Don't be fooled by its slick appearance: Whoever designed this machine has no clue about rowing.
To row the standard 2000m distance on the BodyCraft VR100 takes EXACTLY two hundred and twenty strokes. It does not matter if you take 220 long, powerful strokes or 220 stunted, one-foot strokes; the computer always displays 2 km. Nor is it responsive to resistance. 220 strokes at the highest resistance level gives you 2 km, as it does at the very lowest resistance level. Also, according to the computer, you burn .6 calories for every stroke; it does not matter if they are long and laborious or short and effortless. Clearly, the manufacturers installed a dummy computer to fool unwitting buyers - in no way does it measure power, like a real ergometer.
Thus, the exerciser has ALMOST NO CLUE about his performance and fitness. The computer is nothing more than a stroke counter and a clock. (The "stroke rate" indicator is fickle and nearly useless, and the "speed" is also made up. How can you measure speed without measuring power?)
What's left? A rolling seat with a handle. Perhaps this part of the unit could be worth, say, $300 - the construction looks solid. Some people can live without a computer, and just need something for a proper workout. But maddening quirks ensure the unit gives you nothing resembling an actual rowing experience. (Good indoor machines already have enough trouble in this regard.)
The foot braces: They swivel about and envelop the whole foot. On real boats and proper rowing machines, the feet are strapped onto a fixed plate. The strap holds down only the ball of the foot, allowing the heel to come up at the catch (when the rower is stretching forward, about to pull). Since the ball of the foot is fixed firmly to the boat, all the rower's energy flows into the boat when he begins the leg drive. On the BodyCraft, the entire foot pivots. How can you row with no fixed surface to push against?
The flywheel: It is mounted very close to the track, making it very easy to bump into at the catch. This is infuriating.
Resistance: The oars of a rowing shell at speed provide surprisingly little resistance - a high cadence is the key to going fast and getting a good cardio workout. Resistance on the BodyCraft is huge - only the bottom two resistance levels resemble anything like an actual boat, and poorly at that. Plus, a nearby electric fan was all it took to permanently increase the magnetic resistance on my VR100, making it even more useless.
Why waste $700 for this piece of junk? Buy a new or used Concept2.