Disclaimer: Merach sent this product to us for free for a review. That does not affect our opinion about the product. In this article, we list both what we like and dislike. Read more about this here.
The Portable Treadmill For Indoor Walking
The Merach T26 is a lightweight and portable treadmill made for people who would like to walk at home, either in front of the TV or at their standing desk.
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It’s a very simple desk treadmill that does what it’s supposed to do, but lacks in some areas and misses features I would have liked to see on it.
In this review, I’ll take you through the features and specifications of the treadmill before I share what I like and don’t like.
The Merach T26
There’s only so much to say about the features of a treadmill, and the simplicity of the T26 makes the list even shorter.
I think one of the most important things about a treadmill is how fast it can go and how comfortable it is to use. In terms of speed, it can go from 1 to 6 km/h, which is 0.6 to 3.8 mph.
At the slowest speed, it’s a very slow walk that can be useful for rehabilitating purposes. At full speed, it’s a very brisk walk, not quite enough to require jogging (at least for me as a 5’10” man) but if you have shorter legs, you could jog lightly.
I’m glad I can’t jog on it though, because the size of the treadmill is rather small. It’s not like a treadmill at the gym where you feel you have enough space to run.
The running area is 39 by 96.5 cm (15.4 by 38 inches). Bigger treadmills usually start at 24 inches wide, so you can see how the limited space is more suited for walking than jogging or running.
But that’s not what this treadmill is for. I just want you to have realistic expectations about what’s possible with a portable treadmill. It really is very portable.
It’s easy to slide in under the bed with the help of the two front wheels. It’s also relatively easy to carry up and down stairs, weighing only 18 kg (almost 40 pounds).
I’ve mostly been using it at my standing desk, and I can walk and work on my computer without stepping on the edges or falling off. I’ve only been testing it for two weeks, and it took some time getting used to. My balance felt a little off in the beginning, but it’s gotten better over time, so keep that in mind if you struggle the first couple of times you use the treadmill.
I have had no issues with the treadmill so far. It’s worked as expected, and I’ve walked about 40 kilometers (almost 25 miles). I haven’t had to adjust the belt or do any other maintenance.
One thing I’ll say is that I highly recommend wearing shoes. If I don’t wear shoes, my feet hurt pretty fast. They’re not used to walking long distances without shoes, so that could also just be something I have to get used to.
Merach does state in the manual that you should wear shoes though, but I imagine that’s for safety reasons.
The features of the T26 are very simple. Start it with the play button on the remote, adjust the speed with the plus and minus buttons, and get to walking. The mode button on the remote is for counting down specific data, like calories, distance, and time.
That can be useful if you have a goal to walk a specific distance every day or a certain amount of time, but the calorie counter can’t be trusted since it knows nothing about the person walking to give an even remotely accurate calorie calculation.
Merach has a phone app that lets you connect the treadmill to your phone via Bluetooth and record some exercise data. I tried this for a bit and it worked great, but there’s a monthly subscription fee, so I didn’t use it very much. The app doesn’t let you control the treadmill, though, which is a downside.
The maximum user weight is 120 kg (265 lbs) and while the motor itself isn’t very noisy, walking indoors on a treadmill makes noise, and every stomp can be heard downstairs unless you live in a concrete building. I woke my wife up because I didn’t think it would be very noisy.
What I Like and Don’t Like
I like that it really is a very portable treadmill. It can easily be rolled out from underneath a bed and put back within seconds.
I also like that it comes with a remote that’s very responsive and works well.
I wish the remote had a pause button so I could pause a workout and step off the treadmill for a couple of minutes and resume it when I get back.
If I step off to go to the bathroom, I either have to let the treadmill keep going or turn it off. Both options make it harder to track the total distance and time for a workout.
The power cable could’ve been longer. It’s two meters (6.6 ft) but if you want to walk in front of the TV, you’re probably going to need an extension cable.
Other than that, I’ve been pleasantly surprised that a treadmill at this price point actually works well. I’m going to keep using it and will update the article if I run into any issues, but for now I recommend it for anybody looking for a way to increase their steps while working at a desk or while watching television.
