Borgusi Treadmill with 12% Auto Incline Review (2025)

After over a decade of reviewing treadmills, this is the first time I’ve seen a power adjustable incline on a treadmill priced under $500.

My first thought was, did the rest of the Borgusi treadmill suffer? Did they spend a big bulk of the build money on the power adjustable incline and use cheap parts for the rest of the build to keep this thing under $500? Thankfully, no, it’s a sturdy, well-built machine. The monitor boasts just as many features as similarly priced treadmills for under $500 without the power incline!

The motor is brushless, which is exactly what you want. It’s also 3HP, which is powerful enough for both jogging and walling. Plus, you get a soft drop folding system, one of my favorite folding systems.

The only downside is the length of the running belt—it’s short for the price. I’ll talk more about that later. Apart from the running belt size, I like this treadmill, it’s well built, includes all the essentials, and has an impressive power-adjustable 12% incline.

It’s certainly a treadmill I want to take a closer look at. And today, we’ll dive into all the pros and cons of this impressive treadmill, including the short running belt.

Also, at the end of the review, I am going to compare it to the best seller in the under $500, the Sunny Health SF-T4400. It will be interesting to see how these two match up.

First lets take a quick look at the Borgusi Treadmill product specs!

Why Do We Like The Borgusi Treadmill?

The first thing everyone’s going to love about this treadmill is that there isn’t much assembly involved, just a couple of screws. It really is that easy. Normally, treadmills take me a couple of hours to assemble, they can be a headache. The Borgusi takes under 15 minutes, so a big bonus.

The next thing you’ll notice is just how quiet the Borgusi treadmill is in operation. And that’s because it uses a brushless motor.

3HP and Brushless

Brushless motors are great. They’re whisper quiet, and they last much longer than the brushed motors. 3500 hours is the typical lifespan of a brushless motor compared to 1000 for brushed motors.

Also, what sells this machine is how sturdy it is, which is surprising considering it’s light weight, many users have mentioned they’ve had no issues with stability, which is what you want to hear.

12% Power Adjustable Incline

A 12% incline is impressive. It’s impressive because a 12% incline is usually reserved for the mid-level treadmill, costing around $1k. I’ve never seen one on a $500 treadmill, and I’ve been doing this for years.

The reason an incline is such an essential feature is that it adds so much more to your workout sessions. You can double the calories burned walking or jogging on an incline, and it works all those hard-to-train muscles like your calves, glutes, and hamstrings.

It’s excellent to see a power 12% incline on a sub $500 treadmill. 

To adjust the power incline you have a choice of using the large one touch control panel buttons, or the handy handrail buttons.

Click here to check price of Borgusi Treadmill on Amazon

You Can Only Walk and Jog on a Short Running Belt

Let’s talk about that short running belt. The Borgusi running belt measures just 43″. Other top selling treadmills under $500 are closer to 50″. But they don’t have the power incline feature.

So, what does a short running belt mean? Well, the size of the treadmill’s running belt determines who can use the treadmill and for what. In general, a short running belt means no running as running requires a larger stride.

Short running belts are usually ok for both walking and jogging. A 43″ belt isn’t the shortest I’ve come across. There are walking treadmills/pads that can only boast 36″, so 43″ isn’t too bad.

A 43″ belt will allow users up to the height of around 6ft to walk and jog on the Borgusi Treadmill. Of course, if you are shorter, say under 5’6″, you may be able to run on a belt this length.

16″ Width

Lastly, short belts are usually narrow, and the Borgus running belt is no exception. The width measures 16″, which is fairly narrow.

When jogging on a narrow treadmill belt, be careful not to step off the side of the treadmill.

If you’re used to working out at a gym on their treadmills, remember they’re commercial treadmills with large wide belts with widths of 22″, so it will take some time to get used to a much narrower 16″ width.

Monitor – 15 Workout Programs and BlueTooth

The Borgusi monitor is a simple, easy-to-use monitor. I liked it because there’s nothing complicated to set up. You can jump on your treadmill and get exercising without any hassle.

The best features are the workout programs and the BlueTooth speaker. You get 15 workout programs, and a couple are customizable.

It’s great to have a few built-in workout programs. I feel they’re an essential feature because workout programs push and challenge you, plus keep you coming back for me, so it was nice to see the 15 built-in programs.

As with most treadmill monitors, the Borgusi monitor tracks all the essential workout stats such as time, distance, speed, and calories.

If you’re using the handrail pulse sensors the monitor will also show your heart rate, and the LCD screen will show your chosen incline level and workout programs. Very easy to use, there’s no annoying menus to scroll through.

Something I think you’ll find useful are the handrail adjustment buttons. You have buttons for adjusting speed and incline, an excellent feature as it saves you from having to reach forward to the control panel while you’re jogging.

Lastly, the LCD screen is a good size and easy to read while exercising.

Overall, a decent monitor with enough features to keep most people happy.

Duel Shock Absorbers (anti-shock system)

Most treadmills are fitted with an anti-shock system to protect your joints. The Borgusi Treadmills has a multi-layered running belt, which will provide some cushioning. Still, most importantly, the anti-shock system on this treadmill uses duel shock absorbers, which are fitted just under the running belt.

This is a fairly good system. It is not a high-end system like you find on the heavy-duty treadmills, but it is still pretty good at protecting your joints. A system like this typically reduces the impact of each footstrike by around 20-30%, so it’s much better for your joints than jogging outside on hard impact surfaces like roads.

300lb Weight Capacity?

This is not a heavy-duty treadmill, and it does not include a heavy-duty motor. There are no heavy duty treadmills for sale for under $500.

Companies like to overestimate the weight capacities of cardio equipment, but in reality, if a 300lb person used this treadmill for jogging every day, the motor wouldn’t last more than a month.

A more realistic estimate of weight capacity for a low-cost treadmill with a 100lb build and 3hp motor, like the Borgusi treadmill, would be much less than 300lb if you want to avoid early motor burnout. Plus, it’s a hassle replacing treadmill motors, and you don’t want to risk burnout.

So, to avoid early motor failure, stay below 220lb for this treadmill. It is especially important if used for faster-passed cardio like jogging.

Soft Drop Folding System

Another feature that really helps to sell this treadmill is the folding system. It’s a soft drop system that uses hydraulics. It’s one of my favorite folding systems for treadmills.

It’s really easy to use. When the treadmill is folded, give the hydraulics a soft kick, and it folds down effortlessly. And to fold the treadmill deck after your workout, all it takes is one finger to lift the running deck and fold. It’s that easy. The hydraulics do all the work for you.

I’m always happy to see a soft drop system fitted to a treadmill deck, it is a nice feature to have.

Do I need a Treadmill  Mat?

Not all treadmills need a mat. It’s normally the lightweight treadmills that benefit the most from a treadmill mat, as the light low cost treadmills don’t have enough weight to keep them sturdy and planted to the floor.

The Borgusi treadmill is quite a light treadmill, weighing only 90lb out of the box, so a treadmill mat will help avoid any unwanted movement while exercising.

Another reason you might want to use a treadmill mat is to protect polished floors from scratches.

And lastly treadmill mats are great for soaking up the vibrations from your workouts, very useful if you live in an apartment and want to keep the neighbors happy.

I found the best cheap treadmill mats are made by Sunny Health and Fitness. Click link below to view on Amazon.

Sunny Health & Fitness medium Treadmill Mat

Anything Else Worth Mentioning?

Yes, remember to lubricate the treadmill belt every 3 months for medium use and center the running belt before the first use.

The instructions for assembly are clear, all tools are provided, its just a few screws etc, shouldn’t take you long. But the box is large and awkward, so you might need some help getting the treadmill in place and unboxed.

Alternative

Sunny Health SF-T4400 Treadmill

Sunny Health & Fitness has been around for decades. These guys specialize in making low-cost gym gear. They know what they’re doing, and they do it well. If you’re looking for low-cost, well made fitness equipment, it’s always worth checking out what Sunny has on offer first.

The SF-T4400 has been my favorite low cost treadmill from Sunny Health and Fitness for many years. It’s had a few updates and continues to outsell everything else in this price bracket. What’s best about this treadmill is the build quality. It doesn’t feel cheap. It’s well built and sturdy.

Just like the Borgusi treadmill, the SF-T4400 is extremely easy to use and set up. There is nothing complicated here, and it boasts the same soft drop system as the Borgusi treadmill, so folding and unfolding is a breeze.

Okay, there’s no power incline with SF-T4400. You have a 3-way manual incline instead, which means you will have to get off the machine to adjust the treadmill incline manually. It only takes a couple of seconds. Its no big deal. Still, we have to remember the SF-T4400 is $100 less than the Borgusi, so it’s impressive to even have an incline option.

But what sells this treadmill is its running belt length. The SF-T4400 belt measures 49″, which is surprisingly large for a treadmill that costs well under $400.

The monitor tracks all your essential workout stats, such as distance time, speed, and heart rate. With a decent size LCD. With built in workout programs.

There is an option to upgrade the monitor and choose the smart option, but it’s not really worth the extra $100. The original monitor is fairly basic, but includes all the basic features you need.

Lastly, just like the Borgusi Treadmill, there’s an anti-shock system to protect the joints from the impact of each foot strike.

Sunny has done great with the SF-T4400 treadmill. It outshines all other treadmills under $400. I was most impressed with the running belt size and the build quality. If you want to keep below $400. This is the best treadmill out there right now for under $400.

To Sum Up

The Borgusi Treadmill is an impressive treadmill for the price point. It’s the only treadmill I’ve come across with a power-adjustable incline for under $500. The build quality is up there, too. It’s a sturdy machine, considering it’s light weight. And you’ll be surprised how quiet the motor is, just 55DB when jogging.

What will also attract many to this treadmill is how easy everything is to use. It’s a get-on-and-go treadmill with no complicated menus to scroll through. And best of all, assembly is just as easy as a few screws, and 15 minutes later, it’s assembled and ready to use.

The only thing that holds this treadmill back is the short running belt, it’s a small treadmill. You’ll need to be under 6ft to get the most out of the Borgusi treadmill.

Overall, a treadmill, I feel, is worth its price tag—a durable machine with impressive features, certainly one of the top three in its price range.