Many a times, the efficacy of manual and motorized treadmills is compared. Most of us are led to believe that since in a manual treadmill, the force is being provided by us, therefore the calories burnt are also higher. But that is not so. Here is a point by point comparison between the two types of treadmills.
Price - wise, manual treadmills are much cheaper when compared to motorized treadmills. This is for a simple reason that you are not paying for a motor chiefly.
For that very reason, they are smaller in size, and lighter too, thereby facilitating easy storage of the treadmill under the bed or any other small area. On the contrary, motorized treadmills are bigger, heavier and not so easily stored. Manual treadmills are preferred for these reasons.
Motorized treadmills on the other hand are more durable and can tolerate more wear and tear during heavy usage.
Also, since the effort comes from the user, to move the manual treadmill, it can cause easy fatigability and injury to the joints of the lower limb. On the other hand, motorized treadmills operate by a motor, and motivate the user to keep up to the pace. Also they have inbuilt shock absorption mechanisms which help in reducing the impact on the joints.
Manual treadmills do not offer real time monitors in regards to heart rate, calories burnt, distance traveled etc which are an integral part of the motorized treadmills. These keep the user working further thus burning more calories.
Although manual treadmills have the ultimate advantage of being priced much lower than their counterparts but in the long run and considering the cost effectiveness, unless you are a trained athlete, it is wiser to settle for a motorized treadmill. And with the number of companies currently selling treadmills, it is easy to get a low priced yet durable machine.