Sole F63 vs Sole F80 Treadmill Comparison

Recommendation: Sole F63 vs F80 Treadmills

The Sole F63 and Sole F80 are both high-quality treadmills. They have firmly cushioned decks for running and come with onboard workout programs. The F63 is a little more compact and less powered than the F80. It is also the entry-level model from Sole. The F80 is larger with a larger motor and more content options, but it is priced higher. While most treadmills are appropriate for most homes because they are quiet and foldable, it really depends on you, your home, and your training goals. The 3.5 HP motor on the Sole F80 treadmill makes it better for distance running, while the F63 is recommended for lighter to moderate training. The F80 also has a larger deck of 22” wide and 60” long, versus the F63 which is 20” wide and 60” long. We love both of these treadmills, but for different reasons because they appeal to different people and preferences.

In-Depth Comparison of the Sole F63 vs F80 Treadmills

Sole F63 vs Sole F80 Console & Content

The Sole F63 and Sole F80 provide two different experiences when you’re training. One includes nice tech features, while the other is more straightforward and basic to use. They’re both easy to use and come with onboard workout programs as well as the option to just hop on and run, so it’s up to you and your preference of the features you are looking for. One aspect that we love about both treadmills and Sole machines in general, is that they don’t require a subscription to access the content.

Here’s a little breakdown of what to expect on each treadmill.

Sole F63 Console & Content

The Sole F63 treadmill comes with 6 onboard workout programs. These include hill, fat burn, cardio, HIIT, and strength. There are also 2 custom settings, 2 heart rate tracking workouts, and a manual mode.

The programs come available on the 6.5” white backlit LCD screen. Since this isn’t a touchscreen, there are buttons below the screen to select and customize the workout programs. There are quick adjusting buttons with numbers representing the level of incline and speed. These buttons are nice to have, although their layout isn’t the most seamless that we’ve seen on treadmills.

A nice feature is the Bluetooth speakers. These give you the ability to connect your phone or tablet to play your own content through them. They go up pretty loud, too.

The fan is a little disappointing because it isn’t powerful. If you get hot while using the F63, your best bet is to plug in your own fan.

This console comes with a lot of storage for whatever you might need.

There are 2 cupholders, smaller/shallower pockets, and a storage tray beneath the console. There are also 2 places to set your phone or tablet. The ledge above the fan works for my phone, while the device rack above the screen is better for larger devices because of the adjustable top clip.

Sole F80 Console & Content

The Sole F80’s console and content options are very different. The F80 has 10 onboard workouts including hill, fat burn, cardio, strength, HIIT, 5k, 10k, custom, and heart rate. There’s also of course manual mode. You can also take different fitness tests like Navy, Marine, and Air Force to test your current fitness level.

In addition to the workout options, there are also 12 preloaded streaming apps that come included and ready to stream from. These apps include Netflix, Youtube, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Spotify, ESPN, CNN, Peacock, Prime Video, Audible, and Kinomap. All you have to do is log into your account for each app and start watching while running on the F80.

And if these apps aren’t enough, you can screen mirror content from your phone. This isn’t currently available for Android devices, but I can screen mirror my iPhone. The F80 also pairs with the Sole+ App. I suggest using this app on your phone to create a profile and then pairing it to the treadmill to save your profile so you can save your workout history, stats, and login information for the streaming apps so you don’t have to log into them every time you use the treadmill.

All of this content is available on the 10.1” touch screen.

The screen is easy to see. It isn’t adjustable, which makes it a little harder to reach and navigate while running, but it’s easy to get your show pulled up before you begin working out.

I prefer the layout of the quick-adjusting buttons on the F80 over the F63. They do skip some increments like the F63 though, and they can be a little harder to reach for some people while running. There are switch buttons on the front handle for adjusting to specific speeds and inclines though that make using the treadmill easier.

The volume of the speakers goes plenty loud and allows you to listen to the preloaded content and your own content through them. The fans are also useless on the console, so might need to use your own to cool off.

There isn’t as much storage on the console as the F63, but the F80 has everything you could need, I think. There are 2 cupholders and 2 shallower pockets for smaller items. There is also the same adjustable device rack above the screen. Below the screen is a wireless charging pad to use with your compatible phone and it also works as a tray to store your phone.

Construction Quality & Durability

As far as construction, both of these treadmills are really well-built and of high quality for their price points. They vary in size. The F63 is more compact, so it might be better if you don’t have a lot of space. Both treadmills are substantial though and good for running, which I’m about to get into.

The Sole F80 weighs 274 lbs and has a 350 lb weight capacity, versus the F63 weighs 267 lbs and has a 325 lb weight limit. We recommend each of them for folks up to those limits.

Sole F63 vs Sole F80 Frame

The Sole F80 has a new “z-shaped” design that Sole refers to it as.

The Sole F80 is sleeker than the F63, however, both are stable. They both have steel frames and steel uprights. The Sole F63 has an added steel crossbar mounted between the uprights which helps add stability. The screens and consoles stay in place on both designs, so both are effective.

The handles are sufficient for most. The F80’s front handle is a little more convenient to grab because it offers more surface to hold onto, but both are well within reach. They each have pulse grips to read your heart rate while holding them. You can also pair your Garmin watch to each treadmill for more accurate heart rate tracking.

Sole F63 vs Sole F80 Motor

The Sole F63 (shown here) and F80 are both good for running.

They do vary in motor power for the level of use they can handle, though. The F63 has a 3.0 HP motor which is on the smaller end of what we recommend for running. It is best for light to moderate running, while the F80 can handle heavier training. The F80 has a 3.5 HP motor. I’d go with the F80 if you’re looking to do distance running.

Even though they have different motor sizes, they have the same training capabilities. The speeds increase to 12 mph, and the decks incline up to 15 levels. There are plenty of options to vary your training, and we love to see that the entry-level F63 offers the same variables as higher-end treadmills.

Sole F63 vs Sole F80 Deck

These treadmills also vary a little bit in deck size. The F63 has a 60” long deck that is 20” wide, so it’s accommodating for all stride lengths, but a little more compact to fit better in more homes. The F80 is great if you like a lot of room.

The F80 has a 60” long and 22” wide deck.

They both feel very similar to use underfoot. In our testing, we’ve found that Sole Treadmills have less forgiving deck cushioning than other brands. This translates to the decks feeling firmer to run on than others. This is beneficial for users who prefer running on harder surfaces. For those with joint sensitivity though, you might want to look into a more cushioned deck.

Performance & Functionality

As far as performance and functionality, both the Sole F63 and F80 are well-performing treadmills that are easy to use. They’re both quiet and appropriate for most home spaces. We recommend the F63 if you’re looking for a good budget treadmill and we recommend the F80 if you want more motor power and tech features. We think both are good values for their prices.

Both of the motors are a little slow to adjust the speed and incline. So, if you want to jump from a high to low speed or a high to low incline or vice versa, it can take a little longer than other treadmills. This is something to consider if you love interval training. Neither model is superb for interval training.

The Sole F80 and F63 are ideal for home use because they have folding decks. When you lift up the backend of the decks, you get assistance when lifting to fold them up. This way you don’t have to lift up the decks’ entire weights. The F80’s deck is heavier to lift for folding, in comparison though. Something that we really like about Sole’s treadmills, is that they have 4 transportation wheels. Once folded, you can push these treadmills around, when you need to.

To unfold the F80, you can simply pull the hand leveler at the top of the deck when folded and the deck will slowly lower to the floor on its own.

The F63 uses a kick release which is a bar a the bottom of the deck when folded.

You can place your foot there to unlock the deck and let it gently unfold itself on the F63.

Warranty

Sole includes a lifetime warranty for the frame and motor with the purchase of the F80 and F63. We love to see warranties like this because they help back up the construction. The F80 also comes with 3-year parts and a 1-year labor warranty. The F63 includes a 2-year deck and electronics/parts warranty, a 1-year labor warranty, and 90 days cosmetic items warranty. The setup for both is pretty straightforward. As with most fitness equipment of these sizes and weights, it is a good idea to have at least 2 people for set up to make it a little easier.