Life Fitness Club Series Treadmill with SL Console Review

Life Fitness Club Series Plus with SL Console

$7,869

First off, we realize that this treadmill is not for most people.  I mean really, other than a health club or individuals with an abundance of disposable incline, who would buy an $8,000 treadmill?  Well, quite a few people actually.  While the vast majority of treadmills sold in the USA will cost under 1k, it really all comes down to value.  What do you value?  If you are a marathon runner, if you have a large family, if you are a heavy person etc, this could be the treadmill for you.  If you are a person who has burned out the last 4 cheap treadmills you owned; well, you get it.  My only advice is an 8k treadmill may not be that ridiculous of a purchase after all and for that reason, you are welcome.  That is why we at Big Guy Treadmill Review do these reviews.  So, here we go.  What do you get for spending 8 – 10k on a treadmill?

For starters, the Life Fitness Club Series Plus Treadmill (with the SL Console) is a beast.  It is truly the nicest treadmill I have ever been on.  It is also certainly not the most expensive treadmill (See Technogym and Woodway treadmills that will easily cost 50% – 100% more). Also, just because a treadmill is uber expensive doesn’t mean the engineers got the feel right.  They could have a suspension that is too hard, too soft etc… but they nailed it on this particular machine.  The suspension feels great.  The 22” x 60” running surface is perfect, the strength, torque and feel of the motor is outstanding (4hp – 8 Peak motor) and really everything from the back to the front is done right.  Even little details like the position of the cup holders are well thought out.

There are obviously different options for upper electronics that can add another 2k.  If you want good features but simple, then you should consider the SL console.  Life Fitness makes an ST console but that is only for the gyms (think coaxial cables running across your floor) and then there is the HD console, which is all your fancy bells and whistles and another 2k in added costs.

We usually don’t talk too much about the “aesthetics” of a treadmill but this one also looks great.  We love the overall edges and corners, colors and streamlined modern look.

The Life Fitness Club Series Plus is almost a perfect treadmill in many ways. We have a few cons listed below but overall, if you can afford it, buy it.  So why is this not our #1 rated treadmill?  Why did it place #5 overall? Once again, it all comes down to price.  If this treadmill was under $6000, then is would have given the 3G Cardio Elite Runner a “run” for the #1 overall spot.  Is the Life Fitness Club Series Plus a better treadmill than all the other machines in our rating?  Yes.  But is the #1 overall treadmill?  No.  There are simply too many other variables to consider.

Pros:  This is the best overall treadmill in our review.  No doubt about it.  The overall feel and performance is unmatched and the look and design is gorgeous.  Good solid warranty too.  The best of the best.

Cons:  Very expensive.  This machine is built for a commercial environment so there is not much concern for noise levels.  This treadmill happens to be the loudest (70.5 Decibels) of all the treadmill we tested.  Something also to keep in mind if you are considering this for a home.