Customer Rating:  
Summary: Overall a good buy.
Comment: Overall the quality is appropriate for the price. I decided I'd rather buy this rower then one of the more expensive rowers to see if I would stick with it. My biggest issue is that the resistance is not easily adjusted. I was expecting to be able to adjust it on the fly like some of the rowers I had used at the gym were able to do. With this rower you have to disconnect the resistance cable and loop a strap either less or more to your liking. Not the easiest thing to do.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Durable, but it's time to move on
Comment: I actually own a Model 2000, the one available previous to this one. It was well worth the price. I've owned it for 8 years, using it religiously 3 mornings a week, rowing a minimum of 25 minutes each day and up to an hour when I'm really ambitious. It's still as solid and as functional as the day I bought it.
I'm actually in the market for a Concept 2 rower now, but came across this site while Web surfing and thought I'd pass along some advice to new users:
1. Use it on carpet. It does slide. If you feel the need, put towels on the floor between the machine and the carpet to catch any sweat that drops. I use it in a place where sweat on the carpet doesn't bother me.
2. The calorie counter doesn't work. It can't, and I knew this going in, because it doesn't account for user weight and other factors. Through a complicated formula I devised myself, I estimate I'm burning about six-tenths of what the counter says I am. But ignore this, and the distance reading and everything else but the timer function because...
3. What counts is the rowing pace (which, unfortunately, is the one thing the device doesn't track). You'll need to keep count in your head. Aim for a pace of at least 30 strokes a minute and you'll keep your heart rate high enough to get a decent cardio workout. I'm usually in the range of 30 to 33 strokes per minute.
4. Keep the track clean on the frame where the seat wheels roll. Wipe these clean with a dust rag EVERY TIME before you use the machine. I learned the hard way -- paying about $12, twice, for a set of replacement wheels -- that even a small bit of dirt is enough to lock a wheel or two and drag them out of round.
5. The padding on the pull bar is inadequate and wears out quickly. Buy a pair of cheap rubber bike handlebar grips at a hardware store (maybe $5) and slip them on. Using fingerless gloves also helps.
6. The tension belt will last about three years. A long bungee cord available at any hardware store is a perfectly fine replacement.
7. Every year or so, take the housing off the axle assembly and wipe away any dirt or dust that has collected on the bearings. A drop or two of oil on those bearings will keep everything turning smoothly.
With a little improvisation, this machine should last a long time. I've gotten my money out of it MANY times over. And what they say about rowing is true: Next to swimming, it's about the best way to get a full-body, low-impact workout. After a while, if you're like me, you'll devise little math games to stay alert while keeping count of strokes, so your brain will get some exercise, too.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Rower
Comment: The totally destroyed package was alarming on receipt.
The UPS agent said it probably had been checked for completeness of parts and that proved absolutely correct. It was complete and went together easily and seems a good solid functional machine
Customer Rating:
Summary: Smooth Ride
Comment: I have had my Rower for about three weeks now. I really like it, it is easy on the bones and I still feel I am getting a good work-out. I was a little concerned about putting it together after reading other reviews but had no problems what so ever. I had it together in about 20 minutes. The only thing I have found that could be a problem is when you rest the pull-bar in the cradle if it comes out it will pop up (due to the tension needed)it will come off the chain. Two times my grandkids have pulled on the pull-bar and twice I have had to take it apart to place the chain back on. If the spikes would have been larger I dont think this would happen. But other than that I keep the kids away and love how it works. Also can't beat the free shipping.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great value, good quality
Comment: I've had my Fitness Quest Integrity 3000 Air Rower for a week now, and I'm very happy with my decision to buy it. I'm a firm believer in "you get what you pay for,", but I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of this machine. I chose to take the risk of going low on cost after reading the positive reviews about this machine. Sure enough, you can trust reviews. The rower is smooth, relatively quiet for an air machine, and I for one have no problem hearing the TV or iPod when working out with mine.
The instructions are full of "Cautions" about being careful and watching your heart rate. I for one thought I was in OK shape, but I still can't do 20 straight minutes of workout after a week. 5 -10 minutes has me worn out, and my heart pounding. But, I'm building up to longer times, and I feel great after each workout.
There was only a couple of problems I'll warn you about, which other reviewers have mentioned too:
1. Assembly is easy, but the instructions aren't the clearest thing you've ever read. The drawings included are just awful. I probably spent ten minutes just trying to figure out from the drawings which way to position the front stabilizer! I wasn't sure if the stabilizer's wheels should should face forward or back, and the drawing in the assembly instructions didn't show wheels. Finally, I looked at the picture on the front cover. Guess what, after assembly was complete and I folded the machine up to roll it away, I discovered the wheels should face the back, and not the front as illustrated.
2. My machine arrived with the chain off of the Air Wheel's sprocket. Again, poorly written instructions complicated by a horrible drawing, but it was easy enough to figure out. No where did the instructions say "remove the plastic covering the sprocket", but common sense, coupled with no other way to do it led to a quick resolution.
You need about 7 feet of operating space to exercise, but Folding the machine up is easy, and it becomes small enough to stand up in closet (without coats or clothes hanging in there though).
All-in-all, a great buy for the money, and I highly recommend this Rower
|
