The Original Prusa MK4 is the latest iteration of the popular open-source 3D printing workhorse manufactured by Prusa Research. The MK4 provides high-speed 3D printing with ease and is incredibly reliable, much like its predecessors. However, the MK4 adds many new features that make it stand out, both from its predecessors and competitors in the&#8230;

Original Prusa MK4 3D Printer Review. The Original Prusa MK4 3D printer sets a new benchmark for performance, with exceptional print quality that surpasses many other machines on the market.. Be the first to know the latest updatesI agree that my submitted data is being collected and stored.

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A huge virtual gallery of museum skeletons is fully open for viewing. A large group of scientists has painstakingly created 3D reconstructions of thousands of vertebrate specimens, which are now freely available to view online. The endeavor not only allows the public to see once-inaccessible museum collections, but it is already improving scientific knowledge.The project is called openVertebrate, or oVert, and has been years in the making. Since 2017, scientists from 18 museums, universities, and other institutions around the U.S. have banded together to catalog the vast number of vertebrate specimens in their possession, most of which have been stored away from the public eye. The project is led by David Blackburn and Edward Stanley, scientists at the University of Florida and the Florida Museum of Natural History. The team’s summary of the project is now published in the journal BioScience.More than 13,000 specimens have been cataloged, representing a wide range of vertebrate species from different branches of life, including amphibians, fish, reptiles, and mammals. The researchers ran CT scans of the specimens and used them to produce accurate 3D images.“The CT scans use X-rays to create a three-dimensional view inside these specimens, allowing us to visualize the internal anatomy of these animals in incredibly high detail and in ways we could not before,” Edward Stanley, an associate scientist at the Florida Museum of Natural History, told Gizmodo in an email.For some specimens, they also used temporary contrast-enhancing stains to better outline soft tissues like skin and muscles. And in one particular case, for a humpback whale too big to be scanned normally, the researchers took apart the whale’s skeleton, methodically scanned each bone, then put the skeleton back together both physically and digitally.“Though some vertebrate species are very familiar to the public and to scientists, there are many more for which we know exceedingly little about their lives. These 3D datasets provide the first windows in the biology of some poorly known species,” David Blackburn, the curator of herpetology at the Florida Museum, told Gizmodo.Some of the team members have already made discoveries as a result. While scanning African spiny mice, Stanley found out that these rodents had bone-plated structures covering their tails—a feature common to reptiles and fishes but not typically found in mammals, with the exception of armadillos. His team’s work confirming the find was published last May.Though there are many other lines of research now possible with oVert, the team is also heartened by the new opportunities for public outreach and other unexpected uses that their project has and will further enable.“We have many artists from around the world using these 3D datasets as either inspiration or actually incorporated into their digital or physical art,” said Blackburn. “We’ve heard from veterinarians using these data to plan surgeries, as well as enthusiastic members of the public that are simply crazy for skulls and are 3D-printing skulls for their enjoyment at home.”Added Stanley: “The most exciting aspect of this project, for me, is the increased variety of uses and users of natural history collections. While we expected these data would appeal to researchers, it was really gratifying to see so much engagement from educators, students, artists, animators, and people who were simply interested in anatomy and the diversity of life.”Here are some of the many, many specimens now digitally preserved by the oVert project.

You've Never Seen Animals Look Like This. The project is led by David Blackburn and Edward Stanley, scientists at the University of Florida and the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Gizmodo

You've Never Seen Animals Look Like This

If you purchase through a link on our site, we may earn a commission. Learn more.Are you looking for a way to use automation to boost membership renewals?Getting customers to join your online course or membership site is essential, but getting them to renew their membership happily is another big hurdle. Luckily, with the right WordPress automation tools and strategies, you can reduce churn and make customers more likely to renew.In this article, you’ll learn the types of automations you can use to boost membership renewals, increase customer satisfaction, and reduce customer churn rate. Let’s dive in!Memberships aren’t one-and-done. You need to continue to deliver value to your members throughout their membership to make renewal a no-brainer for them.A customer becoming a new member is the very start of their journey with your business. This is something you should think about well before membership renewal time.Here’s what a solid membership retention campaign can include:This plan will look different depending on the type of membership site you’re running. For example, Starter Story offers an online database of business case studies. However, once you become a member, you’ll get regular updates about new case studies added and the latest reports. This constant reminder encourages you to take action, log into your account, and consume the content you’ve paid for.You’ll create and send these campaigns within your email marketing automation tool. These tools allow you to send individual email campaigns and automated campaigns that you create once and send out automatically.Here’s an example of the visual automation builder within FluentCRM that you can use to create year-long campaigns.Inactive members are users who signed up but haven’t logged into the membership portal in a while. There’s a low chance these members will renew since they aren’t putting the membership program to use.However, you can use automated emails to bring back inactive users and get them to engage with your membership content.These emails can be part of your automated customer retention campaign, or you can run them separately based on your members’ actions.The goal is to get people to actively use their memberships. The more often they use it and gain value, the more likely they are to renew.For example, let’s say you run a paid membership community for eCommerce store owners looking to improve revenue. You’ve found that members who are the most active in the community, ask for feedback, and show up for the monthly calls get the most success.So, your goal for your automated campaign is to get members to post wins, ask for feedback, or simply attend the monthly call.Here, you’d create an automated email campaign encouraging members to log in to their accounts and post a quick win or show up for the monthly call. The key here is to make it something simple to get them back into the routine of using the membership they’re paying for.You’ll need to set up a trigger within your email automation tool to do this. The email is simple; the goal is to get members to open and spend some time in their membership dashboard.If you’ve done everything above correctly, your membership renewal reminder email can be short and sweet. The important thing here is to make it as personalized as possible.Renewal reminder emails can include things like:The great thing about using a tool like FluentCRM is it pulls all kinds of helpful contact data like emails opened, purchase history, and notes. You can use this to create highly personalized emails that make them more likely to convert.Besides making your email feel like it was written just for them, you’ll want to reinforce the benefits of your membership. Even though you have a good idea of the benefits of your program, you need to reinforce this with your current members.One great way to do this is to highlight case studies of other users in your program. These work great on the front end to convert users into members, but they can also help reinvigorate that excitement and possibility with existing members.How you set this up depends on your email marketing platform of choice, but essentially, you’ll create a membership renewal automation email that is sent out based on the date they purchased the membership.Another way to increase renewals is to allow your members to turn on auto-renewals. That way, you don’t have to send reminders to boost renewals; it’ll happen automatically.Instead of simply making it available as an option during checkout, you can incentivize auto-renewals.Some great ways to do this include:Ultimately, the goal is to make the auto-renewal option a value-added choice. Even if it’s cheaper for your members, you can earn more in the long run since there’s less friction in maintaining an active membership.Surveys are a great way to measure your customers’ satisfaction and identify areas for improvement. They can also help you address these issues before it’s time to renew a membership.Remember, all feedback is helpful. Properly addressed negative feedback can improve loyalty and help your members become customers for life.An automated survey email can be simple, but it should be sent out after your member onboarding, once they’ve had some time to get value from the membership.For example, you can create an automated survey that is sent out three months into a new membership to gather valuable feedback. Then, you can use this feedback to improve their experience.The easiest way to do this is to create a time-based trigger in your email automation platform. Then, your members will get an automated survey email three months into their membership.You can use a WordPress-specific tool or a third-party platform like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey. The most important thing is that you create the automated campaign and set aside time to review your responses.If your membership stays the same and doesn’t evolve to meet your members’ needs, you’ll probably see a high drop-off rate.That’s why we recommend implementing customer surveys and always thinking of ways you can add value to your existing membership.Here are some simple value-adds you can consider adding:As you improve your membership, add these announcements and new features to an automated email campaign. For example, if you’re adding new features, content, interviews, or VIP access to the membership this year, spell out the details in your membership renewal emails.Your automated renewal campaigns should be more than a single email.Here’s a simple structure you can use:Finally, if you’ve found that your member doesn’t renew their membership, then you can offer a lower-priced membership to keep them as a customer.For example, if your main offer includes monthly coaching calls, you can create a lower-tier membership that lets them watch the recordings but not participate.Ultimately, this will depend on your original membership offer, but think about how you can package your membership to create different tiers. Many WordPress membership plugins let you create multiple tiers and packages you can offer your users.Then, you can email and create membership renewal automations for members in that tier. For example, FluentCRM has built-in options that let you create automations for specific user tiers.As you can see, boosting your membership renewals is a process that begins the moment a new member joins your program. Creating automations that get sent out throughout the year can help members get the most out of your program and get valuable feedback to improve your membership.However, you can also create a few membership renewal automations that’ll improve renewals across the board. The most important are personalized renewal reminders, benefit-oriented emails, and even down sells to capture members who might not want to pay for your flagship membership.Overall, the best way to create a healthy membership program is always to deliver value while adjusting your membership to their feedback.Recommended SolutionTry it out! ⬆Kevin WoodElevate your catalogs, eBooks, manuals, and educational material with DearFlip 3D flipbook presentations on WordPress. Turn static PDFs into immersive 3D flipbooks, adding interactivity and visual appeal to your onlineWooCommerce email automations help you earn more from your online store. Learn what 6 must-have automations you can implement today.Email is one of the most effective channels for generating leads and creating lifetime customers. Learn effective strategies for list growth, lead nurturing, and improving course sales.Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email *                Subscribe to the WP Mayor newsletter.           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7 Automations to Boost Membership Renewals Using FluentCRM. As you can see, boosting your membership renewals is a process that begins the moment a new member joins your program.. getTime() );Quick NavigationBest PicksResourcesBusiness OpportunitiesTopicsLeave your name, email and website URL below to receive one actionable improvement tip tailored for your website within the next 24 hours."They identified areas for improvement that we had not previously considered."

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7 Automations to Boost Membership Renewals Using FluentCRM

Are Product Roles Going Away? with Maggie Pint - This Dot Labs - This Dot Labs. This Dot takes a hands-on approach by providing tailored development strategies to help you approach your most pressing challenges with clarity and confidence.. The long hours, the lack of sunlight (my plant is getting a better tan than me - just kidding, I don't have a plant), the never-ending to-do list, and the work-life balance hanging by a thread.. And I promise there won't be any code debugging here, just some light-hearted yet meaningful advice coming your way.. The downside is that work can become a 24/7 gig if you aren't careful.. Like the last slice of pizza at a party, you don't touch it, and I've got to admit, I struggle with it, but I am working on it.. With a team spread across the globe, synchronicity is a luxury we can't afford.. Well, that's as far from the truth as I am from my next vacation.. Mental health: the elephant in the room.. Another thing you could do is schedule lunch breaks in your calendar so your colleagues know when not to try to reach you.. It can make or break a remote team.. And the best defense is learning.. Trust me; the world will only end if we check our emails for a few days.. Let's show understanding for those juggling childcare, living in different time zones, or dealing with personal issues.. And the prevention of burnout comes with boundary setting, asynchronous communication, focus on results, mental health support, regular breaks, effective communication, continuous learning, time off, and empathy.. The framework has to dynamically generate classes with your styles and apply them to the document whenever it is used.. This can become an issue with large and complex applications as your styles will be regularly regenerated on the fly as the user navigates through the application.. By dynamic behavior, I’m referring to advanced CSS features such as pseudo-class selectors and media queries, which are both traditionally unavailable for use with inline styles.. The gist of how the fallback trick works is to have the pseudo-selector or media query toggle the state of a variable between initial and an empty invalid value, and then we put the value that we actually want to toggle as the “fallback” value in the reference to the CSS variable inside of the inline style itself.. This is best explained with an example:. This is what CSS Hooks effectively does in the background when you use dynamic styles.. Firstly, we must install the @css-hooks/react package into a React project with the package manager of your choice (npm, pnpm yarn, etc). Once that’s done, all that’s left is a little bit of configuration.. You have to first use a utility function called createHooks that is exported from the package we just installed.. I recommend putting this in a separate file that can be imported from multiple other places in the project as this is where we will be configuring hooks across the project.. We need to include hooks into the DOM as it contains the styles of the hooks that we’ll be referencing in our components.. After that’s done, you can integrate CSS Hooks into your components while writing inline styles mostly just like you would do normally, with the only change being the addition of an additional call to the css function that we exported earlier:. We can define our hooks inside of the css-hooks file that we created earlier, the same one that exports the css helper function that gets CSS Hooks working with our components.. The key is the name of the hook that we reference when we want to use it, while the value is the spec.. I highly recommend using this library to generate your hooks if at all possible, and the usage is pretty simple.. CSS Hooks offers a performant alternative to traditional CSS in JS libraries by leveraging CSS variables and providing a unique approach to managing styles in web applications.. You can also find some of the examples demonstrated here in a working app in our demos repository.. Its developer experience is excellent, and it has a large and active community making it a great choice for creating 3D applications for the web for both beginners and experts alike.. These include @babylonjs/core for the core functionalities, and additional modules like @babylonjs/materials, @babylonjs/loaders, @babylonjs/gui, etc. It's important not to mix ES6 and legacy packages​​.. I prefer the ES6 module imports because they allow for tree shaking, which can significantly reduce the size of the final bundle.. The Babylon.js Playground is an essential tool for learning and developing with Babylon.js.. Apart from playing around with the default scene, you can also search the playground if you want to see examples of specific features.. The playground is also often used to share code snippets on the Babylon.js forum both when asking for help and when helping others.. In Babylon.js, creating a basic mesh, like a sphere, involves a few lines of code:. For example, to make a ground plane red, you would write:. Attaching controls to a camera enables user interaction through click-and-drag operations.. Babylon.js has built-in support for virtual reality, which can be enabled with a few lines of code:. You just create an XR experience, get the camera from the base experience, and attach it to the canvas and you should be all set for VR.. Babylon.js has a built-in physics engine that can be enabled with a few lines of code:. In Babylon.js, there are four main types of lights, each offering unique properties and effects:. 1. Directional Light: Mimics sunlight, emitting parallel light rays across the entire scene.. Each light type can be customized using properties like intensity and range, and you can control which meshes they illuminate.. For example, to add PCF shadows to the scene, you would write:. Babylon.js has a built-in audio engine that can be enabled with a few lines of code:. The cannon blast asset is preloaded in the Babylon.js playground.. For example, to add a dialog to the scene containing a button, you would write:. For example, to add a keyframe animation to the scene, you would write:. Animation object named "myAnimation" is created to animate the scaling. - At frame 20, the scale reduces to 0.2.. 3. Applying and Starting Animation: The animation is assigned to the sphere object and starts immediately, looping between frames 0 and 100.. Babylon.js has a built-in debug layer that can be enabled with a few lines of code:. It can also show you the current frame rate and other performance metrics and lets you export the performance data.. For example, the URL for the default scene is https://playground.babylonjs.com/#6QY4X1#1.. It is well supported and maintained, providing a good developer experience with many interactive playground examples and a supportive community forum, making it a great choice for creating games, demos, visualizations, and other 3D applications for the web (and eventually even for native platforms as I've heard out of the box React Native support may be coming).

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Are Product Roles Going Away? with Maggie Pint

Article updated on March 6, 2024 at 8:00 AM PST            A few quality-of-life improvements would make this a great large-format 3D printer.  CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.Most of the best 3D printers have the same build volume -- around 250 by 250 by 250mm -- but one of the chief complaints about them is that makers sometimes need something bigger. Printers with a large build area offer a lot of advantages over the smaller breed, but they can add complications too. What I want is a bigger print with the same quality as CNET's favorite printers.The Qidi X-Max 3 is one such large-format 3D printer, but unlike most on the market, the X-Max 3 is fully enclosed. This makes it better for filaments than run hot, and for keeping small hands away from the heat. While the premise of the X-Max 3 is a good one, the execution falls down in a few key areas.Like most fast 3D printers coming to market, the Qidi -- pronounced key-dee -- uses an operating system called Klipper. Klipper allows for fast printing using several clever calculations and sensors with fun names like "input shaping and pressure advance." You don't really need to know what they do, but they've been instrumental in the speed increase in this new generation of fast 3D printers. Because the print bed on the Qidi lowers down instead of swinging backward and forward, the platform is stable. This means the X-Max 3 can print at an acceptable 300mm/s while still popping out quality prints. Unfortunately, Klipper doesn't natively support power loss recovery, it's up to the manufacturer to create their own system. Bambu Lab, Anycubic and other major players have already done this, but unfortunately, Qidi hasn't implemented it in the X-Max 3. On smaller printers, this oversight could be forgiven, but not when your print volume is 325 by 325 by 315mm. I lost power 90% way through a print that took nearly an entire roll of filament. That's over $20 in materials wasted because of power loss. That's not something I've had to worry about in years so it's hard to accept in a machine from 2024.When it does work though, the X-Max 3 does a great job. The CNET test print did well, even at 300mm/s with well-executed bridging, good spires with very little stringing and easily legible text. It did struggle to print the 0.2mm tolerance test -- which tests print accuracy, something that's becoming increasingly rare -- but it did fine on the other 3 sizes. When you use a 3D printer with a large build area, it's easy to overlook its ability to print smaller models well. The Qidi does a decent job at printing smaller models, though I had some issues with printing multiple models in the same print. There was a lot of variation in the temperature of the heat bed causing some models to warp. My infrared camera detected a deflection of around 5 degrees Celcius, but that's enough to make multiprinting a chore.Most of the best models I printed on the X-Max 3 were scaled up to around 200% to stretch the build volume. The ones that did print look amazing. The two dragons -- one from Fotis Mint and one from Nikko Industries -- printed without flaw. Once I sprayed them with stone spray paint, they looked just like statues. Top Tip: If you're going to keep your prints outside then a coat or two of spray paint will keep them safe from most of the sun's damage.The chameleon model, also from Fotis Mint, failed from power loss, but I was able to save it by printing the last piece on its own and attaching it with 3DGloop adhesive. The details are exquisite, with each bump on the skill rendered well. It's often hard to scale things up and still keep the details distinct, but the X-Max 3 succeeded well.The advantage of a 325 by 325 by 315mm print area lies in its size. If you're looking to make larger cosplay parts or helmets, having a fast and large 3D printer that can print a piece all at once is a tantalizing prospect. Printing several parts and gluing them together adds a huge amount of time to your project, so a large print bed can be a big time saver.The X-Max 3 comes with a spare hot end with a hardened nozzle. This was helpful as the first nozzle clogged so badly that I had to get a blowtorch to clear it. Clogging like this can occur for many reasons, but in this case, it was due to the extreme cold in my workshop causing a clog high in the neck of the hot end. With the new breed of hot end having a fused nozzle it was difficult to reach the clog. Thankfully, the hot end is easy to remove and quick to replace so it wasn't a hardship to swap it and keep on printing. The hardened nozzle allows for more exotic filaments like wood-infused PLA, glow-in-the-dark PLA, or even tougher materials with carbon fiber inside. Since replacing the hot end, I haven't experienced any clogging, so it seems like a no-brainer to swap them out.I'm generally a fan of enclosed 3D printers because they let you print high-temperature filaments like ABS, but the X-Max 3 has a few pain points. While the mechanics of the printer are well made and feel almost industrial, the exterior often feels cheap or rushed. The silver trim in certain areas is peeling away, and the plastic of the enclosure is a little too thin to feel premium. Not a good look for a $900 machine.The filament holder keeps the moisture out but makes feeding it problematic.The other issue for me is the filament spool holder placement. It has to go somewhere, and the Qidi includes a sealed spool holder with room to add desiccant to keep your filament dry, which is a helpful touch. But it's placed on the back of the machine, making it difficult to access. Most people using a 3D printer will have it pushed against a wall, on a shelf or on a workbench, so having to pull it out to get to the filament is a huge pain point. This is especially irritating when you are printing on large-volume 3D printers that can use an entire roll of filament on one print. It also means you have to continually relevel the bed because you have jostled the machine around to replace the filament. A side-mounted spool holder is always going to preferable for a machine this size.  The rear filament holder also adds a lot of extra tubing. These tubes are designed to keep the filament from tangling as it moves through the filament run-out sensor, and into the extruder. But it's almost impossible to feed it through the tiny tiny tube into the sensor, then through the sensor into another tube that passes through the top of the machine, then into another tiny hole, all without seeing the filament. This is an almost perfect print and when sprayed looks like a stone statue.Whenever I get a chance to test a large-format printer, I get excited. The prospect of large models that can print quickly is enticing, but having them do it quickly and still look great is often harder to find. The Qidi X-Max 3 may not be the perfect 3D printer, but its flaws don't make it a printer to avoid. The enclosed body and large build plate make it worth the investment if you're interested in printing bigger props and parts than other machines allow.

Qidi X Max 3 Review: Bigger Prints With a Few Pitfalls. The Qidi X-Max 3 may not be the perfect 3D printer, but its flaws don't make it a printer to avoid.

CNET

Qidi X Max 3 Review: Bigger Prints With a Few Pitfalls     - CNET

Article updated on March 6, 2024 at 8:00 AM PST            Editors' Choice: In this in-depth review, find out what it's like to use the Tonal home gym and whether it's worth the money.  CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.Tonal is a strength-training smart home gym created by Silicon Valley engineer Aly Orady. Orady was trying to find an easy way to exercise while attempting to lose weight and working long hours. Using his expertise, he invented a machine that would become Tonal that combined electromagnets and a cable machine to provide the experience of a weight room and a personal trainer in one. Tonal, which retails for $3,995, joins the ranks of other smart home gyms such as the Mirror and Tempo, but it's different from its competitors because of its ability to replace various pieces of strength training equipment, including dumbbells, barbells and cable machines. It has even gained attention from famous athletes such as LeBron James and Serena Williams, who have since become investors in the company, as well as brand partners. I had the chance to try out Tonal at its New York-based showroom, and it was quite the humbling experience. From learning how to operate the machine to learning how much I could truly lift, I understood its appeal among fitness enthusiasts and athletes alike. But is it worth it for you to have in your home? A smart home gym is a big investment, and you deserve to get your money's worth.Here's a detailed look at how Tonal works, how it compares to other smart gyms, who it's best suited for and the pros and cons of owning one.Testing high tech fitness equipment can be time-consuming because you have to learn the different features, get a feel for the machine and determine how it could be improved. When I tested out Tonal, I tried doing various strength training exercises that I normally do on traditional equipment to compare the experience and difficulty. I also tried out Tonal's classes and completed its initial strength assessment.I looked at these important features:Tonal aims to replace all of your strength training equipment such as dumbbells and barbells. Tonal itself will run you $3,995 plus tax. Tonal also offers a payment option of $84 a month for 48 months. Each purchase includes a 30-day trial and three-year limited warranty.You can also opt to pay another $495 for the smart accessories bundle, which allows you to do some additional types of workouts with extra equipment: smart handles and a smart bar (featuring Bluetooth capability), rope, bench, foam roller and a workout mat. Without this bundle, you just get the standard two handles.Additionally, you'll have to pay extra for installation, shipping and a Tonal membership. Delivery and installation is available in all 50 states, but price varies depending on location. The Tonal membership is $60 a month and is required for the first 12 months from purchase. It provides an unlimited number of membership accounts, allowing an entire household access to unlimited workouts and all of Tonal's personalized features. After the year is up, you have the option to renew your membership or simply use the Tonal as a standalone machine. However, that defeats the purpose of Tonal, as you won't be able to access the thousands of on-demand classes at your fingertips. Tonal is a space-saving piece of fitness equipment.Tonal is a sleek, space-saving, vertically wall-mounted home gym that is powered by electromagnets. It has two adjustable long arms with handles at the end, similar to a cable machine, on each side of a large flat screen with touch capability. The magnets designed for Tonal provide the resistance for all of the exercises you do with this machine, which means you don't need to store any bulky weights. The purpose of Tonal is to replace all types of strength training equipment -- you'll just need the one machine to get a full-body workout. Tonal has 17 different sensors to assess your form, technique and speed, and it gives you feedback based on this to help you self-correct. The smart accessories, such as the smart handles and smart bar, also feature a gyroscope motion sensor that connects them to Tonal's system and tracks your reps via Bluetooth. Tonal also has the unique ability to determine which of your muscles are recovering or ready to work, based on your previous workouts. It uses muscle readiness along with your most recent Tonal workouts to calculate and categorize the muscle groups as either fatigued, recovering or ready. To do this, it uses a color code with three "zones." Tonal can fit best in a 7-by-7-foot space with 7 foot, 10 inch ceilings. It works best with wood or metal walls that have stud widths from 16 to 24 inches. If your wall is made up of other materials such as concrete, plaster or stucco, you will have to verify that the wall is 1.25 inches or less in thickness.One thing to keep in mind is that the gym has to have a power outlet within 6 feet and a strong Wi-Fi connection. Unfortunately, you don't have the option to install the Tonal on your own to save some money. Tonal's professional installers will set up your machine and make sure that everything is working smoothly. If you move, there is also an additional relocation charge (subject to moving details) to cover the cost of disassembling and re-installing your Tonal. Tonal starts with a strength assessment to get you started.As someone who has been weight training for about 10 years now, I'm pretty well-versed on many of the exercises and their techniques, which is why I was excited to try Tonal. Upon looking at Tonal's smart screen, it can be a little overwhelming at first because of the various programs and options. I found the best place to start was through Tonal's strength assessment, which customizes your own weights for the exercises. The showroom trainer put me through the assessment to see how much I could deadlift, bicep curl and squat, among other exercises. I was using this feature in demo mode, but normally after the assessment, Tonal memorizes and calibrates your exercises based on your numbers. The handle attachments have T-locks on the ends, which you have to twist in to lock onto the arms of Tonal, ensuring they won't detach during your workout. Before using any of the smart accessories you need to also attach the control clip, which is a small, gray plastic cover that fits around the handle of the accessory. You have to click it on and off to activate and deactivate the motion sensor. If you're using multiple attachments during your workout, keep in mind you will need to unclip and reclip the control clip each time. This can get annoying after a while, since it's an extra step you normally wouldn't have to take before using an attachment on a traditional cable machine. The machine delivers up to 200 pounds of total resistance and challenges you more than a dumbbell because you can't use gravity for momentum. I was surprised at how challenging the machine was and how humbling it was to learn that I could not do bicep curls on this thing as readily as when I used free weights. The deadlift also felt harder, but I liked that Tonal improved my form with each rep and I could truly feel the movement in my hamstrings. I also performed lat pulldowns and standing chest flys, which felt reminiscent of the ones you do on a cable machine at the gym. Tonal corrects your form during exercises and knows when to crank up the weight to challenge you.Tonal has a growing library of live and on-demand classes with over 60 programs and over 1,000 guided workouts (beginner through advanced). Tonal's classes are taught by 14 coaches, with 11 of them teaching live classes including yoga, HIIT, Pilates, strength training, mobility, boot camp, meditation and tons more. You can do over 200 exercise moves on Tonal through a program, guided workout or a custom workout. Tonal's Performance Innovation team updates its database regularly and includes new programs and guided workouts daily with new movements added every couple months.To make workouts harder, Tonal has five dynamic weight modes: Spotter, Burnout, Chains, Eccentric and Smart Flex. These modes challenge your workouts the way a personal trainer would. Tonal also has an app that is basically the machine on a smaller screen and helps you keep track of your workouts. Additionally, it has an on-the-go section filled with workouts that you can do even when you're away from your Tonal.There are some strength exercises (such as a pull-up and hip thrust) that can't be done on the machine because of its hardware, but Tonal tries to replicate some of their movement patterns. For example, you can do an exercise that mimics a chin-up on Tonal, but not in the traditional sense of hanging from the bar. The chin-up on the Tonal looks like a variation of a lat pulldown using the smart bar with a supinated grip, which works the same back and arm muscles as the chin-up. This might be a good way to learn the movement of the exercise, but it's not an actual chin-up. You can do various full body exercises while taking a Tonal class.I tried an upper body and core class that was no longer than 20 minutes. It took some getting used to, because I had to swap out attachments for some of the exercises, then remember to attach the control clip and change the resistance on the screen. According to the showroom trainer, this transition would've been more seamless had I not been using the machine in demo mode. Once you own a Tonal, the machine memorizes your weights from your assessment, and will automatically change the weight for you between exercises. If I had these movements set to my personal lifting weights, I could've left out the step where I manually changed the weight. After testing the Tonal, I was able to get a clearer idea of why this machine is such a big deal. However, like any other piece of fitness equipment, it has its positives and negatives.Pros:Cons:Other smart home gyms such as the Mirror, Tempo and NordicTrack Vault offer strength training and a variety of classes, but none offer digital weights like Tonal does. Tonal is the most expensive of the four (Mirror is the cheapest, at a full $1,000 less), but it also has more features for the price point. (Editors' note: Since this review was first published, Lululemon has stopped selling its Mirror devices.) It's hard to compare the Tonal to the other popular smart home gyms because of its advanced features. Its ability to assess your fitness ability and detect muscle readiness is a game-changer. Plus, I love that the machine is able to tell if you're slacking on your exercise and knows just how much to challenge you.But every smart gym offers something unique. If you want to be able to see your reflection as well as your instructor as you do exercises, you may want to opt for the Mirror or Nordictrack Vault. If you don't want to worry about mounting your smart gym to your wall, the Tempo is a better option. Similar to Tonal, Tempo can also correct your form using 3D sensors.Overall, I don't think Tonal is for everyone. While it does have beginners' classes and can correct form, I can't see a novice exerciser wanting to drop over $3,000 on a high-tech workout machine. I do think this is a weightlifter's dream, and it will appeal to those who are well-versed in strength training and are tech-savvy. If I had the space and money, I would consider purchasing a Tonal for my home.If you want the luxury of owning a high-tech fitness machine that also doubles as a personal trainer, you may find the price point worth it. It may even be less expensive than some personal training sessions with exclusive trainers. Ultimately, I think the decision will come down to your fitness experience and budget, as well as if you're willing to learn how to do all of the traditional strength training exercises on one machine.Another important factor to consider is if you plan on returning to a gym. If you're one of the many people who fell in love with at-home workouts and canceled your gym membership indefinitely, investing in a top-tier smart home gym like Tonal may be a good alternative that pays off in the long run.

Tonal: Our Honest Review. The handle attachments have T-locks on the ends, which you have to twist in to lock onto the arms of Tonal, ensuring they won't detach during your workout.