your local gym, you may have noticed how big they are.

A lot of home treadmills are much smaller- and the smaller size does take away from the overall comfort.

The gold standard for most quality home treadmills is a running surface of 20″ x 60″ – a machine with these dimensions should be able to comfortably handle most users running at top speed.

With its extra wide belt, the F80 should easily be able to accommodate most runners without the worry of feeling cramped.

Not only is this treadmill spacious, but it’s built like a tank.

The welded steel frame gives this machine an assembled weight of 274 lb and it’s capable of handling users who weigh up to 350 lb.

Not bad for a folding treadmill.

The deck is also equipped with Sole’s Cushion Flex shocking absorbing technology, which, according to Sole, can reduce the impact forces through your legs by up to 40%.

I’m not sure how they came up with that specific value, but users are generally very happy with the feel of this treadmill.

Overall, the F80 scores highly with its spacious running surface and heavy-duty construction.

Motor

The motor is another key spec that should be examined closely before making a purchase and you’re probably not surprised to hear that when it comes to motors, stronger is usually better.

I say usually, because it depends on what you’ll be using the treadmill for.

If you’re planning on only walking, you really don’t need a 4.0 CHP motor to get the job done.

But if you think you’ll be running at all, it’s a good idea to find a treadmill with a motor strong enough to handle the higher speeds.

Mostly because stronger motors won’t have to work as hard to reach and maintain the higher speeds.

This means they should provide a smoother ride (who wants to hear their motor struggling?) and last longer than a weaker motor.

For frequent running, I’d suggest you find a treadmill with a motor that’s at least 3.0 CHP.

With that in mind, the F80 comes with a 3.5 HP motor that is capable of comfortably reaching a max speed of 12 mph as well as a max incline of 15%.

With this much power to work with, you shouldn’t have to worry about your motor crapping out on you (the motor warranty will add extra peace of mind, but we’ll get to that in a sec).

To go along with the strong motor, Sole designed the F80 with large, 2.36″ diameter rollers (the rollers are the part that makes contact with the belt, propelling it along the track).

These are about as large as what any other brand in this price range is offering.

FYI, larger rollers are preferred because they have a larger surface contact area with the belt- this makes for smoother operation, but also prolongs the life of both the belt and the rollers.

Combining the powerful motor with the large rollers makes for a smooth feel, but it’ll also help significantly prolong the life of all the moving parts.

For added comfort, Sole also uses a thicker than normal belt – their 2-ply belts are known for feeling more comfortable, lasting longer, and for reducing belt stretching.

Overall, the F80 scores highly with a strong motor, large rollers, and impressive incline capabilities.

Features

The Sole F80 comes with the following features:

10.1″ touchscreen console- Sole replaced the older LCD console with a newer, touchscreen display with their most recent update. This touchscreen makes it easy to select all workouts and view all stats, but it comes with some nice upgrades, mentioned below.

Bluetooth speakers- with built-in bluetooth speakers, you can wirelessly connect and listen to your workout jams through the treadmill.

Wireless charging port- you can charge your phone during workouts and you don’t even have to plug it in.

Entertainment apps- this new console also gives you access to a bunch of built-in entertainment apps, like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney +, etc. But you still have to use your own subscriptions, of course.

Screen mirroring- personally, I find this feature to be one of the more interesting updates because with the ability to screen your phone or tablet, you can view any workout app or movie from your phone on the console. This means as long as you have your phone with you, you can view any fitness app through the console.

10 workout programs- Not a ton of workouts to choose from here, but definitely enough to keep you busy. This treadmill also comes loaded with a bunch of the most common fitness tests (Army, Navy, Coast Guard, etc.), as well as several custom workout options.

Sole+ – you can also access Sole+, Sole’s free streaming app that gives you access to thousands of instructor-led workouts. Did I mention that it was free?!?

Heart rate monitoring- the F80 is compatible with heart rate monitors, so you can get an accurate readings during workouts if you like.

Cooling fan- there’s a fan built into the middle of the console that will help keep ya cool during those strenuous workouts.

Tablet holder- the built-in tablet holder is conveniently located above the display screen so you won’t have to block your view of your workout stats while you’re watching Netflix or reading during your workout.

 Assembly

Sole does a pretty nice job with their assembly instructions – the manual is pretty easy to follow and I like that they specify ahead of time which hardware is necessary for each step.

The images are large enough to figure out what the written instructions are talking about.

The most important thing to keep in mind, if you’re planning on assembling yourself, is that this treadmill is heavy.

I’m not saying you can’t get the job done solo, but it would definitely be easier with another set of hands.

Especially the step where you have to connect all the wires between the console and the deck before you attach the console.

You could set the console on a table or something at the right height, but having another able bodied person would be convenient.

Overall, putting this treadmill together yourself is very doable, but if you have any concerns, you can pay for professional assembly.

If doing yourself, plan on spending at least 2 hrs getting the job done.

Warranty

Sole backs the F80 up with the following warranties:

• Lifetime frame
• Lifetime motor
• 3 year parts
• 1 year labor

This is a great warranty, but it used to be even better – before the recent update, Sole was offering 5 years on parts and 2 years on labor.

But, I’m not complaining too much.

I would expect a lifetime warranty on the frame and motor from a treadmill of this caliber, but it’s not a guarantee (NordicTrack only offers 10 years on the frame).

Three years on parts and electronics is good, considering most competitors offer somewhere between 2 – 5 years (Horizon offers 5 years on their treadmills).

A year on labor is standard, nothing too exciting going on there.

Sole is known for backing their products up with great guarantees and they certainly don’t disappoint on this one.

Overall, Sole’s warranty on the F80 is one of the best guarantees in this price range.

The F80 vs The Competition

	Sole F80	Horizon 7.4 AT	NordicTrack New Commercial 1250
Running Surface	22″ x 60″	22″ x 60″	20″ x 60″
Motor	3.5 HP	3.5 CHP	3.0 CHP
Speed/Incline	0.5 – 12 mph 0 – 15%	0.5 – 12 mph 0 – 15%	0.5 – 12 mph -3 – 12%
Rollers	2.36″	2.36″/1.81″	1.9″
Console	10.1″ touchscreen	8.25″ LCD	10″ HD touchscreen
Warranty	Lifetime frame 3 year parts 1 year labor	Lifetime frame 5 year parts 2 year labor	10 year frame 2 year parts 1 year labor
Price	~$1700	~$1600	~$1600

The F80 is usually price somewhere around $1700-$1800 and there are some great treadmills in this price range.

Horizon’s 7.4 AT, for example, is a heavy-duty machine with awesome performance specs and one of the longest warranties in home fitness.

That said, the 7.4 AT comes with a simpler console that doesn’t come with any entertainment apps or built-in streaming options.

There’s also NordicTrack’s New Commercial 1250, which does come with a 10″ touchscreen console for iFit streaming.

But as you see above, its performance specs and warranty aren’t nearly as impressive as the F80’s (and you can’t access entertainment apps on the 1250 either).

Overall, I think the F80 can stand toe-to-toe with any treadmill in this price range.

Sole’s F80 vs The F65

Before we wrap things up here, I wanna offer a quick comparison to Sole’s own F65, which is usually about $300 cheaper.

The F65 is a nice treadmill for its price, but it does come with several key downgrades when compared to the F80.

	Sole’s F80	Sole’s F65
Running Surface	22″ x 60	22″ x 60″
Motor	3.5 HP	3.0 HP
Console	10.1″ touchscreen	9″ LCD
Warranty	Lifetime frame/motor 3 year parts 1 year labor	Lifetime frame/motor 2 year parts 1 year labor
Price	~$1700	~$1400

These include a smaller motor (3.0HP), lighter-weight frame, lower weight capacity (325 lb), and shorter parts warranty (2 years).

The most obvious difference, however, is the console – the F65 comes with a 9 LCD console that doesn’t offer apps or built-in fitness streaming.

Final Thoughts

It’s probably obvious by now that I’m a fan of Sole’s F80.

I think it’s a wonderful treadmill with a great combination of features and specs. I also think it’s well priced considering everything it comes with.

I especially like the 3.5 HP motor, the 22″ wide running surface, and the 350 lb weight capacity – all impressive feats for a folding treadmill.

And that warranty is awesome.

I think this treadmill would be a great choice for someone who is planning on running on the reg, but it would work equally well for folks interested in walking against various degrees of incline.

And now that Sole gave this treadmill a more advanced touchscreen display, I could see this treadmill being a good option for folks looking for a little more tech as well.

Especially since you can access Sole+ for free (and any other app on your phone with the screen mirroring function).

That said, if you didn’t want to mess around with the touchscreen and instead were looking for something a little more simple, you might want to check out Horizon’s 7.4 AT.

It comes with pretty identical performance specs, but has an LCD console and a better warranty.

Either way, you can’t go wrong.

Overall, I think the Sole F80 is a grand slam and pretty darn close to being perfect for this price range.

Easily one of the best home treadmills around. Highly recommended.