The Pro-Form Crosswalk 397 is obviously small for a 6′-6″ giant like the great and powerful Kevin Tracy. (Photo by: Krista)

Krista (my fiancee and wife as of June 22, 2013) and I recently purchased a Pro-Form Crosswalk 397 from Sears.  We picked it up on sale for $360, but the retail price is supposedly $599.

ASSEMBLY

There was a bit more assembly required than I thought necessary.  It wasn’t bad though. An unnecessary hassle in my opinion was the need to route a control cable from the Pro-Form Crosswalk 397 motor, through the base, through the right leg, through the handle, and to the control console (that thing that lets you set the speed and incline).  The long, narrow spaces were very difficult to pull the cable through, even with the help of the twist ties and pulling string.  This could have easily been solved by having cables and connectors dedicated to each piece of the Pro-Form Crosswalk 397.  Further, it seems like it would have made more sense to pre-assemble the handles and legs and simply rotate them 180 degrees in the packaging; which would have made assembly a that much easier.

Another problem we had was with holes being drilled incorrectly in the handles.  As a result, I managed to strip one screw using a the provided allen wrench when it was just 1/4th of the way in.  The other I got half way in before stripping it.  This tells me two things.  First, they should fire the Chinese worker they hired to drill these holes or cast the molds.  Second, they used cheaper Chinese metal to make the screws (and probably everything else) for the Pro-Form Crosswalk 397.  I thought this would be okay until we tried installing the control console to the top and the console wouldn’t fit because one of those screws was in the way.  We eventually worked everything out by finding a comparable screw at the Ace Hardware in Chesterton, Indiana.

Seriously, if you ever need something specific like that, Ace Hardware is ridiculously helpful in getting you in and out the door without any hassle.

DESIGN

I actually preferred the look of the console on the Pro-Form Crosswalk 395 than the Crosswalk 397. However, these were exactly the same machines and had the same retail prices, but sale price of the Crosswalk 397 was $30 cheaper, so we got the Crosswalk 397.

The Pro-Form Crosswalk 397 suffers from a few functional design problems; which I’ll detail here. The first being running deck; which is a total of 50″ long.  5′ 6″ Krista doesn’t have much of a problem running on this thing, but as a 6′ 6″ ogre, the deck is a bit short.  One long step and one cell phone video later, my legacy would change from “a brilliant conservative philosopher at the turn of the century” to “that fat guy who face planted on his treadmill and then went viral on YouTube.”

The second problem with the treadmill that was apparent pretty early was the narrow foot rests on either side of the running surface. I am an ogre, but I have relatively small feet (Men’s, Size 12).  The areas were barely half the width of my foot, making it much more suitable for women with smaller feet. Krista feet (Women’s, 9-1/2) still don’t have a lot of room, but she was obviously better off than me.

This treadmill also advertises that it is compatible with your Apple iPod.  I think that statement is intentionally misleading.  The Pro-Form Crosswalk 397 does have speakers (which are pretty nice for being in exercise equipment) and it does have an auxiliary audio port.  That’s it though.  The Pro-Form Crosswalk 397 will NOT charge your iPod.  There is no iPod or iPhone dock.  You can buy the necessary cable to hook your iPod or iPhone to this treadmill’s speakers (or your car’s speakers) on Amazon at a very reasonable price.

Finally, there’s no cup or bottle holder. WTF, I mean seriously!

Even my lawn mower has that.

Okay, but complaining aside, the Pro-Form Crosswalk 397 Treadmill does come with some neat features, including the crosswalk bars. Having long legs, I often find myself holding on to the bars of the treadmill for fear of that viral face plant. Unfortunately, that means that my arms and upper body aren’t getting the workout that normal walking or running would provide. The crosswalk bars give you something to hold on to, but still let you move your arms freely. Unfortunately, the bars are positioned a way too low for me, so I’m still grabbing onto that solid bar in front of me.

Watching Krista, I notice that she does make more of an effort to use the bars, but even she says that they are too short for her. These bars might have been a great asset to the Pro-Form Crosswalk 397 if they were adjustable. Krista is thrilled that Pro-Form Crosswalk 397′s console has an accessory platform (which she’s using to keep her water bottle). She also likes that there’s a ledge for her to put a book so she can read while walking.  I was personally impressed with how soft the running surface was. I don’t know how long that surface is supposed to hold up for, but if it lasts all three years of our warranty, I’ll be thrilled. It’s like running on turf instead of pavement without the resistance that turf can sometimes provide.

PERFORMANCE

The Pro-Form Crosswalk 397 does what it’s supposed to do. It provides an excellent workout. With 15 pre-programmed work outs and the flexibility to set up your own work out by adjusting speed (up to 10mph) and incline (0% to 10%), no experiences have to be the same unless you want them to be.

One thing to keep in mind if you decide to get this treadmill is that the warm up and cool down periods for the two pre-programmed exercises we chose were very short. You do have the ability to warm up and cool down yourself by setting the treadmill manually, but most of the equipment I’ve used in the past with pre-programmed workouts do provide a longer and more beneficial warm up and cool down. As frustrating as these can be when you’re gung-ho and ready to run, it’s still important.

The single most impressive thing about this treadmill is how quiet it is. The 2hp motor is completely silent and most of the noise you hear from the Pro-Form Crosswalk 397 coming is from the belt going across running deck (which is just white noise after a bit). When someone is running on the Crosswalk 397, anyone else in the same room will realize that the softer surface of that pad is not only for comfort, but it also kills some of the sound made with each stomp of the foot.

LONGEVITY

I didn’t purchase this treadmill expecting it to last long. It’s smaller and looks a lot less sturdy than the comparable NordicTrack units at Sears. It was also a few hundred dollars cheaper. For that reason, we purchased the 3-year warranty from Sears with this product. I RARELY purchase an extended warranty because they are designed to end months before the equipment is scheduled to fail based on the quality of the working parts. However, I don’t think there’s any way this will withstand 3 years of use from us, so I’m calling Sears out on their warranty bluff.

I suspect that they can offer this warranty on the Pro-Form Crosswalk 397 because most customers aren’t going to use it regularly. Sure, if you use it only a few times a year, it will last a long time. With all of that said, I can’t write about how well the Pro-Form Crosswalk 397 holds up to the test of time until I have it for a little while. So, in one year, I will update this post and finish it with how well the Pro-Form Crosswalk 397 is holding up.

VALUE

The most important question is whether or not the Pro-Form Crosswalk 397 is worth the price.  It’s as simple as this.  At $360, the Crosswalk 397 is worth the price tag based on my first impressions.  It may even be a good value.  However, we would never have purchased this at $599.

Do you have any questions about the Pro-Form Crosswalk 397 before you buy it?  Leave a comment.

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