Bluefin Fitness Kick 5.0 Review: A Big-Screen Folding Treadmill

The Bluefin Fitness Kick 5.0 is the bigger, better-equipped model in Bluefin's Kick treadmill range, and it's aimed squarely at the person who wants a genuinely capable folding treadmill without paying gym-machine prices. Where the compact Kick 2.0 is really a walking and light-jogging machine, the 5.0 steps up to a 5HP motor, a top speed north of 20km/h, 20 incline levels, a 10.1-inch screen and built-in shock absorption. On paper that's a serious spec for the money. The reality is a well-judged mid-priced treadmill that does the everyday running most of us actually do very well, while making the sensible compromises you'd expect at this end of the market.

Bluefin's pitch has always been strong specs at a keen price, and the Kick 5.0 follows the formula. It leans on the Kinomap app for the interactive side rather than a costly proprietary subscription platform, which keeps running costs down, and the bigger screen and stat display make solo sessions less of a slog. What you're not getting is the deck size, the near-silent premium motor or the build heft of a treadmill costing three times more, and that's the honest trade at this price.

Who it is for

The Kick 5.0 suits the home user who wants to walk, jog and run steadily without buying a machine the size of a small car or paying a monthly platform fee. It's a good fit for smaller homes thanks to the fold, for people who want a big screen and interactive routes on a budget, and for anyone stepping up from a basic walking pad who now wants real speed and incline. Regular treadmill sessions like these are an easy way to bank the 150 minutes of weekly activity the NHS recommends, and the impact-softening deck helps if your joints don't love road running. Serious high-mileage runners with a long stride should look at a larger-decked machine.

Motor, speed and incline

The 5HP motor is the headline, and it gives the Kick 5.0 useful headroom. At the moderate speeds where nearly all real running happens, it isn't working hard, so it stays composed and doesn't bog down, and the top speed above 20km/h is quicker than most home users will ever want, leaving room for the occasional sprint interval. The 20 incline levels let you turn a flat walk into a proper hill session, which is one of the most effective ways to raise the effort and the calorie burn without running faster, and hill training carries clear benefits for your heart (British Heart Foundation on physical activity and heart health).

The built-in shock absorption is a genuine plus rather than a marketing line. It takes some of the sting out of each footstrike compared with pavement, which matters if you're carrying a bit of extra weight or coming back from a niggle. Where the machine shows its price is size: the running area is on the compact side, so a tall runner with a big stride may feel slightly hemmed in at pace. For the walking, jogging and steady running most people do, it's fine.

Screen, apps and running costs

The 10.1-inch screen is a big part of why you'd choose the 5.0 over a cheaper, plainer treadmill. It's roomy enough to read your stats at a glance, and it works with Kinomap, the app Bluefin partners with for scenic filmed routes and coach-led sessions that can sync speed and incline to the terrain on screen. That's a smart move on running costs, because Kinomap is a modest independent subscription rather than a locked-in, treadmill-brand platform, and you can run the machine perfectly well without it if you'd rather just set your own pace.

Manage your expectations on the screen, though. It's a functional workout display, not a full Android tablet, so it isn't there to stream box sets natively the way a premium treadmill's console might. Most owners prop a tablet or phone on the shelf for entertainment and use the built-in screen for their numbers, which works fine. Judged as a stat display with app connectivity at this price, it does its job.

Build, storage and value

This is a mid-priced folding treadmill, and it feels like one in the best sense: solid enough for regular home use, light enough to fold and move without a second person, but not the tank-like heft of a machine costing three times as much. The fold is the main practical draw, letting you reclaim the floor between sessions, and it's more manageable than a large premium treadmill even if it's still a proper running machine rather than a slim walking pad. Assembly takes a bit of patience, as these things do.

On value, the Kick 5.0 is one of the stronger picks in its price bracket. You're getting a spec sheet that reads like a much dearer treadmill, the space-saving fold, and low ongoing costs, in exchange for a smaller deck and a build that's good rather than gym-grade. If you want a bigger-screen folding treadmill that can genuinely run as well as walk, it belongs on your shortlist, and it sits comfortably alongside our best fold-flat treadmill picks and the value machines in our best treadmill under £1000 guide. For a smaller, walking-focused Bluefin at a lower price, the Kick 2.0 is the sibling to compare.