Life Fitness Review

Sunday, September 19th

2021 Treadmill Reviews

Life Fitness

• Cost: $2,749 to $9,449

If you've been to a fitness center, it's likely you've used a LifeFitness treadmill before. In business for nearly 50 years, the company is one of the mainstay names in the cardio equipment industry.

Equipment overview:

• Treadmill Style: Folding and Non-Folding
• Price Range: $2,749 to $9,449
• Different Models: 6
• Financing Available: No
• Livestream Classes Included: Yes; may incur separate charges
• Incline Range: Up to 5% or 15%, depending on the model, no models with decline settings
• Speed Range: 0.5 mph to 10 mph or 12 mph, depending on the model
• Return Policy: None
• Warranty: Lifetime on frame and shock absorbers; lifetime or 10 years on drive motor; 5 or 10 years on parts; 3 years on console; 1 year on labor; all depending on the model
• Shipping: Not included, could be as high as $400+

More expensive than most

When it comes to treadmills, LifeFitness is definitely at the more expensive end of the spectrum. Their entry-level machines, the F3 Folding and T3 (non-folding), start at $2,749 - while, with many of LifeFitness' competitors, you'd get the highest-end model available for that price!

Not impressed with the features

It was tough to find certain information about LifeFitness treadmills - and we weren't exactly impressed when we found it. Given how high-end the machines are, we expected top-of-the-line specs. But, on one of the lowest-priced machines, the F3 Folding Treadmill, we had to dig through the PDF of the owner's manual to discover that the highest incline setting is just 5.5%: the "high" setting. For any serious runner or incline walker, 5% is just a warm-up! Even the top-of-the-line Platinum Club Series Treadmill didn't have any decline settings like you'll see with most of LifeFitness' rivals' highest-end machines. (Do most people use decline settings? Probably not, but for a treadmill with a retail price of $9,449, we'd almost expect it to do the workout for us!)

LifeFitness on demand - or not

We were also left wondering about LifeFitness On Demand, the brand's livestreaming workout platform. The product info page for the treadmills that are compatible with this feature had an enticing description of this service, with instructors that "teach at some of the top boutique studios in New York and Chicago'' and "on-demand classes at your fingertips, any time you want" . Unfortunately, there was no link provided when the description invited us to learn more, just text that said, "drive to landing page" . (Oops. They said the quiet part out loud"�) When we tried to find more details on our own, we could only find a site describing the platform for use in commercial settings - like fitness centers and gyms - and nothing about home use. The short version is this: you might be able to get live workouts through your LifeFitness treadmill, but you're not going to have an easy time getting it set up!

Big shipping fees, long wait for delivery

LifeFitness used to include free shipping with your treadmill purchase. However, during our most recent visit, we were disappointed to see that's no longer the case. Entering a sample state on the order page, LifeFitness quoted $399 for delivery and installation. Add that to some of the longest fulfillment timeframes we saw - anywhere from 6-12 weeks on every single treadmill they offer - and it's a no-brainer why LifeFitness isn't one of our highest-recommended retailers in this category.

Zero returns accepted

Want to know what else LifeFitness doesn't offer? A return policy. You can only send your treadmill back if it's defective, damaged in transit, or isn't the machine you ordered. You'd better hope that you love your LifeFitness treadmill, because there's no sending it back if you don't.

No financing available either

And, a third item on the list of "not included" is financing. That's surprising, given that many retailers with far less expensive treadmills offer payment plans - while LifeFitness, which carries some of the costliest models, does not. Maybe they figure if you're considering a treadmill for $10,000+ (once you add in shipping and taxes), you don't need their financing.

Good reputation but not much more

While we're happy to see that LifeFitness continues to maintain an "A+" rating with the Better Business Bureau, that's just not enough to "rescue" them in our rankings with all of the other negatives we found. If you want a top-notch treadmill, you'll get it much more quickly with many other retailers - and with better features, free shipping, and an actual return policy. For all of those reasons, LifeFitness doesn't earn our enthusiastic recommendation among online stores offering treadmills.