Horizon T101 Treadmill Review – Is It Built To Last?

Dimensions/Storability

The Horizon T101 is a compact foldable treadmill. When unfolded it is 71” L x 34” W x 57” H. When the deck is folded up, this treadmill is only 46” long. This feature helps to save a lot of floor space.

The folding mechanism uses a hydraulic system that assists when folding and unfolding the deck. You push the spring under the deck when it’s folded with your foot to unlock it and from there the deck will slowly lower to the floor. When lifting the deck up, you’ll feel the hydraulic assist kick in so you don’t feel the entire weight of the deck.

This system makes the T101 relatively easy for most people to fold and unfold.

You do have to tilt back the deck when it’s folded to engage the wheels, but once you do, the T101 can be wheeled around. It would be nice to have a handle below the back of the deck for lifting and transporting, but all of our team is still able to move it without one. The T101 weighs 180 lbs, which is a good amount of weight, but folding and moving it is pretty easy for most.

The two transport wheels make it convenient to move when needed.

Even with its compact size, the Horizon T101 still needs some extra floor space beyond its total footprint. We recommend factoring in a few feet of additional space surrounding the deck for this treadmill and any other treadmills. This will help you use it safely.

Your ceiling height is also important to consider. The T101 has a pretty low profile at around 8” high. This is the height of the deck to the top of the side rails when it’s at a flat 0% grade. For someone who is 6 feet tall, we recommend having at least an 8.5-foot tall ceiling to ensure plenty of head clearance. Check out our article on proper ceiling heights for treadmills to determine if your ceiling and your height will work for the T101.

Onboard Workouts & Apps

The majority of motorized treadmills that get delivered to our studio nowadays come with touch screens embedded into the console. Most often, subscription content is on the touch screen, which you must pay a monthly fee to access. We didn’t expect the Horizon T101 to have a touch screen or offer subscription training content; it doesn’t make sense for a treadmill priced below $1000. We also don’t really see touch screens on treadmills in this price range.

Onboard Workouts

The T101 has a simple console that includes workout programs. It is a great option if you just want a treadmill that you can hop on and go and do your own thing. When creating this Horizon T101 review, we were pleased by how simple this console is to use.

As far as technology is concerned, the T101 has less than most models – even the ones that just have preprogrammed workouts.

For basic functions and included programs, the T101 does just fine. Included on the console are six different workout modes: manual, fat burn, intervals, distance, calories, and hill climb. In most of these modes, you can customize the time, speed, and incline. In several of them, you also have different levels to choose from with preset settings to follow along with. Preprogrammed workouts are all generally standard.

If you do want a treadmill with subscription training content and a touch screen, like the NordicTrack EXP 7i, you’re going to pay more than what the T101 costs.

The T101 also includes the basics for tracking metrics. These consist of calories, distance, heart rate, incline, speed, and time. Something to keep in mind, though, is that your heart rate is only tracked by the pulse grips on the front handles. The Horizon T101 doesn’t connect to a heart rate monitor for more accurate tracking. The pulse grips only work when you’re holding onto both.

Related: Treadmill vs Rowing Machine: Which Is Better for Your Fitness Goals?

Console

The Horizon T101 doesn’t include a touch screen or even an LCD screen. Instead, there are 3 LED windows to see your metrics. The far left window displays time and calories, the middle displays speed and incline settings, and the right window shows your distance and heart rate. As far as updates to the tech in the console from the previous version, there hasn’t been much.

The windows are bright to easily see.

Navigating the console is pretty straightforward, but overall, the console doesn’t have many buttons. The icons for the programs aren’t buttons. Instead, you must use the speed and incline arrowed buttons, “change display,” and “enter” buttons to select and change the settings of the preprogrammed workouts. This is all fine and fairly intuitive.

There are a good number of buttons to adjust the speed and incline of the treadmill, though. Beyond the arrowed speed and incline buttons and the start and stop buttons in the middle/lower portion of the console, there are quick-touch buttons on either side. These are numbered, with the right side being for speed and the left for incline. When you press, for example, six on the right, the treadmill adjusts to 6 mph.

These are easy to reach and appreciated for quickly adjusting the treadmill.

There are blue roller adjustment dials on the front handles. You can simply use your hand to roll the dial forward or back to increase and decrease the speed and incline. The right side is for the speed, and the left is for the incline. These are fun to use and similar in function to the Peloton Tread. They don’t feel as smooth to roll as the Horizon 7.0 and 7.8, but they work well to get to specific increments like, 4.7 mph, quickly.

The speakers are small but front-facing to project at you. We wish they were a little more powerful, though. The speakers are Bluetooth enabled, so you can pair them with your device to play your own audio through the speakers. This is an appreciated feature, but for the sound, my iPhone speaker is louder. I would recommend using your own speaker for music. This is a small con, though, considering how well-priced the T101 is.

The fan is small but pretty effective. I’m about 5’1”, and it hits my neck when I’m using the T101. It’s obviously not the most powerful fan, but for its size and that it’s built into the console, it works great.

Finally, for storage, there are two pockets for items like your water bottle and whatever else you need nearby.

My iPhone fits in them, but there’s a device rack that’s convenient when you’re streaming content from your phone or tablet. This way, you can take trainer-led content from platforms like iFit and Peloton while using the T101 if that’s your thing. You could also just put the treadmill in front of a TV. The console is certainly low enough to watch a TV screen.

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Build Quality

The Horizon T101 Treadmill is a steal at well under $1000, especially considering its size, training capabilities, and overall construction. If you were to buy a treadmill at a similar price point of around $500-$700 from brands that only sell treadmills on Amazon, you’d most likely get a treadmill that’s a fraction of the size and quality of the T101.

Typical treadmills in this price range have stature and capabilities similar to those of the Sunny Health & Fitness Smart Strider, for instance. This treadmill has a similar price tag but, overall, is a much more compact and less powerful treadmill than the T101.

The Smart Strider has a 250 lb capacity versus the 300 lb limit the T101 is rated with. This means that the T101 can handle users up to this limit, which is a pretty nice capacity considering its size and price.

Related: Treadmill Safety: Protect Yourself with These Expert Tips

Frame

The frame makes the T101 really sturdy to use.

The steel frame is typical for treadmills of this size. On a lot of cheaper models, we like to see steel crossbars mounted in between the uprights under the console to help add stability to the machine. The T101 does just fine without one! There’s minimal movement in the console, even when running at high speeds.

To be honest, I only noticed the movement because my giant 40 oz Stanley Cup started to shake a little bit when I got up to 9 mph. My water bottle and hydration needs are a bit extra compared to most, though, so it’s understandable this happened. Regular water bottles should work better.

The frame makes the Horizon T101 feel incredibly stable and solid. The new model actually feels more solid than the previous one, which was already pretty hearty. It’s gained about 15 lbs of pure muscle (or steel), so we’re waiting for its diet and workout regime to drop any day now.

The handles are sufficient and easy to grab when you need them. The front handles are separated by the console and multi-functional with pulse grips and roller-dial adjustments. The side handles have a nice foam coating that doesn’t feel slippery.

Motor

The motor is 2.5 CHP. For this motor size, we recommend primarily walking and light jogging. The T101 performs well and can handle both. It isn’t appropriate for intense training. As far as noise, the drive motor is pretty quiet. When we tested the sound at 3, 6, 9, and 10 mph, it ranged from just 49.6 dB up to 66 dB at its max speed.

This sound range is comparable to having low music in the background when at a walking pace and a window fan on high at a running pace.

For training options, the T101 goes up to 10 mph and has a 10% incline.

The incline makes a small amount of noise on top of the drive motor when the deck is being adjusted. At 3 and 6 mph, the decibels ranged from 56.5 to 61 dB.

For a budget treadmill, this is a great deal of speed and incline. Ten mph is a 6-minute mile running pace. Comparable models that are priced slightly more, like NordicTrack EXP 7i, have similar training capabilities. When we measured the accuracy of the incline range, the Horizon T101 inclines up to 11% versus the listed 10%.

The deck, when flat, is at a 0.9% grade. Most treadmills we’ve measured are actually at around a 1 to 1.5% incline, so the T101 is pretty accurate. When you’re walking and running on the deck, it feels flat so you won’t notice the very slight incline when the treadmill is set to level 0.

Something else surprising about the Horizon T101 is that the motor is quick to get up to speed. It’s actually very comparable with how responsive the Horizon 7.8 AT is. The T101 takes around 20 seconds to go from 1 mph to 10 mph and only 16 seconds to fully incline.

Horizon Treadmills are some of the fastest adjusting that we’ve tested so we’re pleased to see they incorporate that efficiency even in their lowest-end model.

Related: Is Running Barefoot on a Treadmill Safe?

Deck

The deck is 20” x 55”. All users should have plenty of room for walking. Some with shorter running strides will be able to jog and even run. I have a fairly short running stride and am 5’1”, so I can run on the T101 at its highest speeds. Our team’s tallest reviewer, Matt, who is 6’5”, can walk and jog at lower speeds on the deck.

He isn’t able to fully run, however, he doesn’t have a very long stride length when jogging.

This deck size is similar to the EXP 7i. For cushioning, it feels more similar to the Horizon 7.0 AT than the NordicTrack EXP 7i and Sole F63. The EXP 7i is slightly softer underfoot. It is, however, much more cushioned than the Sole F63, which is firm to run on. The Horizon T101 feels comfortable, and the cushioning absorbs the impact of running and walking. We are impressed with how cushioned the deck is for such an inexpensive machine.

We’re impressed with how comfortable this deck is.

Overall, we are really pleased with the Horizon T101 Treadmill. Horizon continues to keep the integrity of the T101 as well as the affordable price point, through upgraded models. The build quality, construction, usability, and training capabilities of the T101 are comparable to higher-end machines. Plus, it’s worth noting again how solid this treadmill feels to walk and run on.

Warranty

To complement and instill confidence in the construction, Horizon includes a lifetime frame and motor warranty, which we really appreciate. A 1-year warranty for parts and labor is included too. Assembling the T101 is pretty straightforward, and the manual takes you through the process step-by-step. We suggest having two people for set up to keep the process smooth.

Should You Buy The Horizon T101 Treadmill

For an entry-level treadmill, the Horizon T101 is a very impressive and hearty machine. It is a compact treadmill that folds up, so it’s a good option if you need a smaller treadmill for your home. We love the T101 for walking and jogging. It’s our pick as the best treadmill for walking because of its quality, ease of use, and comfortability. The deck handles most users’ walking and jogging strides. Those with shorter running strides should be able to run on the deck, too.
If you’re looking for an affordable treadmill to walk and jog on, the T101 is one of our top recommendations. It is stable to use, quiet, and simple. For its price, the Horizon T101 is everything you could ask for in a compact treadmill and more.

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Still unsure? Here are the most popular Horizon treadmills you should consider

Horizon T101 Treadmill Review FAQs / Q&As

Is the Horizon T101 good for running?

We recommend the Horizon T101 for mainly walking and jogging. Users with shorter running strides will be able to run on the 55” long deck, too. We prefer 60” in length when recommending treadmills for running, so some runners might not have enough space to run at the T101’s higher speeds. Those who do have enough room on the deck should find the Horizon T101 to be good for light amounts of running.

Does the Horizon T101 fold up?

The Horizon T101 has a deck that folds up. It uses a hydraulic assist so when you lift the back end of the deck, you don’t have to lift its entire weight. The deck locks in place once folded and slowly lowers to the floor when unfolded. It also has two front transport wheels to move it around when it’s folded.

Are Horizon Treadmills reliable?

In our testing, we’ve found Horizon Treadmills to be reliable, quiet, and stable to use. We’ve had some models for years and found that they hold up well with regular use. With proper usage and regular maintenance, your Horizon treadmill should last and be reliable.

Is our Horizon T101 Treadmill review a paid review?

Our review of the Horizon T101 isn’t paid for by Horizon Fitness. This review reflects our unbiased opinion based on our testing process and regular use of the T101. Horizon, along with other brands, send us their treadmills and other fitness equipment to test and compile reviews of.

Our goal is to provide you with the knowledge and confidence to make informed buying decisions when it comes to finding the best treadmill for you. We work to test all kinds of brands and treadmills, so when we recommend models, we do so because we have found them to be the absolute best on the market.

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