Life Fitness F3 Treadmill with Go Console Review
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Life Fitness F3 Treadmill with Go Console
$3,399
Life Fitness, known for its quality and popularity in over 90% of the health clubs in the US, offers a residential line of treadmills as well. Previously we did a review for the Life Fitness T3 Connect 2.0 (see that review here: https://bigguytreadmillreview.com/treadmills/t3-track-treadmill/
We are now doing a review for the Life Fitness F3 Go Treadmill, which is the folding version of the T3 and realistically should spec and test out about the same as the T3. Basically, the F3 is the folding version of the T3. So again, it should test out about the same but….. it did not. When we did the previous review for the T3, the treadmill did not do very well in the performance test. Keep in mind that we have been selling this treadmill for 15 years in our At Home Fitness retail stores and we figured it would do very well in the testing. We were very surprised that the Life Fitness T3 Connect Treadmill scored so poorly. Actually we were quite shocked and ultimately gave it an overall score of 77. The biggest reason the T3 scored so low was for an almost 4k treadmill, it was slow to speed up and its “speed loss” was quite frankly; bad. This is the actual speed loss that occurs, at the same speed, when a person starts using the treadmill. At 6mph, the T3 was really 6.09 mph but as soon as we loaded it with a 270lb person, the actual speed dropped all the way to 5.87. This was one of the biggest drops we recorded with any treadmill. There were a few other things but for a $3800 treadmill, it should have performed better.
So, we kind of expected, a year later, when we did our review for the Life Fitness F3 Go, the results would be about the same. But they were not. The F3 did much better and we are not sure why. The only thing we can think of is that the T3 model we tested last year was just a crappy manufactured machine with some issues. Who knows…but the F3 did much better all-around and we ultimately gave it an overall score of 88.
Although it is still expensive at $3399 (Go Console) $3999 (Track 2.0 Console). The Life Fitness F3 is a good treadmill even at that price. This is Life Fitness after all, and they are a high end brand and one of the best known names in the fitness industry and one of the oldest.
The Life Fitness F3 is probably one of the best quality folding treadmill made and it should be for $3400. It is easy to fold and unfold and easy to roll around (there are 4 active wheels when folded and 2 when unfolded). The F3 also tested well in most categories including overall noise and sound, speed accuracy, cushioning and stability. While we really had no complaints about the quality, we keep going back to the fact that this treadmill is $3400. That is kind of a tough pill to swallow considering there are some other brands that are almost as good, for half the price. If the Life Fitness F3 Go Treadmill was $1999, it would be the only treadmill we ever talked about but we know that is not possible. It is what it is, and we know Life Fitness is expensive. At the end of the day, if you had to choose between the Life Fitness F3 and the T3, which way should you go? If you don’t need it to fold up then the obvious choice would be the T3. We do think that the poor performance ratings from last time was a fluke and if we tested the T3 again, it would probably fare much better.
Pros: High quality, great folding features and easy to move around. Very soft suspension and quiet motor! Quality overall feel and stability. Good warranty and support. 350lb weight capacity.
Cons: Expensive. You will lose top speed and incline compared to the T3 (12% incline VS 15% on T3 – 10 mph VS 12 mph on T3). The available walking area is also a bit less than the T3 (55” vs 58”)
If you are a bigger person and want to run, the F3 suspension may be a little too soft.
Life Fitness F3 Treadmill with Go Console
$3,399
Life Fitness, known for its quality and popularity in over 90% of the health clubs in the US, offers a residential line of treadmills as well. Previously we did a review for the Life Fitness T3 Connect 2.0 (see that review here: https://bigguytreadmillreview.com/treadmills/t3-track-treadmill/
We are now doing a review for the Life Fitness F3 Go Treadmill, which is the folding version of the T3 and realistically should spec and test out about the same as the T3. Basically, the F3 is the folding version of the T3. So again, it should test out about the same but….. it did not. When we did the previous review for the T3, the treadmill did not do very well in the performance test. Keep in mind that we have been selling this treadmill for 15 years in our At Home Fitness retail stores and we figured it would do very well in the testing. We were very surprised that the Life Fitness T3 Connect Treadmill scored so poorly. Actually we were quite shocked and ultimately gave it an overall score of 77. The biggest reason the T3 scored so low was for an almost 4k treadmill, it was slow to speed up and its “speed loss” was quite frankly; bad. This is the actual speed loss that occurs, at the same speed, when a person starts using the treadmill. At 6mph, the T3 was really 6.09 mph but as soon as we loaded it with a 270lb person, the actual speed dropped all the way to 5.87. This was one of the biggest drops we recorded with any treadmill. There were a few other things but for a $3800 treadmill, it should have performed better.
So, we kind of expected, a year later, when we did our review for the Life Fitness F3 Go, the results would be about the same. But they were not. The F3 did much better and we are not sure why. The only thing we can think of is that the T3 model we tested last year was just a crappy manufactured machine with some issues. Who knows…but the F3 did much better all-around and we ultimately gave it an overall score of 88.
Although it is still expensive at $3399 (Go Console) $3999 (Track 2.0 Console). The Life Fitness F3 is a good treadmill even at that price. This is Life Fitness after all, and they are a high end brand and one of the best known names in the fitness industry and one of the oldest.
The Life Fitness F3 is probably one of the best quality folding treadmill made and it should be for $3400. It is easy to fold and unfold and easy to roll around (there are 4 active wheels when folded and 2 when unfolded). The F3 also tested well in most categories including overall noise and sound, speed accuracy, cushioning and stability. While we really had no complaints about the quality, we keep going back to the fact that this treadmill is $3400. That is kind of a tough pill to swallow considering there are some other brands that are almost as good, for half the price. If the Life Fitness F3 Go Treadmill was $1999, it would be the only treadmill we ever talked about but we know that is not possible. It is what it is, and we know Life Fitness is expensive. At the end of the day, if you had to choose between the Life Fitness F3 and the T3, which way should you go? If you don’t need it to fold up then the obvious choice would be the T3. We do think that the poor performance ratings from last time was a fluke and if we tested the T3 again, it would probably fare much better.
Pros: High quality, great folding features and easy to move around. Very soft suspension and quiet motor! Quality overall feel and stability. Good warranty and support. 350lb weight capacity.
Cons: Expensive. You will lose top speed and incline compared to the T3 (12% incline VS 15% on T3 – 10 mph VS 12 mph on T3). The available walking area is also a bit less than the T3 (55” vs 58”)
If you are a bigger person and want to run, the F3 suspension may be a little too soft.
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