I consider the manual folding treadmill to be the scourge of the entire treadmill industry. These cheap treadmills made for under $200 dollars end up making a better coat rack than exercise device.

There's a problem with offering and piece of exercise equipment at such a low price point, and when you throw in the fact that manual folding treadmills both “fold” and have moving parts – it's a recipe for disaster.

As a general rule, folding treadmills are less stable and require more frequent repairs than their no-folding counterparts. The hinge point is the Achilles heal on any folding treadmill - including the more expensive club style machines from Life Fitness and Pacemaster – and that goes double for cheap machines.

There are tremendous forces at work on the hinge when a treadmill is in use from the weight of the user running or jogging, and that force is translated directly to the hinge point causing it to break or become unstable.

If you're thinking about buying a manual folding treadmill because you're on a limited budget or you got sucked into the latest infomercial pitch – don't!

A better option is to get yourself a good pair of running or walking shoes and hit the street, then save your money for a few months and get a treadmill that won't need to be put out on the curb for the garbage man in a few months.