Customer Reviews

Stamina 35-1400 ATS Air Rower

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

 

 

I purchased my Stamina ATS Air Rowing Machine from Mercantila. When my stamina arrived, it was quite a workout just putting it together. I was rather disappointed, as I thought I'd be receiving better quality for 300.00. The components were obviously very cheap. Nonetheless, I was optimistically hoping to get a great workout on the machine.

I did get a great workout on the machine...for 3 weeks. Then one day I was using it, and the chain just exploded. The handle flew up in the air, and there were little pieces of metal all over the floor. Now, I'm not some Hercules or amazon. This was certainly not due to excessive force exerted on the machine. I'm just an out of shape 5' 5" woman. Mercantila was fabulous about it though. They paid to have it returned, and quickly refunded my money.

Supposing the "explosion" of my machine was a fluke, I still wouldn't recommend the Stamina ATS Air Rowing Machine. It was not very sturdy. After I'd been using it about 1.5 weeks, one of the bolts came off and hit the floor in the middle of a workout. When I tightened the bolt back on, it bent the metal. The machine has a pronounced "check" which bothered my shoulders (ironic, since I chose as air rower because it's supposed to be easier on a woman's shoulders than a piston rower) The seat was wobbly. The foot straps had to be tightened repeatedly throughout a workout. Oh, and the most ANNOYING part: every workout, within 5 minutes, one of the grips had slipped off the handle!!! And of course it would take 2-3 minutes to get it back on.

Bottom line: It's not a comfortable machine, and I think it could be downright dangerous for any kind of athlete. I'm a 5 foot 5 inch woman who's out of shape -- I can't imagine a muscular athlete using this thing without extreme irritation in the least, and possibly injury (due to the lack of sturdiness) at the most.

I've used this rowing machine for the past 5 months (114 miles) and have not had a problem with it. It provides a good, convenient workout in comfort of my living room. Obviously, there are more expensive machines out there but this one does the job for me.

February 2007 update: I've rowed 288 miles on this machine since May 2005, and it still works fine. My only minor complaint is that it can be slightly noisy.

I'm a competative collegiate rower, I got this erg in order to keep in shape over semester break. The noise and the difficult assembly didn't bother me. The two main problems with this machine are the lenght and the monitor. At 6' I'm not very tall for a rower and I'm not getting anything close to full extension, I'm barely half an inch away from the end of the slide on my drive and I can't pull the handle all the way in, and when I come up to the catch I can still stretch my arms almost past the fan assembly. The monitor displays distances in miles and speed in mph instead on meters and 500m split, making it extremely difficult to keep track of my performance. The seat is less comfortable the solid plastic seats in shells and the concept 2. In sumation this machine is fine for the casual rower, but not for anyone seriously invloved in the sport.

The initial assembly wasn't too bad, though there are a couple of connections that were tedious and difficult. The first impressions were very favorable. Everything worked smoothly and quietly. That changed abruptly after about two weeks. That's when the high pitched scraping/rubbing noises started from the fan housing. Then I started noticing a black "powder" that was starting to coat one side of the fan that resembled greese. Then I'd find a spot of greese on my face after a workout. The noise became VERY loud and the rowing effort just about doubled! I could no longer hear my mp3 player without turning it up too loud! Stamina cust service sent me a whole new fan assembly that I had to install, and that started making noise after another two weeks. Finally, the straw to break my back nearly injured my back when after about ten weeks of use (admitedly, heavy use - by one 57 yr old 145 lb man)something snapped underneath and about 30 inches of slack pull chain came out and woudn't go back. It had died.
When I called Stamina cust service, intending for them to take it back and get my money back, they wanted to send another part, but couldn't because I could not tell tham WHAT had broken! They wouldn't entertain the idea of taking it back, so I had to call the seller and after much effort to get to the right listener, it was picked up. Fortunatly I had a box from a new rower - a different make - that I could fit this junk into.
This is NOT made for anyone even mildly athletic! Buy it if you're going to use it once a week for 20 min at a time, it might be worthwhile. If you're serious about improving your fitness, do what I did (now) and spent about $1,000 for something that has a proven record, and is used by professionals and intituions.

I've had this rower for almost a year now and it has held up well. There were a few issues locking down the resistance fan housing on the front of the rower. It took some effort and force but I finally got it secured.

The idea that resistance is generated by increasing the speed of the rowing motion is sound, but it does reach a point of diminishing returns. You are going to go anaerobic (or catatonic) trying to get enough true resistance by speeding your stroke pace.

It's not great but it is a good introduction to rowing. It was good enough to get me hooked on rowing as an addition to my aerobic home gym stockpile (along with the Treadclimber, Airdyne Bike, and ellipticals). But, I will be finding a new rowing machine that will allow me to set a static resistance instead of the dynamic air driven kind.

Easy assembly (4 bolts) and simple adjustment. Good action, but a tad easy on the resistance. Overall good value. Two complaints - sensor wire can cut out on speed and distance, and speed and distance should be in meters, not miles.

After using a Concept 2 at a gym for five years, I moved and needed to buy my own rower. The Air Rower 1400 is as effective as the Concept, but Stamina warns that this only for home use. From that I take it the Air Rower is not tough enough for use all day every day, but it is certainly good for my wife and me to use daily. I use it Monday through Friday, and my wife uses it about three or four times a week. It is as good a workout, with my doing four miles a day both home and at the gym. My wife does 5,000 meters each time. I read some complaints about noise, but I cannot say it is any noisier than the Concept 2. At the gym I used a headset to watch and listen to Fox News; at home I use a VCR and TV on speaker. The mechanics work well and the meter, though not as detailed as the Concept's is adequate. I have recommended the Stamina to others.Stamina 35-1400 ATS Air Rower

The warranty they offer is very tricky. Three years on the frame. That broke once and they honored it. But now the fan has come off and that only has a 90 DAY warranty. They want more than what the thing is worth for that part.
I am throwing it in the garbage.