The entire 120-pound machine measures 55 inches long by 28.9 inches wide, by 64.7 inches tall. Clearly, its footprint is really not significant, which is the whole point of the unit.

As a budget treadmill, it is designed to be conservative in both price and space, and in that, it does succeed. This is not a large treadmill. Even when unfolded, it does not take up a particularly large amount of space.

Plus, because of the relatively low weight, once folded it becomes somewhat easily mobile, making it much easier to move around your home or apartment.

It does include a heart rate monitor in the form of dual grip handles. However, like with nearly all dual grip heart rate sensors, you should take any readings with a bit of skepticism.

This method of finding your heart rate is infamously inaccurate. If you have and use a Fitbit or something similar, you can connect a chest-monitor to the watch to get the most accurate measure. 

Gold’s Gym Trainer 430i Treadmill operates on a 2.5 HP motor. The best kind of motor is a Continuous Horsepower Motor – this means that the motor can reach its top speed and sustain that speed over a long period of time.

The best numbers for a runner are a 3 CHP motor – as this will allow high and continuous speed. If you’re a jogger/walker, a 2.5 HP should be enough, however, it is not described in CHP, and so might not be able to sustain that top speed.

The more likely assumption, owing to the low cost and cheap quality of this machine, is that it is a Peak motor – 2.5 HP is likely the highest speed it will reach, and it likely is unable to sustain that speed.

This is unfortunate, depending on the kind of athlete/runner/jogger you are – if your goal is to walk for twenty minutes a day, this should be more than sufficient. If you are a runner who loves doing incline training, though, this won’t be able to handle you. 

The Gym Trainer 430i Treadmill also boasts a speed range of 0-10 mph and a 10% incline. The speed range is certainly respectable, although the reality is that the top few numbers are not going to be sustainable for this model, owing to its engine.

Which again, is an unfortunate truth to buying low-cost. There is nothing wrong with the incline range – being able to increase your incline up to 10% allows for a great integration of more difficult running/walking into your workout sessions.

The machine additionally has a user weight capacity of 300 pounds, which is on par with its other models, the Gold’s gym 420 and the 720.

Interestingly enough, this weight capacity is also on par with some of the best treadmills on the market – despite its potentially weak frame, you’re not missing out on anything weight-wise.

Where you will run into problems, however, is in the size of the tread. The tread on the 430i is 16 inches wide and 50 inches long. Sixteen inches is less than a foot and a half – many people, when standing with their feet shoulder-width apart, will exceed these sixteen inches.

That means that, in order to stay on the tread, you will have to run awkwardly and unnaturally, narrowing your stance, which is never good.

Additionally, because the tread is so short (fifty inches is about four feet), many people with longer strides will have to again, run awkwardly, stunting their strides to not fall off.

The size of the tread is one of the greatest weaknesses of this treadmill. 

In terms of tech, this machine is a step or two above being prehistoric. It includes the ability to connect an iFit Bluetooth Smart device – this allows you to follow routes and track your goals on your smartphone or tablet.

The downfall of this is that it requires an additional subscription to iFit – which is really not worth the money. The Trainer 430i treadmill also includes mp3 and iPod capability and includes low-mid quality speakers so you can listen to your music while you train.

The sentiment is nice, but the speakers are not fantastic – you’ll get better sound from a portable speaker like a Jawbone, Echo Dot, or iHome. 

Like the 420 and 720 models, the Trainer 430i also contains a small LCD screen. You can track calories burned, speed, distance, and heart rate on this screen, which includes a little racetrack that shows the progress of your workout.

This is a good feature for the price-point but in comparison to better models, it just is not up to scratch. However, if your only purpose is to run, you don’t really need the fun high-end techy touch screens.

This machine also includes 16 preprogrammed workouts, the same as the 420, but less than the 720. These workouts provide a great way to structure your training.