Customer Reviews

Kettler Favorit Rowing Machine

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got my Favorit about 5 days after I ordered it and when I went to put it together I realized that a piece was missing (the bar to hold the foot pedals on). So I called customer service and they sent me one free of charge the next day. I was a little disappointed because I was excited to use it but couldn't without something to put my feet on. So I waited another 5 or so days and I got that part.

After using it I realized the right shock absorber wasn't working correctly, and it started losing more pressure within a few day to where it was unusable. I emailed customer service this time and they sent me a new shock right away.

Since then I haven't had any problems, the machine works great and I've been using it about 3 weeks daily with the new shock. The customer service was really great, which is why I decided not to take off a star. I think I might have gotten a returned machine. It was obviously a dud either way, everything else about the experience was so high quality it's hard to believe this sort of thing would happen regularly.

I wanted to respond to the other review about the resistance adjustment too (because I was worried about this when I was reading them). When I was talking to the customer service lady on the phone the first time, I told her that I had gotten two of the wrong bolts. There are a set of bolts for putting the arms on with tooth that goes all the way up the bolt (this is also used for the resistance knobs), and another set for the arms that only has tooth about a third of the way up. I hadn't gotten any of the second type, but I had two extra of the first type. She said that they replaced those because people were accidentally using the the bolts without the full tooth on the resistance adjustment, which wouldn't work because you can't screw it down all the way. So the people who were complaining about the resistance just didn't follow the instructions.

Also, people seemed to make a big deal out of the instructions but they're very clear with good pictures, diagrams of the bolts you need to use, etc. Seems to me they must never have had to partially assemble anything. All you have to do was bolt the arms, legs, and foot pedals on. It's mostly assembled when you get it. Be careful to put the arms on the correct way, though, the bend should face forward like in the picture.

Overall I'm very glad I bought this machine. I read a lot of reviews on a lot of the cheaper ($100 - $200) piston rowing machines and they were all complaining about their machines degrading within a week of two of getting it, like broken wheels on the seats and shocks leaking oil and loud squeaks and that's why I decided to pay a bit more. The Favorit is really quiet, and obviously build to last. The resistance is good too, at its lowest setting it's pretty easy, so you can do an aerobic workout, and on it's highest setting I can hardly pull it back. I have it set around the middle right now so it's like a weight machine. You can even sit on it backwards and do a bench press. And if you have problems with it, you'll have a really great support center to work with.

This rower seems to be well built and very sturdy. However, buyer beware, the design of this machine contains one major, VERY IMPORTANT flaw having to do with the resistance adjustment. The resistance is controlled by tightening knobs on the side of the machine at the bottom of each individual piston. Loosen the knob and you are able to move the bottom of the piston up (to increase the resistance) or down (to decrease the resistance). Regardless of how much I tighten each knob the resistance always loosens up during my workout. Sometimes one side will come loose before the other, producing an uneven workout. Eventually both sides loosen and the workout is much too easy.

Which begs the question... Why didn't Kettler catch this problem during the testing phase of this product? I am extremely disappointed and would not recommend this product until Kettler comes out with a fix or different design with respect to the resistance adjustment.

Had no problem putting it together and have found no problem with the tightness of tension adjusting on the "oars" mentioned by previous reviewer - if anything they are very hard to release to slide up or down. So if sharing this machine with a different build quick adjustment day-to-day would be hard as you have to pry the plastic apart with a screwdriver.
However still a vast improvement on my previous machine of 20 years.
Shipping was a problem as the cardboard box and packing not heavy enough for the usual drop off but it survived even that!

I admit I didn't want to spend a lot for a rowing machine, so the Kettler Favorit seemed a good compromise. Shipment was free and item arrived quickly and in perfect condition. The Kettler Favorit is built of high quality, well-designed, sleek machinery (German-made after all). It's solid and quiet.

The instructions are written in several languages; just seek out yours. If you can't find your language, you aren't looking close enough.

For the price, this is a very nice machine. As to the alleged cumbersome adjustment of the rowing bars (seen in other reviews), I disagree. The trick is to slowly pull the bars toward you/back of the machine to an upright position before raising or lowering the clamps. Don't attempt to adjust the clamps when the rowing bars are parallel with to the ground. I'm not unusually strong and found the clamps easy to slide up or down as long as the bars are upright. Once the clamps are tightened, they stay in place.

Pulse ear clip: This is the only flaw to the design (in my opinion). it's just not practical and won't stay put. I didn't plan to use the clip to monitor my pulse, but for anyone who does, you may be disappointed.

If you want a perfect rowing machine, spend much more money. Otherwise, this is a fine machine for the price. I've no complaints.

I just assembled my machine. I had bought it thinking that spending $400+ on a machine would mean a step up in quality from the other $100-200 machines listed. Unfortunately I'm not so sure that is the case. One of the shock absorbers offers no resistance and I am not certain I was given a new machine.

When the package first arrived it looked like it had been through a hail storm. The box was beaten crushed and crinkled in several places. When opened I was surprised how haphazardly the contents had been packed. Parts were just thrown together and in disarray. There were hardly any packing materials save for some thin pieces of cardboard and some thin plastic bags covering a few of the parts.

I was happy to find out that nothing major was damaged and I started assembling the device. The instructions can be followed but they could have been better. The diagrams tend to flip perspective a lot, and you have to do some inspection to insure you're using the right parts at each junction. Overall I would say the average person could put this machine together, but one should double-check anything involving the placement of the gold colored locking nuts as they appear to be difficult to remove once on. (They might even get stripped if you removed them.)

Once I completed construction I was saddened to find the left shock absorber gives little resistance when rowed. The right shock absorber is very tight compared to the left. No matter how I adjust the left shock absorber it doesn't seem to offer a balanced resistance to the right one. Trying to adjust one tighter than the other makes it impossible to workout as one range of motion ends abruptly before another. The left piston also makes a liquid sound when rowed which probably means there is a problem.

I am still undecided on whether to return the whole product or not. I am afraid I somehow got a used product based on how it was packed and the fact one shock absorber doesn't work. Why would a company send out a defective product, packed in such a haphazard way, and call it 'new?'

***

Update: I decided to return the product. As soon as I mentioned the issue to the representative the company offered to send a new part. They acknowledged that they had encountered this issue before with other customers.

I am leaving town this weekend and the quickest they could send a replacement shock absorber was standard 3-5 days. Since I haven't had a chance to actually try the machine I am sending it back tomorrow. By the time I return from my trip the Amazon return policy will likely have ran out and I don't want to chance more issues with this machine and risk wasting money on a non-functional device.

I would not recommend purchasing from this manufacturer. When you can't tell if a product is new or used based on the packaging and it is defective when assembled, you have to stay away from the company that made it.

Having owned a Precor rowing machine prior to buying this rower, the differences are appreciable. While the Precor was well-made and a good machine, the Favorit is a level above.

The package was delivered in very good condition. Assembly took about 90 minutes and all parts were included. Thanks to another reviewer's suggestion to lay out all the parts before assembly - this really helps.

The machine is sturdy and solid. All the mechanics function smoothly. The seat is well-padded and comfortable unlike some other machines. The lateral swiveling action of the rowing arms is a nice feature which adds another dimension to the workout. The training computer functions well with no problems (the user manual has instructions on how to use the computer for those who can't figure it out).

One minor nit is that the left oar's resistance adjustment knob wasn't completely secure and came loose during my first workout. Some extra tightening solved that problem and it has held in place since.

For the price of less than four months worth of membership fees at my health club the Favorit provides a great workout, is well worth the price and will last for many years to come.

The Kettler Favorit piston rowing machine is very good for someone who wants to use rowing as an aerobic exercise. It was fairly easy to assemble via its clear pictures although most of the written instructions are in German. It is very well made with heavy duty parts and hardware. The difference from most other piston rowing machines is that the handles can rotate in and out making the action much closer to actual rowing than other, similar machines. It is fairly compact and although heavy, can be stored vertically on end as to take up little space.

It has a fairly intricate meter on the front that monitors many different aspects of your exercise. There is a small clip that attaches to the earlobe and another that senses the movable seat. Between these two sensors and the internal clock, it provides five different measures of the excercise including the number of "pulls" per minute, the time of exercise, the amount of joules expended, the number of "pulls" and the heart rate. Afterwards, there is another function that measures your cardiac fitness and grades you. My only criticism is the difficulty in reading some of these metrics on the screen and the fact that while it can count down the time remaining, there is no audible alarm to provide an alert as to when the time of exercise has ended.

All in all, the Kettler Favorit is a well made exercise machine. Although it costs more than most of its competitors in this style machine, the adage "you get what you pay for" seems to apply.

This is the second machine I've tried while trying to replace a great Precor rowing machine that had been used for years. This one is comparable, and more. It was packed really well, and is easy to assemble. Laying out the parts before assembly is advised. It took less than an hour. It is smooth in operation, and definitely gets the heart rate up. The Favorit affords a great total body workout. It is well built, and looks like it will last for years. It includes an on board computer and heart rate monitor which clips to your ear. I haven't had the issue mentioned in a few reviews of the resistance slipping during the workout. It has a small footprint, and easily stands up for storage in a closet. This is the best price on a machine of this quality in this class.

I just received this machine and it exceeds my expectations. If you can assemble a childs playset or furniture from IKEA you will have no trouble putting it together. Using the assembly diagrams and the picture of the finished machine I was able to put it together without a hitch. This is a power machine, not a speed machine. You are rowing your grandfather's rowboat, not an olympic shell. I find it great for upper body and core strength building. It also builds aerobic capacity through prolonged heavy power effort, not by rapidity of movement. If you are used to a fan machine, this is not the same at all. I am 6' tall and have no trouble with the leg extension. The tension adjustment is tight but it might not do well if you are going for rapid movement. I'm using it for strength building so it isn't a problem for me. I suggest you practice the rowing motion slowly with a light load a few times to get used to the motion of the machine before you really try to do a workout. Final analysis: Great machine, just what I was looking for. Very solid, should last a long time.

This rowing machine was fairly easy to assemble, however picturing the exact size of screws, nuts, bolts, etc. would be very helpful. The reason for 3 stars is the computer unit's lack of functionality. The directions for use are horrible and confusing. We still have not been able to get it to work properly. I emailed Kettler and they responded within 2-3 days. Unfortunately, their response was of no help. They said the computer unit automatically begins working when rowing begins and offered no other assistance. Numbers do appear at times, but the information displayed is inconsistent. The display doesn't automatically come on all the time, and the methods for using the unit's control buttons are not explained anywhere (including Kettler's email). Again, the rowing maching works great, but the computer stinks.