Vision TF20 Touch Folding Treadmill Review

There are three versions of Vision’s TF20 treadmills to choose from and this is their top of the range model. In essence, you are paying an extra few hundred pounds for the touch screen and to us, that certainly sounded a lot of extra cash to justify spending… so we tested it… and soon found out where that extra money went!

Before we get to the console, let us first pay homage to the TF20 in general, starting with the 2.75 CHP digital drive system that delivers a top speed of 12 mph. Even at higher speeds, the 5 cm wide rollers spinning the durable 2-ply maintenance-free belt make this machine fairly quiet in use. The workout area is a generous 57″ x 20″ so there’s plenty of room to move and, to cater for heavier users, the TF20 has a maximum user capacity of 26 and a half stone. That spec combined with an extensive warranty (Lifetime Frame/ Motor/ Brake 5 years parts and 3 years labour) is testament to the superb build quality of this machine.

The impressive specifications extend to its incline capabilities too; The TF20 goes right up to a 15% incline. This treadmill is clearly designed to cope with serious training and rigorous workouts, but just as important is the fact that’s it’s gentle on the joints too, thanks to a fairly firm yet forgiving cushioning system.

So we can give full marks to Vision for the looks, proportions, build quality and capabilities of this machine, but it’s the features and functions of the console that really deserve the accolades!

When first accessing the unit you can set up 4 preset users or a guest user. A preset user can store their name, date of birth and weight in order to produce more accurate calorie consumption feedback and fast heart rate percentage calculations.

In addition there is a calendar-style workout journal that stores the overall data achieved with every workout, day-by-day and month by month, meaning that all of the preset users can refer back to past sessions and monitor their progress with extensive historic accuracy. There is also a saved work out setting which allows the user to access their calendar and redo a previous session – this is certainly one of the most comprehensive fitness ‘diaries’ we have ever seen!

As the following overview will show, the program options available are pretty extensive! However, rest assured the console is superbly intuitive and Vision have even made the console even more user-friendly by adding a handy ‘?’ button next to every on-screen button providing the user with a simplistic synopsis of each feature. It soon becomes clear that you aren’t JUST paying for the novelty of a touch screen – this console makes programming quick and easy with sliding scales and effortless adjustments that are an absolute joy to use! So let’s get stuck into the programmes… there’s plenty to choose from!

On the home screen there is a selection of 6 buttons to take you to various features. Press ‘Classic’ and you have the options of a Manual program, interval training, a weight loss session or ‘Custom’ which allows you to create and save three bespoke workouts where you can personally set the time and the intensity at every stage of the workout.

Another feature is called ‘Sprint 8’ which has been developed by Vision according to their shared belief that shorter intensive, interval style training yields greater fitness and fat-burning results than more traditional, longer sessions. Certainly over recent years, this school of thought has harnessed an ever growing following of believers so it’s great to see some dedicated pre-set workouts that have been tailored with this in mind.

The Sprint 8 selection allows the user to do a set 20 minute session designed with a 4 minute warm up and 4 minute cool down with the main session being made up of 8x 90 second low intensity recovery segments mixed with 8x 30 seconds high intensity sprints. The sprint 8 has 5 settings, beginner, intermediate, advanced and elite where the course remains constant but the resistance level increases. Whether you’re an advocate of intervals or just plain ‘busy’ and struggle to find time to squeeze in workouts, we think this will prove a H.I.T (standing for High Intensity Training!)

There is also fitness test designed to take the user to a preset target heart rate and times the duration taken to reach it. This test can be retaken and the times can be compared to show any improvements (The results are by no means a conclusively accurate gauge of individual fitness levels but in general terms it’s all based upon the idea that the longer it takes to reach target heart rate the fitter you are).

The ‘Goal setting’ button has 4 options – a 5km, 10km, calorie goal and distance goal. Each time you sign in under your personal username, the machine will tell you how far off your goal you are, and keeps adding up your progress until you reach your pre-set goal.

There are two heart rate specific modes, each utilising the polar chest belt that is included. You can select your target heart rate and the machine will adjust the speed to keep you at the target or it can do it by adjusting the incline gradient. The same type of speed or incline adjustments can also control the intensity while working within percentage target heart rate zones too. We absolutely loved the effortless way that you can select these percentage figures or targets by using the sliding gauges on the touch screen. The machine instantly does all of the maths based upon your stored personal data so all you do is literally move your finger on the screen to adjust it!

The final button you see in the row of 6 is labeled ‘Virtual Active’ and to some it could be considered that Vision have saved the best until last! Select it and you have the choice of 2 inbuilt options ‘Northern Rockies’ and ‘North East American’. This is clever stuff, made very simple and fun so we had better attempt to keep the description that way!…Think of it as being like a fitness simulator! How? Well basically, Vision have got someone with a video camera to jog around a variety of scenic and challenging destinations around the world and record the footage. When you select a destination (and many more are available to buy separately online) you get to go around these courses from that runner’s point of view. When the incline changes (e.g you start to run up the mountains of the Rockies), the treadmill elevation will adjust to mimic the gradient!

The Virtual Active feature makes especially good use of the huge 15.6″ screen.  However, if you happen to be positioning the TF20 in front of a TV then it’s possible to enjoy the Virtual Active workouts directly on the big screen by linking it with an optional ‘Passport’ media player (around £150). By plugging in this clever little black box via a USB, the media player communicates wirelessly with your machine so that all of your training data is overlaid over your favourite TV shows or throughout your Virtual active sessions. The Passport media centre includes sessions around the American Southwest and Northern Italy with the option to purchase more destinations that are available online.

If you grow a bit weary of the ambient noises of the streets of Venice or wherever you’re at in your Virtual workout then it’s a nice option to have iPod and iPhone compatibility or a standard MP3 player jack plug so you can have your favourite music coming through the speakers instead! Once hooked up you can control the iPod directly from the large onscreen controls or if you’re concerned about leaving sweaty fingerprints on the screen then there are also manual buttons located just under the touch screen display!

Sweaty palms are one reason why the pulse grip sensors on the handlebars give inaccurate heart rate feedback so we are pleased that Vision include the free Polar chest belt to give you highly accurate and wireless monitoring.

Aside from the pulse grips, the side handlebars are also home to the two handy accessory bins and there is a water bottle holder built onto the central pillar to keep you hydrated while you workout.

This is a big machine, so it’s fortunate that it’s fairly easy to lift the deck into the upright position for space-saving storage. Once folded there are four transport wheels making it very easy to manoeuvre and these have foot-operated brakes on both rear wheels to secure it in place. Also at the base is the foot pedal to release the deck’s locking mechanism with a soft drop feature ensuring the deck lowers safely. At the very back of the underside of the deck are wheels so that even when the machine is unfolded,  it can roll along making it possible to reposition it if the brakes are off.