Life Fitness X3 Elliptical Cross-Trainer with Advanced Workout Console

I have owned the Life Fitness x3-5 / x35 for several years now.The machine has worked fine, aside from the magnetic brake failing after every 100 uses roughly.I'm on my third brake now. This was not a cheap machine (over two grand). I thought that by paying up, I would gotten a higher quality, longer lasting product.This is not the case with these "home models". Unless you like $300 repair bills every year, I'd look for a better machine.LifeFitness had nothing to offer to try and ease the pain of these repeated brake motor failings. So I ended up replacing the last motor myself, and in the process damaged the brake motor which then also had to be replaced, though fortunately I had a spare from the last repair visit. But replacing these items was a real pain in the you know what.I will never buy another Life Fitness product again.LifeFitness

I purchased an older version of this machine, the x3i made in the USA. I purchased this machine because I liked the fact it is made in North America, it feels good when it works and thought the name could be trusted. This machine gets used a few times per week in a home environment and is not abused. Unfortunately, this machine has proven to be very unreliable. The rear flywheel/sensor has gone on a couple of occasions and I have had problems with the electronic panel just quitting part way through a workout. I think I have hit the final straw with this machine. The panel now just beeps erratically and the buttons do not respond. Looks to me like it requires a new panel. Services techs get expensive as this machine is out of warranty. I figured out how to fix the flywheel on my own, but the panel is a different story. I don't know what machine I can recommend, I thought this one would be great that's why I bought it. Precor is supposed to be good, but they are too large for my room and I didn't like the motion of the ellipse. I like using an elliptical machine and I am now at a loss.

I have purchased this product with the advanced console. The equipment would be great overall, however the Polar receiver that is inside the advanced panel is a piece of crap. This means that if you want to base your exercise on your pulse you are out of luck. It won't work. When I asked for a repair it took Life Fitness 3 entire months to replace it. And then after two happy exercise the same problem came up again. I have just asked for another repair. What I understand from the Life Fitness people is that the issue seems to lie at the American Service Center who are totally ignorant of their service requests.UPDATE:One day after this article was posted on Amazon, LF Sales called me and agreed on a visit, on which they finally identified and - after a few hours of work - solved the issue.

Machine was in good condition and is worth every cent I paid of it. Only complaint is the peddles are brittle and a part of it broke off within the first week of using it. This however doesnt affect the way it operates.

We bought this at a local store because they had a great rebate and let us take one home on the spot. I recommend trying several different brands and models to find which one you like. We tried the Nautilus 2000, several of the Life Fitness models and a Precor. The Precor elliptical was nice with the adjustable incline, but required more use of your ankles and knees because of it. I was looking for a good aerobic workout with smooth motions and found it with the Life Fitness.The Nautilus 2000 would have been fine, too, however their company stability is a bit shaky right now. Also their customer service has been rated poorly.Life Fitness is a solid company with a great product. My parents have had the X3 for 9 years and it's still going strong. Our new X3 has the advanced console, quite a step up from 9 years ago. It's super smooth, very quiet, easy on your joints and has a full range of options from manual to a variety of preprogrammed modes.The advantages of it over the X1 would be: covered pinch points in the back (only important if you have small children), bearings instead of bushings, making long term maintenance easier, and cushioned footpads on the X3. With the rebate the prices of the two got very close together so we went with the X3.I'm looking forward to a lot of years with this unit. We were advised that most ellipticals should last you between 8-12 years. With the free 5 yr warranty we got that should get us most of the way there. If you find a deal on amazon, great. If not, try negotiating with your local fitness store for either a price break, or free warranty, free mat, or all of the above. There is room to wiggle on price for many of them.We also got 24 month 0% financing. I advise that also as this unit isn't cheap.Overall, I think ALL ellipticals are way overpriced, but this one does feel like a solid machine.When considering where to put it in your house, don't forget about height. We were unable to put it in the basement with our other equipment because the ceiling is too low. Measure yourself standing on it at the highest point in the cycle to see if you have enough head room. This one has a 6 1/2 foot length, but we need over 7 1/2 feet for height.

The X3 cross-trainer is a solid piece of equipment; however, the Wireless Heart Rate monitor works for about 20 minutes then quits transmitting the heart rate to the console.Life Fitness customer service has done the best they can. They initially sent a replacement console, but that did not solve the problem.I just called customer service again. They mentioned it might be RF frequency, but our True Upright bike is next to the X3 cross-training and the bike's wireless heart rate monitor has no issues.Life Fitness offered to have a tech come out to look at it but mentioned we'd have to pay for the labor since we are out of warranty. Very disappointing as the X3 is a good cross-trainer, but I train hard and need to monitor my heart rate to make sure I don't exceed my Theoretical Heart Rate...