Currently available for £399.00 from Viavito
To get the Viavito LunaRun Fold Flat Treadmill for only £399.00, enter voucher code LUNARUN-100 on the Viavito checkout page!Viavito LunaRun Fold Flat Treadmill Review
Viavito is a recently launched sports & fitness brand that has managed to make waves in several fitness machine categories already. Viavito has quickly established a positive reputation as a brand that takes on entry-level price points and creates thoughtful products that address real-life needs of consumers that established brands have failed to address.
So, when we heard that Viavito was launching a treadmill, we were quite keen to get our hands on it and see what they’ve come up with!
Once we received the LunaRun and took the lid off the box, it was clear that this treadmill is different from most of the rest that we’ve seen. Assembly is a doddle and takes very little time as the machine is pretty much completely assembled in the box!
Once put together, the target market became clear: people with very limited space in their homes! Whilst pretty much all treadmills fold, the deck typically remains at an angle and the overhang means that most folding treadmills still take up a fair bit of floor space. The very few machines that do fold completely flat have the very smallest running decks, and pretty much none has the all-important powered incline. So what’s Viavito’s answer? The LunaRun: a fold flat treadmill with power incline and a slightly wider and longer deck than the standard small decks!
The folding mechanism is a similar idea to the one found on DKN’s premium AiRun X model: The console folds back onto the upright and the main uprights fold down against the running deck. If the treadmill is being stored under a table when not in use, this horizontal mode is perfect. Alternatively, you can simply lift the treadmill up and it stands securely on the motor hood end. We’ve taken a couple of photos from their website that show what this looks like:
As a result of the clever folding mechanism, this treadmill has a bit of a different look to most others out there. The designers over at Viavito have done a really nice job with this with a lot of attention to details. The grey and black colour combination has a touch of understated class, whilst remaining neutral enough to ensure that the machine can sit in homes of different colour schemes and blend in. We were particularly pleased to see that the running belt is actually grey, rather than standard black: given that you have to wear your running shoes when using a treadmill, the inevitable footprints that get left are less visible against a grey surface. From what we’ve seen so far, Viavito has applied their formula of paying real attention to the smallest details to create a superior product.
Form-factor and aesthetics aside, how does the LunaRun perform as a treadmill? We did have a concern over seeing a motor rated at 1.25 HP continuous duty, but this was quickly dispelled once we tried the machine (it has more than enough power). We had a look under the motor hood and it seems that Viavito is among the minority of the fitness machine manufacturers to use ‘honest’ ratings on components: The motor at the heart of this treadmill is as large and powerful as most 1.75 HP or 2 HP motors advertised on machines from other brands.
Once powered up with the safety key inserted, we dived straight into the quick start / manual mode (just hit the start key) to see what this machine feels like. Time for the next pleasant surprise: this is a very nice feeling treadmill in use! We’re used to seeing many entry-level treadmills with the standard deck size of 40cm by 120cm, and the LunaRun making it just a little bit bigger (2cm in width and 5cm in length) does make a noticeable difference in creating a running area that feels less cramped. Also, the deck feels nicely cushioned due to a combination of elastomers and a frame design where the front of the running deck moves down more than the back on each impact. This provides additional shock absorption that’s necessary at heel impact, whilst providing a firm surface at the back to push off against.
Next, it was time to put the power incline to the test. After all, the presence of electronically controlled incline is one of the key differentiators of the LunaRun. So, we used the console shortcut key to set it to 9 and then the handy incline adjustment key on the handlebar to take it to the max level of 10. The height to which the front of the deck climbed up to really surprised us! We’re used to seeing power incline treadmills (especially the smaller ones) having real incline levels of 5 or 6% even if they’re with 10 or 12 levels, but the LunaRun does actually deliver a true 10% incline. The high incline levels on this Viavito treadmill is really important. Many people that want a compact treadmill want to use it for general fitness or weight loss, rather than trying to improve their top sprinting speed. Running at an incline burns far more calories than the same speed on flat – so, jogging on a proper incline will achieve the same level of exercise exertion as higher speed running on flat or low incline whilst being far kinder to the joints.
The console is intuitive, logical and easy to use. We were pleased to see user profile functionality that lets two users enter their age, weight, height and gender to get personalised feedback on the clear, blue back-lit LCD at the centre of the console. The console also has speakers and an mp3 audio input – a nice touch.
There are 12 pre-set programmes available with their profiles printed on the console itself. Careful inspection shows that Viavito has chosen to do things differently once again. Some checking of the profiles shows us that that the pre-set programmes follow the four Personal Trainer recommended exercises of speed interval, fat attack, power walk and fartlek, with each having 3 difficulty levels. It’s refreshing to see this much attention being paid to pre-set programmes on a treadmill! In addition to the pre-set programmes, there are 3 user-defined ones for full flexibility as well as 3 target programmes. Finally, there is a body fat test that uses the pulse grip sensors on the handlebar.
One thing we did notice on the specs of the LunaRun was the max user weight of 90kg. To have made the machine able to handle comfortably and safely a much higher maximum user weight would have involved increasing the weight of the machine itself. In turn, the vertical fold-flat mechanism requires the machine to be lifted onto its end and this would start getting difficult to do if the treadmill was much heavier. Whilst this is on the low side, we can see that it’s actually quite a clever compromise by Viavito!
It’s clear that with the LunaRun, Viavito has created a treadmill that is simply better than existing models on the market. Even if this treadmill didn’t have the ingenious fold flat feature, it’d still give most of its competition a serious run for their money. Taking into account the fold-flat feature as well, the LunaRun is in a league of its own!
With the LunaRun, Viavito has proven they know what they're doing when it comes to making fitness machines. Even if this treadmill didn't have the ingenious fold-flat feature, it'd still give most of its competition a serious run for their money. Taking into account the fold-flat feature as well, the LunaRun is right up there with the very best of compact treadmills. All this means that the Lunarun gets a big and definite yes from us!
Viavito LunaRun Fold Flat Specifications
- 1.25 HP DC continuous duty motor
- 0.8 – 16kph (0.5 – 10mph) speed range (including 3 Quick-Speed keys on the console and handlebar speed controls)
- 10 Levels of powered incline (including 3 Quick-Incline keys on the console and handlebar incline controls)
- Console feedback: time, distance, speed, calories, pulse, incline
- Blue backlit 5” LCD display with Safety Key and imperial/metric switch
- 2 user profiles (age, gender, height, weight)
- 19 programmes including 12 pre-set workout programmes designed by a certified personal trainer, 3 countdown, 3 user-defined, 1 body fat
- 42cm (16.5”) x 125cm (49.2”) running area
- 1.4mm (0.05”) thick running belt
- Safety key
- Heart rate measurement via pulse grip sensors
- Conveniences: foldable, transportation wheels
- Audio: music port for MP3 player, stereo speakers
- Additional features: tablet holder, water bottle holder
- 49kg (108lbs) product weight
- 90kg (198.4lbs) max. user weight:
- Dimensions in Use: Length=162cm (63.7”), Width=70cm (27.5”), Height=145.5cm (57.3”)
- Dimensions Folded: Length=25cm (9.8”), Width=70cm (27.5”), Height=162cm (63.7”)
- Front Roller Size: 46mm (1.8”)
- Rear Roller Size: 42mm (1.6”)
- Certification: CE/EN 957
- Warranty: 2 years parts and labour (must register within 28 days to get 2nd year)
Viavito LunaRun Fold Flat Treadmill - Console / Display Unit
Currently available for £399.00 from Viavito
To get the Viavito LunaRun Fold Flat Treadmill for only £399.00, enter voucher code LUNARUN-100 on the Viavito checkout page!Also see our Treadmill Comparison Table
Whilst every effort is made to give you accurate information we cannot guarantee the technical specification. Models change on a regular basis and may differ slightly from the above review. We recommend you contact the retailer if you have a question regarding technical data. Please read our Legal Disclaimer