The Echelon Stride 6 is one of the better (and more affordable) foldable treadmills out there

Is it worth it to buy exercise equipment for your home?

Understandably, it's not a question that invites a simple yes or no. Sure, the convenience factor is great, but even if you're just buying a $100 set of weights, there's the initial cost, then the space in your home you'll invest, and then the time you'll invest in actually using them to make your purchase worth it.

Now, suppose you're buying a treadmill instead of weights. The prospect of confirming your order and getting a 300-pound package sent to your door (that you hope to but may not consistently use) is likely to be even more daunting.

It's a feeling I can relate to: I'm someone who's enjoyed the routine of running around my neighborhood, but also gone through phases of feeling burdened by my yoga mat gathering dust in the corner. I also live in an area that gets punishingly hot over the summer, can have its days of less than stellar air quality year-round, and I mask indoors (leaving gyms a less desirable option), so I've been treadmill curious for a while. Rather than take a $1,000-plus gamble, I decided to use my unique position as a shopping reporter to do the research for other folks who may find themselves in my shoes.

That's what led me to the Echelon Stride 6: a treadmill more hefty than a walking pad (and therefore allows me to actually run indoors safely), but foldable, giving the promise of some level of storage — and the freedom to keep it from becoming the centerpiece of my living room.

After two weeks of testing it out, I can confidently say that the Stride 6 offers a level of convenience that'd be challenging to find at a better price point, but it's not necessarily a no-brainer purchase for anyone who's been interested in a folding treadmill.

The Echelon Stride 6 size and features

Before we get into my experience, let's go over a quick breakdown of what you'll get with the Echelon Stride 6, which, at full price, goes for $1,699.99. (In the course of my research and testing over the past couple of months, the price has been marked down to at least $1,399.99).

The Stride 6 specs are as follows:

• 4.75 feet tall x 2.7 feet wide x 5.4 feet long

• A running deck that measures 20.5 inches wide x 60 inches long

• 12 incline levels and speed that maxes up to 12.5 miles per hour, with adjustment wheels for each on either side of the handlebars

• A DC brushless motor

• Two heart rate sensors

• A built-in fan

• An auto-fold mechanism

As a comparison, NordicTrack's T Series 10 treadmill runs for $1,499, and though it's not foldable, does come with a 10-inch display and similar fitness features as the Echelon Stride 6. As you might've already noticed, the Stride 6 doesn't come with a built-in display, but if that's a deal breaker for you, the Stride 6S offers the best of both worlds — it'll just cost you $400 more.

Is the Echelon Stride 6 a good foldable treadmill?

The Stride 6 is not necessarily an exceptional running machine (nor does it attempt to be one), with a large part of its appeal resting in how well it functions as a foldable treadmill. As such, I expect a $1,700 price point to mean a) the treadmill is very easy to fold and unfold and b) I can store it without much hassle.

Things started off strong — once we got the treadmill indoors (more on that below), setting it up was literally a matter of pushing the upper part of the treadmill into place. At no point did it feel unsteady or too heavy, and everything locked into place with a reassuring click — zero assembly required, check.

Folding it back down wasn't quite as easy. When I saw the advertised "auto-fold" feature, I hoped it might be as simple as pressing a button and standing back, but I first had to fold the display console perpendicular to the bars of the treadmill. Then, I released it using buttons under the handlebars so that the console could fall in line with the rest of the frame. At that point, I could press the pedal on the left side of the treadmill that initiated the "auto-fold," which essentially meant the treadmill collapsed at a controlled rate, with no power necessary for this portion.

As a pro-tip, you'll want to make sure you have at least a foot of clearance to the left of the treadmill. I initially placed the treadmill just a couple of inches from the wall, and it was basically impossible for me to reach the pedal without being on the running deck, in which case the treadmill wouldn't be able to fold closed.

Once it's folded, you can use the handlebar on the back to push and pull the treadmill to adjust its position, thanks to the wheels on the front of it. (In a pinch, I was also able to move it around unfolded, but safety-wise, folding it feels like the much better option.)

In theory, this handlebar is also what you can grab to push the treadmill upright. Learn from my mistakes: do not attempt to put it upright alone on the first try — I learned about three-quarters of the way to the upright position that I am simply not strong enough to do it solo, and while I was able to lower it back down without injury, I definitely had some luck on my side.

With my partner, I was able to get it upright no problem, but if you live alone, this would be a pretty annoying obstacle. Once in position, Echelon advertises that while holding on to the handlebar, you should be able to push the treadmill around from side to side, thanks again to the wheels located at the front portion of the treadmill.

Upright, the treadmill is five feet and four inches — I'm five five and a half, but it felt like it was too tall (and too heavy) for me to reasonably feel comfortable pushing it around, especially if I wanted to push it down the hall and into a bedroom to store. If you want to fold it upright, I'd stick to keeping it next to the wall you'll fold it against — and using the included hardware to bolt it into place when not in use.

All of that said, this treadmill looks way more streamlined in its folding position than other folding treadmills on the market. The NordicTrack Commercial 1750, for instance, allows the user to fold it up but uses its own frame to keep itself folded, and offers essentially zero versatility in folding it down or moving it around with ease. The result is a rather clunky V-shaped fold that, sure, might give you a bit more ground space but feels more visually obstructive than just leaving the treadmill as is. It also costs a pretty penny more, at $2,500. The Sole F80 is closer in price to the Stride 6 at $1,899, but follows the same folding mechanism as the NordicTrack treadmill.

Ultimately, the Stride 6 is unique in that it offers a slim fold found more often on walking pads, while still offering the functionality of a full-fledged treadmill that's safe to run on, and at a price point cheaper than other folding treadmills.

How it feels to run on the Echelon Stride 6

The Stride 6 did its job reliably and functioned perfectly well as an in-home treadmill. Maybe that's not the most exciting endorsement, but again, the draw of this treadmill isn't necessarily about how unique the running experience is.

Though it didn't have any exceptional features for the actual running experience, here's what the Stride 6 did well:

• The running deck was a nice size and provided a decent amount of cushion

• The motor wasn't silent, but it certainly wasn't the loudest treadmill I've used

• Adjusting speeds with the knob or presets on the console was intuitive and easy to use while running

• The treadmill inclined seamlessly with both the knob and the presets

For its downsides, the console shook some when I pushed the speed up, the built-in fan was better at making noise than cooling me off, and the heart rate monitors were touch and go, sometimes telling me my heart rate was the same at the beginning of jogging as when I was running as hard as I could. None of these were particularly egregious cons — maybe the one that stood out the most was that the console isn't super flexible for fitting different size devices if you want to use the top hook to keep it in place (or keep your case on).

Still, after removing the case on my iPad, I was able to secure it into place (and I could've propped it lower on the console), but if you have a tablet larger than 11 inches and want to use it more at eye level, this is something to be aware of.

That said, the console had a standard layout with the time elapsed, speed, distance run, calories burned, and heart rate. There are 10 presets along each side for speed and incline. On the lower part of the console, the treadmill has two cup holders (which came in handy for my water bottle and earbuds case) and some extra storage space for smaller items.

This should be a given with any treadmill that's made it to market, but just for the record, the safety key worked flawlessly every time I tested it, both intentionally and unintentionally.

In-home delivery costs extra

Let me start by saying that though in-home delivery costing extra isn't unusual for treadmill delivery, it is not a fun surprise to experience, either at checkout or on delivery day.

As a reporter, I worked with an Echelon representative to coordinate the treadmill delivery, so I didn't see the standard checkout screen, which would've clued me in to some important information.

Granted, I live on the ground floor, so I didn't anticipate there would be any issues (and assumed that for a 200-plus pound package, in-home delivery would be a given). I scheduled a delivery window with FedEx Freight, and a few days later, a delivery person showed up, and let me know that they wouldn't actually be able to bring the treadmill to my front door due to the three steps that lead up to my porch.

My partner and I tried to work together to bring it in, but at the end of the day, we didn't have the muscle power, so we ended up hiring a couple of local movers who were kind enough to forgo their three-hour minimum and charged us $150 when it was all said and done.

The lesson to be learned, of course, is to opt for in-home delivery or, because the assembly process is basically nonexistent, try to find some cheaper help locally if you don't want to add $300 to your grand total. With a quick search, I saw a local fitness store offers in-home delivery and assembly for $200, so you can always check that option as well.

For what it's worth, this in-home fee is relatively on par with other brands I researched, like Horizon and Sole, which offered in-home delivery prices of $219.99 and $200, respectively.

While this is more a knock against treadmill delivery in general than Echelon, it does feel like something priced at $1,700 should include in-home delivery.

Is the Echelon Stride 6 worth it?

Honestly, making a fully functional treadmill that also doesn't impose too much on space doesn't seem like an easy task. It's not surprising that they're aren't a ton of truly compact options out there, let alone ones that are reasonably priced. That said, Echelon seems to have hit as close to the mark as it could've with the Stride 6, offering a machine that doesn't feel half as space-eating as other treadmills I've seen, without sacrificing basic functionality.

Is it worth it, though? Maybe if it's on sale for $1,000 as it was on Black Friday, or at least for that $1,399.99 sale price that's been lingering around (if you're especially keen on getting one ASAP). Otherwise, if you can, I'd say to wait to see where foldable treadmills go. It feels like the Stride 6 provides a solid foundation for what they could be, but it doesn't quite hit the mark in terms of portability and easy storage.

With the right space, it could be the perfect treadmill for someone to use and easily store under their bed or against their wall. But if you can't keep the treadmill close to where you would store it or don't have another person to help you lift it upright, it's likely more trouble than it's worth for the time being, especially at its price point.