WalkingPad Z1 vs A1 Pro

1. Unit weight: 51 lb vs 63 lb

This is the biggest gap on the sheet and the one most likely to change how you feel about the purchase six months in. Twelve pounds on a machine with no proper handholds is the difference between sliding it out from under the sofa one-handed every morning and deciding, some mornings, not to bother. On a third-floor walk-up it is the difference between a solo carry and asking a friend.

2. Capacity: 242 lb vs 230 lb

The lighter machine also carries more, which is the opposite of how this normally works and is a genuine point in the Z1’s favour. The gap is 12 lb, so it only decides the purchase if you are within about that distance of the A1 Pro’s limit. Worth knowing: KingSmith sells a 300 lb capacity variant of the A1 Pro, which is a different listing rather than a setting, and it is the only route to a 300 lb rating on this site with a full spec table behind it.

3. Belt: 47.6 x 15.7 in vs 47 x 16.5 in

The two machines split this. The Z1 is 0.6 inches longer, which is inside the range where nobody notices. The A1 Pro is 0.8 inches wider, which people do notice — specifically when they are reading a screen rather than watching their feet and drift toward the edge. Neither machine has a handrail, so there is nothing to catch yourself on either way.

By total area the A1 Pro wins: 775.5 square inches against 747.3. For a taller walker, deck length is usually the binding number, and there the two are effectively tied. We rank the whole field on that here.

4. Fold shape: shorter vs lower

The Z1 folds to 31.8 x 22 x 5.4 inches. The A1 Pro folds to 32.5 x 21.5 x 5 inches. Neither is simply smaller — they are different shapes, and which one fits depends entirely on your slot.

Stood on end against a wall, the Z1 is 0.7 inches shorter — useful under a low shelf — and half an inch wider, which is half an inch worse in a narrow alcove. Laid flat under something, the A1 Pro is 0.4 inches lower, so a sofa or bed-frame gap in the 5 to 5.3 inch band takes the A1 Pro and rejects the Z1. Measure the gap before you choose, because this is the one difference here that is genuinely binary.

5. The noise figure

KingSmith publishes “under 65 dB” for the A1 Pro and publishes nothing for the Z1. Same company, same product line, same specification page template. We do not know why and we will not speculate.

Three things to hold in mind when you weigh it. First, an absence is not a higher number — the Z1 has no published figure, which is not the same as being louder. Second, KingSmith states no measurement distance, belt speed, user weight or floor surface for the figure, so it is not comparable to another brand’s number. Third, a decibel rating describes airborne noise, and the complaint that generates neighbour problems is footfall through the floor structure, which no dB figure describes. The full explanation is here.

Whether the A1 Pro is actually quieter in your room. Whether either belt feels better underfoot. Whether either deck flexes under a heavier walker. Whether either machine is still running in three years. We have not used either one.

What we can tell you is that these two machines share a maker, a speed class and a folding mechanism, and differ by amounts you could hold in one hand. The decision is small, which is worth saying plainly on a page that could easily pretend otherwise. Our method, and its limits.

• You will be carrying it, moving it, or lifting it regularly. 12 lb is 12 lb.
• You are within about 20 lb of 230. The extra capacity is free here.
• Your standing desk is marginal. 4.1 in of deck beats 5 in.
• You want the shortest possible upright storage footprint.
• You want the higher speed ceiling, such as it is: 4 mph against 3.75.

Full Z1 review and specification table.

• A published noise figure is what would let you commit. It is the only one KingSmith offers.
• You drift while typing. 16.5 in of belt is the widest in the range.
• Your storage gap is between 5 and 5.3 inches. The A1 Pro goes in; the Z1 does not.
• You need a 300 lb capacity from a maker that publishes a full spec sheet — buy the 300 lb variant specifically.
• The machine will live in one place and rarely be lifted.

Full A1 Pro review and specification table.