I’m 54 and in good shape but wanted to work on my cardiovascular fitness. I have been wanting to purchase a rower for quite some time and almost bought the Aviron for (2400.00). I didn’t really want to spend that much money. So I took to Amazon and checked out several rowers. I came across this one at 18,000+ reviews for a really cheap price (compared to 2400). It’s a good, solid machine and my husband said it was really easy to put together. It’s not as a good as a high end machine and it’s a bit difficult to explain why. First - the foot pedals move so it’s difficult to get a good push off from the heels. It works well enough but it’s lacking in that area. The machine is quiet for the most part (seat moving makes a bit of noise). The resistance is easy to change and I can see the display just fine. My other issue is the pull…it just feels off especially if you are following a video and they want you to pull high or do bicep curls. It’s minor but enough to notice. Like I said it’s difficult to explain. I’m not doing any major rowing on it…a few times a week for 20 minutes. And if I stop using it I’m not out 2,000 bucks. I’m happy with the purchase.
EDIT: I keep having pain in my legs and butt and I don’t know why. I can’t adjust the seat or pedals.
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Rower With Promise
I looked at a lot of products, even explored the wait listed rowers especially Concept2 at $950.Their factory tells me to expect a late March order window, and that estimate already retreated once.Some people on the local Craigslist are offering those machines "NIB" for $1150-1200, cash.Anyway, I was surprised by the number of "rower" machines are on the market.All price ranges.But looking more closely it seems that many of the search hits, and price point options, are basically knock-offs.I never rowed before but some research effort tells me that rowing is good for various muscle groups, low impact, and engages cardio pretty well. Water, air, magnetic and hydraulic. OK.This product looks good, and I need to shed some quarantine pounds.The box it came in was pretty big, a two person lift for most.50x25x10 inches and around 70#, awkward, no handles. I missed the UPS delivery, so I don't know if one person dropped it off. I managed this one end over end up a flight of stairs by myself. I'm 6'2". Did not have to lift the entire weight once.The box has instructions on how to remove the machine.You open the top, indicated by arrows. Move all the flaps outward, invert the box to drop the contents out when you lift away the cardboard shell.Inverting the box was a little awkward I think.But it worked as described for me.The contents are tightly corralled with Styrofoam sections, all wrapped tight with plastic, so it drops out by weight pretty smoothly in one big piece.Assembly I gave 5 stars for "ease." That is all relative to me.See pics, the assembly is well-organized, so "easy."If you are not used to bolts and wrenches you might need help.But the instructions and hardware laid out in shrink wrap are well-organized.Cutting the pieces out of the plastic is easier than cutting those hard clamshell packs so common in retail.These parts are shrink wrapped with something more soft, which requires much less pressure to slice with a pocket knife.The assembly instructions are OK, the pics are somewhat tiny, but the text is clear and thoughtfully bold in reference to part numbers.I took my time, might have took 1 hour. I applied blue thread locker to bolt threads, except the hinge bolt at the front of the seat bar, since it occurred to me that I might want to remove that bolt to break the machine into 2 parts.The front foot, one side gave me a little trouble, the bolt wouldn't thread easily into the receiving capture nut welded inside the foot piece. Had to test repeatedly to avoid cross-threading that bolt into the nut. Finally, I concluded that the nut had some of the paint from the frame inside the thread area, and I could try to push with increased torque to drive it through the paint dribble that shouldn't be there.In hindsight, I should have reamed that nut out with a small wire brush/tool to remove the excess paint applied at the factory.The hardware packs include tools which I used for assembly. Nothing extra was used, except Loctite threadlocker.In my opinion, some people might not be able apply enough torque on the fasteners with the provided tools.The "spanner" wrench can hurt your hand maybe before you have pushed hard enough to properly secure the footpad bolts. I recommend using a piece of cloth in your hand as extra cushion when assembling/pushing on those bolts. There is a point, when pushing with a thin metal wrench, and judging how hard can you push, when the metal might just fail, either the bolt head or the wrench itself.If the bolts are not properly tight, when using the machine things will start to rattle and move after awhile, or sooner.I am familiar with bolts and such, and feel that I was able to wrench everything just about right.However, I think that the tools provided might hurt some users' hands before things are tight enough.The Phillips tool, used on the rear stop for the seat, has just enough "handle" purchase for those 2 screws if you have a strong hand.If you are inexperienced with tools, be aware that you might not get everything as tight as it should be, when using the tools provided.I looked inside the front case when I removed the electronic piece to install batteries. Everything looked good in there. The instructions refer to attaching wires but it seems that some units are now shipping with the wiring already complete. There were no connections necessary in my case.There was a velcro wrap around the battery holder, be careful fishing that back through if it slips apart from things, as mine did. It might snag on the way back under the battery holder. Be especially careful around the electronic part, it is a circuit board so don't want to press too hard on any particular component or wire.Once it was assembled, I tested the action. Seems solid. Will update later as new info arises.UPDATE_2/13/2021:1- The seat wobbled just a little while gliding along the rail, but this was easily corrected. The roller that rides beneath the rail has an adjustment bolt on each side and one side needed just a wee bit of tightening.2- If you need to fold the machine for storage (I do) it can be a little tricky. There are 2 parts that must be installed for use, and removed to fold. A straight pin that passes right through the rail from one side to the other, and a knob-handled bolt that screws down from the top. You have to lift the rail with one hand to get the pin holes to line up, and then pass the pin through. Sometimes it is hard to get the pin through the far side. The bolt then needs to be screwed in, and you need to be careful and avoid cross-threading. Lift up on the rail with one hand to get things to line up properly. I added some pics.2/17/2021When the rail is folded up, there is no lock or stop to keep it in place. And it seems easy to send it falling towards the floor. So I tied a length of paracord to the front foot, and made a loop on the other end that is just the right length to reach the rear foot when it is in upright position. I have not had the rail fall to the floor but it is quite heavy and would at least make a loud noise if not hurt somebody etc.4/17/2021Took me long enough, but I finally noticed that the locking pin serves to hold the frame in the upright (folded) position without need for my cord solution. After you move the frame rail into the upright position, just slide the pin through the holes behind it works as designed.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2021
Style: Classic SilverVerified Purchase
Despite what some others have said, I think this is an excellent value.
After hours of research I chose this machine over others even though it was more expensive then I had originally planned on spending. However, a sale coupled with a damaged-box discount gave me such a supreme bargain I couldn't resist.
And I'm really glad I purchased it.
Packaging was stellar. Nice, tight packaging with small wood blocks insured no shifting of the machine during transport. All tools and parts were included and instructions were excellent. I put it together in 25 minutes. The most trying parts were the pull pin and large black knob on the top of the main frame which must be carefully lined up to fit. Lifting the frame up enabled me to shift the frame pieces into better alignment and slide the black knob piece directly down at the perfect angle. Otherwise, it will resist screwing into the hole.
The parts were shrink-wrapped on cardboard and clearly labeled as to which step they were for. This was extremely helpful.
The machine works smoothly and very quietly. The seat glides nicely on the rail with no bumping or catching. The flywheel is very quiet and turns smoothly. I have not used the computer readout yet so can not rate it.
I am 5'1" tall with a 27.5 inseam. When my legs are fully extended there is 13.5" of unused rail behind the seat until the seat would contact the stop bumper. Taller people would have plenty of room on the rail.
I have seen comments about feet slipping out of the foot rests. Please note the foot rests have two adjustments. The straps come pre-installed in the 'upper' slots closer to the toes of the rests. This is great if your feet are longer. For shorter feet, simple unthread the foot straps from the current location and feed them through the other slots closer to the heel of the foot rest. (See my photos for clarification). This will fasten the straps over the foot for smaller feet and prevent slipping of the foot.
I am including a close-up of the parts that attach the main frame to the seat rail frame. I am doing this because if you don't have all of the pieces together the frame will shift and the seat will not glide smoothly. I watched another purchaser's video where they were complaining about the seat not gliding and being noisy. If you look at her video you will immediately notice she has one of the bolt holes empty, causing the entire frame to bow down at that crucial point. Follow all directions and the frame will be totally tight and secure.
Personally, I love the machine. This is wonderful and I anticipate it providing me with many hours of relaxing rowing.
Note: If you feel the machine is not giving you a good workout, check your technique. Poor technique is responsible for 95% of dissatisfaction with most exercise equipment, in my opinion. Do yourself a favour and watch several videos from different sites to learn proper technique. Even if you have used a rowing machine before, don't second guess yourself. Good technique is the only thing you can do to guarantee a great workout, increased strength and health and to protect yourself from injury.
Dark Horse Rowing has a series of videos that are very nice. Otherwise, check out college rowing instructional videos. The video that is part of the advertising for this machine shows extremely poor technique. Do not use it for reference.
After hours of research I chose this machine over others even though it was more expensive then I had originally planned on spending. However, a sale coupled with a damaged-box discount gave me such a supreme bargain I couldn't resist.
And I'm really glad I purchased it.
Packaging was stellar. Nice, tight packaging with small wood blocks insured no shifting of the machine during transport. All tools and parts were included and instructions were excellent. I put it together in 25 minutes. The most trying parts were the pull pin and large black knob on the top of the main frame which must be carefully lined up to fit. Lifting the frame up enabled me to shift the frame pieces into better alignment and slide the black knob piece directly down at the perfect angle. Otherwise, it will resist screwing into the hole.
The parts were shrink-wrapped on cardboard and clearly labeled as to which step they were for. This was extremely helpful.
The machine works smoothly and very quietly. The seat glides nicely on the rail with no bumping or catching. The flywheel is very quiet and turns smoothly. I have not used the computer readout yet so can not rate it.
I am 5'1" tall with a 27.5 inseam. When my legs are fully extended there is 13.5" of unused rail behind the seat until the seat would contact the stop bumper. Taller people would have plenty of room on the rail.
I have seen comments about feet slipping out of the foot rests. Please note the foot rests have two adjustments. The straps come pre-installed in the 'upper' slots closer to the toes of the rests. This is great if your feet are longer. For shorter feet, simple unthread the foot straps from the current location and feed them through the other slots closer to the heel of the foot rest. (See my photos for clarification). This will fasten the straps over the foot for smaller feet and prevent slipping of the foot.
I am including a close-up of the parts that attach the main frame to the seat rail frame. I am doing this because if you don't have all of the pieces together the frame will shift and the seat will not glide smoothly. I watched another purchaser's video where they were complaining about the seat not gliding and being noisy. If you look at her video you will immediately notice she has one of the bolt holes empty, causing the entire frame to bow down at that crucial point. Follow all directions and the frame will be totally tight and secure.
Personally, I love the machine. This is wonderful and I anticipate it providing me with many hours of relaxing rowing.
Note: If you feel the machine is not giving you a good workout, check your technique. Poor technique is responsible for 95% of dissatisfaction with most exercise equipment, in my opinion. Do yourself a favour and watch several videos from different sites to learn proper technique. Even if you have used a rowing machine before, don't second guess yourself. Good technique is the only thing you can do to guarantee a great workout, increased strength and health and to protect yourself from injury.
Dark Horse Rowing has a series of videos that are very nice. Otherwise, check out college rowing instructional videos. The video that is part of the advertising for this machine shows extremely poor technique. Do not use it for reference.
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Top reviews from other countries
Carlos F.
mucho mejor de lo esperado
Reviewed in Mexico on June 17, 2024Style: Classic SilverVerified Purchase
Eduardo Hrodward
Excelente calidad / precio
Reviewed in Spain on November 27, 2023Style: Classic SilverVerified Purchase
Eduardo Hrodward
Reviewed in Spain on November 27, 2023
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T S
I'm very happy with it and have used it every second day ...
Reviewed in Canada on January 6, 2017Style: Classic SilverVerified Purchase
T S
Reviewed in Canada on January 6, 2017
I'm giving it 5 Amazon stars because at the price, it's an excellent rowing machine. There are small annoyances and improvements that could be made, but this is a Caddy not a Bentley. I've used air machines (the one's with the big fan wheel) and piston driven machines. I get as good a workout on this as I did on an air machine, though the air machine had many more bells and whistles. The air machine I used was much noisier than this SH&F machine. This is waaaaaay smoother than the cheap piston resistance machines. I've had two of those over the years. Both leaked oil (eventually), were noisy, lacked smooth action, and took up too much space. I'm glad I spent a bit more money to get this quiet, well-built beauty.
Here's how I would rate the machine's components.
1) Assembly: 5/5. Easy to assemble.
2) Resistance: 5/5. Resistance is excellent. Easy if you want. Hard if you want. I wouldn't want a higher setting. My form suffers at 6, 7 and 8 so I don't stay up there for very long.
3) Smoothness of rowing action: 4/5. Fairly smooth and quiet. 4/5 because it's not whisper quiet and makes an unwinding sound that is a noisier on release, but certainly not loud.
4) Seat and rail slide: 5/5: Seat is comfortable for me. Good support and doesn't hurt. Smooth sliding action that is fairly quiet. It is not "loud" but you definitely hear it. I like it as it helps me find a rhythm.
5) Foot rests and straps: 4/5. Work well. Easy to place your feet. Straps easy to put on and take off. Snug fit. Adjustable enough. Giving straps a 4 because the strap nylon webbing seems a little whimpy (could be better or thicker material). They can twist a bit when you are snugging the straps. This is a minor annoyance that is remedied by pulling the strap slowly and straight through the metal buckle, being careful when you snug the strap.
6) Monitor: 2.5/5. The LCD monitor is not back lit so I find the numbers hard to read. They could have positioned the monitor higher on the machine so the rower is looking straight at it not down. Doesn't give you distance or stroke rate, but at the price I can live with it. Gives time, total stroke count, session stroke count, calories burned. The addition of distance, 500 meter split times, and stroke rate would be beneficial as it makes it easier to gauge progress.
7) Storage and wheels: 3.5/5. The position of the wheels for moving the system seems wrong. Hard to describe but it doesn't roll easily, especially on carpet (the room I use it in has a low, tight pile carpet) and is awkward to move the machine upon. Hard flooring would make it easier but still not easy. Machine folds easily, but once folded, the wheels become useless. You have to move it to where you want, find the exact position, then fold it up. Once folded, it's hard to move. Footprint when folded is not bad. I place my machine against a wall. Folded, the footprint size is 37"L x 18"W (the main part of the machine, front and back feet). Height of the rail when folded is about 53".
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