OT: Manual Treadmills?

I'm wondering if any of you have experience with using a small, manual treadmill. If so, I'd love to hear any thoughts, recommendations or warnings.

I have had my daily walk thwarted 3 times this week due to the weather. I can't afford to join a gym, and exercise tapes and the Wii just aren't cutting it for me anymore. I really want to be more consistent in my walking, so I'm thinking of getting a treadmill.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of space or a big budget. So I'm considering getting a smaller, manual treadmill that I can fold and store when not in use.  Something like this: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000W09O96/ref=s9_simh_gw_p200_i2.

However, I've never used a manual treadmill before and I'm not sure how user-friendly or effective they are. I don't want to throw $150 down the drain. What do you think?

I bought one I'd seen demonstrated on QVC.  I could not do it, which made me feel awful, but then my very athletic daughter could not get it to work either.  Maybe it was a lemon;  I don't know.  I returned it and got a stationary bike instead (one with the upper pedals too, for your arms).

I appreciate you chiming in. I remember hearing that they are difficult to use, which is kind of what I wanted to confirm.

I'm not a big fan.  They are hard to operate.  Have you tried Craigslist for an electronic treadmill?  Or another idea, Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds DVDs?  Sounds silly but she has so many varieties now and it's a pretty good workout.

 Thanks for the suggestions, Ellen. Sounds like a lot of folks have trouble with operating the manual ones. I am a total uncoordinated klutz, so I'm sure I'd have trouble too.

The main issue with an electronic treadmill is that I literally have no room for it. I really would need a piece of equipment I can fold up and stick in a closet, but it sounds like that's probably not the way to go.

I have tried the Walk Away the Pounds videos, but for some reason, I find it difficult to get "into the zone" with those. I like just putting on my headphones and being in my own world when I walk. It's good thinking time, I guess. 

Maybe I just need to buy a parka! 

I hated it. Have you tried Leslie Sansone's Walk away the pounds? She has 1-5 mile walks on dvds and they are usually 20 at Target. Love those.

 Well, that makes three "no" votes. I don't think I'll bother buying one. Thanks for the comment.

I do have a couple of those DVDs and I agree they are good, but they aren't exactly what I'm looking for at the moment.

I got one many years back from a garage sale.  Despite the fact that I was pretty fit and 175 lbs or so at the time, I had a rough time with it.  Maybe I just lacked the necessary grace and coordination, but I could never get a smooth stride. Part of the problem was that the belt was narrow and too short for my natural gait  (I'm only 5'7 but with disproportionately long legs). The other problem was that my weight seemed to act as a braking mechanism, making the experience jerky with little stops between each step.

This was a garage sale treadmill and it was almost 10 years ago.  I'm sure they make them better now.  I wouldn't buy one without trying it first, though. 

This may not be an option for you but have you considered walking in the rain? I am a huge walker, preop I walked 2-4 miles a day... 6+ miles a day before I moved back east. I go stir crazy if I don't get my daily walk in. I walk in the rain, in the snow, I don't usually care what the weather is, I put a jacket on, got a waterproof case for my ipod and I just go. I actually really enjoy walking in the rain now. Its quiet and I love the smell of the trees and the feel of the water on me. It really is a lot of fun.

Instead of a manual treadmill, have you considered a Gazelle (Yep, the Tony Little thing)?  I live an apartment too and have to deal with space issues as well (not to mention I don't want to make too much noise for the downstairs neighbor). I have the Elite one which has power pistons that can be adjusted to give you more of a workout if needed.  I am a bit uncoordinated myself so it takes a few minutes to get the hang of it.

I agree with the other person who mentioned craigslist...I bet you could find something reasonably priced on there.

Good Luck :)