Life Fitness and Lamar treadmills offer similar capabilities at very different price points. The low end of the Life Fitness price range takes off where the high end of the Lamar treadmills' price range leaves off. If you purchase a Life Fitness treadmill, your extra money is going toward a longer, more stable company history, better availability and richer entertainment options than the relatively hard-to-find Lamar Fitness treadmills, which have no central company support to speak of.
Motor
Most home-use Life Fitness treadmills come with a 3.0-horsepower continuous-duty motor; the Club and Platinum Club series have 4.0-horsepower continuous-duty motors. The Lamar L-1300 and L-1400 models offer 3.0-horsepower continuous-duty motors; the L-1200 has a 2.5-horsepower continuous-duty motor -- still a respectable base of power, unless you're very heavy and plan to do long, frequent running workouts.
Speed and Incline
The Life Fitness F3 treadmill has a top speed of 10 mph and a maximum incline of 12 percent. All other Life Fitness models go as fast as 12 mph, with a maximum 15-percent incline. The Lamar L-1200 and L-1300 offer top speeds of 10 mph and a 12-percent maximum incline. The L-1400 has a maximum speed of 12 mph and, like the higher-end Life Fitness models, a maximum incline setting of 15 percent. A 10-mph top speed is enough to challenge the casual runner; hard-core runners will want the faster speeds for high-intensity sprints.
Size and Capacity
The F3 treadmill from Life Fitness offers an average-size 20-by-55-inch running belt. The T3 has a longer-than-usual 20-by-60 belt, and all other Life Fitness models have 22-by-60 belts, large enough to run on without feeling cramped, even if you're tall. All Lamar Fitness treadmills have a 20-by-60 running belt.
Maximum weight capacities range between 350 lbs. and 400 lbs. on the Life Fitness treadmills, none of which lists a maximum user weight capacity. The Lamar treadmills have similar capacities.
Features
Life Fitness and Lamar treadmills offer a similar range of options, including preprogrammed and customizable workouts, handgrip and wireless heart-rate monitoring, heart-rate control programs and built-in water bottle holders.
Standout features on Life Fitness treadmills include the technology to remember your preferred walk, jog and run speeds and three "remembered" incline positions. Some Life Fitness treadmills also store personal information for multiple users. A built-in reading rack and accessory tray are standard across the Life Fitness line.
By comparison, the only standout feature on Lamar Fitness treadmills is the limited one-touch speed and incline capability.
Price and Warranty
As of October 2010, Life Fitness treadmills retailed for $2,500 to $6,000. All Lifetime Fitness treadmills come with a lifetime warranty on the frame and shock absorbers and one year of labor coverage, but coverage for other parts varies. You may receive from a 10-year to lifetime warranty on the motor and five to 10 years of coverage on other electrical and mechanical parts, depending on which model you've purchased.
Lamar treadmills cost from about $1,600 to $2,500 and come with 30 years to lifetime frame coverage, 30 years of coverage for the motor, 10 years for other parts and one year of labor coverage.
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