There are a few things you must consider when buying a treadmill. I learned the hard way and I hope if you read this it will be easier for you and less time consuming than it was for me. This is not the treadmill I bought originally. I bought a different model, different company and the process was pretty smooth until I went to use it for the first time. Amazon delivered when they said they would. I took the day off from work and spent 3 hours unpacking and setting it up only to find that it didn't work. Both Amazon and the manufacturer were great about the issue. Amazon offered to pick it up no questions asked and the manufacturer offered to send out new parts. I asked the Amazon community what to do and was told by other buyers that I should return and pick a different treadmill. And this is how I learned what to really look for when purchasing this type of product.The consumer reports and reviews that I read rank the treadmills in terms of features and do not cover longevity and customer service which are very important factors when buying a treadmill. The consumer reports are pretty much assuming that you bought a well shipped, well built machine and rank the unit from there when they should be looking at how long the machine lasts and how the company responds when the unit fails. For example, a $1500 Nordictrack model was given top marks by multiple websites but I read many reviews from customers who said that the Nordictrack customer service was bad and it was hassle to get the treadmill fixed even though it was under warranty. Why would I want to buy the treadmill with the best features if it is just going to break down on me after a few months? Furthermore, why would I want to deal with a company that makes it difficult to get the unit fixed? Think about it. A treadmill weighs 300 lbs and has many interconnecting parts including a belt, console, motor and motor board. During the shipping process it is highly likely that it will be dropped or mishandled in some way due to its size, so it is important that the retailer you buy it from will take care of you if this happens. It is also important that the manufacturer take care of you if the machine breaks down after the return window.After having excellent customer service from Amazon when returning my treadmill, I knew that they would take care of me if I bought another one. They even gave me my money back right away before they picked up the treadmill so that I could buy a different one. I read many reviews from folks who bought directly from the manufacturer who had a lot of issues with the return and reimbursement so I knew that I was going to buy the treadmill from Amazon. It also didn't hurt that I could buy the treadmill with 0 interest for the first 12 months using the Amazon store card.Now the question was how do I find a treadmill that is not going to break down? To find a reliable treadmill I had to comb through hundreds of customer reviews. I was able to cross off many brands after reading how often their machines broke down or how terrible their customer service was. Goodbye Nordictrack, Nautilis/Schwinn/Bowflex and Proform. It's also important to note that if a brand has a lot of 5 star reviews on Amazon of which none are verified purchases, steer clear! They are probably fake.I was looking for a machine that had the most percentage of 4 and 5 star reviews and I threw out bad reviews that complained about problems that were not the fault of the manufacturer like the unit being too big, too small or causing electric shocks. There's one review from a lady who blamed the machine for giving her shocks and when told to buy new shoes which resolved the problem she was mad that the manufacturer didn't reimburse her for the new shoes.After combing through literally hundreds of reviews on Amazon and the web, I was able to find a very reputable treadmill manufacturer with excellent customer service and high quality machines that didn't break down as much as their competition. The model I wanted was at a good price and was sold and shipped by Amazon.And the machine I chose is (well obviously you know this if you are reading this review) the LifeSpan TR3000i folding treadmill. It was very close between this and the Sole F80 but this one was $500 less and sold and shipped by Amazon, so if there are any issues with packaging or shipment, I know that Amazon will take care of me. Also this unit has an avg rating of 4 stars but unlike other 4 star rated machines on Amazon and there are many, it has a higher percentage of 4 and 5 star reviews (83%) than 1 and 2 star reviews (10%). Seven percent give 3 star reviews and many of those ratings don't really disparage the machine. Like I said there are many other 4 star machines on Amazon but they have more reviews and thus more 1 and 2 star reviews as compared to 4 and 5 star reviews. I also gathered from the bad reviews of this machine that Lifespan gives excellent customer service and will take care of the customer if the machine breaks down after the 30 day return period.Look, every treadmill on Amazon has negative reviews. There are no machines with only 5 star reviews (except one but none are verified = red flag). You just need to find the one with the lowest percentage of negative reviews.It is important to note that this treadmill did not get as high marks for features and specs on consumer reports and other websites that rank treadmills which is why I didn't consider it during my first purchase. However it has the best reviews for a treadmill in my price range (under $1500) on Amazon and I truly believe that this is the best way to gauge the quality and longevity of the machine.The delivery guys arrived promptly at 6am and brought the box into my guest bedroom. Now that I had already unboxed and put one of these together, I knew exactly how to proceed. You need to put the box on top of your mat positioned near to where you are going to set up the unit. You'll need to cut the box apart with a box cutter and pull the cardboard from under the unit. This treadmill was pretty easy to put together and the directions are good. I had a really hard time getting the upper console to slide into the main unit but eventually it all came together. It took me about an hour to unbox and set it up. It would be easier with 2 people but I couldn't wait.I was really nervous when I plugged the unit in for the first time because there was no light on the power switch like my first unit but shortly after flipping the switch I heard a beep and the console lit up. The treadmill does NOT come with lubricant but per the instructions the belt comes pre-lubricated from the factory and is ready to use. An indicator will light up when the unit needs more lubricant.The unit is folding and it is really easy to manually put up and down. There is a 3 speed fan, 2.75 HP motor, speed range of .5 - 12 mph, incline from level 0 to 12, and belt size of 20 x 56 inches.I downloaded the ActiveTrac app and signed up for the Lifespan Club which consolidates your exercise results in one place. You can also use a USB drive (not included) to save your results. The USB port also charges your phone or tablet which is a great feature. Supposedly you can use the ActiveTrac app to wirelessly connect your treadmill and mobile device but I tried to connect my Samsung Note 8 and it would not work. Later I read in the instructions that you need to buy a Bluetooth adaptor to make it work but this costs $29.99 I would have been so much happier with this purchase if Lifespan didn't make you spend more money for Bluetooth capability. I'd really like to track my progress so I just ordered the adaptor but I'm not happy about it.There are a wide variety of workouts preprogrammed into the machine with various speeds and incline levels. You can even create 2 custom workouts based on your weight with 20 different incline/speed segments that you choose. The console is pretty basic and shows you everything you need to see including incline, calories, steps, speed, distance and heart rate. There is a safety key which must be inserted into the console in order for the belt to move.There is an audio input and speakers but the sound is pretty lousy. I bought a tablet holder to watch tv and movies while I run and I pair my tablet with my echo tap which has much better sound than the Lifespan speakers. I like that you can change incline and speed on both the console and the heart rate sensors. I tried getting my heart rate using the sensors and it worked during my first run but not my second. It says you must have moist hands in the owners manual so maybe that was the problem but you can also buy a chest strap for better accuracy.I've only run on it twice but so far so good. I really don't see a difference between this machine and a commercial treadmill at the gym. I'm giving it 4 stars.