Bluefin Fitness Task 2.0
Two-minute review
This is TechRadar’s Bluefin Fitness Task 2.0 review. We’ll take a comprehensive look at the walking treadmill to see how it matches up to some of its contemporaries, and how usable it is for both the office worker with a standing desk, and someone who just wants a low-cost, easy-store treadmill to help get their steps in at home while watching Netflix.
That pretty much hits the nail on the head: it is a wallet-friendly, slim and small offering, more than worthy of inclusion in our best under-desk treadmill list. It’s able to be assembled in a flash and can fit almost anywhere, even behind a sofa or in a cupboard, when not in use. You can fold up the collapsible riser to get a more standard treadmill shape, for many people, this won’t be necessary: you can use it flat, essentially right out of the box.
We really liked the belt, considering its size: it’s long and wide enough to walk and perform gentle jogging, but with a top speed of eight kilometers an hour, it’s not going to be for people who want to do lots of running training. However, that’s not what this machine is for: It’s a walking pad, and a great value one too.
If you’re looking to get additional movement into your day, whether you want to walk while taking meetings or watching TV in the evenings, and think the way to do it is a space-saving, budget-friendly walking treadmill, this is the model for you.
Bluefin Fitness Task 2.0: Price and availability
The Bluefin Fitness Task 2.0 is priced at £274.00 in the UK, but unfortunately, it’s harder to get hold of in the US and Australia. Amazon does have some stock, priced at $487.28 in the US. That’s more expensive than its UK offering, but considering many under-desk walkpads are sold at a premium for office spaces, it’s still a reasonable price for this pocket rocket.
Bluefin Fitness Task 2.0: Design
Design verdict: 4/5
We really liked the Bluefin’s simple set-up-and-go model. It’s as easy as unboxing the unit and wheeling it into your desired position (it’s got two frontal wheels for easy transportation) and plugging it in. The riser can flip up, transforming the treadmill into “running mode”, or be left down for a more free-form under-desk walking experience. The safety key is attached to this riser. The third-party Kinomap app, which allows you to connect your phone to your treadmill via Bluetooth, is a popular easy-to-install app with over 500,000 users.
The belt, blazoned with the “Task 2.0” label, is nice and firm, but not unforgiving. It’s fine for walkers and casual joggers, providing you wear comfortable walking or running shoes. The belt is narrow in order to accommodate the unit’s small size, but not so much that it felt uncomfortable or unsafe to run on in any capacity. It’s actually a very pleasant experience.
The unit features a clear, concise LED display that’s easy to see when set up. It displays your running speed (in km), distance, time and any one of six pre-programmed interval workout routines accessible via the remote, which are detailed in the accompanying manual. The control for the speed and running programs is ingeniously placed on a wrist strap for easy access, which is just a simple screenless remote.
It’s a really neat solution. However, if you’re planning on popping this under a desk, you’ll be obscuring the LED display, as the wrist-mounted control has no reminder of which program you selected or what speed you’re doing. Although you can adjust your workout via your wrist-mounted remote, to check any of the details of your workout, you’ll have to stop and get off.
Bluefin Fitness Task 2.0: Features
Features verdict: 2.5/5
Like most under-desk treadmills and walking pads, the Bluefin is a simple beast. With a top speed of 8km/h, it’s compatible with its contemporaries, and it has no incline settings, although we wouldn’t expect it to at this level.
There are six pre-set interval workouts to choose from, and they’re all quite similar and somewhat uninspired. You have to go hunting for them in the manual and check what each one does, as there are no specific readouts on the treadmill’s LED screen - so don’t throw the booklet away! We imagine most users will end up simply picking their desired speed and just free-walking while engaging in another activity, like watching TV or doing some work.
There is a fun feature in that it has a built-in Bluetooth speaker, which is accessible via the Kinomap app connected to your phone. However, in our experience, you’re either using this at home or in the office, in which case you’re probably not using your speakers to blare out some powerful tunes to, er, walk to. The speakers are decent quality, if a bit tinny, but they’ll never win any audio awards: you’d be better off with a cheap Amazon Echo instead.
The Kinomap app is similarly disappointing: it’s a third-party app connecting to a whole range of branded treadmills, so it’s not all going to be relevant to your needs. You can create a profile, set goals and see a range of stats including logs of your workouts, but it’s all very basic functionality that can’t hold a candle to Garmin Connect, the Fitbit app or even Google Health. You get a 14-day free subscription when you first sign up, but we wouldn’t recommend using it beyond that.
Bluefin Fitness Task 2.0: Performance
Performance verdict: 4/5
We really enjoyed walking and, to a lesser extent, running on this treadmill. As a walker it’s perfectly fine and very quiet, allowing it to be less of a distraction. Instead, you can simply get on with whatever it is you’re doing, be that taking calls at work or getting engrossed in Stranger Things.
It’s a perfect everyday companion to get your steps in: the belt is long enough and (deceptively) wide enough to account for a variety of strides, and there was no “squishiness” you get in some cheap treadmills that has your foot sag due to a misplaced emphasis on “shock absorbing”. Instead, it’s all satisfyingly firm and responsive without being uncomfortable.
Running is alright. It’s clearly not what the machine is built for, but you can top out at 8km/h and achieve a satisfying jog, although it does rock the machine a touch. This pace will be absolutely fine as a maximum for beginners. Experienced runners will find this old hat, but they’re hardly the target audience here.
I tested the emergency safety key, and it’s really responsive, cutting the treadmill off within a second or two. I’m satisfied: it’s a quiet, solid walkpad suitable for most people.
Buy it if...
- You want a machine to walk on at work
- You want to get more movement in at home
- You don’t have the budget or space for a bigger treadmill
Don't buy it if...
- You want to run faster than 8mph
- You weigh over 120kgs
- You want lots of pre-programmed workouts and smart features
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